Games Journalism
In a previous life I was News Editor at PCGamesN, and have since done some freelance features and news coverage. You can check out my bylines at PCGamesN and GamesRadar+ at those links, and a selected smattering of my features below.
I let real-life dice rolls decide my Baldur's Gate 3 fate, and now I'm going (back) to hell
A fun feature published on GamesRadar+ in which I let a dastardly little cube rule the roost.
"I stared at the teeny cube perched on my desk. I'd murdered a wizard in distress trying to wrest him from a literal doom spiral but recruited a sharp-fanged fop who'd threatened to spatchcock me? What next, you little bastard?"
Baldur's Gate 3 knocked my RPG halo off, and it's all Astarion's fault
An op-ed feature published on GamesRadar+ that explores how Baldur's Gate 3 made me challenge the meaning of good versus bad in video games.
"Astarion's story dismantles any notion of objective right while all the time saying: 'choose'. And I did choose."
Cyberpunk 2077’s best characters aren’t meant to be loved
A lively and insightful piece co-written with Ian Boudreau, a fellow PCGamesN alum and wonderful writer, in which we dissect why Cyberpunk 2077's best characters are so compelling.
"I didn’t get what I had hoped for when the credits rolled. The train tracks of their paths didn’t automatically converge with mine just because I was the protagonist of this RPG. Or at least that’s what I thought I wanted from these romances. What I really want is for Night City to be full of complex people with their own agendas, wants, and needs, independent of those I choose for V. And that’s what we get, isn’t it?"
Elder Scrolls Online’s new dungeon turned me into a sweet roll-scarfing goat
A preview of one of TESO's zanier dungeons, Red Petal Bastion, published on PCGamesN.
"We battle early waves of enemies, like Silver Rose archers, warriors, and pyromancers, in the courtyards outside, one of whom is tormenting a poor doggo by hogging a roast chicken leg. So, in the words of Finnigan, she “deserve[d] all the death for that”. Quite right. We pound her and her booty-burgling kind into the ground – y’know, for the oppressed mutts of Tamriel."
Mafia: Definitive Edition review
A review of Mafia: Definitive Edition (2002), published on PCGamesN.
"It’s a remake, effectively, and it walks the same tightrope: how do you preserve the spirit of an 18-year-old title in a modern gaming experience? At what point is a game’s DNA so altered that it becomes a new thing entirely?"
Divinity: Original Sin 2’s Switch cross-save signals the future of gaming
A preview of Larian Studios' Nintendo Switch port of DOS2 and its cross-save feature, published on PCGamesN.
"Larian’s tapped into this early, and in my estimation, it’s a big moment as much as it’s a big win for fans of the game."
Planet Zoo review
A review of Planet Zoo (2019), published on PCGamesN.
"Beyond this, there’s also the guests’ experience to consider, which is a sizeable task on its own, and – I begrudgingly acknowledge – a pretty vital one. They’ve got to have enough entertainment, education, and eateries to keep them happy and keep the bucks (both the financial and hoofed kind) coming in. Oh, and don’t forget some places to powder their noses, of course."