Thursday, December 31, 2015

December 2015 Features And Reviews

This month has been utterly insane, what with the holidays and my getting ready to shift into a new position as editor for the local paper. That didn't stop me from playing games, though. Here are some of my bigger stories that ran this month.

Five great games coming in December

Five villains we want to see in Telltale's Batman game

Earth Defense Force 2 review

Earth Defense Force 4.1 review

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

November 2015 features and reviews

November, for me, was all about Yo-Kai Watch for the Nintendo 3DS. I played the game for review and even did a couple of extra features for Gaming Blend talking about the game's history and how it compares to Pokemon. I did a couple of other lists, too, but what's the point if they don't feature adorable ghosts and creatures of folklore?

Yo-Kai Watch review: This game has spirit

5 things Yo-Kai Watch does better than Pokemon

Yo-Kai Watch: Nintendo is manufacturing a mega-hit

7 great franchises that may never get another game

5 great games snubbed by The Game Awards

Thursday, September 24, 2015

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

Friday, August 28, 2015

Destiny, Mega Man and Stealth

August was a rare month where I didn't have a lot of reviews assigned, so I had the opportunity to sit back, relax, play whatever I felt like and even write a few fun columns about Mega Man, Destiny and the like.

With Metal Gear Solid V and Destiny's The Taken King DLC about to come out, not to mention Project Mirai on the 3DS, things are about to get crazy again. For now, though, here's some of my latest stuff that isn't part of the daily news grind.

Mega Man's top 5 Robot Master

5 great stealth games you're probably not playing

Gajallarhorn: The past, present and future of Destiny's most notorious gun

5 things to do in Destiny before The Taken King

Thursday, August 6, 2015

Submerged review [via Paste]

Every now and then I get the opportunity to pick up some freelance work at sites other than the one I write for regularly.

Paste recently gave me the chance to review Submerged on the PlayStation 4, so here's what came of that!

Submerged review: All wet

Ethan Carter, Rocket League, video game photography and more

I've managed to keep pretty busy this summer, getting in a couple of reviews and a couple more features amidst my daily articles at Gaming Blend. Here are the latest "bigger" pieces.

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter review: The power of imagination

Why video game photography is becoming its own beautiful art form

Rocket League: 5 tips to improve your game

Velocibox review: Frustration over fun

Thursday, July 23, 2015

Godzilla, Deception and Onechenbara reviews

The summer reviews just keep piling up. I recently had an opportunity to dive into three very niche titles, and you can read all about them by following the links below. Enjoy!

Godzilla review: King of all Mediocrity

Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess review: It's a trap!

Onechenbara Z2: Chaos review: Gaming's grindhouse series returns

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Destiny column and several reviews

In the wake of E3 2015, I've managed to keep very busy these past few weeks by cranking out a handful of reviews alongside my daily news coverage for Gaming Blend. I also griped about a recent bit of Destiny news involving boneheaded comments and overpriced DLC. Find links to all of that below!

Destiny's DLC fiasco and apology are insulting

J-Stars Victory VS+ review: Celebrating 45 years of Shonen Jump

Whispering Willows review: The Midnight Society would be proud

Planetside 2 PS4 review: Massive warfare comes to consoles

Zen Pinball Ant-Man review: Big on fun

Saturday, June 13, 2015

Some pre-E3 jibba-jabba

I' hitting the  road to E3 in a little over 24 hours, so things are getting kind of crazy in my neck of the woods. Leading up to the big show, I had the opportunity to squeeze in one more review, vent my frustration with the growing trend of instant negativity, and work with my editor to create a pre-E3 press conference prep story.

Dig in. The next update should pull together all of my coverage from E3!

Lord of Magna: Maiden Heaven review: A lighthearted SRPG with a twist

The Fallout 4 trailer: I'm fed up with instant negativity

E3 2015 press conference schedule: When to expect this year's biggest announcements

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Reviews galore and School Idol Festival

It's been a super busy month; one where I've managed to cram in a whole lot of reviews. You can check those out by following the links below, covering everything from Destiny's latest expansion to a new pinball table from Zen Studios.

I also managed to fall into a deep, dark abyss on the mobile market known as Love Live: School Idol Festival. Hit the link to find out why I've been so addicted to this sugary-sweet rhythm game, and why it is one of the few free-to-play games I think is actually worth your time.

Toren review: A flawed tower that's worth the climb

TowerFall Dark World review: It's a bullseye

Lost Orbit review: Fast, furious and tons of fun

Zen Pinball Portal review: Fun with science

Destiny House of Wolves review: Leader of the pack

Love Live: How I got addicted to a school idol game

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Reviews and even more Bloodborne

When I wasn't busy playing Bloodborne this past month, I managed to squeeze in quite a few reviews, including a pair of new tables for Zen Pinball, one of my rare takes on a mobile game, as well as the 3DS Attack on Titan game. Believe it or not, there are even more coming in the next couple of weeks, then it's off to E3...I need a nap.

Attack on Titan: Humanity in Chains review: Swingin' and Slicin'

Marvel Future Fight review: A mobile brawler worth playing

Zen Pinball Star Wars Rebels review: The Force is with this one

Zen Pinball Age of Ultron review: Not the Earth's mightiest

Top 5 surprising moments in Bloodborne

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Bloodborne columns and a few 3DS reviews

Its been a weird month for me in the world of video games. Along with a few lighthearted romps on the 3DS, I've been playing one of the most blood-soaked games to come along in quite some time. Check out my thoughts on Bloodborne, as well as those 3DS reviews, below.

Bloodborne: My first hours as a hunter

Bloodborne makes me feel like a kid again

Story of Seasons review: Growing in the right direction

Battleground Z and Ultimate Angler review: New Streetpass games deliver

Pokemon Rumble World review: Let's get ready to Meh

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Reviews: Dragon Ball, Dead or Alive and new Zen Pinball tables

March has barely begun and already I'm off to a busy start with a trio of reviews including a pair of fighting games and a pair of new tables for Zen Pinball 2.

You know I really dig a game if I keep returning to it following a review write-up and, for the record, I'm still pouring hours into Dragon Ball Xenoverse. It's like I'm getting to live out fantasies from after school cartoons way back in the day.

Dragon Ball Xenoverse review: Your wish is granted

Dead or Alive 5: Final Round review: One last fight

Zen Pinball Iron and Steel review: Heavy metal

Monday, February 23, 2015

Impressions, interviews and reviews; oh my

February has kept me plenty busy in the world of gaming. I had the opportunity to get in some hands-on time with a couple of games for the 3DS, as well as review an unexpectedly awesome deck-building/dungeon crawler for the PlayStation 4. To top it all off, I had an interview with Roger Craig Smith, the voice of Kyle Crane in Dying Light. Enjoy!

Hand of Fate review: Deck-building an epic adventure

Code Name S.T.E.A.M. impressions: Feeling lukewarm

Dying Light interview: Roger Craig Smith on voicing the game

Pokemon Shuffle impressions: A pleasant surprise

5 fighting games in need of a reboot

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Reviews and column randomness to kick off 2015

It's been a weird month for me, playing games that pretty much range the spectrum.

In the past few weeks, I've poured hours into a last-minute effort to grab Destiny's best gun, reviewed the cooky RPG, Citizens of Earth, as well as the old-school dungeon crawler, Brandish.

Then, I capped all of that off with a review run through Dying Light.

So, yeah, it's been weird.

Icebreaker: My tragic quest for Destiny's best gun

Citizens of Earth Review: Successful first term in office

Brandish: The Dark Revenant review: Dungeon crawling goodness

Dying Light impressions: So far, so good

Dying Light review: Zombies done right

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Columns: Shadow of Mordor, game industry resolutions, Destiny

It's still early in the New Year, so reviews haven't gotten rolling just yet. Instead, I decided to do a couple of other non-regular daily news posts instead, including a write-up on the amazing Nemesis system in Shadow of Mordor and a few New Year's resolutions I'd like to see the games industry tackle in 2015.

I also took a look at Destiny, asking myself what about the game keeps me coming back for more.

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor's Nemesis system should be stolen

5 New Year's resolutions for the game industry

Destiny: Why am I still playing this damn game?