As a journalist John has covered everything from rural town meetings to the U.S. Congress and even done time as a crime reporter and photographer.|His first venture into writing about the game industry came in the form of a computer column called "On the Chip Side," which grew to have over 1 million circulation and was published in newspapers in several states. From there he did several "ask the computer guy" columns in magazines such as Up Front! in New Mexico and Who Cares? in Washington D.C. When the Internet started to become popular, he began writing guided Web tours for the newly launched Washington Post online section as well as reviews for the weekend section of the paper, something he still does from time to time.
His experience in trade publications came as a writer and reviewer for Government Computer News.
As the editor of GiN, he demands strict editorial standards from all the writers and reviewers. Breeden feels the industry needs a weekly, reliable trade publication covering the games industry and works tirelessly to accomplish that goal.
Many people probably remember when the original Postal came out a few years back. The little 2D top-down shooter had everyone in a tizzy because it featured a guy who basically "went postal" and decided to go around town mowing everyone down in a hail of gunfire, napalm and whatever else happened to be handy. Although the graphics for the original looked like something circa Atari 2600, the sheer violence got the game a lot of press and quite a few enemies. As the sequel to one of the most controversial games of all time, you probably know what to … Continue reading Postal 2 Kicks Butt→
When I first received Hearts of Iron, I was kind of expecting a strategy game along the lines of Axis and Allies, where you could fight World War II on a strategic scale. What I got was that and a whole lot more. Hearts of Iron is the most complex game I have every played. It took three days of reading and re-reading the manual coupled with copious experimentation to become even mildly proficient with the game. At one point, I nearly gave up in frustration. But, I am so thankful that I didn’t. There is a lot to learn, … Continue reading Complex Combat→
Prince of Qin is a bit like the ancient Chinese culture the game revolves around. It’s interesting, mysterious and a bit confusing at times. Played in a top-down Diablo-like interface, the game follows an interesting Chinese story and adds a "what-if" factor. The story goes that in ancient China there was a great warrior who was the son of the emperor. His name was Fu Su and he was the Prince of Qin. Charged with defending the northern boundaries, he was far away from the throne when his father died. Plotters who did not want him to take the throne … Continue reading The Mighty Qin→
When I first started playing Arx Fatalis, I was hoping for an RPG along the lines of Morrowind. I was looking for a huge non-linear campaign world that would keep me entertained for weeks at a time, maybe months. I also wanted sheer beauty, incredible sound and an engaging plot. I guess my sights were set a bit too high. Arx Fatalis is a good game, but it is very short-lived and the many flaws with both the game interface and the mission outlines were constantly competing with my ability to enjoy the game. I ended up playing the game … Continue reading Flawed Beauty→
Dynamic Duo Goes Solo Alex Josef and John Foster are known throughout the industry as two guys who know how to get the job done. Whether that job is putting journalists into a boxing ring for real fighting to promote a Mike Tyson boxing game or setting up meetings at the Tokyo Games Show, they have done it. And although they loved their jobs at Bender/helper Impact, both men thought it was time for a change. Sooner or later, talented people decide it's time go it alone. They have formed Zeitgeist Communications, a marketing firm where they plan to use … Continue reading New Blood→
Whether attending an elite cocktail party for a billionaire madman or storming the beaches of his private fortified island, today’s elite superspy needs to be deadly and well-dressed. 007 Nightfire does an excellent job of capturing the flavor of the James Bond world, and providing a lot of action to boot. Basically, the game is a shooter, with some extra elements added in to give the game a bit of flavor. Each mission has certain Bond-like things you can do that will give you extra points and trigger the way-cool theme song. You don’t have to perform the Bond-moves to … Continue reading Get Shaken and Stirred with Nightfire→
A house built on a shoddy foundation won't last very long, no matter how many amenities the structure has. In the game industry, a game's graphics are its foundation. Having amazing graphics is a basic requirement of any game these days, or consumers won't even bother to try it out. Ironically, creating amazing graphics is probably one of the most time-consuming aspects of computer game programming. If there are any flaws, the players will immediately notice. Some companies employ entire armies of artists and graphical programmers, and even then it can take two years or more before that phase of … Continue reading Graphical Greatness→
For fans of the spaceflight genre, freelancer is probably the most anticipated game of the year. The title follows in the tradition of both the Wing Commander and Privateer series, and is more closely related to Privateer. This is a good thing, since Privateer II remains one of my all-time favorite games. What was so good about Privateer II, and what shows promise in the beta of Freelancer, is the completely non-linear nature of the gameplay. You can play a good guy, taking missions that help the police or the military. Or you can become a pirate and lie in … Continue reading Freelancer Boldly Goes→
It’s not easy to break the mold, especially in the real-time strategy and shooter genre. You can improve the graphics and sound, but at the core we have not seen anything too new for a number of years. Impossible Creatures does bring new and exciting elements to the table, much to the joy of tired tank-rushing RTS gamers. The two interesting elements are that you can combine real-world creatures in a primitive lab to create just the right behemoths of destruction, and the fact that you have to use real-world creatures and their abilities to do it without the aid … Continue reading Impossible Fun→
Adding online playability to the immensely popular Sims series is like throwing gasoline onto a bonfire. For fans of the game, it is an excuse to permanently enter the ranks of the addicted. Maxis has created an inviting and friendly online world, more so that I have ever experienced before. The world’s rules are completely stacked to foster cooperation between players. The end result is that it is unlikely that you will have a bad experience when you start playing. When you first begin your Sims experience, you will have to first create the person, your avatar if you will, … Continue reading The Sims Online is Addiction Squared→
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