2023 Will be a Year of Change For This Blog

Every year I participate in National Novel Writing Month. It's a writing challenge where you try to complete a novel (at least 50,000 words) in the span of just one month. Obviously, there's not enough time to polish the material; all you end up with is a very rough & disorganized first draft of a … Continue reading 2023 Will be a Year of Change For This Blog →

Confessions of a Game Collector

I have too many video games, and that's the #1 best thing about being an adult. I have a black IKEA shelf next to my TV, and that's where my game collection sits. The bottom row is almost entirely dedicated to the 3DS. Some isolated shelves are set aside for the GameBoy, PS Vita, and … Continue reading Confessions of a Game Collector →

PAX West: A Newcomer’s Experience

I first heard about gaming conventions in the summer of 2016. For E3 of that year Nintendo dropped the trailer for their much-anticipated game The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and set up a floor booth for people to try the game out. The company went all out for this display. They constructed … Continue reading PAX West: A Newcomer’s Experience →

We Don’t Deserve Masahiro Sakurai

They always say you shouldn't meet your heroes, but I can't help but wish I could sit down with Masahiro Sakurai for lunch. During my time as a self-described "hobby freelancer video game journalist" I've researched many game developers, and I've learned that many of them turn out to be quite flawed and controversial people. … Continue reading We Don’t Deserve Masahiro Sakurai →

Pokémon Retrospective, Part 4: My Life As A Fan

From its very inception, Pokemon was designed for building a community. Satoshi Tajiri desired to convey his love for catching bugs to a new generation that grew up in a concrete-laden city. When he saw the Game Boy's link cable, he imagined creatures crawling across it. He wanted players to share the bugs they caught … Continue reading Pokémon Retrospective, Part 4: My Life As A Fan →

I Finally Found My Lost Childhood Game Boy Consoles

On Christmas morning of 1999 I received a Game Boy Color (GBC) and a copy of Pokemon Yellow. Leading up to that fateful morning, I'd been watching other kids play Pokemon Red and Blue and listening to their conversations about the games. Pokemon was everywhere: on the playground, in the neighborhood, and in every kids' … Continue reading I Finally Found My Lost Childhood Game Boy Consoles →

How to Review a Video Game

On July 8th, 2018 I started reviewing and discussing video games on the internet. This week marks the 4th anniversary of my blog. I don't want to toot my own horn too much, but I believe I've learned a lot over the years about how to review this goofy interactive medium. I wanted to offer … Continue reading How to Review a Video Game →

How to Make Difficult Video Games Fun

Back in January 2019 I was enjoying my SNES Classic and decided I should investigate games I'd never played before. I mashed Right on the D-Pad in a kind of "Retro Roulette" I'd made for myself. I landed on Super Ghouls n' Ghosts. I booted it up, died about 20 times without even finishing the … Continue reading How to Make Difficult Video Games Fun →

A Newcomer’s Guide to Fire Emblem

Alright, I've introduced you to the Metroid series, and the Xenoblade series, but what about Fire Emblem? Perhaps you're curious about all of the anime sword characters flooding the roster of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, or maybe you're interested in the newest spinoff game coming out, Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes. What are these games … Continue reading A Newcomer’s Guide to Fire Emblem →

Halo: The Master Chief Collection Got Me To Like First-Person Shooter Games

Halo: The Master Chief Collection is a remastered compilation of 6 games in the acclaimed first-person shooter series, including Halo 1 through 4, Halo 3: ODST, and Halo: Reach. It was first released on the Xbox One in November 2014, then later on the PC in December 2019, and finally on the Xbox Series X … Continue reading Halo: The Master Chief Collection Got Me To Like First-Person Shooter Games →