I highly enjoy creating games but I also like to write about them. As a game designer, I have a tendency toward criticism and of course, I cannot resist the urge of taking notes as I play games. To be able to create good games is a great skill; to know how to make games better is another. I believe it's with criticism that both these skills can be leveled up. After all, critiques exist to tell creators what went right and what didn't when creating their work. The following essays are critiques I wrote on games from the commercial and the amateur world.
 

Brütal Legend (6/11/2009)
The long awaited game from Double Fine, Tim Schafer's own studio, has landed in stores on Rocktober 13th 2009. Nested in a world where heavy metal music is source of life, how did the creative team at Double Fine pulled it out? Did they manage to create an enjoyable game? In this critique, I took a look at Brütal Legend.
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Street Fighter 4 (16/03/2009)
Nearly 20 years after its release, a fourth installment of the famous fighting series is out. Street Fighter 4, the long awaited official sequel, was released during February 2009 in North America on home consoles. So how does this new Street Fighter holds up to its legacy? Did the team at Capcom pulled the impossible? Did they changed how we see a fighting game or failed to live up to the legendary name?
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Doukutsu Monogatari (Cave Story)  (22/02/2008)
Flag ship title of the independent and amateur game development movement, Doukutsu Monogatari, or Cave Story, is the most popular indie game ever created. Simply mentioning the name to gamers can cause great joy for those who tried it or confusion for those who remain in the mainstream. In this critique, I look at this one-man-made Japanese game.
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On the TIGS forums, where I have the role of global moderator, I sometimes pick up a game created by one of the members and write a thorough critique. The following essays are all "grinds" of games that were created by independent and amateur game developers who hang around TIGS forums.

Runman: Race around the world (06/10/2008)
"Racing might just be the most visceral form of competition in mankind. Anyone who walks can run and the gifted in the fields of pedestrian speeding can reach a velocity close to what machines can. Of course, humans are puny racers compared to what the world has to offer. Cheetahs or hares can easily out-run any human. But if there’s one being in this world that can out-run them all, it’s without a shadow of a doubt, the shooting star.  Yes my friends, a star so speedy that it simple presence in a race means automatic defeat for all other contestants. The greatest of all speedsters; the champion that waves “hello” to light as he runs by it; Runman, the king of all racers."
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Battleship Forever (15/02/2008)
"The deep space has always been a source of imagination for millions of people of all ages. The idea of battling alien invaders with high-tech spaceships has been around in our entertainment for years and has fascinated thousands of creators. Battleships Forever is a real-time strategy game staged in outer space in which you assume the role of a captain, controlling squadrons of battleships ready to protect the innocents and blast space pirates and evil aliens into flaming debris. Tactical combat lies at the core of this game, so strap in and fire up your boosters; the battle is about to start."
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Lexventure (16/12/2007)
"What would you do if a ninja dressed in black sabotaged your science fair project and ran off with the blue prints of your new letter-creating invention? I am pretty sure you’ll want to hunt down the culprit like the low-life rat that he is. Well, LexVenture, a casual word game, allows you to do exactly that but in an innocent and funny way."
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Roach Toaster 2 (24/11/2007)
"For centuries, the roaches have been living a life of peace and harmony, eating whatever they can and breeding in the shadows. It was without any malicious intent that they infested some of our homes, looking for some tasty snacks. But years of human oppression has turned these neutral crawlers into blood thirsty beasts aiming for world domination, Doom is at hand as the evil pestilence spreads in our homes, organized in boss-controlled battalions, slowly taking control of the whole planet. So is the background story of the strategy/puzzle game Roach Toaster 2 by Shotbeak Games. Your job will be to exterminate the invading pest, one battalion at a time."
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DDDEVASTATIONNN (25/10/2007)
"In the second edition of Guert’s Grinder, I will take a good hard look at Radnom's game DDEVASTATIONN. The game follows the vein of the classic 2D shoot-hem-up titles such has Contra or Metal slug. In DDDEVASTATIONNN, the player is thrown in a hellish universe where monsters roam free. Armed with your trusty machine gun, flamethrower and grenades, you set out for a quest for survival... And green signs extermination"
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Space Barnacle (02/10/2007)
"Upon reading a title like “Space Barnacle”, one may strongly wonder how a game about a small crustacean that attaches itself on surfaces found in the exosphere may be of any entertainment. Rest assured, the title is deceptive and Space Barnacle offers more than steady and sturdy cementing action. In this game, the player will assume the role of an unnamed gun-wielding youngling alien out to avenge the death of his pinkish and fully toothed father. The creators, Team Doomlaser, want us to take a walk down the eight-bit road once more to enjoy a fast and simple shoot-hem-up platformer. Scan lines included."
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