John, Author at New Player Ready

Posted by John

John grew up swapping floppy disks and reading Amiga Power cover to cover. Now an IT manager in Manchester, he writes about the glory days of British computer gaming—Sensible Soccer, Speedball 2, and why the Amiga deserved more love than it ever got.

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Xbox
Fable Review: The RPG That Proved Player Choice Could Matter
Spent fifteen years in IT management and I know that some of the greatest systems that exist today give users total control over their own...
by John 1 month ago2 months ago

Spent fifteen years in IT management and I know that some of the greatest systems that exist today give users total control over their own agency. Fable does exactly that in many ways that no other game did in 2004. Your appearance changes based on your actions. Your NPC interactions change based on your morality....

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Xbox
Panzer Dragoon Orta Review: The Rail Shooter That Proved Arcade Could Evolve
I spent 15 years working in IT management and I understand that some times the most effective systems will support an underlying philosophy that has...
by John 1 month ago2 months ago
120

Blog
Why Crash Bandicoot Never Quite Hit the Same in the UK – A PlayStation Memory
Disclaimer: This article doesn’t focus solely on Crash 4: It’s About Time. As we all know by now, it’s meant to set up my review...
by John 2 months ago2 months ago
80

Blog
That Time Donkey Kong Country Made Me Question Reality (And My SNES)
I was sixteen years old and had roughly $12 to my name. During my free time I found myself spending quite an excessive amount of...
by John 2 months ago2 months ago
20

PC
XCOM UFO Defense Review The Alien Strategy Game That Punished Every Mistake You Ever Made
John here and I’ve got to bring up some old business that’s been eating at my brain for nearly 30 years. Whilst everyone else was...
by John 2 months ago2 months ago
10

PC
Heroes of Might and Magic III Review The Fantasy Strategy Game That Nobody Could Stop Playing
Heroes of Might and Magic III Review: The Best Turn Based Strategy Game Ever Created John’s writing about this one because the rest of the...
by John 3 months ago2 months ago
30

Blog
Discovering Tomb Raider at 40: How Lara Croft Taught This Late Bloomer About Real Adventure
Going through those empty corridors – hearing Lara’s boots echoing off stone walls – not knowing what the next room will bring (treasure, an ancient...
by John 3 months ago2 months ago
10

PC
Sam and Max Hit the Road Review The Buddy Comedy That Made Adventure Games Fun Again
I am John, and I need to make a statement prior to this review. Whilst the rest of my teammates are arguing ad nauseum over...
by John 3 months ago2 months ago
100

Blog
How Diablo Proper Ruined My University Years (And Created the Action RPG Blueprint)
I remember buying Diablo — hell, I remember the day that changed my life. It wasn’t alcoholism, girls, or any of the other problems you...
by John 3 months ago2 months ago
10

PC
Gabriel Knight Review The Horror Mystery That Made Sierra Relevant Again
John’s working on that one so we won’t have to deal with Sam ranting again about how point-and-clicks died because they never implemented save states...
by John 3 months ago2 months ago