End of the year columns and a short story

Now that 2013 is wrapping up, it's time to take a look back at the past 12 months and reminisce about the games that had us playing, smiling, crying and talking the most.

I recently pulled together my five favorite games for Gaming Blend, as well as a column concerning my favorite RPG (Or action adventure game, if you prefer) The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds.

Finally, I also wrote a (very) short story involving the Nintendo 3DS, StreetPass and...love? It's a work of fiction, so don't feel too bad for the narrator. This also happens to be one of my favorite things I've written in a while, so, yeah.

Thanks for following along and see you again in 2014!

Best games of 2013: Ryan sides with talking animals

Best RPG of 2013: The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

Final StreetPass: A Nintendo 3DS short story

Columns: Game of the Generation, The Minecraft Dilemma

The folks over at Gaming Blend asked me to do a piece highlighting my top game of the previous generation and, without hesitation, I began writing about Uncharted 2. It may not have changed the landscape of gaming like Mass Effect, BioShock or even Angry Birds but, when I look back on the seventh generation, Uncharted 2 will be one of those games that I remember most fondly. To me, it was a perfect dose of entertainment.

 Ryan's Game of the Generation: Uncharted 2

I also did a column for Gaming Blend exploring the idea of whether or not I've simply lost the taste for epic/long/overstuffed games. What most gamers see as great bang for their bucks tends to make me shy away these days, as the thought of spending 100-plus hours with any single title is a rather daunting task when I can only spare an hour or two at a time to actually play.

The Minecraft Dilemma: Can games have too much content?

Review: Killzone: Shadow Fall

My first review for the new console generation goes to Killzone: Shadow Fall, the latest installment in the long-running FPS series and a PS4 exclusive.

Is the game worthy of all that "next gen" hype? How does it compare to previous entries in the series? The answers to these questions and more once you hit the link.

Killzone: Shadow Fall forges a shaky new path

Nintendo: My unexpected reunion with Mario and Co. [Column]

Here's my latest column for Gaming Blend, taking a look back at my history with Nintendo consoles, our big break up in my high school days and our eventual reconciliation thanks to the 3DS.

Basically, I became exhausted with Nintendo's constant stream of sunshine and rainbows and unwillingness to do much outside of their staple series. After a number of years away from the Big N, however, that's exactly the kind of stuff I was in the market for; wholesome, fun, colorful, well designed games.

Nintendo: My unexpected reunion with Mario and Co.

Review: Ys: Memories of Celceta

The latest RPG for the PlayStation Vita also happens to be one of the best genre offerings for Sony's portable console.

Find out why in my Gaming Blend review.

Review: Ys: Memories of Celceta is a Vita RPG Triumph

Review: Injustice: Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition (Vita)

And here's yet another review I did for Gaming Blend, this time plowing through the super-powered battle that is Injustice: Gods Among Us for the PlayStation Vita.

I've been pretty lucky as of late, with most of the titles I've had the opportunity to play ranging from pretty dang good to decidedly awesome. Injustice, while a bit muddy in the visuals department, is on the higher end of that scale, offering up a great fighting game with loads of content, all crammed down and stuffed into the palm of my hands.

Review: Injustice: Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition is an ugly Vita knockout

Review: Tearaway

Here's my review of Tearaway, one of the loveliest games I've ever had the pleasure of playing. Coming from the folks at Media Molecule (LittleBigPlanet), I expected Tearaway to be full of charm and creativity. But they really went the extra mile when it comes to Tearaway, a game that turns the player into a large part of the experience, all in a bright and colorful world made entirely out of papercraft. For my full take on the game, hit that link...

Review: Tearaway utterly delivers

PlayStation 4: A launch night diary

So I made the trek out to the local(ish) shop to pick up my PlayStation 4 during the midnight release. You can read all about my first several hours with Sony's new console in a piece I did for Gaming Blend. Unfortunately, 3 a.m. is when my brain stops functioning and I had to call it a night before going too deep. As an update: Nearly a week in and I'm really enjoying the thing.

PlayStation 4: A launch night diary

Pokemon X/Y: I finally jump on the bandwagon

Despite having grown up in the age of Pokemon, I never gave into the hype and played any of the games.

Now, just shy of my 31st birthday, I've decided to finally dip my toe into those critter-filled waters and, because I can't do anything game-related these days without writing about it, I've put together a short series highlighting the events.

The first link will lead you to the pre-game article, giving a bit of background on my (lack of) history with Pokemon, my reasons for ignoring the series all these years, and my reasons for breaking the habit with the latest Pokemon for 3DS.

Article two gives you a rundown of my first day with the game, which was spent lounging around the house with six friends, all of us pouring a ridiculous number of hours into the game on the day of its release.

The third article circles back three weeks following the launch to see how I felt about the game after spending more than a day with it.

Enjoy!

Pokemon: Why I'm finally going to play one of these games

Pokemon: My first day with the series

Pokemon X, Y: I've Officially Been Converted

Review: Valhalla Knights 3

I reviewed Valhalla Knights 3 for Gaming Blend. There were a lot of interesting ideas here but, sadly, they were executed poorly in a game that is, to be blunt, a bit of a clunky mess.

For the full review, hit that link.

Valhalla Knights 3 review: Far from heaven