Matt Swider’s Portfolio
Wrote the questions, performed the on-camera interview, edited in multiple trailers and B-roll using Final Cut Pro and even created the homemade microphone flag.
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Games That Didn’t Know The Triceratops Never Existed
I spun hard news into a unique video game news article for G4TV. It was made popular on the homepage of social bookmarking site Digg.com.
Son, 9, saves dad in runaway truck, wants a PS3
An exciting CNN interview that didn’t exist in the games space until I brought attention to it, drawing the highest number of visitors in Gaming Target’s history.
Update: Son, 9, saves dad in runaway truck, Sony gives him a PS3
The update to the original, highly-linked news story. Includes the people’s surprise reaction to the attention it received.
Hulu Plus to support PS3, iPhone, iPad in July, Xbox 360 not until 2011
Breaking news about a multimedia announcement that I tailored toward gamers.
Scribblenauts sells a million, spells out ‘blockbuster’
A great headline and, thanks to my research, details on why this is a significant accomplishment.
Taliban militants use PlayStation controller as bomb detonator
I grabbed this provocative story from thin air, as it didn’t exist in games space until I highlighted the presence of a PlayStation controller in a cable news segment
Homefront Is Where My Heart Is In 2011
A detailed look at the single-player campaign mode of an upcoming THQ game. This preview required travel to an event in Montreal.
Rock Band 3 has groupie-guaranteed pro instruments and access to 2,000 songs
A great use of quotes from a lively member of Harmonix to break up the straight text.
7 Reasons to Wait in Line for Final Fantasy XIII Next Month
A hands-on preview written in a unique, attention-grabbing way.
GoldenEye 007
I asked very detailed questions about this N64-to-Wii remake during my Activision E3 interview. Then, I wrote a preview around the answers that I felt gamers would want to know about.
Skyward Sword gives Link the fallback option of being Hyrule’s top Hibachi Chef
Everyone wrote a Zelda preview at E3 2010. So, I wrote in an interesting premise because Link’s sword-slicing Wii motion moves felt akin to a Hibachi chef. Then, I gave that unique idea legs by Photoshopping him in front of a Hibachi grill.
Just Cause 2
A hands-on preview thanks to another Square Enix appointment.
Star Trek D-A-C 3D
A hands-on preview from the Paramount lot.
Red Faction Guerrilla Single-Player
A hands-on preview with a timely intro and humorous references like e-ink in 2025.
The 10 Best Holiday Gaming Moments
A GamePro.com feature that was the top story on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Warren Spector on Disney’s Archives, Rejections and Advice from Pixar
A conference call with the legendary game designer led to an exclusive piece with great quotes.
Nintendo 3DS is Like LASIK for 3D Video Games
Everyone wrote about 3DS, so I decided to take a very unique, personal look at the upcoming system.
The History of Red Faction
A look back at the first two games as part of our week-long RFG coverage.
The Pokemon Series Pokedex
A four-page “history of” feature full of nostalgia and hits.
Review: Marvell Pinball
I expanded my review portfolio to GamePro.com, the website of the legendary magazine that began in 1989.
Review: God of War III
Decided to liven up the typically boring story re-cap with a witty Maury Povich pop-culture reference.
Review: Guitar Hero for iPhone
From big-budget titles like God of War III to smaller, iPhone games, I’m willing to handle any scale assignment.
Review: The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom
This XBLA game review shows that I am willing to work with video games of all sizes.
Review: UFC 2009 Undisputed
Even if I’m not familiar with a particular sport, I do all of the necessary research.
Review: Lemmings (PSP)
My favorite creative intro.
Review: Crash Commando
Recalled three classic franchises and how their blend resembled this game.
Review: Warhawk: Operation Omega Dawn DLC
A review of downloadable content that few others opined about.
- Wrote a 4,000-word guide to Warhawk for PlayStation: The Official Magazine‘s special fall 2008 issue.
- A four-day deadline meant I had a limited amount of time to research the game, contact the PR at Sony and the game’s director and capture screenshots from the gameplay video that I directly recorded from the TV.
- The magazine issue, which includes my six-page spread on Warhawk, was sold on newsstands and at retail sites like Amazon.com.
- Proposed a feature story about a new late night TV show of interest to our college student readers who stay up writing papers and studying for tests.
- Researched the show and, on my own, reached out to the show’s PR.
- Traveled to NYC where I secured a behind-the-scenes look at the show, sat in on a writer’s meeting and toured the SNL studio where it was taped.
- The story proved to be popular thanks to my thinking outside of the box and coming up with an atypical story that would surprise readers.
