I’ve signed on as Gaming Editor for Badass Digest. Incredibly excited. Love the site and everything about it- its voice, its readership, the incredible writers they already have on board, who are all experts in their specific fields. I’ve been bouncing around from site to site the last couple of years so for me to have a steady home like this means everything to me, and I can’t wait to be able to write about things I really want to write about. 

Can’t wait to really get things started.

My plans for this year’s New York Comic Con fell through magnificently, but I did manage to attend an event for Gearbox Software and Sega’s Aliens: Colonial Marines. Sadly I wasn’t too impressed, even though I got to see Lance Henriksen and play the enjoyable multiplayer.

Full article is up here at Badass- http://badassdigest.com/2012/10/15/gearbox-softwares-aliens-colonial-marines-hands-on-nycc-preview/

Had a nice half-hour chat with the three guys behind the Shroud level on Tuchanka in Mass Effect 3, a spoilery interview that shows just how much your choices matter in the game. Indeed, how much they’ve mattered in every single game in the series- you might be surprised to see all the things that can change depending on your actions.

Really proud of this interview. You can read the full thing here- http://badassdigest.com/2012/04/05/the-badass-interview-mass-effect-3-developers-talk-about-curing-the-genopha/

Received a pretty good response to my Mass Effect 3 review, even though it came out almost a week after the game’s release. I hate getting things up so late but sometimes I get a review copy only a day or so before- sometimes even after the game is in stores already. Doesn’t really help things. But I absolutely loved the game, controversial endings and all. 

Check it out on Badass Digest here.

Received a great response to my review of Risk Legacy! Glad to see that people are as excited about this game as I am, hope it turns a few more people onto the hobby.

Risk. Besides Monopoly, it’s perhaps the most-played board game of all time. You probably have one rotting away in the bottom of your closet, so why should you drop cash on another version? But Risk: Legacy is no simple reskin of the game; it’s a completely new edition. One which lets you and your friends slowly change a persistent world over multiple games and is, without hyperbole, a contender for the most innovative board game released in years.

Read the full review: http://badassdigest.com/2012/01/18/game-review-risk-legacy/

True to the nature of George R.R. Martin’s most famous work, A Game of Thrones: The Board Game is epic, complex, and will soak up a lot of your free time. At its most basic it’s a war game that sees you trying to control the castles and strongholds scattered among the territories of Westeros, but there’s a delightful amount of backstabbing, false alliances, and just generally screwing your friends over. It’s a good game for groups of friends that like to argue with each other loudly and often, preferably while drinking copious amounts of beer.

Read more: http://badassdigest.com/2012/01/11/game-review-a-game-of-thrones-the-board-game-2nd-edition/

Roped the family into a playing my brand-new copy of Risk Legacy yesterday during Christmas and was pleasantly surprised by how much fun it is.

If you’ve never heard of this new iteration, it’s one of the most innovative board games you’ll ever play. Each game will fundamentally change the world for games to come. For instance, you can customize the different armies, giving them various abilities by choosing one of two stickers on a card… and ripping up the other one, so you’re stuck with your choice forever. As armies battle it out you can place various “scars” on the board, stickers that change territories for the better or worse. Win a game, and you’ll be able to name a continent by writing directly on the game board, giving you bonuses for taking it over for every game you play in the future, or found a city and give yourself exclusive starting rights to that spot.

Inside the box there are envelopes full of cards and surprises that can only be opened after various conditions are met, changing up the rules for the game forever. It’s a persistent board game world, and while at it’s core it’s still just Risk, it’s great to feel like your actions have a lasting impact.

Can’t wait to keep writing on my board, ripping up cards, and having my friends desecrate my world. Full review coming to Badass Digest ASAP!

Besides JoBlo I’m going to be contributing some more video game reviews to the newly revamped Badass Digest. I really love this site and think that Devin’s made it one of the more interesting places on the net in just a little over a year, so I’m really proud to be a part of it. My latest review over there is for Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary.

Also, I’m going to be working with Jacob Hall over at Tapsauce, doing reviews of mobile games. Jacob’s an amazing writer and I’ve really loved his stuff, and it seems like they’ve got big plans for the relatively new site. I’ve never done mobile reviews before and while I only have an android phone so far I’m really having fun planning the future there and trying out new games. My first review was for the excellent Fantasy Flight Games Elder Sign Omens.

I’m also trying my best to get into two or three other publications. It’s good to feel like I’m on a roll again, after getting way too stagnant with CHUD. I really regret for not pushing to work at more places while I was there but live and learn, I suppose.

Somewhat surprised at all the gushing I’m seeing for this relatively average game. Not at all surprised that the one outlet allowed to break embargo (EGM) gave it a 9.5.

I dug ACE Team’s latest, their crazy Monty Python/Marble Madness mashup.