Kyle Orland eats games for lunch on new review site

by Scott Jon Siegel { Jul 5th 2007 at 10:30PM }

With cinematics and tutorials galore in modern games, it's a wonder that we ever get around to the actual gameplay. Maybe that's why Joystiq's own Kyle Orland has started Games for Lunch, a unique videogame review blog that judges games on the first hour alone.

Every weekday, Kyle sits down with one game, for one hour, and writes a play-by-play transcript of his experience and opinions. At the end of each review, Orland rates the game by deciding whether it's worth playing for more than an hour. The reviews are succinct and snappy, and they demonstrate just how much gameplay actually makes it into the first hour of the games. Already flush with pages of content, and updating daily with new reviews, Games for Lunch is worth checking out, if only for that magic hour.

Tags: kyleorland, reviews, website

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Smoke_Dawg_187 @ Jul 5th 2007 11:15PM

Welcome Kyle XY! I'm looking forward to your reviews. The premise is good, but there is only 1 Angry Video Game Nerd.

Keep me posted Kyle!

Martez @ Jul 5th 2007 11:22PM

I'd hate to see the review of Super Paper Mario...

Matt B @ Jul 5th 2007 11:24PM

Living the dream. :)

Mr.Luben @ Jul 5th 2007 11:33PM

haha, that would be one kick *** job!!

Bookmarked!!! :D

Negativecool @ Jul 5th 2007 11:36PM

@#1
I agree completely. As far as there being only 1 Video Game Nerd I don't think it will be that kind of a review (lest my definition of "snappy" be wrong in that sentence) so I don't think there is any competition there...

And the Angry Video Game Nerd has no competition because he rules the planet with his use of the word "fuck" and his constant references to shit coming out of or into an anus. Word to your mother!

kraoro @ Jul 5th 2007 11:42PM

What happens when he reviews Square games, and he spends the entire hour watching FMVs?

Kyle Orland @ Jul 6th 2007 12:09AM

@6: I review the FMVs. They seem to be the main point of the games these days anyway.

Lp47 @ Jul 6th 2007 1:18AM

Hey i like this site ill probabley check it out every day or two. Thank god your not a 360 fanboy and your not a biased baster like the guys at IGN.

PacoDG @ Jul 6th 2007 2:53AM

His site is great and based on a simple, yet good idea. Hope he gets more hits, already did a minor spamming for his site from mine http://www.xbox360rally.com/halo-3-beta-reviewed-by-games-for-lunch/ Definitely bookmark worthy, especially if he updates daily.

Rubang B @ Jul 6th 2007 4:25AM

Haha, awesome idea Kyle.

I completely agree that the first hour of Sonic and the Secret Rings was very unappealing, but somewhere during my second hour it got crazy fun and I had to finish the whole game before I returned it. It's weird, it might be the only game that I'd still recommend after warning you that the first whole hour will suck. It also helps if you have the shit on mute and supply your own jams. That one song that plays at the end of every single level also turns out to be the final boss theme, and that battle lasts a million years. That song still haunts my dreams.

I'd like to see you use this review style for the first hours of some of the classics, like X-Com, StarCraft, SMB3, or ooh, Half-Life 1: "So I'm still riding this Black Mesa monorail..."

JodyAnthony @ Jul 6th 2007 5:30AM

I like it! keep it up

Psaakyrn @ Jul 6th 2007 6:43AM

Just a request... could we also have a StC rating at the same time? (if you don't know what StC is... look up Old Man Murray)

Anam @ Jul 6th 2007 9:46AM

Can't wait to see Kyle's review of Twilight Princess. That game was boring as hell for at least the first hour. I hate that about Zelda games. Nintendo needs to realize that tutorials should be optional.

They got it right on the first one: 15 seconds until you get the sword and start playing.