And the winner is...

And the winner is...

The following is the winning essay in the game for Christmas contest, congrats and enjoy.

The game that got me into gaming was Metroid. I had just turned five years old when I first started playing that game on the NES. Our neighbor owned the NES and they had Metroid on it and I would always go over there to bug them to play it. They would let me go over there for hours at a time to let me play. Even at such a young age, what I really enjoyed about that game was the music and atmosphere that it gave off. And it was very, like a lot of old NES games; it left a lot to the imagination. No maps, it wasn't a linear game at all. It was a very open ended, exploration type game. A year after playying at their house I got my own NES for Christmas that same year. I got Super Mario Brothers 3 as my first NES game. My life hasn't been the same since. I have beat hundreds upon hundreds of video games ranging on all consoles. I've grown into a gamer to the point were I will buy even the crappiest games that are 2.99 off the shelf. I collect them like baseball cards. My lifelong goal is to own every hard copy of every video game made. With video games going into the digital distribution age, that dream will become a reality eventually.

I am looking forward to Valkyria Chronicles this Christmas on the PS3 more than anything currently. It hearkens back to older japanese strategy games like Final Fantasy Tactics, Ogre Battle, and Front Mission games. It is a genre I particularly love and never get bored with. This game looks phenomanal and it is really pushing the limits with artistic direction in video games, but it is not getting the attention it deserves. It has only sold 33,000 copies since its first week of release in North America. That is hardly enough to warrant a sequal in the future. Which is a shame because it is a beautiful game, a true tripel A title that is being overlooked thanks to the overflow of other triple A titles this year. Specifically, 8 hour affairs like MirrorsEdge.

What people don't realize is that video games are a lot like music if there is an independent band trying to make a living off playing music, then the fans need to support them by buying merchandise and music in order for them to continue their musical career and finance a second album. So if you see a video game that is being made by a small independent studio and they are not getting enough exposure then it is really important that you buy their game at full retail price in order to support that studio. Otherwise you won't ever get a sequal from that company or franchise, unlike music, you truly will never get a sequal. This has hurt video games such as Beyond GOod and Evil, and Psychonaunts. Both are phenomanal titles, but it has taken a lot for them to press for a second game from their studio.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story.
John Solgrim