What is Siliconera? This is Siliconera.

Argh, posted in the wrong area (wayta go sleepy cat). And of course, there’s no edit button for me to undo my commenting damage. Ah well, forgive the double posting babble but either way:

When I wake up in the morning to check my Netvibes, there’s only two feeds I have that lead to gaming news. One is Kotaku, and after I’m done reading that, the other is Siliconera. Although, ironically, I ended up posting Siliconera on my Netvibes after reading an article on Kotaku, with Sili as its source.

I never actually read much of the articles at first, but after losing out on a high end PC for my hubby on Kotaku, I saw Siliconera had a contest out that was easy to play, so, already dealing with a loss, didn’t hurt to try. A few months later and an unexpected response in the email, I thought it only fair to thank the blog by becoming a more active reader (just not much of a commenter.. I’m shy like that ^^)

Good thing I did.

Kotaku has all the big media game news I can catch up on, but in the end, when it comes to articles and the lesser fan favorites, the niche games I love, Siliconera is the blog that does the trick. Harvest Moon, Cooking Mama, JRPGs, and random asian games I’ve never even heard of but look so interesting after reading your articles, those are always present here.

And the funny bit is sometimes I’ll read about some things here first, like when you reported on Disgaea coming out for the DS, before it even registered on my Kotaku feed.

Kotaku is the big meaty steak main course on the video game dinner menu, but when you want a delicious exotic dessert to tie up the rest of the night and complete the meal, Siliconera hits that sweet spot and makes the dinner memorable.

Aww, this topic has already been touched on a number of occasions. Enough with it already, it’s all grand as it is now (despite the late layout change).

What I really like about SE is this clever mixture of a news site with obscure games, blog about gaming related observations and frequent previews/reports on upcoming titles. All with casual approach.
Oh, and there’s a lot of it all about *heart* RPGs.

Exclude me from this contest please.

To me, Siliconera is an amazing gaming blog that offers a unique and original take on what’s going on in the industry. IMO, the best games come from Japan. So I absolutely adore all the Siliconera news on Japanese games that I don’t see anywhere else on the net. Also for some reason it seems 90% of all gaming sites/blogs post their news with such negativity these days. It’s like they forgot that video games are fun. I visit Siliconera every day because, like me, they still have fun playing games!

Siliconera is Japan in America. It somehow manages to cover almost every game from Japan (and all over the world), even niche titles and those that will never make it to America.

I was linked to Siliconera from a message board and really clicked with the presentation and type of news posted here. Seeing a fresh take on gaming news with a focus on a variety of games and related topics is certainly appreciated. Especially the attention given to niche titles which is sadly lacking on the net.

Having a place to get your news in a positive, stylish and creative manner is what makes this site so unique.

I don’t remember how I found Siliconera, but I only read one paragraph and I was hooked. I think that I was looking for a great site that reviewed import games, because the major sites didn’t really have good coverage, IMHO. Also, the reviews on gamefaqs.com aren’t really that subjective.

Siliconera filled that void in my life — namely, a site that wasn’t so corporate, and was more down to earth. It has exactly what I want to read — good import game coverage. It’s what keeps me reading all the time, and keep coming back for more.

Siliconera saved my marriage!

Siliconera lowered my house payments by 200% per month!

To me, Siliconera is a place where I can go to to just bluntly get gaming news. Its simple, effective, and realizes content means more then a fancy layout and a well known name.

Siliconera – What is it to me? A good question.

Almost three years ago, when I was looking for information about games a European user would never see, I came to Siliconera. After taking a look at the Daigasso! Band-Bros. review I was convinced to buy this game which was a pleasant experience.
In the following months I kept visiting Siliconera. While I was kind of shocked when I saw the black design for the first time, the content proved that this would not turn ot as a downside.

But then: A new design, a new Siliconera?
Apparently not. The content was just of the same quality. Better, Siliconera provided even more than before. Over the years I became a fan of the Japanese centred news which were for the most part ignored by the Western media. Without Siliconera I probably would have never heard of games like Mag Kid: Slide Adventure; a game that impressed me due to its unconventional accesory device.

This might not give a solid answer to the question, but it should give an insight into my opinion of Siliconera. To be more precise, I would say that Siliconera is the mecca for a European gamer who is interested in the Japanese gaming world.

sorry about that. i’ll repost my comments here.

thaKingRocka Says:
March 15th, 2008 at 6:03 am

i first came to siliconera for the import reviews back when i was living in japan. i would run down the review list checking out the literacy levels to see what games i could pick up for ps2 and xbox. the reviews were also helpful, but that literacy level thing was what really drew me. i first came across the site with a google search for “import friendly” or something like that.

since that time, i have been checking out the site regularly. at first, it was pretty much just for those reviews, but as the site changed, so did my usage. now i read the main page every day, and i like that it keeps me abreast of things that are of interest to me, often outside of the mainstream and most often japan-centered, whether they affect my game purchases or not. it gives me a window to the japanese gaming market, and i like that it is not too big. even with open comments sections, things remain somewhat quiet and mostly civil, generally limited to people who really care and/or have something to say.

the site has a more personal feel to it than most. if i weren’t such a lazy bum already busy with lesson planning and gaming, i would probably be asking about contributing to the site in some way. the community on siliconera is rather friendly and intelligent and that counts for a lot.

i know i should just leave well enough alone, but i’d like to add that while having a stable of writers is always helpful, i like the consistency of hearing from the same person again and again. seeing the same name on most articles really adds to that personal feel i was talking about.

btw, i know the name seems to lose all meaning once the T is removed, but it’s actually Sofmap. sorry, the english teacher in me, while on break at home, still feels compelled to make minor corrections on a regular basis. i hope my semi-frequent posting of corrections doesn’t piss you off or anything.

If I remember correctly I think I stumbled upon silicon, if that’s what you want to call it. In the Spring of 2006 I was ready to start importing games. One of them on play-asia was linked with a review from here. I think it was a review on the Darkstalkers Chronicles or Children of Mana? Regardless it became my “hey an import review site cool”.

Slowly but surely after visiting everyday I realized that Silicon is different from every other site. Visiting here is almost like visiting that one mom and pop store you favor over big stores. They know what you like and what’s interesting feeling genuine and not over bearing. Not to mention all the quirks you guys point out never fails to get me. Plus the non bias feelings towards companies/consoles is great. Oh and the other number thing I can count on silicon for are honest reviews. You can’t beat honest opinions from people whom actually play said genres

oh and this: since I joined (or commented…) back in March 2007 (wootz tommorrow is my anniversary!!!) I was astonished by how fun this was

Siliconera is for me the best internet site to get news for Xbox Live Arcade.

I came to this site hoping to find an Egyptian God with breast implants.