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.
Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis is one of the most realistic war simulations I have ever played. At times this can be both wonderful and frustrating at the same time. You start out in the campaign mode as a single infantry soldier. You are confused as to what is happening and so are the rest of the men, as evidenced by the different cut scenes where you and your buddies get to talk. You get to do everything from being part of a massive infantry attack on a town, to running in full retreat when you are obviously overwhelmed, to … Continue reading Flashpoint Explodes Standard War Games→
When I originally heard about the ambitious real-time strategy project from Nexon called Shattered Galaxy, where they would create a massively multiplayer world of perpetual war, I was a bit skeptical. I had visions of one giant tank rush and of overlord players running around stomping every new person to strap on their combat boots. To say I was pleasantly surprised is putting it mildly. Far from the frag-fest I was expecting, Shattered Galaxy actually shows more strategic prowess than most turn-based games. It’s a different type of strategy however than most are used to. You control between six and … Continue reading Shattered Galaxy Breaks the Mold→
I want to say that Arcanum is the "thinking person’s role-playing game" but shouldn’t every RPG be for thinking people? I also want to rave about how much I enjoyed playing the game, but I think I better first explain that Arcanum won’t appeal to everyone. Arcanum is a role-playing game in the purest since. Never have I encountered a title that caused me to really think about gameplay so deeply. Even my ruling favorite RPG series, Baldur’s Gate, did not rise to this level of complexity. This can be a good or a bad thing, depending on your personal … Continue reading Arcanum is Bookish, Hardcore Fun→
Anarchy Online sounds a bit like some shooter free-for-all, at least judging from the main title. But despite this, the game is actually an online massively multiplayer RPG that is second to none in terms of character development and detailed landscapes. The first thing however that sets Anarchy Online apart from most massively multiplayer RPGs is that the world of Anarchy Online takes place in a science fiction universe. Getting away from the normal medieval theme that seems to permeate every other online world is quite nice. With the futuristic setting comes a lot of interesting paths that a character … Continue reading Anarchy Online is Revolutionary→
We have all run into this problem at one time or another. We love a game, yet we don’t treat the CD very well. Perhaps we are in a hurry to switch to another game, or perhaps we are tired of digging into the jewel case to switch disks yet again. So we set the CD where it does not belong, like on our desk or on top of the PC or monitor. Hey, we will go back and get it later. But sometimes we don’t. And sometimes something falls on it, or it gets slid across the fake wood … Continue reading GameDoctor Erases Scratches→
Max Payne had a lot of things going against it when I decided to give it the once-over for review. I, like all other professional writers, try to keep my bias out of reviews. But off the bat, things did not look good. I have seen so many variations on shooters this past year that I doubted I would find anything new with this title. Also, I am not a big fan of third-person shooters, mostly after having been poisoned to them by lackluster – and some very bad – titles like Eradicator (anyone remember this one?) and Soldier (based … Continue reading Max Payne is Pure Pleasure→
Four games and several years ago, the Baldur’s Gate saga was born in this fine nation. The original game caused a revolution in the way people, especially PC gamers, thought about role-playing games. It was probably the first RPG to sell over a million copies, and it did it in less than three months. The follow-on pack, Tales of the Sword Coast, was not met with the same critical acclaim, but none-the-less added something to genre, namely the now popular "super-huge-you-can-play-for-weeks-inside-dungeon." Then came the actual sequel, Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn. All these titles were fun to play and … Continue reading Baldur's Gate Series Ends Gloriously→
Where computer gameplay and excercise coincide. Gamers sometimes get the reputation of being couch potatoes because they sit around all day playing. But if you spend all day playing with the Sports-PC interactive backboard, you are more likely to end up looking like Kevin Sorbo than Bill Gates. The Sports-PC wall is another example of computer games making inroads into areas they have stayed traditionally away from, including the local gym. The Sports-PC wall is an interactive backboard that challenges players to hit targets as they light up. But instead of a game gun, players use an actual racket and … Continue reading Up Against the Wall→
First let me say that I am a huge World War II fan. I play tabletop games based on the war, have a subscription to World War II magazine and have a father who fought in the war. I also purchase about every realtime strategy game that comes out for that genre, in addition to the never-real-but-always-fun first person shooters. When I heard about WWII Online, with a persistent world, a constantly changing frontline and thousands of players fighting the war, I was in heaven. At E3 this year I made it a point to check out the game, and … Continue reading Johnny May Not Come Marching Home Again→
It's inevitable. Even with all the great high-end computer games and now the massively multiplayer market boom, gamers still like to gather in groups. They like to know that there are others like them, with a passion for games of all sorts. They like to discuss strategy, fight battles and generally have a good time in ways that are not possible during a single player experience. So where do the gamers go? Well, for the most part the convention, or con, is the epitome of gamer society. Call it a gathering of the tribes. Like the salmon, there is an … Continue reading The Pros of Cons→
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