5 great gaming sites that you should visit

Today, I am going to potentially introduce you to 5 of the greatest gaming sites currently in existance. I visit all of these on a regular basis and they produced work both of a quality and quantity that I can only aspire to, quite frankly.

1. RetroGaming with Racketboy
Here you can find many fascinating and well researched articles on all aspects on retro gaming. What are the the hidden gems that you should be picking up for each system, what are the rarer and more valuable games? What are the best games of a given genre for your favourite platform. Where can I view some of the best user created art for a particular game? Chances are, you can find the answer to all these questions and more at this site.

2. GiantBomb
When Jeff Gerstmann left GameSpot a few years ago, a handful of his friends and colleagues followed suit (including Ryan Davis and Brad Schumacher) and together they formed GiantBomb. The site has become one of the biggest gaming databases around, but still features the professionally written reviews, excellent videos (from the in depth Quick Looks through to the hilarious mailbag vids) and one of the best podcasts out there.

3. GameSpite
Now, while I prefer to read the main body of work (GameSpite Quarterly) in print form, there are still plenty of entertaining blog posts penned by Jeremy Parish to read, and some excellent gaming banter to be found in the forums. The crew here have a real passion for games and also really know their stuff, which makes this site indispensable.

4. RPG Fan
I used to visit RPGamer more, and I still listen to their podcasts - but these days I think the premiere site for RPG information has to be RPG Fan. The site has a really nice layout and colour scheme, and chances are if there's a particular game in the genre that you want to know more about, they will have an article or review for it.

5. GameGavel
Gamers that are getting increasingly tired of eBay's exorbitant listing fees would do well to check out GameGavel, a dedicated gaming auction site where the focus is more on the exchange of games and gear, and less on making a profit. Some real bargains can be found here. Fans of GameGavel and the Retro Gaming Roundup podcast (where SoCalMike is a host) should also check out his series of swap meet videos on YouTube, called Big Game Hunter.