Monday, December 23, 2013

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

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

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?

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

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

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

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.

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

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