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Final features for Gaming Blend

2019-01-31T08:39:00.001-08:00

After seven years of writing for Gaming Blend, it looks like that chapter in my life has come to a close. They were great to work for and I had a blast writing so many stories for them over the years. I'm going to take a breather and see what tomorrow brings. With any luck, I'll find a way to keep on writing about video games. For now, though, here's my final review and a couple features.

The 10 Most Anticipated Games of 2019

Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes Review

Anthem Impressions: The Good, The Bad And The Road Ahead

Reviews and features: Second half of 2018

2018-08-24T14:19:00.001-07:00

Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy Nintendo Switch review

Warframe: Everything you need to know to get started

Sleep Tight review: Aaaaah, real monsters!

Six reasons you should give No Man's Sky another try

Okami HD Switch review: A work of art

5 things we're most excited for in Destiny 2: Forsaken

Blind PSVR review: Stumbling in the dark

10 NES games we want in the Nintendo Switch Online collection

Blackout: 5 Things That Set Call of Duty's battle royale apart from the pack

Why Xbox Will Be The Console To Beat Next Generation

Nintendo Switch Online Is The Nostalgia Trip I Didn't Know I Needed

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 review

Black Ops 4: 7 tips for Blackout beginners

The best way to play Red Dead Redemption 2

Hitman 2 review: Building a better assassin

Nintendo Switch: A Newbie's Guide

10 Nintendo Switch Games Everybody Should Own

PlayStation's recent moves could spell trouble in 2019 and beyond

Keyforge fixes the biggest problem with Magic: The Gathering

Darksiders 3 review: Whip it good

Who the real winner was at the 2018 Game Awards

Red Dead Online Fixes Red Dead Redemption 2's Biggest Problem

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Review: A Total Knockout

The Helena Bonham Carter Character The Actress Thinks Would Survive Call Of Duty's New Dead Of The Night DLC

How Helena Bonham Carter Changed Her Call Of Duty Black Ops 4 Character

Game of the Year 2018: An internal debate

Stories from E3 2018

2018-06-21T15:40:00.001-07:00

I had a blast at E3 2018, dropping by most of the press conferences, visiting with developers and getting some hands-on time with lots of games. Here's a collection of the stories we ended up running on Gaming Blend.

Starlink: Battle for Atlas aims to scratch that Star Fox itch

How Resident Evil 2 Reanimates Classic Survival Horror

How Ghost of Tsushima was inspired by samurai movies

All of the new features coming to Hitman 2

Why Destiny 2 is killing off Cayde-6

Lego DC Super-Villains lets you become the ultimate bad guy

How Battlefield V improves on the franchise

Mega Man 11 gives the series some surprising upgrades

Reviews and features: First half of 2018

2018-03-22T10:21:00.005-07:00

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

Q4 2017: Reviews and features

2018-01-05T15:19:00.002-08:00

I'm a little late getting these posted, but here's a rundown of the reviews and such I wrote for Cinema Blend throughout the last few months of 2017.

Call of Duty WWII review - Back in the trenches

Skyrim review: Nintendo Switch edition

Star Wars Battlefront II review: The dark side of the force

The most disappointing games of 2017

The 10 most anticipated games of 2018

Q3 2017: Reviews and features

2017-07-26T14:40:00.001-07:00

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

2017-06-21T16:56:00.002-07:00

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

2017-06-08T15:22:00.002-07:00

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

Q1 2017: Reviews and features

2017-03-07T14:19:00.001-08:00

Along with my daily stories running on Gaming Blend, I've had the opportunity to write a handful of features for the site ranging from an info dump on all things God of War to a semi-review of Infinite Warfare's zombie mode expansion and my thoughts on why E3 opening its doors to the public might, and might not, be such a great idea.

God of War: What we know so far

Infinite Warfare: 5 reasons you should join the Rave in the Redwoods

Five video games that should be turned into tabletop games

Five reasons we're concerned about the Nintendo Switch

The pros and cons of E3 opening to the public

Final reviews, features of 2016

2016-12-16T15:07:00.002-08:00

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

Fall reviews and features

2016-10-31T14:49:00.000-07:00

I've kept pretty busy this fall, reviewing a handful of games and doing a couple of lists for Cinema Blend along the way. Here's a rundown of my most recent big stories.

World of Final Fantasy review: A sugary sweet love letter to series fans

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered review - One more time with feeling

Lego Dimensions Ghostbusters review: It ghosted my game

Red Dead Redemption 2: Five things we want to see in the new game

Nintendo Switch: Our five biggest unanswered questions

Destiny: Five reasons to return for Rise of Iron

No Man's Sky and Attack on Titan Reviews

2016-09-02T18:27:00.001-07:00

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

2016-08-02T15:15:00.002-07:00

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

2016-06-20T15:51:00.000-07:00

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

April 2016 features and reviews

2016-04-05T14:26:00.000-07:00

Petri Alanko: Quantum Break composer interview

March 2016 features and reviews

2016-03-08T13:30:00.000-08:00

It's been a crazy start to 2016. Reviews didn't really kick into high gear until February and, since then, they haven't slowed down enough for me to throw up a post. Well, until now. Here's a refresher on the latest reviews and features I've had published on Gaming Blend.

Final Fantasy Explorers review: Eidolon Hunter

Zen Studios' The Force Awakens Pinball review

Nitropuls Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel review

Arslan: The Warriors of Legend review: Hack and slash goodness

Return to PopoloCrois: A Story of Seasons Fairytale review

Assault Android Cactus review: Bullet hell heaven

Senran Kagrua Estival Versus Review: Bodacious Brawling

Lego Dimensions: It's not just for kids

Lego Dimensions Midway Arcade review: Wave 4 Content Delivers the Goods

December 2015 Features And Reviews

2015-12-31T08:07:00.001-08:00

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

November 2015 features and reviews

2015-11-25T14:49:00.001-08:00

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

October 2015 reviews and features

2015-10-29T14:47:00.002-07:00

It's been a pretty busy 30 days, complete with a pair of game reviews and a whole bunch of new lists for Gaming Blend. So many stories it's almost scary. That was my terrible Halloween joke. Dig in!

10 video game reboots we should all quietly forget about

10 games coming in 2016 we can't wait to play

7 series that deserve the Telltale Games treatment

5 pairs of video game characters that are somehow voiced by the same actor

7 gaming trends that need to come back ASAP

Corpse Party: Blood Drive review: Thrills, chills and a few spills

Bedlam review: Fragging through gaming's history

Metal Gear, Taken King, Uncharted and more

2015-09-24T10:17:00.001-07:00

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

Destiny, Mega Man and Stealth

2015-08-28T09:26:00.000-07:00

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

Submerged review [via Paste]

2015-08-06T08:35:00.000-07:00

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

2015-08-06T08:31:00.000-07:00

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

Godzilla, Deception and Onechenbara reviews

2015-07-23T14:22:00.002-07:00

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

Destiny column and several reviews

2015-07-14T14:22:00.001-07:00

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