cacopia enabled
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about
journo
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This page will in part act as an online portfolio of sorts, as well as inform regular human beings as to my journalistic work. I'm also one of the few people these days that views the profession of journalism in a different way than the majority of the mass media. In short, journalism is not there to empower the journalist. It's there to inform and empower the people who read, listen or watch the journalist imparting their point of view. In short, a journalist shouldn't view themselves as more important than the subject they are covering.

In all fairness this was my main motivation for undertaking the mantle of a journalist; there are too many personalities involved in the reporting of news. To the point that the news itself is occluded from the public's view. When I read, listen or watch any kind of news I do it on the assumption that I will be more informed by doing so. My frustration at this not occurring forced me to essentially do the job myself.

Anyway, the following is a list of my work for various publications, both in print and online (as well as professional and amateur).

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The Guardian I started writing for The Guardian two years ago. My first piece published, both online and in print, was an interview with Fumito Ueda (he created the PlayStation 2 games Ico and Shadow of the Colossus). Not long after that I also interviewed Atsushi Inaba on his work for Okami. Since then I foretold the inevitable failure of Microsoft's Xbox 360 in Japan and covered a law that almost banned the sale of second hand electrical goods (this would have included historic gaming systems, essentially eradicating their effect on contemporary Japanese games development).

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Neo Since the launch of Neo magazine a few years ago, I've been writing reviews, features and conducted the odd interview. The most interesting by product of my work for Neo is in regards to the work of one Junji Okubo. Okubo worked as the principal mecha designer for Capcom's unique Xbox game, Steel Battalion. The mecha design was very realistic and fitted the game's setup beautifully. I interviewed Okubo in August of 2005 in regards to his ever expanding design portfolio. The following year he informed me that he was in the process of having an artbook published, entitled Izmojuki Industrial Divinities, he wanted to use the interview (in Japanese) within the pages of the book. So, in addition to my work in Neo I've also been published in a Japanese artbook as a consequence.

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insert credit I've known several of the contributors at insert credit for a few years now. They are good and enthusiastic people, that generally follow their own interest in gaming rather than follow the beat of the mainstream drum. I started contributing news articles a while ago and I'm now listed on their staff page (with the additional moniker of "mechanix"). In terms of features, I have only written one thus far covering the Virtual On series of games (a series I have a personal affection for, to the extent that I own an arcade cabinet of the 1995 original).

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Game Set WatchSince late 2006 I started contributing to the game blog, Game Set Watch. I used to write a fortnightly column called Roboto-chan that covered mecha gaming in all its multitudinous glory (no massive surprise there then). Interestingly, the guy that runs the site, Simon Carless, is also editor of Game Developer magazine and helmed the games section of Slashdot for a good few years. The latter is pertinent considering the history of this website, without the Slashdot chaps I wouldn't have had a website in the first place nor tried my hand at writing about what I care about. In some ways the column brought the whole thing full circle.

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Zinc Panic My fascination with all things mecha, both animated and toy related, is something I like to impart as much as humanly possible. Zinc Panic is, to all intents and purposes, an online encyclopedia that covers mecha in all their glory. In all honesty, it's a great honour to work on such a site. Mainly because the other contributors are so wonderful to work with, their vibrant and unfettered enthusiasm is incredibly refreshing. My contributions have mostly been to do with mecha in gaming and have been fairly numerous already (to the point that I am unable to link to anything suitably pertinent).

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In addition to all this I've lectured to kids about anime and manga at the 2005 Hay Festival as well as having been interviewed on the BBC Radio 4's Film Programme in regards to my aforementioned expertise on anime and manga. Though not entirely journalistic, I also have a YouTube page with various videos of me screwing around with mecha games. Basically, I get around.

Finally, here is a list of my online game reviews (in case you are curious, all games reviewed were completed in their entirety).

Open Senses
Shadow of the Colossus
Another Century's Episode
Choujikyuu Yosai Macross
Zeonic Front

insert credit
Virtual Onslaught
Armored Core 4
NTSC-uk
Metroid Zero Mission
Sawaru Made in Wario
Gundam Senshitachi no Kiseki
Virtua Fighter Cyber Generation
Anubis
Armored Core Nexus
Armored Core Ninebreaker
Assault Suits Valken
Gigantic Drive
J-Pheonix
Gundam Federation vs Zeon DX
Gundam Lost War Chronicles
Tetsujin 28-go
The Chikyuu Boueigun
The Daibijin
Transformers
Transformers Tataki
Virtual On Marz
Armored Core Formula Front
Frame Gride
Gundam Rise from the Ashes
J-Pheonix Plus
Otogi
Otogi Hyakki Toubatsu Emaki
Gamestyle
Armored Core 2
Armored Core 2 Another Age
Armored Core 3
Armored Core 3 Silent Line
Steel Battalion
Murakumo