Josh Hinke

Josh Hinke is a part time centaur trainer in Hollywood, while going to school full time to be a professional Goomba. In between those two commitments I write about video games and cool things, like pirates and dragons and dragon pirates.
  • Killzone: Shadow Fall Review

    Everyone knows that launch titles are going to be rough.  They have to nail a target date, don’t get much breathing room, and aren’t supposed...

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    Everyone knows that launch titles are going to be rough.  They have to nail a target date, don’t get much breathing room, and aren’t supposed to sell themselves as much as sell the finer points of a new system.  Killzone: Shadow Fall is the perfect example of what being a launch title is all about....
    819
    819 points
  • Top Ten Games on the Xbox 360

    As was done for the PlayStation 4 launch, the Xbox One’s arrival provides a good moment to take a look back at some of the...

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    As was done for the PlayStation 4 launch, the Xbox One’s arrival provides a good moment to take a look back at some of the amazing games the last generation has provided.  From shooters to platformers to puzzle games, the roster of games for the Xbox 360 offered a plethora of amazing titles that we...
    820
    820 points
  • Top Ten Games on the PlayStation 3

    As we say hello to the PlayStation 4 this Friday, it is time to look back on the generation that was and remember all that...

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    As we say hello to the PlayStation 4 this Friday, it is time to look back on the generation that was and remember all that the PlayStation 3 had to offer. From new franchises to timeless heroes, Sony’s platform gave us a window into a world of superheroes, far off locations, and futures that will...
    825
    825 points
  • Can Consumers, Creators Be Friends Again?

    It started with a quote that triggered a firestorm.  When asked about the development of the PlayStation 3, Sony Executive Ken Kutaragi said, “[PS3 is]...

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    It started with a quote that triggered a firestorm.  When asked about the development of the PlayStation 3, Sony Executive Ken Kutaragi said, “[PS3 is] for consumers to think to themselves ‘I will work more hours to buy one’. We want people to feel that they want it, irrespective of anything else.” This quote fired...
    832
    832 points
  • Next Generation Head-to-Head Comparison

    With the month of November signaling the future of video games, it is time to give a final evaluation of the Xbox One and PlayStation...

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    With the month of November signaling the future of video games, it is time to give a final evaluation of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4.  There has been plenty of posturing and promising from both Microsoft and Sony as we head into the next generation, but which one is really better?  Let’s review. Release...
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    830 points
  • Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag Review

    Over the last five years, Assassin’s Creed has catapulted itself into the conversation of mainstream blockbuster franchises with the likes of Call of Duty and...

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    Over the last five years, Assassin’s Creed has catapulted itself into the conversation of mainstream blockbuster franchises with the likes of Call of Duty and Halo.  Last year Assassin’s Creed III sold over 12 millions copies, cementing the future of the franchise and proving how monetarily significant the saga of Templars and Assassins had become....
    829
    829 points
  • Are So Many Sequels a Bad Thing For Games?

    Quote Shakespeare all you want, a name is pretty important thing, especially when it comes to creative works like novels, films, song, and video games....

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    Quote Shakespeare all you want, a name is pretty important thing, especially when it comes to creative works like novels, films, song, and video games.  These are iconic indicators that stick with people to define a piece work, separating themselves from a mess of words that surround them.  When I say a titles like Grapes...
    833
    833 points
  • Top Ten Next-Gen Launch Games

    Don’t look now, but the launch of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 are less than one month away.  With some games going gold (Killzone:...

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    Don’t look now, but the launch of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 are less than one month away.  With some games going gold (Killzone: Shadowfall) and some games getting delayed (Watch Dogs and Drive Club) these consoles, that were previously limited to special events and promotions, are starting to feel very real.  So what...
    820
    820 points
  • Hey Actors, Don’t Give Up On Games

    It is a fine line for video games to walk, that paper-thin rope, high in the air separating video games and movies.  Ever since a...

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    It is a fine line for video games to walk, that paper-thin rope, high in the air separating video games and movies.  Ever since a third dimension has been added to video games, there has been a natural inclination for designers to ape ideas from the world of cinema.  The visual language of film has...
    825
    825 points
  • The Wolf Among Us: Faith Review

    Bill Willingham’s world of politically driven, refugee fairy tales living undercover in New York has been one of the more silently celebrated comic book entries...

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    Bill Willingham’s world of politically driven, refugee fairy tales living undercover in New York has been one of the more silently celebrated comic book entries this decade.  Telltale announced it’s desire to make a game based on the reinvented fairy tale universe awhile ago, but it was not until last year’s roaring success of The...
    822
    822 points
  • Beyond: Two Souls Review

    The industry of video games grows in different ways.  In addition to the genres like comedy, action, or drama, there are larger genres such as...

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    The industry of video games grows in different ways.  In addition to the genres like comedy, action, or drama, there are larger genres such as first-person shooter, role-playing game, or point-and-click adventure.  The catalogue of David Cage games are so interesting because they dip their toes into so many different pools of genre.  At their...
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    815 points
  • My Disappointment in GTA Online

    I was pretty excited as I started the world of GTA Online.  In a world where MMOs–or the variations of them that we have come...

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    I was pretty excited as I started the world of GTA Online.  In a world where MMOs–or the variations of them that we have come to know over the last year such as shared world shooters, persistent world shooter, ect.–continue to be pushed out to capture the imagination of the video game fan base, GTA...
    822
    822 points
  • Rain Review

    The last two years have been quite interesting for the Studio Japan.  A staple in the roster of Sony’s first party developers, the studio has...

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    The last two years have been quite interesting for the Studio Japan.  A staple in the roster of Sony’s first party developers, the studio has delivered some the most interesting titles on the PlayStation market with entries like Gravity Rush, Tokyo Jungle, Soul Sacrifice, Puppeteer, and–their most recent title–Rain. While Rain feels completely unique, it...
    802
    802 points
  • Did Steam Miss Their Window?

    It’s almost funny to think about Valve as a video game developer/publisher anymore.  For years now, while releasing titles like DOTA 2 and Portal 2,...

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    It’s almost funny to think about Valve as a video game developer/publisher anymore.  For years now, while releasing titles like DOTA 2 and Portal 2, the company has felt more like it is in the platform business than development.  And what a platform it is. As the console years began to drag on, Valve has...
    819
    819 points
  • Midnight City Preview (Part Two of Two)

    This the second part of games previewed at Midnight City’s Pax Prime event.  You can read part one here. Blood of the Werewolf After a...

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    This the second part of games previewed at Midnight City’s Pax Prime event.  You can read part one here. Blood of the Werewolf After a couple tricky puzzle games, I’m ready for something completely different.  Luckily the team at Scientifically Proven had me covered with their new game Blood of the Werewolf.  A classic platform-action...
    830
    830 points
  • Grand Theft Auto: The Lovers, The Haters, The Curious

    I don’t talk about video games much outside of my writing.  I talk to other writers and people ingrained in the world of release dates,...

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    I don’t talk about video games much outside of my writing.  I talk to other writers and people ingrained in the world of release dates, console wars, and promotional events; but I have so many friends outside of the frey that we talk about a myriad of other topics.  I might pass along a game...
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    844 points