Jake Buchalter-Staff Writer

Editorial Team

Staff Writer

August, 2012
5+ Years in the Gaming Journalism Industry, 10+ Years Experience in the Design & Illustration industries, & 25+ Years of Experience gaming in general
Indie Games, Roguelike, Fighting
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Page 12

About Jake Buchalter

Jacob Buchalter (he/him) is a full-time Staff Writer based in the US and is an all-around creative media-obsessed individual who truly cares a bit too much about pop culture media, art, and all things gaming. He also streams games to show his obsessions over at FoolJuice on Twitch.

Jake is a perfectionist honestly to his own detriment, as he'll almost always at least triple-check any information he puts into any article to make sure it's correct (feel free to let him know if there's anything he missed).

Additionally, Jacob Buchalter is an absolute lore fiend when it comes to any IP, and will almost always have all the lore in his brain ready to gush about if anyone ever gives him an excuse to do so. 

Jake also has a relatively diverse background in the creative industry, as he has worked in many different fields and has experience with a lot of different mediums & formats. Lastly, Jake has a deep love and respect for any artist in the gaming industry, especially in regard to character design or UI/UX design, since he has illustration, design, and motion graphic experience himself. 

Proudest Gaming Achievement

Getting every Steam Achievement in a game called Enter the Gungeon. That game has a truly overwhelming amount of content in it and it only gets more difficult the further you go, so fully clearing it out was not only a ton of fun but also incredibly rewarding. 

Favorite Games

My favorite games list is always growing every year, but off the top of my head, I would say Enter the Gungeon, Hades, Hades 2, Metal Gear Solid IV: The Phantom Pain, Skul: The Hero Slayer, Risk of Rain 2, Deep Rock Galactic, any Monster Hunter game, Remnant 2, Bloodborne, Tiny Rogues, and Atomicrops. 

Industry Focus

My focus in a broader sense is on the gaming industry as a whole, with a secondary focus on the different artistic fields related to gaming such as UI Design, UX Design, Character Design, Environmental Art, Effects Design (AKA VFX), and so on.

In a more specific sense, my focus is typically on the roguelike, soulslike, and all-around indie areas of the gaming industry as a whole. I've put so much time into so many different roguelikes as well as soulslikes, and I have so much respect for indie developers for the massive workload they take on to create a game. 
 

Latest

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Palworld: How to Set Up A Dedicated Server

The idea of setting up a dedicated server in an online multiplayer game might seem too complex at first. But in Palworld at least, it's pretty simple.

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Lies Of P: 10 Best Swords, Ranked

The definition of a sword in Lies of P is pretty loose, considering all the powerful swords of all sizes & shapes Pinocchio can find in this game.

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Warhammer 40K: Darktide: Best Settings To Get The Game Running Well

When it runs well, Warhammer 40k: Darktide is a visually stunning game. But, getting it to run well can be one of the hardest parts of it.

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Vampire Survivors: The Best PowerUps To Prioritize

While there are many PowerUps that are useful in Vampire Survivors, some are more useful than others early on.

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Naruto: 18 Best Opening Songs From The Anime

The Naruto anime has featured tons of great openings throughout the years. These stand the test of time as the overall best ones.

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Palworld: Burning Questions Answered

Here are some of the most commonly asked questions about Palworld, the game where pocket monsters use guns and are fought with guns.

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10 Most Ridiculous Weapons In Soulslike Games

Not every weapon in a Soulslike game is meant to look 'cool'. In fact, there are quite a few weapons that are designed to look ridiculous instead.

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Lies Of P: 12 Best P-Organ Upgrades For Strength Builds

Motivity builds in Lies of P take a bit of effort as the game is obviously a bit more tailored towards Technique builds, here's how to make it work.

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Jujutsu Kaisen: 20 Things The Anime Changed From The Manga

Jujutsu Kaisen's anime has drawn tons of new fans to the series, but manga veterans can see all the small differences between the two.

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Risk of Rain 2: 10 Best Survivor Skin Mods

In the base version of Risk of Rain 2, there aren't many cosmetics to choose from at all. Thankfully, fans have made a lot of their own.

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Soulslikes With The Best Atmosphere

Atmosphere is very important in Soulslike games, even if most aren't aware of it. While there are tons of Soulslikes, these games nail it the best.

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10 Games That Switch Up The Vampire Survivors Formula

While Vampire Survivors basically created a whole subgenre of games similar to it, not all of them are 'carbon copies', such as these games.

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Risk of Rain 2: 10 Best Void Items

Void Items were added in the Survivors of the Void DLC for RoR2. Now, with the Seekers of the Storm DLC on the way, what are the best ones?

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Death Must Die: How To Complete All Merris Achievements

Out of the 5 playable characters in Death Must Die, Merris has the most unique blend of easy-to-unlock and frustratingly tedious Achievements.

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23 MMORPGs With The Coolest Customization Options, Ranked

Character creation can be the best or worst part of an MMORPG, and it all comes down to customization options. These MMO's easily have the best ones.

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Risk of Rain 2: 8 Secrets You Never Knew About

The setting and timeline of the Risk of Rain games are a lot deeper than one might think. And to prove it, here are some of its biggest secrets.

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Risk of Rain Returns: 6 Returning Characters That Are Worse Than Before

While the vast majority of mechanics, items, and Survivors have seen massive improvements between Risk of Rain (2013) and Returns, some do feel worse.

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Remnant 2: All Status Effects, Explained

There are a ton of different Status Effects to watch out for across the multiple worlds of Remnant 2. Here's an explanation of all their effects.

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Remnant 2: How To Join Lobbies & Invite Friends

The way online lobbies work in Remnant 2 is pretty similar to Remnant: From the Ashes, but not exactly the same. So, here's how it works.