WHO IS CBA?

First off, thanks for stopping by this little slice of the internet. I appreciate it more than you’ll ever know.

My name is Bradley Keene, also known online as Trash, and I’m a 40-year-old horror film-obsessed hardcore kid from Baltimore, MD that currently resides in the middle of nowhere. I’m the founder and editor-in-chief here at Cheap Boss Attack and, more often than not, the sole contributor. I’m always eager to share the work of my friends, though!

If you’re looking for a place to start, here’s a list of my 10 favorite horror games of all time. That should give you a taste of my gaming background if you’ve not been following along over the years (CBA has been around since 2011!).

I’ve always been a sewer-dwelling console heathen and have a strong attachment to Sega’s consoles and their various add-ons. My favorite console of all time is, without question, the Sega Saturn.

I also love the NES and SNES like most people, actually owned a TurboGrafx 16 growing up (a personal favorite!), and have a lot of nostalgia for the PlayStation 1 and 2’s library of games. Oh, and I loved the Vita. Like *loved* the Vita. RIP little buddy.

My favorite genres are RPGs, 2D fighters, point-and-click adventures, anything quirky and narrative-focused, beat-em-ups, shmups, arcadey stuff (especially racing and run-n-guns), and survival horror. I also have a fondness for 16-bit era sports games, particularly on the Genesis. NHL 94, Joe Montana Sports Talk Football, and Sports Talk Baseball are still in heavy rotation today.

My favorite game series is Final Fantasy, with my favorite game ever being Final Fantasy VIII. I think Silent Hill 2 and Resident Evil Remake HD are the perfect horror games, but Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly is up there too. My favorite shmup is Danmaku Unlimited 3, with Radiant Silvergun as a close 2nd. For beat-em-ups, nothing beats Streets of Rage 2, and I can confidently say the same about Syberia 1 + 2 when it comes to point-and-click adventures.

So why do I write?

I’ve been obsessed with the idea of writing about games since I was a kid, and that’s still my pipedream today. I’d thumb through monthly issues of Nintendo Power like they were the Bible, hoping someday I’d be the one writing those articles and reviews. The joke’s on me, I guess, as Nintendo Power has since gone under and modern games media follows a more verbal, visual approach, instead of the written format. Not to mention the negative opinion of games journalism as a whole on social media. Yikes.

Over the years, I’ve conducted numerous interviews with different game developers, constructed how-to guides for the likes of World of Warcraft, Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization, Neverwinter, Skyrim, and Dragon’s Dogma, and have a regular social discussion every Friday where my readers and I chat about our weekend gaming plans.

I’ve managed the social media accounts, along with handling most of the PR workload, for the now-defunct Xbox-centric website What’s Your Tag? (with Miles Dompier from Windows Central, who I’m super proud of), and continue to handle all of my own public relations. I’ve freelanced for the likes of The Buttonsmashers, The Well-Red Mage, Rapid Reviews UK, and Switch Player (both for their website and printed magazine).

On a more personal note, I’m a big horror film and pro-wrestling nerd, a cat person (I have two), a lifelong Baltimore Orioles and Anaheim Ducks fan, and I love listening to music (typically death metal and hardcore, but I’m also a nu-metal apologist). 

I’m fairly active on Twitter, so feel free to follow my personal account @Trashlevania. This is the absolute best way to get in touch with me for any reason.

Again, thanks for checking out Cheap Boss Attack. I pour my heart and soul into my work here and I hope you’ll find something you enjoy during your stay.