Don't Take My Word for It

I've been a review junkie since I was about 11 years old, when I picked up my first issue of the long-departed ELECTRONIC GAMES and laughed my way through their scathing reviews of lousy Atari 2600 arcade translations. I can still remember reading the words, "the fireballs look like fireballs and not lint" in reference to the alleged superiority of the Intellivision version of Donkey Kong. I still have an Intellivision and that version of Donkey Kong.

When I was young, reviews sparked my interest in comedy and the written word. Now that I'm older, I use them to make buying decisions, and I'm not alone. A just-released study in England found that 19% of online customers were unhappy with "inadequate" reviews. They don't define inadequate, but I'm guessing those customers spent some time over at EB Games, where phrases like "u should buy this best game ever" still dominate.

I get my game reviews from GameFAQs, which has an editorial process for its reviews. For everything else, I head over to Amazon, which does a nice job raising the best reviews to the top.

But a review alone doesn't cut it for me. I like to know specifics, and I like to know who's writing it. After reading this, for example, you likely trust me to review a video game. Unfortunately, I sell cakes, and "Galaxy's Chocolate Lava Cake is as delicious to eat as Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic is fun to play" won't cut it.

So I thought I'd tell you a little about what I like, so when you read about things on the site, you'll know where I'm coming from. I also encourage our customers to share a detail or two about things they like when they post their own reviews.

The surest way to my heart is with a continual supply of Godiva chocolates. Any of their delectable treasures will do, but bonus points are added for dark-chocolate truffles. I also adore Albertson's chocolate chip cookies, which top the list of things I miss since leaving Los Angeles, along with In-N-Out burgers.

Like a lot of New England natives, I'm crazy about lobster. I'll raise a glass of Sam Adams when I'm out of town, but locally I always reach for a Harpoon IPA.

I have one of our croissants for lunch every day but Monday, when the bakery is closed. If you ever find yourself in Winchester, Massachusetts, drop by and try one of our spinach and cheese croissants. Just be sure to get here early, as they're often gone by 12:30.