inq7.net's hackenslash.net
Words Gabriel H. Mercado
Your average writer for a technology publication occasionally needs to produce material he's not really into - I.T. industry developments, corporate events, boring product launches, your average everyday ho-hum virus or malware attack. In that mode, it's usually called "work."
What then, would you call it when these same writers are asked to write about electronic gaming and games - a subject close to their hearts? Something they would do regardless of whether they're paid to or not? In that mode, it'd then be called "fun."
And that, in a nutshell, is what you feel the writers are having when you read hackenslash.net, content powerhouse Inq7.net's effort at making a site about electronic gaming. And what an effort it is.
It's in the writing
As far as writing talent is concerned, you've got Philippine Daily Inquirer's I.T. industry stalwarts, represented by Leo Magno and Joey Alarilla described on the site as the "Final Bosses," Erwin Oliva and Alex Villafania as "Grunts" (aka Reporters), and a few other names you'd regularly find contributing away at many publications, including SPEED.
Here they gamely (pun intended) provide their two cents' worth on every electronic gaming field, with every facet well covered. You've got "Online," "PC," "Mobile," "Xbox," "PS2" and "Gamecube" games adequately covered, with the "Gaming Scene" section producing straight-on reporting type of news covering international and, the (thankfully active) local gaming scene.
Site design, layout, ease of use and other such matters are alright, meaning they don't necessarily stand nor stick out. The brown on dark-brown, three-column layout isn't necessarily fancy but gets the job done, which is delivering content.
Which is all it really needs to do, since again, content is where the site shines. Magno and Alarilla are having a whale of a good time, praising and/or lambasting games as they so wish, with little apprehension or worry of retribution from either the game
manufacturers, readers, or seemingly any type of overseeing entity, maybe even (gasp!) their editors.
In Magno's excellent review of the latest Leisure Suit Larry for the Playstation 2 platform for example, words such as "idiotic," "inane" and borderline unmentionables are freely strewn about, and it's obvious he's drawing from experience and lots of personal opinion. In other words, he's having fun, and lots of it.
In this respect, I'd have to say I cannot help but like the site very much. These guys truly live and breathe the stuff they write. No writers borrowed over from the Lifestyle section, no guys who only play occasionally or worse, are merely tasked to review a game and wouldn't usually try them even if they had time.
