Meet GameZone's Reviewers!
Meet The Reviewers
| Michael Lafferty Michael Lafferty spent 20 years laboring as a journalist before shucking that underpaid, overworked gig in favor of new life adventures, and work that would leave him smiling at the end of the day. His exploits in the video gaming world decry the cliches foisted upon him as a child that life "isn't all fun and games." It certainly can be, especially when combining the love of writing with playing games. If you would like to say howdy, he can be reached at mikel@gamezonemail.com. |
| Steven Hopper Steven Hopper didn't get into video games until his parents bought him his first Nintendo console at the ripe old age of three. However, since then he has been playing video games non-stop, forfeiting nearly all signs of normalcy. He is currently pursuing a BA in Theatre and a minor in Journalism at Albertson College of Idaho, but somehow video games keep getting in the way. In his free time, he enjoys video games (duh!) and banging out chords (poorly, might I add) on his Gibson Les Paul guitar. If you care enough to contact him, email him at stevanos@gamezonemail.com. |
| Louis Bedigian Louis Bedigian is what normal humans refer to as "obsessed." He waited in line for more than eight hours to get a PlayStation 2. He watched Tech TV for more than 20 hours just to see a few minutes of footage of Munch's Oddysee and Luigi's Mansion. Despite being one of his least-favorite games, he rented Zone of the Enders twice in March. Not for the game itself, only so he could beat the MGS2 demo again! And again! And again…. Through the years of obsessing over games, Louis found something else to obsess over: writing. Expressing his cheers and jeers about games turned out to be just as fun as actually playing them, if not better in some cases. His love of games and writing is what brought him to GameZone Online and he couldn't be happier. CasaDeJoey@aol.com |
| Michael Knutson When I was real young my parents owned an Atari 2600, and I got to play on it ever so often. When I was seven my parents bought me a NES, which really got me hooked on gaming, playing Mario, Zelda, and other classics. Then I moved on to the SNES, PSX, and now to this generation of gaming consoles. I also enjoy playing PC games from time to time. I started writing on a PC hardware site when I first started going to college, then my friends and I got tired of it so we moved on to other projects. I worked on a well-known site and other small sites before working here. When I am not playing games I enjoy hanging out with my friends, going to parties, and doing many other things. mknutson@gamezonemail.com |
| Nick Valentino Nick Valentino was born and raised in Oxford, England in 1976 and fell in love with video games when, at the age of 13, won a Nintendo system in a Ramones sound-alike contest (he couldn’t resist Super Mario at the time). Thinking he could make it big in the music scene in America, he moved to Los Angeles at 18 and found himself writing for PSM magazine for a year because “the Playstation demands my attention so often that I willingly bow to it like the slave I am.” He still lives in Los Angeles with his wife Claudia and is also the singer/songwriter for a Radiohead-inspired band called SoulStatic. You may contact Nick at nick_valentino@hotmail.com. |
| Natalie Romano Having come from a home with four video-game-obsessed big brothers; Natalie developed a long love affair with the gaming world. Now Natalie is the proud owner of a PS2, a Dreamcast, an Xbox and two very sore thumbs. She once worked as an NBC Studios tour guide, was a Hawaiian Tropics Girl and modeled for several department store catalogues before she found herself as a contributing reviewer for the Official Dreamcast Magazine (her dream job). Natalie lives in Southern California and currently has her own column in the Campus Scene newspaper called The Film Reporter. |
| Angelina Sandoval The sister-in-law of fellow game reviewer Nick Valentino and a hardcore gamer who just happens to love writing and games with a passion. She was once a serious contender for Miss Teen Pasadena--until a broken leg forced her to sit out the judges’ final verdict--and was the cheer captain of the Varsity cheerleaders at Kennedy High. After a failed audition to cheer for the Denver Broncos (insert airhead cheerleader jokes here), she came back to study at the local university in Southern California to become an English Literature teacher. She counts Halo, Grand Theft Auto III and Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4 as her all-time favorite games. You can send complaints, praise or the occasional thanks to angelinas@gamezonemail.com. |
| Aceinet I've been playing video games since the days of the Atari 2600. I remember the day when my Mom came home with the Atari and a copy of Pac-Man. My world has never been the same since. I've owned nearly every console system ever released, and if I didn't owned it I've at least played the games. I can't even recall a single game magazine out that I didn't have a subscription too. You can reach me at aceinet@earthlink.net. |
| Eduardo Zacarias Eduardo Zacarias has been playing video games since he learned how to crawl and pick up an Atari Pong paddle. Since then, he grew up playing video games and competing (and winning) various game tournaments in various arcades in Southern California. Dubbed “Nice Guy Eddie” by the loyal arcade fan groups in the neighborhood, Eduardo continues his ongoing love for games with the Xbox and PC. He is currently the Opinion Editor of the campus paper of his local university (CSUN) and lives off campus with his dog Sam. You may contact him at EduardoZac@gamezonemail.com. |
| Dakota Grabowski I must admit the one thing that many find hard to do - video games are an addiction! I have been in love with video games and the entertainment they have provided since the Sega Genesis. Sure I had a NES but at the time, 32 bit was the way to go for kids my age. Now after owning every system and collecting video games for the last several years, video games have brought me into a career that I adore - journalism! I began writing in 2001 for almost every Xbox fan site out there and have taken a worldwide tour of coverage with sites from Japan, Australia and even Europe. In the summer of 2005, I moved to New York to study screenwriting with Michael Chase Walker, Director of Children Programs at CBS in the late 80s, to advance my knowledge of writing. Currently I am playing my Xbox 360 non-stop and my gamertag is Caspel. |
| Mike David Having sucessfully saved the planet Earth at least 200 times is a true testament of exactly what it takes to be a man at the top of his game. The whole thing started at an early age when I piloted my star fighter in the Intellivision hit "Astrosmash". Once the Intellivision went the way of the Dodo, I was fortunate enough to get a Commodore 128. Many nights were logged with my father as we mapped out the dungeons of classic RPG's like Bard's Tale and Legacy of the Ancients. Videogames took a back seat to girls when I hit High School, but all that changed when the Playstation and Sega Saturn came out. Since then, I have purchased every game system that has come down the pipe and actively look to the future of gaming. Like most of us reviewers, I have always wanted to write a book, but with a busy life, the next best thing is to write about games. I like most games but not the racing ones (unless combat is involved) or the sports titles (I'd rather go play it for real). When not playing games, I can be found playing out back with my two sons or watching the Mariners with my wife. You can reach me at shmobean@hotmail.com. |
| Anise Hollingshead Anise's obsession with computer gaming all began with her family's purchase of a computer in 1995. Upon her husband asserting that it would only be used for work and educational purposes, Anise promptly went out the very next day and bought King's Quest 6. Her life has never been the same once she realized that books could actually be played out interactively (adventure games) on the computer. Although a relative latecomer to computers, she has since made up for lost time. Alas, adventure games are few and far between these days, but she has lately discovered the joys of strategy gaming (interactive dollhouses, albeit with armor!). As a parent of three, Anise is highly interested in children's software and firmly believes you can never have too many kids' games lying around. She also homeschools her youngest daughter and therefore is always searching for great educational programs to supplement her curriculum. All time favorite games: King's Quest 6, Monkey Island series, Day of the Tentacle, Caesar III, HOMM II, Orly's Draw a Story, Zoombinis, Mathquest with Aladdin, Putt Putt Travels Through Time, Cluefinders. Drop me a note on your favorites at ahollin272@cox.net. |
| Dylan Platt Dylan's parents didn't want to get him a video game system when he was young, fearing he'd grow addicted to it. (Oh, if only they'd known how right they were.) Lucky for him, his grandma went against their wishes, and on what would thereafter be referred to as The Best Christmas Ever, little Dylan became the proud owner of a Nintendo Entertainment System. Since then, his life has revolved around video games in one way or another--he got his first real job in order to save up enough cash to buy a PS2 on launch day, he's spent the last five years working in the world of video game retail, and he now spends his little remaining free time writing about games. While he'll play just about anything he can get his hands on (except sports games), he especially loves any game that immerses him in a great storyline. If you want to get in touch with him, feel free to drop a line at platt.dylan@gmail.com. |
| Derek Buck Derek D. Buck boasts an impressive journalism pedigree. He has studied and
practiced the craft since high school, when he earned a position as his school
newspaper's youngest editor-in-chief ever. He continued his education at the
Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where he wrote an award-winning political
column and earned his bachelor's degree in journalism and political science. He
writes for multiple gaming publications across the Web. |
| Greg Nicksarlian Greg Nicksarlian is a journalism graduate of Northern Illinois University. Greg loves gaming and writing, so reviews are a natural fit. In addition to being an avid gamer, he is also a movie buff, and writes film reviews on his personal web page and forums. Greg is a Nintendo fan, but can appreciate a great game regardless of developer or platform. A few of his favorite game series are Zelda, Metroid, Resident Evil, and Metal Gear Solid. gnicksarlian@gmail.com. |
| Dallas Myers Some people have said that it is impossible to have too much on your plate and be happy. Dallas laughs a maniacal evil laugh in their faces and then passes out from exhaustion. Dallas gets up most days at 2:30am, a time when most gamers are going to bed or hitting the fridge for their next Rockstar fix, to travel to his day (if you can call it day at that time in the morning) job being a manager at a large retail membership club. Dallas got into gaming with the purchase of the NES system in his youth and has since owned the SNES, PS1, PS2, PSP and now plays on PS3, 360, and Wii when he can. With a degree in English fading into the twilight of his 20s, he decided to put his love for gaming to good use and write reviews. He enjoys primarily RPGs and Adventure games and has logged more hours into Final Fantasy XI then he would care to admit. In his spare time Dallas also acts professionally on stage and has been known to snowboard quite frequently when the heavenly powder falls in his local mountains. |
| Code Cowboy Tom got his start in gaming with pinball and Pong in the 70s. While he loved playing Atari at friends' houses, he opted to beg his parents for the fancier Odyssey 2 game system. In high school, he owned a Timex Sinclair computer which was his first taste of programming his own games. As the years went by he graduated to Coleco and a Commodore 64 ("Mom, I swear I need it for college!"), while spending weekends feeding tokens to Gorf, Tron and Tempest. As newer systems like Nintendo, Genesis, TurboGrafx and Playstation came along, he got them all. Now a programmer/analyst (hence, the name- Code Cowboy), he still owns all of the games he grew up with-- and looks for ones he never had. Someday, he hopes to get an Atari 2600 of his very own. One can dream. codecowboy@aol.com |
| Kevin “BIFF” Giacobbi Kevin (a.k.a. Biff to his closest friends) has been intrigued by video games since Pong and Space Invaders were introduced. When Atari released the 2600, a whole new world was born. Now old enough to call thirty-something, he is still mesmerized by the latest technology, hoping it will continue to grow. "I can remember playing Atari's combat for hours thinking this is the greatest war game ever!" Now multiplayer gaming over the Internet is by far the best thing since sliced bread. His favorites are first person shooters, simulations, adventure, and anything that requires a quick trigger finger. biffgames@hotmail.com |
| Michael Callon Michael Callon was a nascent gamer during the days when most mainstraeam PC games were shipped on 5 1/4 inch floppies (which came out shortly after the wheel had been invented). Back then, graphics quality was rated as CGA, EGA, VGA, and SVGA. He vividly remembers being impressed and excited when he learned that PC games were going to start being released on 3.5 floppies. How many times did he get in trouble with his parents for calling hint lines that cost $6-$7 per minute trying to get unstuck in one of the PC games he was playing? He spent many hours coding text-based games from books with titles like "101 Computer Games" in the Basic computer language into his uncle's clunky old PC. He still has scars from debugging hundreds of lines of code at such a young age. Eventually, he got an Atari 2600, then 7800, the original NES, the SNES, the PS1, PS2, and now the PS3. All the while, he kept gaming on the PC, and is really a PC Gamer at his terabyte core. "Not now...I'm gaming!" Email: mjcallon@sbcglobal.net |
| Stephen Woodward I am currently in my last year of college and am majoring in English -- what I can do with that degree is still being worked by Destiny (novelist, please!!). I love to read, when I'm not playing my Wii or DS (I'm a Nintendo Fanboy), and I guess Neil Gaiman would be my favorite contemporary writer -- catch the "Destiny" reference? My gaming-love began when a little cult game named Earthbound dropped on the SNES in the mid-90's and continues now in the form of Elder Scrolls Oblivion and Metroid Corruption. I'm a hardcore Police fan and went all the way to Montreal Canada (from rural VA)over the summer to see Sting and the gang in their reunion. I have a Nintendo fansite, www.wii-insider.com, and if you need to contact me for some twisted reason, I'm at serenity5306@gmail.com. |
| Adam Dodd |
| Andrew Groen |
| Bobby Shen |
| Brandon Folkers |
| Brock Smith |
| Christopher Ewen |
| Dan Liebman |
| Heath Hooker |
| Jeremy Olson |
| Jeremy Zoss |
| Joseph DeLia |
| Kevin Parrish |
| Nick Akerman |