Gamers Alliance REPORT
Winter 2004 Vol. 2 No. 9
EDITORIAL
Raising the RED Flag
Since our beginnings back in 1986, we have always been on the lookout for the best games on the market. The idea has always been to spotlight those quality games so that our members could get the most out of their leisure time and money. Throughout the years, we've played, literally, THOUSANDS of games for thousands of days for tens of thousands of hours to achieve this goal. It's been lots of fun. But, you know, it's not always lots of fun.
Robert Heinlein said "90% of everything is crap." He's not far off the mark. Fifty games might hit the table before we find ONE worthy of inclusion in an issue. The Gamers Alliance philosophy, right from the first issue, is to encourage game creators and companies to bring their best to the gaming table. It's hard enough to follow the creative process from idea to finished product to its end result. We enthusiastically support these efforts and we have never wished to undermine such enterprises with gratuitous criticism from kibitzers on the sidelines. But, sometimes, you just have to raise an alarm.
As we enter 2004, there's no disputing that the releases of the last year were, on the whole, disappointing. Whether the root causes were failing to meet high expectations (caused by some of the great games released over the past few years), declining creativity on the part of quality designers, lack of necessary game development, or other factors...who knows? But it's a fact: many recent releases have failed to meet standards that make them worthy of repeated play and, just as important, worthy of you spending your hard-earned leisure time and money on them.
In response to this situation, we are starting a new feature in GAMERS ALLIANCE REPORT: Raising the Red Flag. This feature will appear whenever we find ourselves with a game that promises so much and delivers so little. That's when we'll Red Flag them and tell you why you should think twice before making the buy. It's your money; you can spend it anyway you want. But remember: you've been warned!
In this issue of GA REPORT, we bid and build factories and technologies throughout Industrial Ages and get whimsical with frogs! We welcome a new voice, Larry Levy (no relation), who digs into a clever game. Plus Greg Schloesser is on fire and still feels like a prince while Kban builds buildings! And, as long as we're talking about classic game design, we focus on yet another gem in our "Game Classics" series. And, of course, much more.
Until next time, Good Gaming!
Herb Levy, President