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.
The space flight genre has always been a fascinating one for most PC gamers. It is one area where the PC will probably always be ahead of the console world, at least in terms of massive universe type games that would really be too advanced for most consoles, even the vaulted Xbox probably. Freelancer is yet another entry into this genre, and follows in the tradition of Wing Commander, Privateer and even – going way back – Starflight. Freelancer most resembles the Privateer series – Privateer II will always have a soft spot in my heart – in that you … Continue reading Freelancer is Alpha 1-1→
(But it did arrive!) In the United States we often get justice in the end, but sometimes it just takes a little while. A good example of this is the St. Louis law that prevented violent video games from being sold to minors. It provided fines for any vendor who sold computer games deemed violent to minors, much the same way cigarettes and alcohol are regulated. It was enacted in 2000 and caused our then-extreme columnist Ken Urben to call the politicians involved Nazis. I'll stop short of calling anyone names, but surely the politicians who thought this genius of … Continue reading Justice Comes Slowly→
The Commandos game pretty much set the standard in small-quad RTS games. Armed with only three or four soldiers per mission, you were tasked with defeating, or avoiding, a hoard of enemies during a variety of missions. The problem with Commandos was that it was just too hard to play. You shoot someone and you lose. The alarm goes off and you lose. Someone sees you and you lose. You step just one foot out of line and yep, you guessed it, you lose. Robin Hood takes players back to a simpler time, when breaking into a castle did not … Continue reading Sherwood is a Sure Thing→
Every year the editors of Game Industry News head to LA (it used to be Atlanta) to parlay with just about everyone in the industry. And while news organizations and instant communications have made E3 less of a necessity, it's still the largest tribal gathering for our industry. Just about everyone in the industry attends the show in some form or another. Many companies hold back important news leading up to the show so they can shine more during the big event. This year GiN has four editors at the show, having arrived early in the morning. We raced over … Continue reading E3 Keeps Getting Bigger→
The IGI, or I’m Going In series proves that you don’t have to own a console to get a good stealth shooter. The IGI series in its original incarnation is far older than either Metal Gear Solid or the Johnny-come-lately Splinter Cell. Unlike most stealth shooters on the console, you can resort to mindless violence to solve levels in IGI2, but you are going to have a much harder time if you play this way. The situations you are put in are nearly impossible. You are sometimes outnumbered 100 to one, which in a game featuring realistic damage levels means … Continue reading I’m Going Back In!→
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→
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