• live chat

    Talk with Crecente Live About GTA IV at the Rocky

    The Rocky Mountain News is hosting a chat session on the newspaper's website later today about Grand Theft Auto IV. They've asked me to drop by at noon (Mountain Time) to take questions and send out answers about my story for the paper, the game's release and other things game related. Of course I said yes, if for no other reason than to have a chance to talk with folks who don't usually play games.

    If you're interested in joining in on the conversation head on over to the link at noon.

    Chat with me [Rocky Mountain News]

    12:13 PM on Tue Apr 29 2008
    By Brian Crecente
    1,160 views, 23 comments

    Latest by balls187 upside yo head: @Fyren: all yall look alike ;) more »

  • Holed Up with GTA 4

    Five Days with GTA IV: A Newspaper Diary

    As Mike McWhertor and I alluded to earlier this week, we both spent five days last week holed up in a room in a swank San Francisco hotel playing through Grand Theft Auto IV. Yes, all of the way through.

    The embargo for our official review and other hands-ons, impressions, comparisons, stories and whatnots doesn't lift until Sunday (10 a.m. Crecentral), but the package of stories I wrote for the Rocky Mountain News ran this morning. The story for the paper is geared for a much more mainstream audience, so I'm not sure how much you all will get out of it, but here's how it wraps up.

    In Grand Theft Auto IV the story isn't just an amalgam of cut scenes and cleverly written dialogue, it's the experiences I create, too. It's now, watching Niko stand, his shoulders slumped, that the depth of this game finally hits me.

    Niko's journey, the one crafted by Rockstar, may have ended, but Niko's adventures in the story I am creating have just begun.

    If you're looking for something to pass your time that is, I believe, free of any major story spoilers, than hit up the link.

    I was happy to see that the story not only took over the entire front page of the feature's section, but even got a mention on the front page of the paper. Too bad they went with a headline that sorta highlights the violence of the game. I suppose they would have done the same thing for blow-out coverage of a movie like Once Upon a Time in America.

    Grand Theft Auto: A Brutal New World and What the developer of Grand Theft Auto IV champions [Rocky Mountain News]

    10:40 PM on Fri Apr 25 2008
    By Brian Crecente
    34,465 views, 89 comments

    Latest by Furysetzer: So is it really all that and a bag of chips? I haven't played GTA since Vice City, which more »

  • golden crecentes

    The Rocky's Second Annual Golden Crecentes

    First a thing about the name: I didn't pick it. I think it's hilarious, but I'd never name an award after myself, it's obnoxious... and quite funny. Which is what I think the Rocky was going for. There are quite a few closet smart-asses over there. :)

    So my annual pick for best video game ran in the Rocky Mountain News today and I picked Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare as the overall winner. The game beat out The Orange Box, Bioshock, Super Mario Galaxy and Uncharted: Drake's Fortune.

    Here's why I decided to pick a war-time first-person shooter sequel over the splendor of a dystopian society, amazing character interaction of Uncharted and innovative design of Galaxy and Orange Box:
    More »

    8:07 AM on Fri Jan 25 2008
    By Brian Crecente
    3,324 views, 78 comments

    Latest by Rood_Inverse: I seen this in the paper today. I was actually really surprised. I was like, hey, I read this guy's more »

  • why halo works

    The Rocky Explores Halo's Appeal

    It's obvious from reading the comments posted after every Halo 3 story that some of us don't understand the appeal of the series - after all, it's just an FPS, isn't it? Over at The Rocky Mountain News, some guy named Brian Crecente discusses the broad appeal of the franchise with Bungie's Frank O'Connor, breaking the whole thing down into five, easy to understand categories. The article explores how story, character, AI, gadgets, and approachability combine to form Captain Planet make Halo the huge hit it is with fans across the globe. Keep in mind that Crecente is a freelance contributor to The Rocky Mountain News, so the article might not be up to the publication's high standards. I suggest he stick to his day job.

    FIVE WAYS HALO HAS REDEFINED GAMING - [The Rocky Mountain News]

    5:00 PM on Fri Sep 28 2007
    By Mike Fahey
    3,164 views, 89 comments

    Latest by Chilly Hollow: @Toasticus: LOL! Love how you made your point visually. @Shrewsbury: Shrewsbury, ever seen how all the teenaged girls hate the queen more »

  • pirate

    Pirate v Ninja Makes The Paper

    Yes, it made the newspaper because I put it there and no, it's not game related, not really. But I thought perhaps you'd still want to read it, that and I mentioned it last night in my Night Note. More »

    7:59 AM on Sat Mar 31 2007
    By Brian Crecente
    651 views, 57 comments

  • announcement

    A Rocky Road

    Today I gave notice at the Rocky Mountain News. April will be the first month I haven't worked full-time at a daily newspaper in nearly one and a half decades, it feels kinda weird. More »

    7:48 PM on Fri Mar 16 2007
    By Brian Crecente
    8,901 views, 82 comments

  • left behind

    Liberal Groups Call for Left Behind Boycott

    The BBC has an interesting story up on the furor surrounding the release of Christian video game Left Behind: Eternal Forces. An alliance of liberal groups is trying to get Wal-Mart, among other retailers, to stop selling the game. More »

    3:09 PM on Thu Dec 14 2006
    By Brian Crecente
    213 views, 38 comments

  • wii

    Reggie Talks Wii Opera, Friend Codes and Greed

    I had a chance to talk to Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime for the Rocky Mountain News during the New York event last week. More »

    7:00 PM on Mon Sep 18 2006
    By Brian Crecente
    278 views, 39 comments

  • review round-up

    Review Round-Up: Field Commander

    I know it's a total knock-off, but I can't help it, I liked Field Commander. It's a fun Playstation Portable RTS and it has some amazing online multiplayer support. Here's the run down of what everyone else thought. Brian Crecente More »

    5:00 PM on Thu Jun 1 2006
    By Brian Crecente
    162 views, 9 comments

  • wii

    The Good and The Bad of Wii

    Slashdot beat me to the punch this morning and has an interesting three-pronged look at the naming of Nintendo's Revolution. The article cites the story I wrote for the Rocky Mountain News in which I spoke to a branding expert about the name. It also includes Chris Kohler's defense of Wii over on Wired and Games.Net's piece on the strangeness of the name. More »

    10:00 AM on Fri Apr 28 2006
    By Brian Crecente
    257 views, 4 comments

    Latest by D: I think this is the biggest issue with Wii. When you need a video and not just one, but TWO more »