Reviews and features: First half of 2018

Monster Hunter World review: King of the jungle

Dragon Ball FighterZ review: Full-on Super Saiyan

Moss Review: Virtual reality done so, so right

Blasters of the Universe review: VR bullet hell heaven

WarGames review: More video than game

Fortnite: Battle Royale - Eight tips for beginning players

Q3 2017: Reviews and features

Hard to believe we're already on the back half of 2017. The quarter is only just beginning, so I'll add to this as the months shoot past.

Archangel RSVR review: Me and my mech

LawBreakers Review: Teaching an old genre some new tricks

Destiny 2 review: Eyes up, Guardian

Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite review: When worlds collide

E3 2017 coverage for Gaming Blend

E3 2017 was a pretty wild ride, what with the doors opening to a large number of public visitors and all. But I managed to make my way from appointment to appointment without too much trouble. Here's a rundown of my coverage from the event floor, featuring some eyes/hands-on experiences as well as some interviews with various developers.

Why the Professor Layton series replaced Professor Layton.

Why the protagonists of Uncharted: The Lost Legacy make for intriguing characters

There's a reason the Spider-Man suit looks different in the new game

How Kratos' son will impact combat in the new God of War

Call of Duty: WWII is a real step forward for the franchise, here's why

How Castlevania has been influencing Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

The unexpected game genre that inspired LawBreakers

Middle-earth: Shadow of War adds an army's worth of new features

Q2 2017: Reviews and features

I had a lot of fun these past few months and stayed plenty busy; attending the Destiny 2 reveal event in Los Angeles in May and working up a few reviews and features for Cinema Blend. After E3, I imagine things will finally slow down a bit through the summer.

Mario Sports Superstars Review: Not quite the big leagues

Yooka-Laylee Review: Too stuck in the past

Symphony of the Machine PSVR Review: Missing a few notes

Injustice 2 Review: Stronger than ever

The best WWE 2K17 wrestlers for low virtual currency

5 surprising things we learned playing Destiny 2

How Destiny 2's multiplayer will work like a dating app

How Overwatch inspired Destiny 2's multiplayer

Spider-Man for PlayStation 4: What we know so far

Arizona Sunshine review: Burning bright on PSVR

Final reviews, features of 2016

I reviewed a trio of games for Cinema Blend recently, including the new Call of Duty, a VR pinball game and the long-awaited The Last Guardian, making for a nice mix of games spread across the spectrum. There's also a little something here for fans of the NES Classic Edition.

The Last Guardian review: A boy and his monster

Pinball FX2 VR review: Like having an arcade strapped to your face

Call of Duth: Infinite Warfare review - One small step

Our five favorite cheats you can use on NES Classic

PlayStation's big wins and major fails of 2016

5 things we want to see from a Castlevania animated series

The top 10 video games of 2016

No Man's Sky and Attack on Titan Reviews

I got in a couple reviews for Gaming Blend at the end of the summer, both of which I enjoyed quite a bit. You can read all about them below or check out my daily news posts, as usual, at the website.

No Man's Sky review: A lonely, magical journey

Attack on Titan review: Does the series justice

Neverwinter and Mighty No. 9 reviews

It's been a slow summer for reviews, so I haven't had many "big" pieces break up the daily stories I write for Gaming Blend. Anyway, here's my latest couple of assessments.

Neverwinter PlayStation 4 review: Big on adventure

Mighty Number 9 review: Not quite mega, man

E3 2016 coverage for Gaming Blend

E3 was held from June 13-16 this year, making for an insane week of hands-on demos, chats with developers and more. I got to see a lot more than I could ever write about, but here's a rundown of the stories I put together for Gaming Blend this year.

CastleStorm VR and Drop Dead Show Off Diversity of Gear VR Library

Telltale's Batman Game Lets You Become Your Own Caped Crusader

What Story of Seasons: Trio Of Towns Is Truly About, According to the Director

How Days Gone is a Game About Survival, According to Director

How the Slaying Mechanics Work in Attack on Titan

The New Features Coming in Star Trek Online for Consoles

New God of War is Kratos' Quest for a Second Chance, According to the Director

How Let it Die is Suda51's Rock Opera of Violence

How Batman Arkham VR Puts You in the Boots of the World's Greatest Detective

How Lego Dimensions is Aiming for Bigger Adventures in Year Two

Agents of Mayhem Brings Running and Gunning to Saints Row Universe

Destiny: Rise of Iron is Gunning for an Epic Experience, According to the Community Manager

Metal Gear, Taken King, Uncharted and more

For me, this has been one of the best months of gaming in 2015. Not only did I get to dive into the long-awaited fifth chapter in the Metal Gear Solid series, but Destiny's mega-DLC, The Taken King, turned out to be fan-freaking-tastic.

I wrote about my favorite new features in the former while reviewing the latter, with links to both posted below. I also had fun ranking the Uncharted games and Mario's top forms, in case you're into lists. Here's the rundown of some of my latest features:

Three best new features in Metal Gear Solid V

Destiny: The Taken King Review: Aiming for the FPS Crown

Seven DLC packs that were actually worth your money

The Uncharted Games, ranked

Mario's 10 greatest forms, ranked

My Animal Crossing: New Leaf confessions [Column]

In which I discuss how Animal Crossing: New Leaf for the 3DS started out as a fun and lighthearted romp and eventually turned me into a monster, bent on building a perfect city and amassing the greatest fortune the world has ever known.

My first (somewhat shameful) month with Animal Crossing: New Leaf

Game dev story: Zachary Snader [Interview]

I met Zachary Snader on the flight out to E3 this year and he turned out to be a really interesting guy. He's wrapping up college, interning at a game studio and organizing a game developer's conference focused on the future of the industry all at the same time.

He was kind enough to share his story with me, and now I'm sharing it with you:

Game dev story: Zachary Snader discusses his journey into the industry and the future of games

Gaming with Glass? A look into the future [Article]

With Google Glass gaining steam and The Big G reportedly working on an Android-based gaming console and Smart Watch, Gearburn had me dig into what the future of gaming could mean for Google products.

Gaming with Glass? A look into the future

E3 2013 coverage for Gaming Blend

E3 has officially come to a close and my brain is still trying to digest everything that went down in and around the LA Convention Center from June 10-13. I had the opportunity to attend press conferences for Sony, Microsoft and EA, as well as pile on three full days worth of interviews with developers and get in some hands-on time with loads of games.

My coverage of E3 2013 can be found on Gaming Blend or, for your convenience, I've compiled all 16 of my stories from the event here in one handy-dandy little post. Dig in!

An Xbox press conference diary
An EA press conference diary
A Sony press conference diary
E3 2013 made me finally buy a 3DS
Hands on with Dragon's Crown
Hands on with Killzone: Mercenary
Shinsaku Ohara discusses the insanity of Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z
Designer David Goldfarb dishes details on Payday 2
Creator Andrew Spinks digs into Terraria for iOS
Creative Director Jens Matthies shows off Wolfenstein: The New Order
Shinji Mikami talks about surviving The Evil Within
Xbox One reps dive into console's potential
Hands on with Saints Row IV
Eyes-on with the Destiny gameplay demo
Behind closed doors with Call of Duty: Ghosts
Exploring the crazy action of Killer is Dead
Tracking down monsters in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Narrative Director Steven Gallagher steps out of the shadows with Thief

The End of Gaming Consoles? [Article]

I wrote another piece for Sci-Fi Movie Hype, this time discussing the skyrocketing success of the mobile gaming market and its evolving relationship with home consoles. (Spoiler: No, I don't think that mobile gaming's success necessarily means the end of consoles.) You can check it out here:

The End of Gaming Consoles?

Sci-Fi Movies and Video Games [Article]

I wrote a piece for Sci-Fi Movie Hype discussing science fiction films and their ties to the world of video games.You can check it out here:

Sci-Fi Movies and Video Games: A Match Made in Fantasy

Review: Dead Space 2

Dead Space 2 does most of the things a sequel should do, and it does these things very, very well.

In short, the team at Visceral took the formula that worked so well in the first game and pumped in more of it. While this new nightmarish journey doesn’t take many risks, add too many new ideas or manage to scare quite like the first game, what we’re left with is a big, mean action experience that keeps the blood pumping and the occasional creeps crawling.

Set three years following the events of the original Dead Space, Dead Space 2 kicks off with hero Isaac Clarke on a massive space station called The Sprawl. Body parts quickly hit the fan as Isaac must arm himself to combat a second necromorph outbreak and, as if that wasn’t enough, a mind he may no longer be able to trust.

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Review wrap-up: Loads of stuff

The bridge of weeks connecting 2010 and 2011 has proven to be a bit busier than I expected. I’ve been able to take in a lot of "stuff"; I just haven’t had the time to review any of it.

As such, it’s now time for one of my world famous review wrap-ups wherein I gloss over several movies, games and CDs deserving of far more attention than I’m currently willing to provide. Here’s the quick rundown.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
(Video game) I’m a huge Castlevania fan, so even knowing LoS was going to be a re-launch of the series, it still took me a while to get used to the idea of everything being so different. Despite my fanboyish reservations, LoS succeeds as an action/adventure title with gorgeous graphics, a sweeping score and a crapload of content. While it borrows heavily from the God of War brand of combat, LoS surpasses that series in a lot of ways, creating a more complex, yet fluid means of destroying a wide variety of opponents. There’s loads of epic boss battles, an interesting story that sadly falls apart at the climax and it’s just plain fun to play. Don’t go in expecting the series you grew up with and you should be in for a 15-20-hour action rollercoaster.

More reviews after the break.

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Review wrap-up

I have once again fallen behind in reviews. Rather than flood the site with a bunch of posts that, let’s face it, would be far too long-winded (I love to hear myself type), I’ve decided to round everything up here and spare just a paragraph or two (or five) per item.

It’s a real mixed bag, as I’ve got a CD, a comic, a movie and a video game all here for your consideration. (Spoiler alert: They were all pretty fantastic.)

Mumford and Sons: Sigh no more
I heard the tune “Little Lion Man” by Mumford and Sons on the radio a couple months ago and did my damndest to remember the name of the song and/or the artist, ultimately forgetting both. That happened twice more, causing me loads of frustration. I was near my computer the next time I heard the song and immediately logged on to just download the whole album and be done with it.

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Supreme Court considers violent video game law

It’s taken a while, but video games finally had their day in court yesterday. The U.S. Supreme Court, to be exact.


California, represented by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, took on the Entertainment Merchants Association concerning a law that would make it a crime to sell “obscenely violent” video games to a minor.

Despite the fact video games are already voluntarily rated by the ESRB, which also provides information for why said game is receiving said rating right there on the box, and despite the fact parents already have a slew of control options for their televisions and gaming systems, and despite the fact most respectable establishments already refuse to sell such games to minors, the Govornator wanted more.

The truth is, yes, most teens can figure out their way around parental controls. And yes, even though mature rated games are not supposed to be sold to minors, some are getting out. It’s my understanding that some minors also sneak into R rated movies and the like from time to time, but California opted to focus solely on video games, something the Justices quickly pointed out during yesterday’s hearing.

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Review- Dead Space: Martyr, by B.K. Evenson

Dead Space: Martyr, by B. K. Evenson, is a pretty easy recommendation for fans of the video game franchise it’s based on. For those unfamiliar with the world and its history, however, it’s a more difficult sale.

In the game, you blast your way through an army of Necromorphs, horrible creatures mutated from the bodies of the dead. You learn that the whole mess got started because of a mysterious object called the “Marker,” which is also a holy icon for Unitologists, a religious group that believes these grotesque events are simply a step on the road to convergence, or a oneness of the species.

The game packs a lot more brains and story than most of its ilk so, naturally, publisher Electronic Arts has decided to flesh things out in a variety of ways. There has already been a spin-off title for the Wii, a series of comics and an animated feature film dedicated to unraveling more of Dead Space’s mysteries. An interactive comic is releasing shortly, followed by a graphic novel in December and, in early 2011, Dead Space 2.

So, yes, there’s a lot to digest in this world where the dead never stay down and a headshot is about as helpful as a pat on the back. But what we’re here to talk about today is the novel, Dead Space: Martyr.

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