Nick Rodriguez-Contributor

Staff Writer

Contributor

August, 2023
Bachelor's Degree in Creative Writing, University of Illinois
Action RPG, From Software, Mass Effect
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About Nick Rodriguez

Nick is a freelance writer from Chicago, IL, with a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His lifelong belief in the artistic power of video games led him to contribute to The Best War Games and Screen Rant, platforms where he has managed to share helpful news content, thoughtful opinion pieces, and more than a few hot takes.

While he believes all gaming genres and categories have worth, Nick's interests lie primarily in the realm of single-player experiences, with hand-crafted stories, tight and challenging gameplay, and emotive, unique visual and audio design. On the industry side of things, he is committed to supporting creators, identifying and criticizing exploitation, and combating negativity and toxicity.

Aside from gaming, he enjoys long-distance running, reading, contributing to his blog, working on his Honda CX650C, writing fiction, and having a beer or two.

Favorite Games

- Bloodborne
- Disco Elysium
- Death Stranding
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
- Mass Effect 2
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- Dead Space
- Signalis
- Hades
- BioShock
- Super Mario Galaxy
- The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Industry Focus

A bit of everything, but with a particular affinity for indie games, industry news, gaming events, and new technology.

Favorite Console

Easy win for the PS2.

Latest

Cyberpunk 2077 Golden Baseball Bat
Cyberpunk 2077's Sequel Needs a Substantial Upgrade for Melee Combat

Cyberpunk 2077 has pretty great combat, but its sequel can improve it, and the melee department is the perfect place to start polishing.

3
Final Fantasy Chocobo GP Racing
Final Fantasy Should Hop Back on the Kart Racing Train Alongside Sonic Racing CrossWorlds, Mario Kart 9

With Sonic Racing and Mario Kart facing off this year, it might be time for Final Fantasy to throw its hat back in the kart racer arena.

best-order-to-play-metal-gear-series-game-rant
What is the Best Order to Play the Metal Gear Games?

Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear franchise is storied and complex, which may prompt newcomers to wonder what the best entry point is.

1
Haunted Chocolatier Farming
How Haunted Chocolatier's Farming Should Differ From Stardew Valley

It's starting to look like Haunted Chocolatier will feature some form of farming, so it's worth wondering just what such a system would look like.

1
Knights in Tight Spaces Key Art
Knights in Tight Spaces Review

Knights in Tight Spaces is a rewarding and flashy follow-up to Fights in Tight Spaces, making it a strong, if familiar, strategy roguelike.

Cyberpunk 2077 Smart Weapons
Cyberpunk 2077's Sequel Could Share the Love with the Best Feature of Smart Weapons

Cyberpunk 2077 adds interest and depth to smart weapons that isn't reflected in other weapon types, and Project Orion could change that.

2
Haunted Chocolatier Mass Effect Shepard and Liara Romance
Haunted Chocolatier's Romances Could Use a Touch of Mass Effect in One Way

Haunted Chocolatier will almost certainly have a romance system similar to Stardew Valley's, but it should look past its predecessor for inspiration.

Resident Evil 6 Leon Nemesis
Resident Evil 9 May Want to Take a Less is More Approach With Returning Characters

If Resident Evil 9 reintroduces classic characters, it will be vital for it to show a bit of restraint rather than going whole-hog.

2
Cyberpunk 2077 V in a Crowd
Cyberpunk 2077: Project Orion's Bold Ambitions Could Put it in an Arms Race with GTA 6

According to a recent job listing from CD Projekt Red, Cyberpunk 2077's sequel could be upping its ambition, going toe-to-toe with the likes of GTA.

Assassins Creed Franchise Reboot
Assassin's Creed: The Argument For a Total Franchise Reboot

Assassin's Creed has been hard done by in the past several years despite its success, and as messy as it could be, it might be time for a reboot.

8
Directive 8020 Inspiration Expectations
Directive 8020 Needs to Subvert its Obvious Inspiration's Expectations

Upcoming Supermassive game Directive 8020 is clearly inspired by The Thing, but it should find ways to put its own spin on the overlapping concepts.

Wonder Woman Hope Cancelled
Wonder Woman's Scrapped Monolith Game Can't Be The End All Be All

With the closure of Monolith, Wonder Woman's standalone game has been canceled, but it shouldn't be curtains for the character in gaming.

The Witcher 4 Weapon Improvements
The Witcher 4’s Weapon Improvements Shouldn’t Focus on Silver or Steel

As CD Projekt Red works to make The Witcher 4's gameplay an improvement over its predecessor's, there's one clear area for some polishing.

1
Avowed Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Like a Dragon Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
Comparing February 2025's Game Releases to 2024's

These past two Februaries have been quite hectic for the games industry, with both this year's and last's being jam-packed with releases.

Intergalactic Bittersweet Franchise Fans
Intergalactic May Be Bittersweet For Fans of One Franchise

Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is well on its way, and shows some promise, but it could spell trouble for fans of an older Naughty Dog franchise.

Case For Skate Trilogy
The Case For a Skate Trilogy Rerelease Before Skate 4

With EA moving to revive the Skate franchise later this year, the original hardware-locked trilogy could use a bit of attention.

2
Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 Semine Wedding Party
Why Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's Semine Wedding Is One of the Best Video Game Parties

Rowdy parties are a staple of RPGs, but Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 shows how to throw down in the digital realm the right way.

1
The Witcher 3 Skellige
The Witcher 4 Could Go Toe-to-Toe with God of War by Leaning Into One Major Region

Though remarkably different, The Witcher 4 and God of War could be competing on the same front thanks to one in-universe Witcher region.

Bloodborne Chalice Dungeon Elden Ring Nightreign
Elden Ring: Nightreign Feels Like the Logical Progression for One Bloodborne Feature

Elden Ring Nightreign is a brand-new concept for FromSoftware, but looking back at Bloodborne, it may not be as radical of a departure after all.

The Witcher 3 Bloody Baron
One Wild Hunt Quest Should Be an Obvious Source of Inspiration For Witcher 4

The Witcher 3 has countless hard-hitting quests, but the spirit of one early-game subplot needs to bleed into The Witcher 4 in some way.