Chief Content Officer and Owner of @giantbomb. Co-Founder @FireEscapeCast. Previously: @WWE and @gameinformer. Got married at a Taco Bell.
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Articles by Dan Ryckert
Yoshi and the Mysterious Book Review
Nintendo Switch 2 by Dan Ryckert on May 19, 2026 4 out of 5 stars Since the early 90s, the Yoshi series has struggled to find its own identity. It started with puzzle games and Super Scope minigames, but the arrival of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island could have laid the groundwork for a killer platforming series to exist outside of the Mario lineage.
Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream
Creators: Release Date: Apr 16, 2026 - Nintendo Switch 2 Critic Reviews for Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream It may fall short if you’re looking for a deep city builder or life sim, but as a piece of absurdist Dada comedy I absolutely love Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream. Every day I look forward to booting it up, making a Mii or two, seeing what unlikely friendships are forming, and watching ludicrous vignettes play out.
Jeff Grubb's Top 10 Games of 2025
Video games feel like they went through a subtle transition in 2025. At least, that’s what I see reflected in my list. Major publishers are good for maybe a couple of great, moving releases. But even those games aren’t supposed to be the ones that end up on a Game of the Year list (for the most part). This continues to be where I’m at with my relationship to games: I worry, and then I look around and realize I’m surrounded by experiences that I love.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
Development Announced at E3 2017, Metroid Prime 4 was set to return to the roots of the first Metroid Prime game with a focus on First Person Adventure gameplay and a big emphasis on isolation and exploration. On January 25, 2019 Nintendo announced that the development of Metroid Prime 4 had been restarted with original series developer Retro Studios taking on development duties.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Review
More than almost any other Nintendo first-party franchise, Metroid’s history is… Let’s say inconsistent. It started with the universally praised 2D games, but eventually veered into odd directions that no one really asked for. Online multiplayer, pinball, and the ill-fated, narrative-heavy Other M weren’t exactly what fans of the lonely, spacefaring adventures of Samus Aran were clamoring for. And to this day, no one on the planet has any idea what the hell Federation Force was.
Hell Is Us' Intriguingly Bold Design Decisions Refuse To Give You A Hint
People love to categorize games. It used to be pretty easy.
I Played 30 Hours of Death Stranding 2 And I Can't Wait To Do It All Again
Death Stranding was all about connection, but after Covid-era metaverse hype, Kojima says that 'maybe it's not such a good thing to connect so much' Death Stranding 2: On The Beach is due for release in June, though the inevitable PC version is yet to be confirmed: let's just hope it doesn't take …
I Played 30 Hours of Death Stranding 2 And I Can't Wait To Do It All Again Original
My first go-round with Death Stranding was a complicated one. Longtime fans of Hideo Kojima were salivating at the prospect of the first project coming out of his post-Konami studio. No one knew quite what to expect. Early trailers didn’t help much. Was this just … a delivery game? Were we in store for a Metal Gear Solid 2-like gotcha moment when we played the final product?
Super Mario Party Jamboree Review - This Party Is Too Crowded Original
After a significant post-GameCube slump, the Mario Party franchise showed signs of new life in its first two titles on the Switch. While both Super Mario Party and Mario Party Superstars were commercial successes and well-received by fans, the former leaned a bit too heavily on a new Ally system while the latter was essentially a "greatest hits" of classic maps and minigames.
My Visit To The Nintendo Museum Made My Life Flash Before My Eyes
More than any other game company, Nintendo loves to play with its history. Just look at how many times the NES library has reappeared across virtually every console era--remakes in Super Mario All-Stars, re-releases on Game Boy Advance, playable titles in Animal Crossing, the Wii Virtual Console, NES Remix on Wii U, and NES World Championships on Switch. Characters like Pauline from Donkey Kong can disappear in the mid-'80s and suddenly reappear decades later.
-20% Stardew Valley on GOG.com
Multiplayer Notice: Multiplayer is available online via GOG GALAXY, as well as via LAN and Direct IP. All multiplayer connection methods are cross-compatible with the Steam version of the game. Local Co-Op: To play split-screen mode, you'll need cabins on your farm to house the other players (Robin can build them, or If you're starting a new game, you can choose to start with cabins already placed on the farm via the advanced game options menu).
Sonic x Shadow: Generations Is Modern Sonic In A Nutshell | Gamescom 2024
At Gamescom 2024 Kurt and Dan spent 30 minutes with Sonic x Shadow: Generations, and saw a modernised version of Sonic: Generations alongside a Bowser's Fury-esque adventure featuring Shadow. Turns out it's exactly what you'd expect from a modern Sonic title, but with added thrash metal.
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater Stays Loyal To The Mission
In 2016, Konami released a pachinko machine based on Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater that featured remakes of the game's iconic cutscenes. For series fans that had been hoping for full remakes of the classics--especially in a post-Kojima Konami--this amounted to a gut punch.
Video Game of the Year: A Year-By-Year Guide to the Best, Boldest, and Most Bizarre Games from Every Year Since 1977
(Author) (Foreword by) FORMAT Paperback$27.99$26.03(English) Buy new or used from an indie through our partner Biblio: Price Condition Seller Video Game of the Year breaks down the 40-year history of the world's most popular art form--one game at a time. Pong. The Legend of Zelda. Final Fantasy VII. Rock Band. Fortnite. Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
Resident Evil 4 (2023) Review
Disclaimer: This review contains spoilers regarding the structure of the original Resident Evil 4, but no specific surprises from the remake are revealed. The word "remake" has meant many different things over the last couple of decades, from HD collections that enhance resolution and little else, to more robust offerings that tweak dated gameplay mechanics and add quality of life improvements.
Sparks of Hope Review
For the first couple hours of Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, I anticipated a retread of my experience with the original game. "We gave Mario guns and put him in an XCOM " is a novel enough gimmick, but I found the battles and exploration in the first game too rote to keep my attention to the end.
Neon White Review
If you grew up reading gaming magazines in the 90s, you might be familiar with full-page advertisements claiming that a game would cause any variety of extreme maladies. Eyelids being ripped off your face, thumbs and palms becoming bloodied, and, in the most severe cases, full cranial explosions. After one of my many late nights with Neon White, I finally felt like that dream of 90s game ads had become a reality.
Dan Ryckert's Top 10 Games of 2020
by Dan Ryckert on January 20, 2021 In his first post-Giant Bomb list, Dan reminds us all that he's a sucker for Nintendo, nostalgia, and baseball games where people get hit in the nards. Dan Ryckert is a guy with a couch and a Twitch channel. Every Sunday, he hosts a podcast about streaming movies and shows with his wife Bianca. He has set two Guinness World Records, got married at a Taco Bell, wrote numerous books, and is currently the #1 Gamer on Cameo. He used to work here.
Noobz Wants To Make You Hate Everything About Gaming
Many gamers like to think of themselves as intelligent, well-rounded individuals who simply enjoy the medium of interactive entertainment. While plenty of us fit that description, there is a loud minority of obnoxious idiots that undoubtedly exists in our hobby. If you’ve spent any time at gaming stores, competitions, or conventions, you’ve met the type. Picture the worst possible example of this personality type that you’ve ever seen.
THQ Is Dead And Gone
We've been covering the ongoing THQ apocalypse all day, and the publisher's demise is now official. Follow the links below to catch up on individual news stories surrounding the future of THQ.
Dan's Dad Plays Games He'll Hate: 2013 Edition
Ever since I moved to Minneapolis, my father Paul has made an annual tradition of visiting me on Super Bowl weekend. I've started my own tradition to go along with his, and that's bringing him in to the Game Informer office to play games (watch the 2011 and 2012 games here). Dad hates games, and frequently describes the entire industry as "stupid and weird." Despite his aversion to my favorite hobby, he's been a good sport once again this year.
This Generation's E3 Oddities
Every summer, the E3 convention descends upon Los Angeles and gives gamers plenty to talk about for the next year. These talking points usually revolve around new game announcements or console reveals, but there are usually a handful of embarrassing or odd moments in the mix as well. Below, you'll find some of the odder and more embarrassing demonstrations in the recent years of E3.
The Elements Of A Great Bad Game
After recording over 200 episodes of Replay and around 150 episodes of Test Chamber, us Game Informer editors have run into our share of terrible games. Many bad games are fail to impress even in terms of their inadequacy, but other stinkers can wind up being memorable and hilarious experiences. What makes a bad game worth playing (or at least witnessing and mocking)? Let’s take a look at the building blocks.
XCOM 2 (Game) - Giant Bomb
Overview XCOM 2 is set 20 years after the events of the previous game. A future in which the human race has lost the war against the invading alien forces of XCOM: Enemy Unknown, and is now under their rule. Despite releasing the previous game on PC and consoles, the developers originally stated that XCOM 2 will be exclusive to the PC and will include mod support. The console version was officially announced on June 7, 2016 and was released in September 2016.
Super Replay - Super Mario Bros. 3
If one title in the history of the industry specifically targets the nostalgia cortex of gamer's brains, it's Super Mario Bros. 3. It featured far more gameplay variety than the original SMB, and was more of a traditional Mario game than the polarizing North American sequel. It would be a shoo-in for the title of "best 2D Mario" if it weren't for the amazing Super Mario World (a debate we get into during this Super Replay).
Gage vs. Bonnar Signed For Threat Level Midnight, Dan Ryckert Confirms New WWE Position
Photo Credit: Bill Pritchard Gage vs. Bonnar Signed For Threat Level Midnight Black Label Pro has announced that Nick Gage and Stephan Bonnar will be in a match at their Wrestlemania week showcase, titled Threat Level Midnight. Taking place at The Cuban Club in Ybor City, these two deathmatch legends are sure to deliver something uniquely spectacular as the clock strikes midnight.
Dan Ryckert's Top 10 Games of 2019
by Dan Ryckert on December 23, 2019 These ten games almost made up for how terrible Dan's most anticipated game of the year wound up being! Dan Ryckert is the Senior Content Producer at giantbomb.com. He got married at a Taco Bell, hosts a podcast with his wife Bianca, set two Guinness World Records, and owns a sweet WWF New York jacket. You can follow him on Twitter. Oh hey folks! My name’s Dan and I work at Giant Bomb. For a lot of 2019, I thought that it was a pretty weak year for games.
Anxiety as an Ally
After experiencing his first panic attack on New Year's Day of 2003, Dan Ryckert began a 12-year process of learning how to channel panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder until they became driving forces in his life. Using anxiety as his ally, he was able to land dream jobs within the video game industry and vastly improve the quality of his personal life.
Anxiety as an Ally: How I Turned a Worried Mind into My Best Friend: Dan Ryckert: 9780692401514: Gateway
Save an extra CDN$ 8.57 (46%). Buy the Kindle Edition instead. & FREE Shipping on orders over CDN$ 35. Details In Stock. Ships from and sold by Amazon.ca. Quantity:Quantity:1 Add to Cart Buy Now Get it as soon as Tuesday, September 3 - Monday, September 9 when you choose FREE Shipping at checkout. Select delivery location
The Community Spotlight 2019.03.02
by Brad 'Marino' Lynch on March 2, 2019 The never-ending debate enters a whole new generation. Hello and welcome to the latest edition of the Giant Bomb Community Spotlight and I, @zombiepie, am once again honored to be your host this week! Some heavy hitters are among us this week with the launch of Anthem and Trials Rising last week! However, that hasn't stopped games like Apex Legends or Resident Evil 2 from continuing their control over our community's zeitgeist.
Dan Ryckert's Top 10 Games of 2018
by Dan Ryckert on December 24, 2018 It was another great year for Dan, and not just because it included a new Mario Party! Dan Ryckert is the Senior Content Producer at giantbomb.com. He also serves as Commissioner of Battle Club Pro, got married at a Taco Bell, hosts a podcast with his wife Bianca, has set two Guinness World Records, and wrote numerous books. He lives in Montpelier, Vermont with Bianca and their five dogs. Oh hi folks! I’m Dan and I work at this website.
Replay - The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time
During the sea change from 2D to 3D gaming, Nintendo set incredibly high bars with their two flagship series. Mario set the standard for 3D platforming with the stellar Super Mario 64, and Link transitioned into 3D with equal grace. Many gamers (including myself) consider Ocarina of Time to be one of the greatest games of all time, and with good reason. Almost fifteen years since its 1998 release, we decided it was time to take a look back at the classic.
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is a spin-off from the Captain Toad levels found in Super Mario 3D World. In the game, the player, as Captain Toad, must navigate a series of puzzling environments in order to collect the star at the end of each stage. It is set for release on December 5, 2014. The events in Treasure Tracker take place right before and lead into the events of Super Mario 3D World.
Risky Business: Surviving The Mobile Middle Ground
Mobile gaming is an undeniable and growing force in our industry, with wildly popular titles like Angry Birds, Cut the Rope, and Temple Run turning small teams into massive success stories overnight. With the largest potential customer base and profit margins in gaming history, it’s easy to see why developing for mobile is an alluring concept.
A ★ review of Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
I felt like I was watching a long cutscene from a mid-tier PS2 game. It has all of the things I dislike about the other Marvel movies (dumb humor, dialogue, plot, etc.) and very little of the stuff I actually like about Spider-Man (swinging around NYC, jumping off skyscrapers, basically the stuff that made that Spider-Man 2 game so good). I like the idea of heroes that go around and stop crime, but even the way he does that is lame.
God of War (Game)
The God of War wiki last edited by reverendhunt on 04/19/18 06:38PM View full history God of War is an action-adventure game developed by the Santa Monica division of Sony Computer Entertainment. It is the first in the series to be released on PlayStation 4 with a release on April 20, 2018. The game serves as a soft reboot and takes place in Norse mythology as apposed to the Greek mythology of the previous games.
God of War Review
Back in 2010, it seemed like the book was as good as closed on the God of War franchise. Not due to quality issues (that year’s God of War III and Ghost of Sparta were critically acclaimed), but because it seemed that there was no place else to go. Kratos’ quest for revenge had led him on a rampage through the pantheon of Greek gods and culminated with the death of his father Zeus.
Review: God of War - PS2
Sony's latest creation is sure to break into the upper echelon of action/adventure protagonists in video games. He's also one of the most well-developed and purely interesting characters you'll ever see in a video game. Although he's the protagonist, don't make the mistake of thinking Kratos is a "good guy". No, he's a genuinely brutal, violent, and wrathful beast of a character, and the game does not hold back at all in this regard.
Hyrule Warriors (Game) - Giant Bomb
The Hyrule Warriors wiki last edited by reverendhunt on 03/08/18 04:33PM View full history Hyrule Warriors is a collaboration title developed by Koei Tecmo studios Omega Force and Team Ninja in partnership with Nintendo. It mixes the setting and characters of The Legend of Zelda franchise with a gameplay format based on that of the Musou franchise (Dynasty Warriors, Samurai Warriors, Warriors Orochi). In Japan, the game is called Zelda Musou.
Bayonetta 2 (Game) - Giant Bomb
The Bayonetta 2 wiki last edited by DeF on 01/08/18 10:49AM View full history Bayonetta 2 is the sequel to PlatinumGames' stylish action title Bayonetta. Published and funded by Nintendo, the game released originally as a Wii U exclusive. In February 2018, a Nintendo Switch port was released. Bayonetta 2 builds on the combat concepts of the original game with new features such as the Umbran Climax. This new move is tied to the magic gauge.
Peripheral Testing: GI Raises A Baby
Recently, a little bundle of joy arrived at Game Informer. Well actually, it was just a box with a baby doll inside that you're supposed to shove a Wii remote into. Like all stupid things that arrive here, it found its way to my desk. I had never seen the game before, so I figured we'd just pop it in and see how it works. We start out with the child-less Joe Juba and myself, but eventually invite actual fathers Jeff Cork and Matt Helgeson to try their hand. Check out the video below.
Dan Ryckert's Top 10 Games of 2017
Dan Ryckert is the Senior Content Producer at giantbomb.com. He is also a professional wrestling manager, prolific author, two-time Guinness World Record holder, and holds the proud distinction of getting married in a Taco Bell. He lives in Muskogee, Oklahoma with his wife Bianca, their six children, and three Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. Hey! I’m Dan and I work here.
Resident Evil 7 biohazard
Overview Resident Evil 7 biohazard (or Biohazard 7 Resident Evil in Japan) is a survival horror game that is due to release worldwide on January 24, 2017 by Capcom. The game is the first game in the main franchise to be played from a first-person perspective and the first game to take advantage of the PlayStation VR support in the Resident Evil franchise.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
The The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild wiki last edited by Chicken008 on 11/02/17 07:48AM View full history The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was first officially acknowledged to be in development for the Wii U during the Nintendo Direct on January 23, 2013 and shortly before E3 2016 the title was announced to be released on the Nintendo Switch as well.
Star Wars: Battlefront II Review
When Electronic Arts revived the Star Wars: Battlefront name two years ago, it laid the groundwork for what could have been a successful new take on the series. A new trilogy of films was about to hit theaters and enthusiasm for the brand was at its highest in recent memory. Battlefront’s revival delivered in terms of presentation and fleeting multiplayer fun, but the lack of a substantial progression system or single-player campaign limited the long-term value of the game.
Super Mario Odyssey
The Super Mario Odyssey wiki last edited by DeF on 10/28/17 02:35AM View full history The game is scheduled for a worldwide release on October 27th, 2017. During the unveiling hardware concept trailer for the Nintendo Switch on October 20th, 2016, a very brief piece of footage was shown for a new Super Mario game.
Super Mario Odyssey Review
At this year’s E3, Nintendo surprised many with a Super Mario Odyssey trailer that seemed insane even by Mario standards. He inhabited frogs by throwing a ghost hat at them. He strolled through a city alongside human figures with realistic proportions. Pauline from Donkey Kong is suddenly back, and is now a mayor and the lead singer of a swing band. Everything looked set to be Mario’s most surreal adventure yet. Make no mistake about it, Super Mario Odyssey is a weird game.
South Park: The Fractured But Whole Review
After over 15 years of bad South Park games, fans of the show were understandably skeptical when The Stick of Truth was released. We had heard about Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s involvement throughout the development process, but we’d been burned too many times to get optimistic. To the surprise of many, it turned out to be a great, lighthearted RPG that served as one of the best uses of a license in video games.
Stardew Valley (Game) - Giant Bomb
The Stardew Valley wiki last edited by Chicken008 on 10/02/17 11:00AM View full history Stardew Valley is a "country-life" simulation game developed by ConcernedApe and published by ChuckleFish for Windows PC. Much in the same vein as Harvest Moon or Rune Factory, players are challenged to restore a neglected farm inherited from their grandfather, as well as to revitalize the surrounding rural community of Pelican Town. Stardew Valley is notable as a solo project and Eric Barone's first release.
Agents of Mayhem Review
By ratcheting up the over-the-top elements with each entry in the Saints Row franchise, Volition wrote themselves into a bit of a corner. What started as a GTA clone with a goofy sense of humor turned into a ludicrous affair with characters that could fly across the map and access superpowers. Once characters were shooting fireballs from their hands and flying around Hell with demon wings, there wasn’t a lot of room left to keep cranking up the crazy.
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