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At Your Service:
I am honored to be a featured community blogger and website moderator, though there are much better bloggers and moderators on this site. But to the extent you think I can help you in either capacity, please don't hesitate to let me know. I've been active since 2009 and have found a second home among this community, so am committed to helping improve this site as the opportunity allows.
I might not always be as accessible as I'd like, but that shouldn't prevent you from contacting me. Simply start a conversation or leave a comment below, and I'll be notified via e-mail. Whether addressing spambots, otherwise unruly members, or writing issues (I'm a professional editor), I'll try to be as responsive as my schedule allows.
A Day in the Life
Who am I?
To introduced myself, I've decided to answer questions that have been posed by Forum threads. Here goes:
Who are you (in 5 words or less)? An acquired taste.
What do you like for GOTY? Provided it releases this year, I'm going to go out on a short limb and say GTA5.
What does it literally mean to be a game freak? Is it good or bad? I don't know, but in my book, everyone's a freak. So that ain't bad.
Realistic or unrealistic? Depends. I like a realistic presentation in CoD/BF/Ace Combat, but less benefits Borderlands/Dishonored. I like pseudorealistic gameplay in military shooters, but magic in RPGs is welcome too. Then there are games like Skyrim, with its realistic presentation of a fantasy world.
What was your favorite game growing up? In the arcades, I liked Tempest. On our Atari, I liked Pitfall! among others. Tough to narrow down.
Star Wars prequels, why are you so hated? I probably enjoy them more than most just from an entertainment standpoint. But the performances are career lows from the talent involved. I literally cringe.
Have you experienced a natural disaster before? No, unless we count quakes, fires and floods. ; )
Xbox 360 or PS3? I'm no fanboy so enjoy both, though my 360 did get RRoD once. And it can't play Blu-rays. Plus I'm cheap so PSN wins that contest. At the end of the day, my PS3 gets the most face time, but not because I don't like my 360!
The most botched video game story? I think this must be a trick question given the ME3 controversy. But I'll say it's a toss up given that most games IMO fail in the story department.
Favorite band/artist/song? Right now, The Wailin' Jennys/Toni Price/Angel Mine
What is the best ending you have seen in a game? Cold Winter's (PS2) denouement was bittersweet, wrapping up its gripping tale of espionage with victorious relief and tragic consequence.
International horror films must see? The Eye (the Pang Brothers' original). Probably my favorite horror film. The elevator scene is akin to Psycho's shower scene.
Single game you've put the most hours into? At more than 70 hours and counting, it's Skyrim or Saints Row: The Third (though I likely played Battlefield: Bad Company, Call of Duty: World at War, Killzone 2 or CoD: Modern Warfare 2 more online).
What game are you most looking forward to? The Last of Us.
Best Xbox game you own? Easy. My favorite all time game, Mass Effect. I even loved the Mako and RPG inventory management. ; )
Was Halo the game that made you buy the 360? Nope. It was Gears of War. And I don't regret it.
What's the worst game you ever played? Broken Helix (Playstation). The broken stealth meant brutal trial and error, though mostly error in the form of a game ending mushroom cloud LOL.
CoD, good games or not? Definitely good, very well executed. But like its competitor, my once beloved Battlefield, such military shooters don't evolve enough to keep my interest anymore.
The GIO family
Noobtubin8er/Brian Seavey (above, right) and I met up a few times during his summer (2012) business trips. We had fun sampling different restaurants and talking about gaming, Team GIO and the movie Alien, which I spoiled for him. As great a guy in person as online!
The Game Informer staff (above, L-R: Bryan Vore, Dan Ryckert, Ben Reeves, Kyle Hilliard, some random fanboy, Ben Hanson, Jason Oestreicher) was gracious enough to stop during E3 (June 2012) for a photo op. Thanks, guys! But Jeff Marchiafava owes me a lunch LOL.
Eyros/Eric (above) did me the honor of visiting during his trip to Call of Duty XP (September 2011). To his credit, he overlooked my calling him Greg and we had a long, enjoyable talk about all things gaming. He is one cool dude who conveys an enviable knowledge and enthusiasm for games.
Last but by no means least, though I have not had the pleasure of a face-to-face meeting with mojomonkey12/Jeremy Brown, he and I spend most weekends in co-op matches on PSN. A terrific guy with a casual sensibility, our online time together is a highlight of my week.
I hope to also add Saint/Rich Dickinson (above, left) to the roster of GIO folks that I've had the honor and pleasure of meeting. We had planned for a get-together during a work-related trip of his but it fell through. Besides his site contributions, his encouragement and support have meant the world to me.
Team GIO:
Please consider joining Team GIO's efforts in support of Extra Life. Although the 24-hour video game marathon is once a year, you can still support Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals® anytime. Last year our team raised about $11,000. With your help we hope to continue that legacy. For details, visit Extra Life here.
Finished games:
Ace Combat 2&3, Future Cop: LAPD, Silent Hill, Tomb Raider, Delta Force: Black Hawk Down, Freedom Fighters, The Getaway, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing, kill.switch, Killzone, Max Payne, Obscure, Shadow of the Colossus, Star Wars: Battlefront, SWAT: Global Strike Team, TimeSplitters: Future Perfect, 24: The Game, Battlefield: Bad Company, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, Kane & Lynch: Dead Men, Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days, BioShock, BioShock: Infinite, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Condemned: Criminal Origins, Crackdown, The Darkness, Dead Island, Dead Nation, Frontlines: Fuel of War, Gears of War, Halo 3, Heavy Rain, John Woo Presents Stranglehold, Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, Portal, Portal 2, Sniper Elite V2, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.
Game Informer Newsletter:
February 9, 2013
December 22, 2012
June 11, 2012
May 5, 2012
February 18, 2012
January 28, 2012
January 13, 2012
December 9, 2011
December 3, 2011
October 29, 2011
May 28, 2011
September 21, 2010
Blog Herding:
Surviving Metro 2033
The Peculiar Charms of a Dead Island
If a Zombie Has Warts, Would You Notice?
Screenshots for Dummies (Like Me)
Under the Columbia Big Top
Charting Lara's Past, Present & Future
Mojomonkey12 Is Pod People & Other Tales From the Alien Invasion
Reimagining Lara Croft
A Cat-and-Mouse Alternative to Run-and-Gun
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance AKA Raiden's Resplendiferousness
Scratching That BioShock Itch While On The Go
Hitman: Absolution Is On Target, Even If I'm Not
Horsing Around in Assassin's Creed 3
A Far Cry From Your Typical FPS
Grand Theft Auto: Evolution
Beyond Compare: Borderlands 2, Black & Project: Snowblind
Extra Life: Dishonored, Borderlands 2 & More
In Dishonored, Heads Will Roll. And Fly, and Fall, and ...
Borderlands 2: Pandora Revisited
Beyond Compare: Skyrim & Dragon's Dogma
Metal Gear Solid: Evolution
The Elder Scrolls: Evolution
The Other Mass Effect Ending: The Start of Something Big
Bruce Payne 2-1/2: Dizzy Stupor Heroes
The Age of Video Games: Prometheus & Game Development
My E3: Borderlands 2, Tomb Raider & Resident Evil 6
Making Imaginary Friends in Dragon's Dogma
Dragon's Dogma Gets a Second Chance to Make a First Impression
Sniper Elite V2 Had Greatness in its Sights
How Special Is Spec Ops?
This Hybrid Is a Compelling Mix
How Witcher 2 Helps Me Feel Like a Kid Again
The Ginsu Knife of Video Games?
Reflections of a Lifelong Shooter Fan
I Am (Still) Alive
A Console Gamer Takes Flight on the PC
Lifestyles of the Rich and Infamous: Jackie Estacado
What the Mass Effect 3 Demo Really Demonstrates
Long Live the King
Building Character
The Lure of the Dark Side
Tanks for the Memories
Amalur Confidential
Dragon Born Loser
Shootist's Top 10 Gaming Experiences of 2011
You Can't Spell Skyrim Without A-R-T
"Video Games" Are Obsolete
Dovahkiin Don'ts: And An Excuse for My Pictorial
Playing for Keeps
To Die For: Exhibiting Rage
Smiling Through the Pain
Surviving the Dead Island of Banoi: A Photo Essay
L.A. Neo Noire
The Tyranny of Father Time
An End to Labels?
In Defense of Mediocrity
Call of Duty: Black Ops Teaser Trailer Dissected: A Pictorial
The JACKED UP Indie & Mojo Show (click on the icon to visit):
My (Belated) E3: Planetside 2, Samsung Cloud Gaming, Watch Dogs & Wrap Up
The Indie & Mojo show-Episode 16-Dan's not here man! Shootist makes both his triumphant return and debut
The Indie and Mojo No-Show--The lost episode--Starring Shootist2600
Announcing FanFic Fellowship, Day 1: Last Rites of Roy and Anna