Mike Thompson

Mike Thompson has worked each side of the video game industry, both reporting on and creating narrative content for games. In his free time, he gorges on pizza, referees for roller derby, and uploads ridiculous cat photos to the internet.

News
November 17, 2011
Will Wright announces HiveMind
By Mike Thompson
When it comes to game developers, they don't get much bigger than Will Wright. Every time Wright's involved with a project, it's bold, ambitious, and tends to change the genre it's a part of for the better. Now, the man behind the projects like The Sims and Spore has just revealed that he's moving onto a brand new social gaming title called HiveMind.
Reviews
November 17, 2011
RPM: Gymkhana Racing Review
By Mike Thompson
RPM: Gymkhana is the worst kind of racing game. It promises high-octane action, white-knuckle drifting, and crazy amounts of fun. It turns out that these are not promises, they're lies. Instead, this is one of those games where the needle on the quality gauge never gets out of the "mediocre" zone.
News
November 16, 2011
PapayaMobile and Tapjoy to launch new targeted ad service for Android developers
By Mike Thompson
It seems like just about everyone is rolling out a social network for mobile games these days. PapayaMobile was one of the first on Android, and they've just announced a partnership with Tapjoy to put together a new "Social Marketplace" for Android app developers.
News
November 15, 2011
Judge Dredd to join Gamebook Adventures
By Mike Thompson
Gamebook Adventures is a franchise that has allowed us to recapture our youth by bringing the Choose Your Own Adventure formula to iOS devices— except this is way better than before because the stories are actually good, the artwork's amazing, and there's even a dice-rolling mechanic. Now, things are about to get even better, because it's just come to light that Judge Dredd is about to become a part of the series.
Reviews
November 14, 2011
Ravenmark: Scourge of Estellion Review
By Mike Thompson
I don't know about you, but I find warfare exhausting. Not because of the grueling marches, the constant threat of defeat, or the copious amounts of bloodshed. No, it's the strategy and planning that always leaves me tuckered out after a short amount of time, though I'm often rejuvenated from the success of crushing my enemies. If you're like me, though, then you'll love Ravenmark: Scourge of Estellion. Not only does the game provide a lot of challenging strategy, but it also keeps things entertaining enough that you'll never feel worn out while you're playing it.
Upcoming
November 14, 2011
Swingworm Preview
By Mike Thompson
Grim Joggers. Joining Hands. 10tons Ltd has some given us some pretty great games so far. That said, the developer's next title may very well take the cake. Why? It features "fresh and original worm-physics." If that doesn't get you interested in Swingworm, I don't know what will.
Upcoming
November 14, 2011
Mad Chef Preview
By Mike Thompson
It isn't a dark and stormy night. It should be, but you can't control the weather. That's because you're a Mad Chef, not a mad scientist. Really, you only have yourself to blame: instead of getting an engineering degree and learning how to build weather controlling machines and doomsday devices, you decided to go to Mad Cooking School. On the other hand, you just landed a starring role in Foursaken Media's upcoming game, so things aren't all bad.
News
November 13, 2011
Let’s Play Recycling!
By Mike Thompson
Making recycling sexy for the masses is a tall order for anyone. But Boston-based Greenbean Recycle is stepping up to the challenge, creating a fun and competitive game for MIT students.