MyIGN Archive

Between 2011 and 2016, I wrote about video games on IGN under the username Battlestriker123. Below is an archive of my works, retrieved in June 2018 after IGN announced that it would stop hosting user blogs after E3. The posts below are missing community comments and have gone through minor changes for archival purposes but otherwise remain in their original form. You can read a continuation of my works on The Battlestriker Blog.

2011

Hello World!
Imagine the moon... crashing into the earth... IN 3D!!!
Can't delete save data? That's just evil.
Nintendo 64 Games: Remake Them
Your game has been CANCELLED.
Things to do on your 3DS
Is Nintendo's "Ambassador" program worth it?
The Vita and the 3DS
Should Nintendo go mobile?
Not Happening: "3D Classics: Super Mario Bros."
PilotWings Resort Review
How much are those 3DS NES Ambassador games really worth?
Pre-release Impressions: Star Fox 64 3D
Why the Second Circle Pad is NOT that big of a Deal
Kirby's Epic Yarn Review
Star Fox 64 3D Review
The 7 Years of Kirby's Return to Dreamland
Is Nintendo Doing Everything Right?
What Nintendo ABSOLUTELY HAS TO FIX in Mario Kart 7.
Should I buy Skyward Sword?
Kirby's Return to Dream Land Review
Super Mario 3D Land Review
Early Impressions: GBA Ambassador Games
Mario Kart 7 Review

2012

Looking Ahead: Nintendo in 2012
Predictions: Nintendo in 2012
Super Monkey Ball 3D Review
Should sequels be scored based on how different they are from their predecessors?
Most Anticipated Titles: Nintendo in 2012
Can you name 10 Nintendo franchises that took off AFTER Pikmin?
3 things Nintendo can learn from the Vita's launch...
Missing the Pokeball: Why Pokemon Black/White 2 should be on 3DS
Rhythm Heaven Fever Review
The Wii U: It's value that counts, not just price
When is Day-One DLC Okay?
Looking Back: Remembering one year of the 3DS
5 new characters that are REQUIRED to be in Super Smash Bros. 4
Battlestriker123's Mario Kart 7 CHALLENGE!
Impressions: My First Hour with Xenoblade Chronicles
Introducing: Super Mario Universe
Impressions: PlayStation Vita from a Nintendo fan's perspective...
E3 2012: Before the Show - Nintendo franchises that missed the Wii (and should be on Wii U)
E3 2012: Before the Show - Predictions: Nintendo at E3 2012
E3 2012: Before the Show - Massive Wii U Rumor Round-Up (100 rumors in total!)
Results: My E3 2012 Predictions
Personal Blog #2 - My First Year on MyIGN, 100 followers, and more!
Nano Assault Review
Impressions: Cloudberry Kingdom
Dual Review: Portal & Portal 2
Impressions: Realm of the Mad God
Personal Blog #3 SUMMER BREEEAAAK Edition! What have you been playing/reading/watching/listening to this summer?
Is Free-to-Play really the future?
ReviewTrax: The Solution to Project Mars and the Metacritic Problem
Franchises Nintendo Should "Buy" From Other Companies
How much Mario is too much Mario?
Impressions: Toki Tori 2
Personal Blog #4: 200 Followers & My MyIGN Identity Crisis (Q&A Time)!
Let's Play the Predictions Game: Wii U NYC Event
What is your favorite Kirby game?
GIVEAWAY! Win a chance to play Wii U!
Xenoblade Chronicles Review (100% Spoiler-Free!)
Announcement: One Full Week of Hands-On Wii U Impressions
Impressions: Hands-On with Rayman Legends
Impressions: Hands-On with The Wonderful 101
Impressions: Hands-On with New Super Mario Bros. U
Impressions: Hands-On with Game & Wario - Ski and Arrow
Impressions: Hands-On with Wii Fit U
Impressions: Hands-On with Nintendo Land - Mario Chase & Pikmin Adventure
Video: Watch Me Fail at Just Dance 4
Recap: One Full Week of Wii U Impressions
Nintendo & Third Parties: How Change Starts With Wii U
On the Subject of Piracy: A People Without Power
Retro Review: Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (GCN)
Personal Blog #5: Lessons from Losing My Anime Virginity
Expanding the Paper Franchise: Paper Zelda
Video: Watch Me Tackle Over 50 Levels of Cloudberry Kingdom
Video: Here's a 9-Minute Trailer Montage of Every Wii U Game Announced!
PSA: Battlestriker123 has a 3DS XL now, and you should add him!
5 Things You Probably Didn't Know (But Should Know) About Your Wii U
Looking Back: The Best Wii Memories
Sin & Punishment: Star Successor Review
Impressions: Trine 2
What 2012 Meant to Me in Gaming
Personal Blog #6: 250 followers, Wii U, Teeth, Christmas, & 2013!
PSA: Battlestriker123 Has a Nintendo Network ID now, and You Should Add Him!

2013

Is the Gaming Industry Really Ready for Next-Gen?
Nintendo Land Review
I Hate Brown Games
Personal Blog #7: A Very Mario Spirit Week
Looking Ahead: Nintendo in 2013
The Unpopular Opinion: Was There Ever a Game You Hated That Everyone Else Loved?
Nintendo & Third Parties: Who's to Blame?
Why 2013 Is, For Me, The Year of the Portable
From Aliens to Rayman: Can We Trust The Gaming Industry Anymore?
Should Sex Be Allowed in Video Games?
Kid Icarus: Uprising Review
Nintendo Side-Characters that Need Their Own Games!
Retro Review: Luigi's Mansion (GCN)
The Best Stories are the Ones With Buttons
Top 5 Reasons Why Nintendo Will Go Out of Business by 2014
Personal Blog #8: I'm 18 Now, and Here's My Gamer Story
What's Your Comfort Game?
The Adversarial Nature of Gamer Culture
A Look Back at EA's "Unprecedented Partnership" With Nintendo
The Answer to the "Story vs. Gameplay" Debate
Impressions: Wii U Summer Tour (Disneyland)
Nintendo's E3 2013 Nintendo Direct: Successes and Failures
Personal Blog #9: Battlestriker123's MyIGN 2-Year Anniversary!
Announcement: Battlestriker123 Presents "The Summer Sucks Showcase - New Reviews Every Day to Fill Up Your Sucky Summer!"
Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon Review
New Super Mario Bros. 2 Review
New Super Mario Bros. U Review
Paper Mario: Sticker Star Review
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Review
Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask Review
Mass Effect 3: Special Edition Review
Recap: The SSS (and How to Add IGN's Review Graphic to Your Blog)
Is a Digital-Only Future Ruining Video Games?
In Which I Attempt to Explain My Love for Animal Crossing
Defining the Term "Video Game"
Why This Generation's Best Developer is You, The Indie Dev
Video: Watch Me Flail Through 69 Levels of Cloudberry Kingdom
Battlestriker's Favorite Game for Each Console
Is Satoru Iwata a Bad CEO?
Retro Review: Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
Personal Blog #10: I'm Going To College! (Also: 500 Followers!)
We Need More Video Games With Mindf*ck Stories
MyIGN Collaborative Project: Create a Smash Bros. Character
Battlestriker's Smash Bros. Character: Fawful
PSA: One More Week to Create Your Own Smash Bros. Character!
Analyzing Nintendo's Current Strategy With Wii U
Introducing: MyIGN's Super Smash Bros. Roster! (MyIGN Smash Bros. Collaborative Project Finale Blog)
How Xenoblade Chronicles Changed My Perspective on Nintendo and Gaming
Remembering Hiroshi Yamauchi, Nintendo's Third President
Should Kids Be Playing M-Rated Games?
Pikmin 3 Review
Why You Should Be Excited for Super Mario 3D World
Personal Blog #11: College, Announcements, and Why I've Been Semi-Absent from MyIGN
My Problem With Pokemon
Animal Crossing: New Leaf Review
Personal Blog #12: Battlestriker's Profile Blog
Console's Failure To Launch
Announcement: Battlestriker123 Presents - Battlestriker's Top 25 Games of All Time
Battlestriker's Top 25 Games of All Time: Honorable Mentions
Battlestriker's Top 25 Games of All Time: #25-21
Battlestriker's Top 25 Games of All Time: #20-16
Battlestriker's Top 25 Games of All Time: #15-11
Battlestriker's Top 25 Games of All Time: #10-6
Battlestriker's Top 25 Games of All Time: #5-1
Will the Wii Forever Be Remembered As A Failure?
Fire Emblem: Awakening Review
Looking Ahead: Most Anticipated Games of 2014
Top 10 Gaming Screw-Ups of 2013
Storytelling in Video Games: An Analysis of Narrative Video Games and How They Create an Emotional Connection between the Game and the Player
What 2013 Meant to Me in Gaming

2014

Impressions: Bravely Default
Looking Ahead: Nintendo in 2014
Anticipating Nintendo's Next Handheld
Mario & Luigi: Dream Team Review
If Nintendo Stopped Existing...
Personal Blog #13: Hey Now, I'm An All-Star!
Is Nintendo's Current 2014 Line-Up Enough to Save the Wii U?
Every Game Deserves a Concert Like Bravely Default
Nintendo & Third Parties: How Nintendo is Changing in Light of the Wii U's Struggles
The Simplest Video Games are Sometimes the Most Beautiful
Behind Every Internet Personality Lies Someone Human
Three April Fools' Jokes the Gaming Industry Would Like You to Forget
Wii Fit U Review
Personal Blog #14: Help! I Want To Build A Gaming PC But I Don't Know Where to Start
Which Seventh-Gen Games Will Be Remembered as Classics?
Why You Should Be Excited for Mario Kart 8
Dual Review: Mario Kart 64 & Mickey's Speedway USA
Top 10 Mario Kart Courses of All Time
5 GamePad Ideas for Mario Kart 8 That Are Better Than A Horn
Retro Review: Mario Kart DS
Nintendo at E3 2014: What to Expect
Nintendo at E3 2014: Nintendo Digital Event Impressions
The 2014 MyIGN Metacritic Prediction League (Sign-Ups)
Personal Blog #15: Battlestriker's 3-Year MyIGN Anniversary and 600 Followers Celebration!
How Music Changes the Way You Experience Video Games
Animal Crossing: New Leaf - Revisiting Brycevil, One Year Later
Battlestriker's Top 5 Favorite Developers of All Time
Announcement: My New YouTube Series, "Battlestriker Plays..."
Women
Impressions: Watch Dogs
The 2014 MyIGN Metacritic Prediction League (July Update)
How OCD Can Ruin Games
Announcement: Battlestriker123 Presents "INDIES: Impressions (on) Nintendo Downloads In (the) eShop"
Impressions: Cave Story & VVVVVV
Impressions: Cloudberry Kingdom & Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams
Impressions: Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition & Bit.Trip Presents Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien
Impressions: Little Inferno and Knytt Underground
Impressions: Pushmo & NightSky
Impressions: Toki Tori 2+ & Trine 2: Director's Cut
Recap: "INDIES: Impressions (on) Nintendo Downloads In (the) eShop"
My Favorite Nintendo Podcasts
Personal Blog #16: I Built a PC and Named It After a Pokemon
The 2014 MyIGN Metacritic Prediction League (August Update)
Easy Modes, Super Guides, and Everything Wrong With Difficult Games
Personal Blog #17: About My Blog, and How It Changed My Life (Battlestriker's 200th Blog Celebration!)
Impressions: Hands-On With Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS
Battlestriker's Tastes in Gaming
Retro Review: Super Mario 64
The 2014 MyIGN Metacritic Prediction League (September Update)
Super Smash Bros. is More Than Just A Great Fighting Game
The Future of Gaming
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD Review
Personal Blog #18: My First Midnight Launch
Shovelware Is A Cancer To the Video Game Industry
Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D Review
The 2014 MyIGN Metacritic Prediction League (October Update)
Announcement: Help Create the MyIGN Top 10 DS Games Master List!
The Penalty for Trying
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS Review
Personal Blog #19: Overwhelmed
The 2014 MyIGN Metacritic Prediction League (November Update)
Introducing: MyIGN's Top 10 DS Games of All Time
Personal Blog #20: Everyone Runs Out Of Time
60 FPS Is Better Than 30 FPS
Announcement: Introducing "Change Thru Games", A 24-Hour Charity Stream Supporting The Eliminate Project
Yoshi's New Island Review
The 2014 MyIGN Metacritic Prediction League (December Update)
The Problem With Reviewing Remakes
What 2014 Meant To Me In Gaming

2015

Looking Ahead: Nintendo in 2015
Dual Review: Mario Kart 8 & Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed
The 2014 MyIGN Metacritic Prediction League (Final Update)
Why My Most Anticipated Game of 2015 is Xenoblade Chronicles X
Nintendo & Third Parties: It May Never Get Better
The Folly Of The Few
Nintendo On Mobile Is More Important Than You Think
Reimagining A New Club Nintendo
Analyzing Nintendo's Free-To-Play Pokemon Games
Personal Blog #21: This Endless Haze Of Life
Nintendo At E3 2015: Successes And Failures (Impressions Part 1)
Nintendo At E3 2015: Full Analysis (Impressions Part 2)
On Mr. Iwata's Passing
Fantasy Life Review
Battlestriker's 50 Favorite VGM Tracks
Pokemon GO And The Future Of Social Augmented Reality Games
Change Thru Games II Is Here!

2016

The Art Of Something New