Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Reviews - Killzone: Mercenary and Sweet Fuse: At Your Side

I've been reviewing like made these past few weeks. The latest games I got to dive into were both played on the PlayStation Vita, giving me lots of gaming goodness on the go.

One is the first portable shooter to get the genre right on Sony's latest handheld device and the other is a niche visual novel title full of mystery and romance. Spoiler alert: I enjoyed them both quite a bit.

Killzone: Mercenary review - The Vita gets its shooter

Sweet Fuse: At Your Side review

Monday, September 2, 2013

Reviews: Killer is Dead and Divekick

My latest reviews for Gaming Blend are now live. I took a look at the latest action game from Grasshopper Manufacture, Killer is Dead, as well as the semi-joke-yet-actually-pretty-dang-good fighting game, Divekick.

Killer is Dead Review: Suda 51's Insane New Ride

Divekick Review: A Narrow Miss

Monday, August 19, 2013

Dragon's Crown: First impressions

My special lady friend and I recently started our adventure through Vanillaware's new beat-em-up, Dragon's Crown.

Find out what we thought about the game (from the controls and classes to the beautiful art and loads of loot) over on Gaming Blend:

Dragon's Crown: First Impressions.

Sunday, July 14, 2013

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

Thursday, July 11, 2013

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

Friday, July 5, 2013

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

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

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

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Bit Creature: That's a wrap

After nearly a year of bringing readers some of the most original, thoughtful writing in the world of video games, Bit Creature has closed shop. Our fearless leader, James Hawkins, got dealt a pretty rough hand and had to reassess his ability to keep the site going full throttle. In the end, the decision was made to put Bit Creature on a (possibly permanent) hiatus.

For my part, I've absolutely loved writing for the site. Hawkins and my talented editor, Rich Shivener, allowed their amazing staff of writers total creative freedom. I'm humbled to have been among their ranks. It's not often you find a place to work that truly encourages creativity and coloring outside of the line. James and Rich absolutely celebrated that kind of writing, which is what allowed such wonderful pieces to pop up on Bit Creature on a regular basis.

For almost a year, I provided columns on a bi-weekly basis, as well as the occasional review (another area where James and Rich insisted we be creative and have fun with our writing, rather than just roll out the usual product review--it controls great and the soundtrack is lovely!--you find pretty much everywhere else on the internet).

In short, it's been the best writing experience of my life. The crew was amazing and I loved that there was a place where I could read their unique takes on video games and life. I only hope I will someday find a place where I can pursue this type of writing once again. I'm already itching to spill my guts on a variety of topics, but the sad fact of the matter is that there just aren't many places like Bit Creature out there, where I'd be able to cut loose and fly as free as I have for the past year.

It was an honor and a privilege to call Bit Creature my home. And for those of you who are looking for some great writing about the world of video games, the people who play them, and how that all ties into our daily lives, you can always drop by the site and dive into its wealth of content at BitCreature.com

As for me, I'm still plugging away at my job writing for The Fountain Hills Times, I still write daily for the fantastic games news site at Gaming Blend, and I'm still finding opportunities to do some freelance pieces from time to time. I'm definately keeping busy, I'm just going to miss my friends and the playground we all got to share at Bit Creature.

Thursday, May 2, 2013

This month in Bit Creature - May 2013

Zombie Tycoon II: Brainhov's Revenge review
I took the PS Vita's latest undead-infused strategy game for a spin. Find out why I think it's a zombie game with a good amount of brains.

Thursday, April 4, 2013

This month in Bit Creature - April 2013

It's dangerous to go alone [Column]
Multiplayer games don't typically draw me in these days. Even in MMOs, I tend to avoid grouping up or tackling instances with fellow players. Defiance, on the other hand, lets you seamlessly interact with other players, making it easier than ever to lend a hand/get rescued and then go your separate ways. In this particular column, I explore Defiance's unsocial social aspects.

Not the world I know [Column]
My thoughts concerning the opening hour of BioShock Infinite, a first-person shooter that lets you experience a living, breathing world before allowing you to tear it apart