In The Press
IGN Italia (Andrea Maderna)
IGN Italy did its own completely separate preview of AV.
Quel bel Metroid di Axiom Verge
IGN (Colin Moriarty)
Here's a very thorough video and text preview by none other than IGN's Colin Moriarty. I lost count of how many people at PAX told me they'd heard of Axiom Verge just from this one article!
Axiom Verge: Playstation's Very Own Metroid
Twin Stick Gaming
Axiom Verge - An Interview With Thomas Happ
Patrick Scott Patterson
Video Game personality 'PSP' did an interview with me over e-mail:
Tom Happ's Indie Hit 'Axiom Verge' Makes a Splash at E3
Gearburn (Steve Norris)
Tom Happ, Creator of Indie Game Axiom Verge, On His 'Vessel of Consciousness and Reality'
AV Club (Matt Gerardi)
This preview by the AV Club focuses on the glitching aspect:
Axiom Verge's Love of Glitches Makes it More Than Just a Metroid Lookalike
Game Critics Awards Best of E3 2014 Nominee
Nominated for the Best Indie game!
http://www.gamecriticsawards.com/nominees.html
GameSlean
Here's an interview with some gameplay footage from E3:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoNmY58DNlU&feature=youtu.be
GameSpot (Tom McShea)
An overview of some awesome indie games appearing at E3, among which I'm honored to have Axiom Verge included.
Indie Games You Need to Know About From E3 2014
Kill Screen Daily (David Wolinsky)
http://killscreendaily.com/articles/axiom-verge-five-year-labor-love/
Giant Bomb
Here's a Podcast I did with Giant Bomb at E3 2014.
http://www.giantbomb.com/podcasts/no-metroid-no-problem-weve-got-axiom-verge/1600-901/
Kotaku (Chris Person)
Here's a hands-on / interview I did with Kotaku while at E3 2014:
http://kotaku.com/there-was-no-metroid-at-e3-this-year-but-this-is-close-1592174436
Spike (Jason Cipriano)
Axiom Verge is one of Spike's top ten hidden gems of E3 2014.
http://www.spike.com/articles/16d5ov/e3-e3-2014-top-ten-hidden-gems
Gamer Assault Weekly (Derrick D)
In this article on neo-retro games, Axiom Verge gets a shout out alongside Shovel Knight, Jamestown Plus, Hotline Miami 2, and Chasm.
http://www.gamerassaultweekly.com/2014/06/17/retro-revolution-5-indie-games-take-us-back/
IGN Italia (Andrea Maderna)
Here's a preview IGN's Italian branch did at E3.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kvp0xhyc988
Sup, Holmes? Episode 103 (Jonathan Holmes)
A long chat/interview with games journalist and internet personality Jonathan Holmes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kvp0xhyc988
IGN's Best of E3 Nominee for Best Playstation 4 Game and Best Action Game
Sadly I didn't go on to win this one, but I was in quite good company!
http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/06/12/igns-best-of-e3-2014-awards
GameSpot's Best of E3 Winners (Tom McShea)
The blurb at the top of this is by Randolph Ramsay, but it was Tom McShea who played Axiom Verge at E3 and went on to evangelize it for the rest of the staff. The way I prefer to tell this story: Axiom Verge beat Destiny, the most expensive game ever made.
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-gamespot-s-best-of-e3-2014-winners/1100-6420468/
GameSpot (Tom McShea)
A flatteringly glowing preview of Axiom Verge.
If You Haven't Heard of Axiom Verge, You're Missing Out
VentureBeat / GamesBeat (Giancarlo Valdes)
This preview/interview hailing from E3 Judges Week is actually one of the more insightful pieces about Axiom Verge, expressing the overall intent of the game even better than I could.
http://venturebeat.com/2014/06/02/axiom-verge-preview/
Playstation Blog (Myself)
Sony invited me to write an announcement blog after they offered Axiom Verge the Pub Fund. This also features the new trailer:
http://blog.us.playstation.com/2014/04/30/axiom-verge-sci-fi-sidescroller-coming-to-ps4-vita/
The Killer Bits (Jon Brassington)
Here's a preview of an ancient, crumbling build of AV. That said, they loved it!
http://youtu.be/ozQqekMSQqY?list=UU-Jj82o8Iuv_wOYHfsAmrTA
IndieStatik
Top 100 Most Anticipated Games of 2014
It gave me a nice boost of confidence to have made this list.
There are also huge and disgusting bosses to fight, which always grabs our attention as aficionados of body horror and gruesomeness.
IGXPRO (Vincent Parisi)
I was interviewed about Game Loading: Rise of the Indies, a film which I backed, and may even appear in (they interviewed me on camera at the 2013 IndieCade).
Part 1: http://www.igxpro.com/2013/10/15/indie-culture-eyes-gameloading-part-1/1426116
Part 2: http://www.igxpro.com/2013/10/15/indie-culture-eyes-gameloading-part-2/1426115
USGamer (Jeremy Parish)
This featured interviews Jeremy Parish did with a number of different indie Metroidvania developers. It's fascinating for anyone who likes this genre.
http://www.usgamer.net/articles/with-metroid-indies-do-what-nintendont
Perhaps not surprisingly, not a single one of these new and upcoming games attempts to offer a pure rendition of this format. Chasm and Rogue Legacy fold roguelike mechanics into their structure, including a high degree of randomness that's completely antithetical to Metroid's deliberate construction. Axiom Verge feels like a mishmash of Metroid, Contra, and a number of other NES action games. Finally, A.N.N.E. takes on an even more chimerical aspect.
GameSpot (Marco Martinez)
Axiom Verge, a 16-Bit Game Worth Your Attention
A mash-up of Castlevania, Contra, and Metroid in a well-executed package.
Overall, Axiom Verge is looking like a game you should be paying attention to once a final build is released.
IndieGamerChick
http://indiegamerchick.com/2012/05/19/indies-in-due-time-may-19-2012-i-love-the-polish-edition/
Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the greatest Xbox Live Indie Game trailer of all time.
GameSpy (Mike Nelson)
http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/axiom-verge/1223427p1.html
As far as I'm concerned, 2013 can't get here fast enough.
Destructoid (Conrad Zimmerman)
Gaming blog Destructoid had some encouraging words for me:
http://www.destructoid.com/check-out-axiom-verge-a-one-man-metroidvania-225679.phtml
I adore the art direction here, which calls to mind Life Force and R-Type while very clearly drawing a ton of inspiration from Metroid. Also listed as an inspiration is one of my favorite games ever, Rygar, so Happ is clearly speaking my language.
1UP (Jeremy Parish)
Jeremy Parish did an awesome roundup of up-and-coming 2D platformers, here:
A straight-up homage to exploratory 8-bit action games, Axiom Verge appears to be the work of one man, and the whole affair simply oozes atmosphere and style.
You can see Trace and one of the Matriarchs in the article's image, so in a way, you could say I made the front page!
IndieGames (John Polson)
First, let me just say how flattering it is to show up on the main page of one of my favorite gaming news sites!
http://indiegames.com/2012/04/metroid_and_contra_had_a_baby_.html
The run-and-gun feel I get from the trailer makes me think Contra, but that's just part of the developer's inspiration. He also cites to Blaster Master, Bionic Commando, Rygar, and Cave Story.
Gamesta (Daav Valentaten)
Daav Valentaten of Gamesta did a nice Preview of Axiom Verge:
http://www.gamesta.com/axiom-verge-brings-the-classic-metroidvania/
The man is currently creating oldschool gold with Axiom Verge; a Metroidvania game straight out of the 16bit era. He’s singlehandedly creating this title that just screams nostalgia; complete with gritty, obscure graphics and tons of exploration.
IndieGameMag
http://www.indiegamemag.com/a-metroidvania-to-nostalgia-gasm-about-axiom-verge/
There’s not many things in this world that arouses enough passion within us to send us rubbing our legs in some creepy state of anticipation but Axiom Verge is certainly one such thing.
DSOGaming (John Papadopoulos)
The game is still early in development and you can view below its first footage. And we have to say that it’s damn impressive for one-man job.
Armless Octopus (Anthony Swinnich)
http://www.armlessoctopus.com/2012/04/13/axiom-verge-could-be-the-next-metroid/
Metroid fans have been clamoring for a new 2D entry in the series, but their cries have fallen on deaf ears. Luckily for them there’s someone out there putting together a game called Axiom Verge that should help quench their thirst.