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.
Wow. That’s the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about Interplay’s Heart of Darkness. One of the best things Interplay ever did was to divide its development houses into different areas of expertise. Heart comes from Tantrum, the action game side of the family. With low system requirements making it accessible to nearly anyone who bought a computer sometime in the past four years (66 MHz required), simple controls and a story line that appeals to both adults and children, Heart is destined for greatness. In early GiN industry awards voting (see our Web page if you have … Continue reading Heart of Darkness has soul of adventures past→
Having grown up playing the various mech combat games, I was excited to see that FASA Interactive and MicroProse had gotten together to add a new twist to the old genre of piloting giant robotic warriors, or mechs, into battle. What they have created is an excellent addition to any mech fan’s collection, though it does stray rather far from the original pen and paper game. The first thing players will notice is the incredible introduction. Through the use of live actors interspersed with computer drawn sequences, the mood is quickly set and the premise of the game explained. The … Continue reading MechCommander will fry competition→
Finally someone has the guts to create a real-time combat game about, of all things, combat. Myth: The Fallen Lords is not a game for the diplomatic game players among us. In Myth, players are assigned a small cadre of troops for each mission, be it multiplayer against human foes online or undead computer armies. Armchair generals have to figure out how to direct their force’s strengths against opponent’s weaknesses. Sun Tzu would be proud. Farming, mining uber-minerals, diplomacy and constructing bases have all been delightfully left out of Myth. With all their energies directed at making realistic hand-to-hand combat, … Continue reading Myth: The Fallen Lords is a bar-raising medieval hackfest→
Creatures can realistically claim what few other games can: that it’s fun to play from the cradle to the grave. Or more specifically, it’s fun from the incubation bin to the memorial headstone. Creatures is one of the most unique games to come out in years. Seamlessly combining genetics, the processing of brain chemicals and artificial intelligence is something I don’t think has ever been achieved before now. And it’s fun too. The Norns that players have to nurture from birth are highly intelligent, curious creatures that require a gentle hand and a watchful eye. Having too many "alive" at … Continue reading Creatures Is The Only Digital Pet You’ll Ever Need→
Imagine guiding a newborn baby through a deadly maze of lava pits, toxic clouds and spinning laser turrets. You can’t actually touch the child, but he has the capacity to learn from his mistakes. Such is the fun and often highly frustrating world of Anark Software’s Galapagos. Players are charged with guiding a newly born metal bug named Mendel in his attempts to escape the evil workshop that created him. (The plot is a little thin but that’s not where this game’s strength is at.) When Mendel is born his mind is as blank as a political candidate on the … Continue reading Galapagos makes a new(born) splash in industry→
Westwood Studio’s Blade Runner is a real-time adventure that is to the game world today what the movie was for that industry 10 years ago: a sci-fi thrill ride that pushes industry standards to a new level. Westwood has done an excellent job recreating the dark urban world of Los Angeles in 2019 on four CDs. Players will feel like they are inside the movie. There are over 100 interactive areas of the city you can find and explore. And, the game looks perfect – even better than in the movie – without any hardware acceleration required. Realistic fog, fire, … Continue reading Blade Runner is a cut above normal adventure games→
After years of wading through barely-tolerable Star Trek titles, Interplay has finally created a game that lives up to the Star Trek name. It looks good, sounds incredible and is a lot of fun to play. The game lets players boldly go where every federation officer went before, through the doors of the famous Starfleet Academy. Classes are taught in full motion video by William Shatner, Walter Koenig and George Takei. Video clips in the cafeteria and other locations around campus give wanna-be captains time to interface with the inexperienced classmates assigned to their crew. Handling interpersonal conflicts early, by … Continue reading Further your education with Starfleet Academy→
Outpost 2 is a wake up call for gamers forced into their sleep chambers by the boring routine of colony management sported by the original Outpost. The plot is basically the same. Survivors from a dead Earth seek a new world. Only this time, the groups really hate each other. At its heart, Sierra’s Outpost 2 is a top notch war game. It’s as good as Dune II and Command and Conquer, and your units are intelligent and highly detailed. Outposts 2’s laser-equipped attack craft are much more fun to watch than Mars’ Pathfinder as their six wheels slowly spin … Continue reading Outpost II takes aim at sleeper original→
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