Derek Garcia
364 articles published since March 23, 2021
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.
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.
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
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 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.
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?
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.
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
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
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.
Combat In Baldur’s Gate 3 Doesn’t Make Any Sense
Larian’s changes to the D&D rules in Baldur’s Gate 3 do not deserve the benefit of the doubt, as the Tavern Brawler feat destroys bounded accuracy.
Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Is Going To Ruin Hundreds Of Other Games
Nintendo has filed myriad patents associated with Tears of the Kingdom in Japan, and these could harm the future of video games if they are enforced.
Baldur’s Gate 3 Combat Would Be Better Using Another D&D Edition
Baldur’s Gate 3 lets players shove enemies and interact with the environment, but the 5e Dungeons & Dragons rules are a bad fit for that focus.
6 D&D Subclasses Nearly Everyone Is Playing Wrong
Subclass choice is important to a Dungeons & Dragons character, but many subclasses are not used optimally, or rely on rules players misunderstand.
Infinity Strash Dragon Quest Game Could Break The Curse Of Reverse Adaptations
Video game reverse adaptations have a bad reputation, but Infinity Strash could do justice to The Adventures of Dai anime and the Dragon Quest series.
Final Fantasy 16’s Best DLC Feature Would Make Clive Overpowered
Final Fantasy 16 lets players equip three Eikons at once, but there are eight in Valisthea. DLC could add a mode where Clive uses every Eikon at once.
6 Classic Cartoon Series That Still Need Tabletop RPG Adaptations
Fan favorite cartoons like Transformers and G.I. Joe have official tabletop RPG adaptations, but there are many more classics that would be ideal.
FF16 DLC May Completely Ruin The Game (& Past Final Fantasy Games Prove It)
DLC expansions to Final Fantasy 15 helped fix an incomplete game, but Final Fantasy 16 is nearly perfect as it is. DLC could do more harm than good.
A Final Fantasy 16 Pocket Edition Might Be Weirdly Great
After the launch of Final Fantasy 15, a Chibi-style Pocket Edition was released. A similar Final Fantasy 16 Pocket Edition could be oddly brilliant.
New Game Pass Tiers Show Everything Wrong With PS Plus Changes
Xbox Live Gold’s end brings the Game Pass Core and Console options. These let consumers decide what they want to pay for. PS Plus should do the same.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart Is The Wrong Game For The Series’ PC Debut
Though the Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart PC port is welcomed by many, it is not a good game to start with, lacking context and character development.