This is USgamer: Welcome to Earth!
Welcome to the USgamer community. Here's a quick overview of everything you need to know about us.
This article first appeared on USgamer, a partner publication of VG247. Some content, such as this article, has been migrated to VG247 for posterity after USgamer's closure - but it has not been edited or further vetted by the VG247 team.
Yesterday, a wonderful member of NeoGAF started a post that simply stated "USgamer is the best." Which is cool because we know we're the best, but sometimes it can feel like you're working in a silent void. If you've been a regular reader of USgamer, thank you for your time. We know it's valuable and we try not to waste it.
One interesting sentiment is that many people didn't even know we were here or what we're about. There's a lot of sites trying to get your attention and you might not completely understand USgamer from a single glance of our frontpage. Jeremy has tackled part of this in his mission statement for USgamer 2.0, but that was back in May. So, this article is an attempt to provide a clear and concise look at our work. If you love what we do and you want to give your friends a gateway into USgamer, this is the article you should link them.
What is USgamer?
USgamer is the North American counterpart of Eurogamer, if the name didn't clue you in. We're the latest arm of Gamer Network, a group of sites that includes Eurogamer, GamesIndustry, VG247, Rock Paper Shotgun, and Modojo. Of course, we're all completely separate sites. We don't share teams. Each site has a completely different editorial strategy, so don't think that USgamer is simply US Eurogamer. The easiest illustration of this idea is the fact that Eurogamer still retains a US Editor. See? Different people.
We here at USgamer are a pretty small team, so we have to do things a bit differently. One thing you won't see on our site is the daily news and press releases that make up other websites. Those sites have larger teams and amazingly-dedicated news editors to handle that stuff. We don't have the time or personnel to do that; we'd rather spend the time crafting content that is important to us. As such, you'll occasionally see news on USgamer, but it's not our focus and it tends to take the form of news analysis. Trailers and other fun tidbits reside on our Tumblr site, if that's your thing.
Is it About Ethics in Games Journalism?
Uhhh, hell yeah. That's why we launched with a published set of core editorial values. You can find it by going to the bottom of any page, clicking "Policies", and then clicking on the "How We Work" tab. To save you some time, there's a direct link to the page above. Click the blue link.
We cool? Cool.
What about Reviews? Are They Objective?
No, our reviews are not objective. We feel that a review is an honest explanation of the reviewer's experience with a title and we don't like to hold anything back. That means we'll tell you about the aesthetics (the pretty shiny bits), mechanics (the gameplay), and the narrative (the story being told), if they're important to our experience. We strive to be accurate, which is what many take to be "objective", but a review itself is a subjective work.
Our reviews are out of 5 stars, and you can find an explanation of our review policy on the same "Policies" page I mentioned before. TL;DR: 5 out of 5 stars doesn't mean the game was perfect, it just means we really enjoyed the experience despite any flaws that popped up. 3 out of 5 stars doesn't mean we hated a game, just that we felt it was merely a decent or average gaming experience.
If you disagree with a review, you're always welcome to make those disagreements known in the comment section in a civil manner. If you're civil, we're always open to discussion. If you're not civil, we have no problem moderating your comments. USgamer is meant to be a cool place for everyone.
Who is USgamer?
The entire USgamer editorial team can be found on our Staff Page, which is once again at the bottom of any page. Unfortunately, those bios may not give you a full picture of who we are. This is an important thing to grasp because we largely write about and play the games that interest us. It keeps us enthusiastic and when we're enthusiastic, we feel we do better work.
Jeremy Parish, Editor-in-Chief
Jeremy is the captain of this ship. He's also one of the more erudite writers in the gaming media. He's written for EGM, IGN, Official PlayStation Magazine, and Computer Gaming World, but most people know him from 1UP.
Jeremy tends to enjoy classic titles and Japanese games, though he's rather open-minded when it comes to other genres. He's more likely to write about game design in his reviews and previews than the rest of us. Jeremy's also a big fan of writing super-long classic retrospectives. We indulge him because he's really awesome at it. In his free time (hah!), Jeremy keeps on doing game coverage at his personal blog, GameSpite, the Retronauts podcast, or his Game Boy World index.
Here's some great examples of Jeremy's work on USgamer:
Review - Alien Isolation PlayStation 4 Review: Acid-for-Bloody Brilliant
Jeremy's review of a great rendition of the science-fiction classic Alien franchise.
Column - Comfort Food Games: Mega Man 2
Just one article in our Comfort Food Games series, which explores titles that we keep coming back to play again and again.
Editorial - Can Japan's Games Industry Overcome Last Gen's Slump?
A comprehensive look at Japan's gaming industry, from the largest games to the stuff you may not know about.
Interview - Where Final Fantasy Went Wrong, and How Square Enix is Putting It Right
This is a great interview with Final Fantasy VI, Final Fantasy VII, and Chrono Trigger director Yoshinori Kitase on how Square Enix is working to bring Final Fantasy back to its former glory.
Editorial - What's So Secret About Classic Game Curation?
A look at what the history we're losing and why services like Nintendo's Virtual Console are important.
Critique - Tomodachi Life and Emergent Heartbreak
A heartfelt tale of Jeremy's experience with Nintendo's Tomodachi Life.
Article - Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes and the Trouble With Tone
A look at the uneven tone in Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear Solid games and why it may cause some issues.
Julian "Jaz" Rignall, Editor-at-Large
Jaz has been gaming professionally as long as I've been alive. He's been involved with some classic outlets, including Zzap!64, Computer and Video Games, and Mean Machines. Jaz helped launch IGN in its original incarnation, launched Blizzard's World of Warcraft Magazine, and helped GamePro for a bit before landing at USgamer.
Jaz shares a love of classic gaming with Jeremy, but he's also USgamer's resident racing game guru. Regardless of if it's simulation or arcade-style racing, Jaz will probably be the one reviewing it. Racing isn't the only thing he does though; Jaz delves into anything Blizzard, first-person shooters, music titles, and the occasional miscellaneous game that catches his fancy. He also tends to be our most enthusiastic reviewer; when Jaz loves something, you'll know it
Here's some great examples of Jaz's work on USgamer:
Interview - "I actually was hunting Ewoks." The Original Lucasfilm Games Team Talk About Life at Skywalker Ranch
An absolutely fantastic interview with early members of the Lucasfilm Games team.
Review - Gran Turismo 6 PlayStation 3 Review: Flawed Genius
A look at Polyphony Digital's latest racing sim.
Review - Forza Horizon 2 Xbox One Review, One of the All-Time Great Racers
From the other side of the racing spectrum, Jaz gushes about Playground Games' European racing romp.
Analysis - Greatest Years in Gaming History: 1991
One part of our lengthy Greatest Years in Gaming History series, Jaz takes a gander at 1991. Want to read the whole series? Here's the Hub Article.
Review - Does Rocksmith 2014 Really Work?
Looking to play guitar? Jaz details his experiences trying to learn the form with Ubisoft's Rocksmith.
Kat Bailey, Senior Editor
When we first started USgamer, Kat was just one of our freelance writers, but since then she's jumped up to become our Senior Editor. She's written for GamePro, IGN, GameSpot, GamesRadar, and EGM, but once again, most people probably remember her from 1UP.
Kat is our resident expert in a few different areas: sports games, first-person shooters, and Pokemon. She's a big fan of RPGs of all shapes and sizes; Final Fantasy or Dragon Age, she's ready to take them on. Kat also holds onto a deep abiding love of mecha games, including any Gundam or Super Robot Wars games. Have no clue what Super Robot Wars is? Read on, my friend.
In her free time, Kat is a regular on the Press Row Podcast, which focused on sports games.
Here's some great examples of Kat's work on USgamer:
Reviews - All the Sports Games Ever: Madden NFL 15, NHL 15, FIFA 15, NBA 2K15
Yeah, she pretty much reviews all of the sports games that come to USgamer.
Article - The Rise of Nintendo's Curiously Divisive Competitive Communities
Kat takes a look at the competitive communities that surround Nintendo's family-friendly games: Pokemon and Smash Bros.
Article - The State of Sports Games: A Primer
Want to get into sports games or understand your favorite sports gamer? Here's where you start.
Retrospective - TIE Fighter: A Gamer's Education
Kat explores her love of LucasArts Star Wars: TIE Fighter, which was recently released on Good Old Games.
Editorial - Japanese RPG Development on Consoles is Not Riding on the Success of Final Fantasy XV
Kat argues that the future of the Japanese RPG is not riding on the success or failure of Final Fantasy XV.
Guide - The Gateway Guide to Final Fantasy
This is one of our Gateway Guides, which provide new players with entry points into classic series. Of course, Kat focused on Final Fantasy.
Bob Mackey, Senior Writer
Bob is the last of the 1UP crew, reinforcing why some people get excited about USgamer being the return on the now-defunct site. Bob has contributed to EGM and Joystiq; at one point, Bob was just a USgamer freelancer like Kat.
Bob is all over the place when it comes to games he writes about, but he's USgamer's Dark Souls player. If it's a hard Souls-like, Bob's the one who will be reviewing it. Otherwise, retro games, Japanese games, and PC games are all on his radar. Think of Bob as the nega-Jaz: if Bob dislikes a game, he'll let you know.
Like Jeremy, Bob is co-founder of the Retronauts podcast (Now on USgamer!), but he's also a regular contributor at SomethingAwful.com.
Here's some great examples of Bob's work on USgamer:
Retrospective - On Saturday Mornings, Sonic the Hedgehog Turned Platforming into Pathos
Bob's deep thoughts on DiC's Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon in the 90s.
Editorial - Shovel Knight, DuckTales Remastered, and the Art of Recapturing Retro
Why did DuckTales Remastered falter where Shovel Knight exceeded expectations? Bob provides the answer.
Analysis - Full Tilt Preservation: Inside the Museum that Saved Pinball
Pinball, yo. Bob wrote an entire feature on the Pacific Pinball Museum. That the kind of weird thing we do.
Article - The Legend of Zelda Told Me to Get Lost
Nintendo switches up the formula with The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds and makes Bob fall in love with the series again.
Article - Five Tantalizingly Untranslated PSP RPGs
Here's five great RPGs that we hope will make it to our shores. Bright side: Final Fantasy Type-0 is incoming!
Mike Williams, Staff Writer
Huh. I probably shouldn't be writing my own blurb. Oh, well. Mike is the best, more honest person ever, with arms like steel, a quick wit, and an open heart. Mike is the best.
Not really. I actually don't have much to say because I'm the newest convert to this career. My previous work was as a news writer for GamesIndustry, so this review, preview, "write down your feelings" work is new to me. Be kind.
I'm the resident open-world guy, meaning Assassin's Creed, Batman: Arkham, and other similar titles are where I set my hat. My time on GamesIndustry has also left me with a love of news analysis, so expect to see some of that on USgamer. (I also have the most pages worth of content on USgamer. Score!)
I don't do anything in particular outside of USgamer, so let's move onto my best work:
Analysis - Hatred: Finding "The Line" in Game Violence
What does Destructive Creations' Hatred ssay about how we perceive game violence?
Editorial - Let's Talk About #GamerGate and Journalism
Pretty much was it says on the tin, folks.
Article - Killed at the Conference Table: Gaming's Balancing Act Between Art and Product
I've always been fascinated by the gray area between art and product. So, I asked a number of lead developers how they handled commercial art.
Editorial - Life Imitates Art: Battlefield Hardline and How the Media Handles Police
My thoughts on how our media portrays law enforcement and how that feeds into EA's Battlefield Hardline.
The Best and Worst Character Reboots and Redesigns
A fun little article on where reboots have gone right and oh so very wrong.
Editorial - Comfort Food Games - Final Fantasy Tactics
This is another article in our Comfort Food Games series, but it ended up leading to another series: USgamer Club. USgamer Club is kind of like a book club, but with games. It's on pause right because of review season, but it'll be back soon.
Teamwork
We also do a number of group articles, featuring the various viewpoints of the entire USgamer team.
The Best of Series
These are constantly-updated articles showing you the games we've reviewed on a certain platform and what our favorite titles on those platforms are.
- What are the Best Xbox One Games?
- What are the Best PlayStation 4 Games?
- What are the Best Wii U Games?
- What are the Best PC Games?
- What are the Best PC Games on Steam?
- What are the Best 3DS Games?
Our Community Questions
Every Friday, we release a community question, where we ask USgamers a question and give our answers as well. Here's a few of the recent questions. Feel free to answer them!
- What 20th Century TV Show Would you Like to be Made Into a Modern Game?
- What Game Would you Love to see Remastered in HD?
- What Game/Series Would You Like to Erase From Existence?
- What's Your All-Time Favorite Video Game Weapon?
Where is USgamer?
Well, you can find us every day on USgamer.net, but we also have a Twitter account, Twitch account, YouTube channel, Tumblog, and Facebook page. We run USstreamer on the Twitch channel every Tuesday and Thursday; Tuesday is new games, while Thursday is our classic stream. Our YouTube channel hosts the archives from our Twitch streams and a number of original videos and video reviews.
Do we have a podcast? Uh no, not yet. But soon, my people. Very soon.
Can We Talk To You?
Of course! You can leave a comment on any article, you just need a registered account to do so. You can register here or simply sign in via Facebook. If you already have a Eurogamer account, it works here too! If you've noticed the little question boxes next to each picture or paragraph, those are for notes. Think of them as comments for a specific section of an article. If you have further thoughts on a picture or paragraph? Leave a note!
If you're not browsing on a mobile platform, you'll notice the reaction box next to this paragraph. This is where you can leave a quick reaction to each article without having to type words. Just click and go.
Finally, if you like an article, please share it on Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, or your favorite forum. Doesn't matter. We've even added buttons at the top of each article to make sharing easy! Sharing stuff means more people read it and every unread article means a kitten loses their wings. (Kittens don't have wings? See how much sharing you need to do?!)
So there's the quickest overview of USgamer I could write up. If it's your first time here, you can browse the stories in this article to get up to speed on what we do. If you're a faithful USgamer, here's an article you can share with your friends to show them why we work.
Regardless of your status, welcome to the USgamer community.