Demo-licious #1: Viscera Cleanup Detail (Video Feature)

Posted on October 17, 2013 by Nathan Meunier

Welcome to Demo-licious, a new video column where I dive into free demos of cool, unusual, and wacky games and see what kind of trouble I can cause. In this first installment, I make a huge mess in Viscera Cleanup Detail — a silly indie game currently in Alpha that tasks you with cleaning up all the gore left over on an abandoned space station after all hell breaks loose.

If you enjoy this video and others I’ve been putting together, please subscribe to my channel and share with friends! I’ll be doing a lot more video content on the site, including reviews, oddball features, and random snippets of gaming weirdness!

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Indieverse: Vehicular Mayhem

Posted on July 31, 2012 by Nathan Meunier

“Slamming down the gas pedal to the floor and smashing into stuff is a favorite pastime for many virtual racing enthusiasts, ourselves included. You don’t have to be a total gearhead to get a few kicks from hopping into anything with a seat, a steering wheel, and a high-powered motor. When it comes to all things racing and motorized, the Xbox Live Indie Games Channel has some horsepower under the hood. Here are some of our favorite picks for racers, both quick and quirky.”

Check out the full feature here at Official Xbox Magazine.

8 Ways To Follow The Olympics (@MacLife)

Posted on July 29, 2012 by Nathan Meunier

You don’t have to be a huge sports fan to be pumped about this year’s Olympics, and it’s officially kicking off tonight with what’s will no doubt be an extravagant opening ceremony. The 2012 London Olympic Games promises to be a landmark event, and we can’t wait to watch the grand showing of athleticism, camaraderie, and spirited competition unfold. If you’re on-the-go and can’t be in front of the TV to catch all the excitement — or simply want to dig deeper into the action — we’ve got your back with a selection of handy apps and websites to access on your iPad to make sure you don’t miss a beat of the Summer Olympics.

Check out the full article here at Mac|Life.

Dyad: The Tale of a Man and his Machine (@Polygon)

Posted on July 24, 2012 by Nathan Meunier

Holy crap guys! My first article for Polygon. Super stoked! I interviewed Shawn McGrath, the awesome dude behind Dyad, and worked up this massive feature that digs deep into the game and the crazy DIY machine he build from scratch to show it a trade shows. I strapped into the thing myself way back at PAX East 2011, and it left an impression on me, to say the least. Really glad I was able to travel through time and work up this mega feature.

Scope it out right here at Polygon!

Futulele iOS Review (@MacLife)

Posted on June 27, 2012 by Nathan Meunier

“Billed as the “Ukulele of the Future,” the cleverly named Futulele does indeed deliver on its high-tech premise. This easy-to-use ukulele simulator lets you rock out Hawaiian-style, whether you’re keen on busting out your best Tiny Tim impression or strumming more serious four-string grooves. As a virtual instrument, Futulele does a good job of emulating the real deal — right down to the way you hold your iPad on its side like an actual ukulele to play.”

Check out the full review here at Mac|Life.

Indieverse – The Weirdest Xbox Live Indie Games and the Stories Behind Them (@OXM)

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Nathan Meunier

“These days, so many new releases on the Xbox Live Indie Games Channel seem to fall into the categories of creepy dating simulators, zombie-apocalypse shooters, or blatant clones of other successful game formulas that it’s easy to miss out on the truly innovative indies. Thankfully, if you poke around beneath the surface, you’ll unearth some crazy, interesting stuff.

After diving deep into the XBLIG rabbit hole to see just what kind of wild creations are down there, we handpicked the three most unique and unusual offerings we could find — then tracked down their creators to gain some insight into each peculiar project.”

Check out the full article here at OXM.

Shop Talk: Sharing The Freelance Love

Posted on December 22, 2011 by Nathan Meunier

The holidays are upon us once again. Huzzah. [In case you missed that, cue lack of enthusiasm…now. No wait….now]. I’m not really a celebrator of all things X-mastian or holidaciousness these days. That’s fine with me. I’m going to spend X-mas morning scooping out cat poop as a volunteer at the local animal shelter my wife works at. Then I’m probably going to drink beer. Awesome. But my gimpy space heater and this hot cup of coffee are kicking off some warm fuzzy vibes this morning, so I thought I’d take a moment today to share some links to excellent articles written by a few of the many fellow game journalists, freelancers, and other writer folks that I dig. Cheers!

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Shop Talk: Firing From The Hip (Don’t Shoot Yourself)

Posted on August 25, 2011 by Nathan Meunier

A few more quick tips and strategies for pitching

Competition is fierce in the freelance world, and editors deal with an endless deluge of awful pitches each day. Their inbox is filled with half-cocked ideas and slapdash e-mails from writers seeking work. Simply put: time and patience are in limited supply. It takes less effort for an editor to hit DELETE than it does to respond to each and every inquiry that hits their desk. Differentiate yourself from the pack by taking a little extra time to polish your pitches until they are shiny and sexy. A touch of added strategy never hurts either.

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Shop Talk: Beating The Freelance Doldrums (Round 1 – Fight!)

Posted on August 19, 2011 by Nathan Meunier

Any job can grow tiresome and dull over an extended period of time, no matter how fun it may seem to other folks looking in from the outside. The world of game journalism can be a magical land full of shiny opportunities and realized dreams. But sometimes it sucks. Even if you’re writing about video games (or some other totally rad hobby) for a living, there are times when you will want to fling your computer out the window in frustration or crawl into a volcano and immolate yourself. Trust me, you don’t want to do either.

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Shop Talk: 985 More Words On Writing For Free

Posted on August 5, 2011 by Nathan Meunier

Alright. It’s time to explore the other side of the fence. This is not a black and white world where pious hoity-toity angels in glowing robes engage in epic battle with cloven-hoofed demons from the underworld who crap fireballs day in and day out. There are times when it makes a lot of sense to get your work out there even if you’re not getting paid for it yet – at least when you’re starting out. Doing a little freebie writing for a smaller gaming site can build clips, gain important contacts, and lead to paying work at bigger outlets down the road. But keep in mind: awesome paying freelance opportunities rarely fall out of the sky unless you’ve been launching barrages of cannon fire to the heavens.

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