What is ILS?

Into Liquid Sky was created in Fall 2000 and first saw life in a beta format in September of 2000 and finally went "live" for the public on November 1st, 2000. Originally a Geocities site, ILS grew and finally got its current place on the internet at Intoliquidsky.net.

ILS's main focus is on videogame culture, along with other entertainment material that is of interest to the same people. We tend to focus on material that is aimed at the same people who are interested in videogaming in general. Movies based on games? We're on it. Collectibles? You bet. Music? When we can find it. Anime and manga? Yep.

I want to write reviews for ILS.

First and foremost, ILS is NOT a paying job. If you send in a resume and expect any kind of compensation - sorry. Try IGN or Gamespot. They actually have someone footing the bill.

Also, ILS doesn't often bring on new reviewers. So, if you ask to join, you'll most likely get a "Thanks, but we're not accepting new positions" response. It's nothing against you personally. We just like to keep a tight-knit crowd of people we know and trust. Doesn't mean you'll get automatically rejected, but don't be surprised.

This link is broken. You have a misspelled word. Your information is incorrect.

Thanks. If you tell us there's an error on the site (in a fashion that isn't insulting), we'll do our best to fix it. We try to make sure everything is working fine, but some times we just miss something. We appreciate any extra help we can get from the readers.

Can I link to your site?

Sure thing. Knock yourself out. As long as a link to ILS is appropriate for your site, you can link to us all day long. Now, if you run an adult site, we may not want that kind of "connection".

Would you link to my site?

Depends on the site. If your site is done well and fits in with the market we try to reach or provides a useful resource, we should have no problem linking to it on our Links page. Only special sites are linked as Affiliates - sites that are done with the same mindset of quality and opinion about the world of entertainment.

[Insert game] came out on the [console A] and [console B], but you only have a review for one. Why didn't you review it for the other console?

It's ILS' belief that most multiplatform titles are usually fairly similar in quality, with only minor changes in graphics and content that has no impact on the core gameplay. Because of this, we often choose to only review one version of the title. Only in rare cases, like Max Payne for the PS2 and Xbox, where the game is noticeably different, will we take the time to review the game on separate consoles. So, if you're looking for a multiconsole title for your console of choice and don't see it, look on the Archives page to see if it's been reviewed for another console.

Why don't you review more games?

Unfortunately, ILS doesn't receive much in the way of freebies from the industry. Most of our reviews are for games we have to buy or rent ourselves and that costs money. You should know - you buy/rent these games as well. Because of this, though, the reviews we give are from the perspective of a budget-conscious shopper, rather than someone who gets paid to play free games. We would review more titles, but we don't have the resources to accommodate that. Sorry.

I don't agree with your score/review of [insert game].

That's fine. Not everyone agrees on everything. Our reviews are just opinions, just like every other site/magazine out there. If you don't like what we said, don't take it personally. Also, don't be hung up on the Grade a game gets. The Grade is merely a quick way to let you know our perceived quality of a game. If you read the review, you may find that you can live with perceived problems in a game that we noted.

Your reviews are biased.

Yes, they are. But then again, all reviews on all websites and magazines are biased to some degree. The reviewer's preference is sure to have an effect on their review. You just need to figure out what games/genres/consoles the reviewers are biased towards/against and factor that into the review when you read it.

You list [insert game] in your Coming Soon, but didn't review it. What's up with that?

The Coming Soon box is just a means to tell those who don't keep up with release dates when certain titles they may be interested are coming out. We base the titles there on EBGames' database and choose some of the more high-profile titles to feature. This is no announcement of games we plan to review.

Why don't you have more screenshots and movies to view?

To be honest, Gamespot and IGN do that so much better than we could. Why try to do something that we wouldn't be able to compete in? ILS focuses on reviews and places enough screenshots to give readers an idea of what a game will look like.

Why don't you review more movies?

Much like with Games, we just don't have the time and money to see everything that's out in the theaters. We do try to catch movies that would be of interest to the type of people who would visit ILS. And, from time to time, we like to review something a little different to broaden your horizons.

Why do you review older movies?

Because, well, we review them when we get to them. We've been guilty of missing movies in both the theater and on initial DVD/VHS release, only to finally catch them some months later. It just happens. Better late than never I guess.

Other reviews hated [insert film]. Why do you like it?

We don't know about most anyone else, but ILS goes to films to enjoy themselves. We're not there for the sake of film as art. If technical aspects of a film are impressive or faulty, we'll note it. ILS finds that a film can be enjoyed despite some faulty plot aspects or director's vision.

Why don't you review [insert mainstream band]?

We prefer not to cover mainstream artists for the reason that every other magazine in the world already does. If you're interested in the latest review of a Top 40 pop act, check out Rolling Stone or Spin. We prefer to cover the more "off-the-beaten" path acts. Of course, we tend to review bands in genres we prefer, but since we have a hard enough time finding reviews for lesser known acts, we figured you won't mind.

I'm part of a band, or promote a band. We'd like for you to review our music.

Great. We love to promote those acts just starting out. But, we have a few things we need from you: a) The music has to be available for sale (whether through stores or online). b) We need you to send us a copy to review. It's ILS' policy not to give reviews of albums based on MP3s or online audio files. We prefer to review music in the context of the album it is recorded for.

I live [insert location], where can I find [insert collectible]?

Sorry. Can't help you there. I don't know what stores you have or what stock they carry. Get a phone book and look for yourself.

Why don't you give grades for collectibles?

ILS does not grade collectibles, because, unlike games or movies, they do not provide a level of interactivity. What you see is what you get and we choose not to put a qualitative grade on collectibles. We do choose to report on the quality of the product, but we fully understand that people will buy collectibles on the license alone.

Why don't you review series like Dragonball Z and Pokemon?

Because you can find reviews for them everywhere. We like to cover Anime and Manga that might not get covered in the more mainstream media.

Do you know how to do [insert strategy]?

If you ask a question on a game that we've written a strategy for and just seem to have missed in the process, we'll try to give the answer to the best of our knowledge. If we haven't done a strategy, you're more likely to get your answers at GameFAQs, where they have tons of FAQs and guides to help.

Your strategy doesn't work/is wrong.

For you, that is. Every strategy is tested after being written to ensure that it works. While there may be other means to an end, the ones we publish have worked for us. But, if you can provide a suggestion (without being insulting about it), we'll be more than willing to add it with credit.