Eric Bastelak

Eric Bastelak is a co-founder and excecutive editor of Broken Joysticks. When not writting lengthy editiorials about the future of this medium and the importance of story in gaming, he spends his time playing Star Wars: The Old Republic, Uncharted 3 and pretty much any RPG he can get his hands on. Eric spends any remaining time he has working and reading comic books. As an insomniac sleep has very little place in his life. Eric can be reached at ericbastelak@brokenjoysticks.net

Infamous: Second Son | Review

After a long wait the first huge Playstation 4 exclusive is here. A new entry in this innovative and fun franchise is welcomed to the next generation of consoles. So how does the game stand up? Is it more of the same? Does it continue to innovate? Well read on and find out.

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The Banner Saga | Review

What an age we live in as gamers today, where the publisher model of business may no longer be necessary. This is no longer a pipe dream; Broken Age Part 1 released to acclaim and praise. The previously reviewed Shadowrun Returns was also a wonderful game that is soon to be getting it’s first expansion. Now we have a Viking themed, tactical RPG, The Banner Saga. 

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The Legitimacy Of Youtubers

Tragedy, it is the only word to describe what has happened to the internet over the past week. You Tube’s recent policy changes when it comes to copyright claims are quite literally destroying lives. People like to scoff say I’m being melodramatic which, unfortunately is a far more terrifying revelation. We as gamers and lovers of a medium are turning on those who have brought legitimacy to our medium. Why have we done such a thing? That...

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Killzone: Shadowfall | Review

Killzone Shadowfall, a launch title I could not have been more exited for. I was a huge fan of Killzone 2 and Killzone 3. Those games were a science fiction call of duty with a story that examined interesting themes like war and morality. It is a franchise that I believe is unfortunately overlooked by many gamers. Previous Killzone games offered a more rewarding game play experience both single and multiplayer then any other first person shooter...

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Shadowrun Returns | Review

Shadowrun Returns is dead set on reminding us just how awesome a cyberpunk dystopia can be. Shadowrun Returns is about refusing to dance the political dance, or enslave oneself to a corporation. A Shadowrunner is the closest thing to free as any man or woman can be. How does this make Shadowrun Returns such a great experience? Read on and find out.

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12 Glorious Minutes of Destiny

Was anyone looking to watch some Destiny game play? Well lucky for us Bungie has posted a twelve minute video for us to enjoy. Of course we already saw this stuff at E3 but why not watch it again. If there is one game almost every gamer is excited for, it is Destiny. So sit back, relax and above all else: enjoy.  [youtube id=”gIp7vZuYzoA” width=”600″ height=”350″]  

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Shadowrun Returns Coming July 25th

So the awesome looking Shadowrun Returns finally has a concrete release date July 25th 2013. I am pumped for this one guys. A tactical RPG experience set in a cyber-punk universe was enough to sell me. Then I found out we’re getting a full fledged tool-set. The community will be able to enhance the current game as they see fit, or create entirely new stories. Look forward to seeing this one on tablet mobile devices and Steam...

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Payday Gets A Sequel And A Web Series

Thanks to a teaser released this week I was made aware of the coming web series that ties into Payday 2. Now Payday 2 is the sequel to Payday: The Heist a game that I personally loved. So seeing a sequel was cool enough but honestly I’m kind of excited for the web series. Payday 2 is on a couple months away with the release date currently set as August 2013. The web series will be coming...

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The Broken Joysticks Top 10: Pieces Of Video Game Music

Welcome dear reader to another edition of The Broken Joysticks Top 10. As always this list is personal based on the individual writer’s opinion. I encourage readers and other members of the Broken Joysticks team to create their own lists and join the discussion. Today we will be looking at music in video games. Music is a powerful tool that can draw out emotions and create atmosphere, when used well it can stick with us for years....

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Lord British Says “Most Game Designers Just Suck.”

In an interesting interview with PC Gamer, the original king of RPGs Richard Garriot  (A.K.A Lord British) described his views on the majority of game designers. It’s seems Lord British thinks they suck. “…other than a few exceptions, like Chris Roberts, I’ve met virtually no one in our industry who I think is close to as good a game designer as I am. I’m not saying that because I think I’m so brilliant. What I’m saying is,...

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Civilization V Is Getting An Expansion This Summer

Looks like the great strategy game of Civilization V, is getting an expansion the summer. The interestingly named Brave New World: will feature nine new civilizations and leaders. Seems like we’re getting a huge focus on Diplomacy with things like a World Congress being able to develop. They’ve released some new screen shots and concept art check them out.  You can look forward to spreading you cultural influence Summer 2013.

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Ron Gilbert Has Left Double Fine

Today is a sad day for me Ron Gilbert has left the great developer Double Fine. Ron made a post on his personal blog, basically he’s moved on to pursue other interest since his pet project The Cave released earlier this year. It’s exciting to hear what Mr. Gilbert may be up to in the future but I am still sad to see him go. The man is a legend of our industry. I truly did love...

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Infamous: Second Son Revealed

Oh my god Infamous: Second Son was unveiled at the Sony conference today. This was huge. As an enormous fan of the Infamous franchise I have to say I’m pumped. The game looks to parallel our real world with just how stripped of freedom the world is getting in the misguided direction of “National Security”. As a bit of political buff I love this direction; it’s a hard question to put to gamers and I think it’s...

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PS4 Confirmed, Here Are The Tech Specs

Sony confirmed the PS4 at their “see the future” press event today in New York city. Taking the stage, the system’s architect outlined the development process behind the console, as well as several key features of the system and our first look at the user interface. As previously rumored the system is based off an existing AMD APU – said to be clocked at 1.6GHZ, which has been confirmed to contain 8 cores. The GPU is very...

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