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Derek Garcia-

Derek Garcia

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About Derek Garcia

Derek Garcia is a Game Feature Writer for ScreenRant. He writes about both video game and tabletop RPG features. When trying to meet a specific word count in writing a personal biography, Derek sometimes adds pithy quotes, like, “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”

Author Details

Derek lives with his wife, three dogs, and a likely excessive number of video game consoles. When he is not writing, playing video games, watching movies or television, or reading novels or comic books, he occasionally takes some time to sleep. Derek majored in journalism and worked for a print newspaper before discovering the internet. After being immersed in nerd culture for many years, he is now happy to write about the media he enjoys instead of just ranting to his friends.

Industry Focus

Derek is an avid tabletop RPG player and Game Master, a lifelong video game fan, and an enthusiast for films, television, and comics. He takes equal interest in charting the history of entertainment media and emergent trends and evolution, alongside analyzing where the future might take them.

Favorite Media

Derek is a fan of science fiction and fantasy, video game and tabletop RPGs, classic Hong Kong action movies, and graphic novels. He explores genre classics as well as diving into the latest and greatest. Derek balances sampling the newest entertainment media with revisiting the well of a (thankfully) never-ending backlog.

Latest Articles

A collage of the following characters on a generic holiday colored background: Mario from Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Cloud from Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Sadie Adler from Red Dead Redemption 2, Lilith from Borderlands 2, and PaRappa from PaRappa the Rapper 1
5 Video Game New Years Resolutions We Can Get Behind

The approaching New Year is a time for resolutions. For video game fans, resolutions can improve the hobby, saving both time and money in some cases.

Kratos from God of War bursting out of the screen on a PlayStation Portal device. 1
Don't Buy From Scalpers, Wait Or Buy A PlayStation Portal Alternative Instead

The PlayStation Portal appears to be selling out as soon as it is stocked, but PS5 owners should pass on the Portal and look to better alternatives.

Peter Parker's Spider-Man in Marvel's Spider-Man 2 with his hands on his head, looking shocked. 1
One Marvel's Spider-Man 2 Tie-In Product Can Really Improve The Graphics

Gaming fans are used to seeing a variety of merchandise tied to popular titles, but one Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 licensed product differs from the rest.

Like A Dragon’s Kiryu Continues To Break An Odd JRPG Convention - An image of Kiryu from Like A Dragon Gaiden, one of the oldest JRPG protagonists. 1
Like A Dragon’s Kiryu Continues To Break An Odd JRPG Convention

Most JRPGs center on teenagers or heroes in their early 20s, but Like A Dragon stands out for featuring grownups, defying the typical JRPG ageism.

One Super Mario Bros. Wonder Character Could’ve Ruined The Game - Daisy, Luigi, Mario and Peach from Super Mario Bros. Wonder 1
One Super Mario Bros. Wonder Character Could’ve Ruined The Game

The Flower Kingdom prince featured in Super Mario Bros. Wonder was not the first such character in Mario’s history, which made some fans concerned.

One Like A Dragon Gaiden Side Mission Has A Cool Connection To Judgment - Kaito from Judgment meets Kiryu from Yakuza in Like A Dragon Gaiden 1
One Like A Dragon Gaiden Side Mission Has A Cool Connection To Judgment

Judgment shares a setting with the Yakuza games, but it avoided cameos. Like A Dragon Gaiden contains the first proper crossover between these series.

Kazuma Kiryu and Akame with Club Heavenly in Sotenbori in the background.  1
Like A Dragon Gaiden's Newest Gimmick Is Also Its Creepiest

Like A Dragon Gaiden includes the “immersive cabaret,” a divisive addition where real actresses portray hostesses who engage in flirtation for money.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder Finally Embraces Just How Trippy Mario Really Is - Mario running across a bendy pipe in the background and blowing bubbles in the foreground 1
Super Mario Bros. Wonder Is The Closest We’ll Ever Get To M-Rated Mario

Most longtime franchise fans who play Super Mario Bros. Wonder will pick up on the evident psychedelic, trippy nature of the Wonder Flower sequences.

Is  Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Still A 2023 GOTY Contender? - An image of Ganondorf and Bokoblin monsters, antagonists featured in The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom 1
Is Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Still A 2023 GOTY Contender?

Tears of the Kingdom was a hit in early 2023, but the year has seen a series of games outdo the latest Zelda, leaving it as a forgettable footnote.

PS5 with disc drive on a blue background with symbols.  1
You Should Be Worried About The PS5 Slim’s Detachable Disc Drive

The new slim PS5 all-digital model will pair with a Blu-Ray drive, but leaked information suggests it will require an internet connection for use.

5 Wildcard Characters To Add Chaos To Any D&D Campaign - An image of Jarlaxle, a character from the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms campaign setting who is a wildcard 1
5 Wildcard Characters To Add Chaos To Any D&D Campaign

Adding a wildcard NPC is an advanced technique for experienced Dungeons & Dragons groups, but some archetypes are a better fit for the wildcard role.

Sony Core On A Bravia TV besides a PS5. 1
Sony's New Movies Feature Somehow Makes PS Plus Worse

Following a major price increase, the Sony Pictures Core app offers free movies for PS Plus Premium subscribers, but it needed more QA before launch.

A meeting of Constellation members in Starfield. 1
Starfield Makes You Friends With The Worst Parent In The Multiverse

Among Starfield’s companions, one is very charismatic, but his treatment of his daughter makes it clear that he is a cosmically unfit parent.

You're Playing Starfield Wrong, But It's Not Your Fault - An image of Starfield NPC ally Walter speaking from a strange angle 1
You're Playing Starfield Wrong, But It's Not Your Fault

The story of Starfield is Bethesda’s best, but the game’s storytelling ruins its emotional impact. A more linear structure could have remedied it.

Starfield's Story Doesn't End When The Credits Roll - An image of the a player character from Starfield in front of a background of space. 1
Starfield's New Game Plus Improves More Than Just Its Story

Starfield cleverly incorporates its New Game Plus into the game’s central narrative, making it more enjoyable for RPG fans who are invested in story.

Cloud Strife and Zack Fair standing back to back, both holding the Buster Sword. Cloud, on the left with blond hair, is holding the Buster Sword on his shoulder. Zack, on the right with dark hair, is holding the Buster Sword out in front of him, with the blade point resting on the ground. Both are wearing black outfits with gloves. 1
Will FF7 Ever Crisis Come To Switch & PS5?

A console port of Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis is likely feasible, but in its current form it is a passive experience with little gameplay to enjoy.

Should You Rush To New Game Plus In Starfield - An image of one of Starfield's Starborn, a central plot point in the main quest prior to New Game Plus. 1
Should You Rush To New Game Plus In Starfield?

Though Bethesda’s Starfield is a massive RPG with worlds to explore, players should rush through the main story missions to get to a New Game Plus.

An image of two Dungeons and Dragons characters fleeing from a trap. 1
5 D&D Character Archetypes That Aren’t As Fun As You Imagine

Planning a new Dungeons & Dragons character can be fun, but players need to distinguish concepts that are good in play from those only good on paper.

FF7 Ever Crisis Is Still Missing One Important But Obvious Feature - An image many of the main cast members as seen in gameplay in Final Fantasy 7 Ever Crisis. 1
FF7 Ever Crisis Is Still Missing One Important But Obvious Feature

The compilation of remakes in Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis have appeal for hardcore fans, but it lacks controller support, which is inexcusable.

It Doesn’t Take Long For Ever Crisis To Ruin Its Final Fantasy 7 Vibes - An  image of Cloud wearing new equipment featured in Final Fantasy 7 Ever Crisis 1
It Doesn’t Take Long For Ever Crisis To Ruin Its Final Fantasy 7 Vibes

Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis has potential, but the game’s prevalent gacha elements quickly rob players of immersion and ruin the throwback FF7 vibe.

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