We're heartbroken to report that former Nintendo Life contributor Philip J Reed has passed away.
Those of you who have been around since the days of the 3DS and Wii U will no doubt recall Philip's incredibly tireless contribution to this website. During that period he wrote countless reviews and more than a few amazing features, making himself one of the key components of the site's evolution during a difficult time in Nintendo's history.
It was Philip who reviewed such seminal titles as Shovel Knight, Crimson Shroud, Azure Striker Gunvolt and Project X Zone for us – all classic titles from a period when the 3DS became Nintendo's most important platform.
However, his talents weren't limited to just critiquing games; he also penned a series of fantastic features for us, a selection of which you can view below:
- Video Game Characters Looking for Love
- Nintendo Characters Looking for Love
- The Mushroom Kingdom's Letters to Santa
- The Nintendo Life Crypt of Downloadable Horrors
- The Nintendo Life Crypt of Downloadable Horrors II: The Bloodening
- Nintendo Life Book Club - Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
- The Confusing World of Mega Man Spin-Offs - Part 1
- The Confusing World of Mega Man Spin-Offs - Part 2
- The Creative Joy of Childhood and Super Mario Maker as a Modern-Day Roll of Paper
- Psycholodachi - What Makes Life Sim Games Addictive?
Philip's love of writing led him to create some true epics outside of Nintendo Life, too, including an exhaustive retrospective on the original Resident Evil for Boss Fight Books.
Team Triple Jump, where Philip was a contributor at the time of his passing, has opened a fundraiser for a charity that was very close to his heart. We'd urge you to join us in donating if you can.
Rest in peace, Philip. You will be missed.
Comments 98
Oh my I remember him. This is so sad may he R.I.P
Goodbye. we will miss you.
Really enjoyed much of his work. RIP sir, your fight is over now.
Rest in peace. I wasn’t on the site when he wrote features and reviews but he seemed like an incredible contributor.
It’s just so sad. It was his work on here and Triple Jump that made me seek out the Resi book. Hopefully as many people as possible turn up to Triple Jump’s stream to raise money for The Trevor Project.
Very sorry to hear this.
I've been going back through his older works in memoriam and his writing style is simply second to none. I may not have been here yet whenever he was around, but I still knew his articles well when I did sign up. Rest in peace Phillip: your work will live on forever.
Words are pretty hollow right now, but RIP. Sorry to hear this.
Jesus, that's terrible! As a fellow writer, your writing was excellent and very unique and you did some wonderful work, may you forever rest in peace. Truly heartbreaking.
My thoughts go out to his friends and family.
Very sorry to hear this. Rest in peace.
I missed his contributions here and occasionally was happy to see him on the SMT forums.
My condolences to the Nintendo Life team for the loss, I'm sure it must be hard for you all.
How incredibly sad.
Rest in peace.
Awful news to read.
@get2sammyb I forget sometimes that Ben from Triple Jump used to work for Push Square, so in a sense everyone all knows each other, and Philip by extension. With how interconnected the British games journalist community is, it must be like losing one of the family.
Condolences and Rest in Peace. Sad news... 🖤🖤🖤
No words truly, but just wanted to show my respect for a great writer. And my thoughts go out to all their loved ones.
Rest in peace you shall be missed my friend. 😭
Well, that's quite the sour note... man, I'm so sorry to hear it. RIP Philip, and thank you for all you've done! 🙏
Philip was such an incredible part of this website. I got to know him a bit and he was such a kind, smart guy. What a devastating loss this is. Thank you NL for posting links to some of his works, I am glad that those who weren't around back then can read them and his legacy can live on.
I didn't officially join the site until a little after Philip's heyday, but I occasionally lurked as a guest since sometime in 2011 and am familiar with some of his pieces. A very talented, funny writer indeed.
Much love, thoughts, and prayers for those who knew Philip. My condolences.
Rest in peace. Thanks for everything!
Devastating. My thoughts and deep condolences to family and friends. A sad day indeed.
Incredibly sorry to hear this. Rest In Peace.
Rest in peace and thank you for the hard work and passion you put into video games.
I remember him being a huge Mega Man fan. Hopefully he can still play wherever he is now.
R.I.P.
Rest in peace Philip!
Heartbreaking when a young person leaves this place.
Philip was a little before my time on the site but reading his words here and elsewhere, I like to imagine we would have got on well. Incredibly sad news.
As a longtime member of this site, I regret that I did not know him by name, despite the fact I've surely read plenty of his articles over the years. My condolences to his family, and the entire Nintendo Life staff who are grieving this loss. Life isn't always easy, but it's such a precious yet fragile gift that we've been blessed with and so often take for granted. Cherish it while you can.
Awful news.
My thoughts and prayers are with his friends and family.
Wile I joined long After. It’s still awful to hear him pass away. And I wish I would have known about him and complimented him on his work.
R.I.P
I don't know who that is, but anyone passing away that young is a complete tragedy. Rest in Peace to Philip and my condolences to his family, friends and loved ones. -_-
He was a big part of the community when I first joined this site. Rest in peace, you will be missed.
Rest in peace. Thank you for all the wonderful stories.
Rest in piece mate
RIP. I don’t always double check who writes articles but several of those titles jump out at me.
Holy Sh*t. I've stayed in touch with Phil since he's left NL, and i honestly have no idea how to react to this.
I'm so sorry to hear... Rest in peace, Philip
Thoughts go to family and friends
Oof, I joined this site in 2008, so I've been here throughout his stint, and I enjoyed his articles. I mostly remember Chicken Brutus (wasn't that his alias here back then?) for ripping apart terribly bad games.
Just recently, I was browsing old DSiWare and WiiU eshop reviews, stumbling over some of his work again, and actually checked what he was doing nowadays, and I was happy for him to see that he is still dabbling in video games journalism.
This news now comes as all the more of a shock...
I enjoyed reading Philip's stuff back then.
This is devastating news. Rest in peace.
My condolences everyone.
I've definitely noticed his reviews in the past, and tended to agree with his over some others. His profile picture with the hat stood out to me as memorable. Always tragic when people die so young. Extra tragic when it's someone you know or have come across in a meaningful way, such as through his work.
My condolences to his family and loved ones. I enjoyed reading his work during his heyday at NL. I remember he loved to play Mega Man and I think a running joke was that ChickenBrutus got to review the bad games? His words brought me many laughs and smiles, and he will be missed.
Phil was a great guy. RIP
As I said in the forum post on the topic, this is absolutely terrible.
I don't think I've ever really talked to him, but I remember him being a really big contributor to the site when I first joined in 2011 (sometime after the 3DS launch).
Condolences to his family.
RIP
Thank you for including links to his articles. I'll read a few today to honor him
Goodbye Philip 🙏 NLife won't be the same without you.
Very sad to hear. May he rest in peace.
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Oh no. Terrible news, so sorry to hear. Rest in peace phil
Phillip was a huge part of this website when I joined it more than a decade ago (back in when he was writing under the name Chicken_Brutus). I didn’t know he was also involved with Triple Jump, they have an excellent Youtube channel and particularly sharp writing. He gave Nintendo Life a vibrant personality as it was picking up steam as a website. Rest in peace.
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This is really sad to read. He was a fantastic contributor to this website and seemed like an all round lovely bloke.
RIP Phillip
So sorry to hear of this.. way too young and so talented.
Rest in peace, he was a great writer
That's devastating to hear. Not only was Philip a fantastic writer, but he was a lovely person - witty, warm and generous.
Philip was a big part of the team when I was a newcomer figuring everything out, and he was a standard-setter with his writing and a wonderful colleague in every way.
You will be missed, Philip, rest in peace.
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Rest in peace. My condolences to his loved ones.
Sorry to hear that. Rest in peace.
WOW. Big news and a loss to not only this site but to the gaming review craft. He was a MAJOR Mega Man fan and it’s fair to say I trusted my general gaming choices because of his reviews (An April 2015 comment on Siesta Fiesta comes to mind on the 3DS). I connected with his writing as a retro and portable video game fan, as he verbalized the same opinions I had of general platform and puzzle games. I would argue he was an influencer here with his style and gaming intelligence.
I was wondering where he went, to be honest, just recently. I will sincerely miss him.
Phillip’s goodbye post, written on one of his blogs. Its heartbreaking to read through.
http://noiselesschatter.com/
@Kyloctopus Did he kill himself? Very sad last post. The one before it was talking about Better Call Saul and now he won't get to see the finale. I hope he’s at peace.
I enjoyed Philip’s imagination and humor here on NL at the time. It’s so sad to hear he’s passed. My condolences to his family, friends, and loved ones.
A shame. He was the best shovelware reviewer this site’s ever had. RIP.
Aw man...Philip's reviews of terrible shovel ware were some of my favorite things in high school and college. I remember one time I found Philip on Miiverse and actually talked to him, and he sent me a friend request. Rest in peace, my good man...
I'll just leave this here. One of his funniest reviews.
https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/2009/11/dragon_master_spell_caster
@the_shpydar
i believe the last thing he said here years ago was leaving here due to problems on the site. i was thinking about what he said yesterday of all things, and the next day i see this...
I haven't commented here in years, but as someone who was contributing to NLife at the time Philip was with the site as well, this is truly devastating news. I hope Triple Jump's stream does really well. Rest in peace my friend.
Oh wow, I remember reading and enjoying his reviews and interacted with him a few times in the comments and the forums here. He was a great writer and his wit and personality will be missed. RIP sir.
I'm sorry to hear that. Thanks for making so many articles and I hope you'll be remembered.
Heartbroken when I heard the news. Phil was one of the staff that made me want to join this site and be part of this community. I remember b.s.ing with him on all kinds of games but mostly about the Mega Man games.
May you rest in piece sir and condolences to your friends and family.
Very sad to hear this news. Philip's Mega Man reviews were the best.
I’ve read some of his articles here. Very sad, RIP
Rest in peace friend.
Aw man... I'm saddened.
I'll miss you Phillip-- Thanks for everything you've done. My condolences to all his friends and family. I remember that old English D cap in that caption... Was he from the States?
RIP Phil, thanks for all the memories and contributions you gave to make this site how it is today.
Oh lame, I'm sorry for your loss
@Royalblues Why was my comment inappropriate? It was just a quote from his own blog.
A sad day indeed, may he rest in peace.
So sorry to hear this. My condolences to friends and family.
Horrible news. Rest in peace Philip, thank you for everything
Too young, man. My condolences to his family and friends. Gone from us too soon.
This was his blog. He seemed to have left a final note to fans: http://noiselesschatter.com/author/noiseles/
With the 3DS eshop closing, I’ve been reading a lot of his old reviews and really enjoyed them.
If you need a laugh, read his 1 star review of a 3DS game called Christmas Wonderland 3: https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/3ds-eshop/christmas_wonderland_3
Rest In Peace and thanks for the memories.
Philip (or rather, Chicken Brutus), I salute you for your great works and the fun times we had on the forums way back when. Always loved reading your articles on N-Life too.
Absolutely gutted to hear that he's passed away.
It's a beautiful thing to have spent part of one's time contributing to the joy and happiness of others–in whatever form it takes–on something that brings daily joy to countless strangers, that those who receive it can feel connected to other like-minded people and share in the community they helped bind together. Because of him, the world was made a happier place than the one he was born into. R.I.P.
Its been years since I commented on here but I remember him from back when I was a regular and he was a fantastic reviewer. I loved how funny his reviews of terrible games were. I was very sad to hear this news. My condolences go to his family and friends.
RIP
Phil was a good friend. I found out about Nintendolife from him, in fact. I have so many great memories of him, it's hard to believe he's gone.
Rest in peace man. I have faith you're in a better place.
RIP Phillip. he was a legend. :_(
Similar to others in the thread, I haven't posted here in ages but was saddened to hear this news. I always enjoyed reading his shovel ware reviews, many of them laugh out loud funny. Hard to believe he's gone; may he rest in peace.
I'm really glad to see so many old faces come back to pay their respects. Back in the day he was a celebrity here, and it warms my heart that he's still remembered fondly from those days.
Very sad.
Rest in peace, Philip J Reed.
http://noiselesschatter.com/author/noiseles/
Philip-san, rest in peace. Too young to die!
Wow, I'm really sorry to hear about this.
Rest in peace Chicken Brutus. Your unique humor and reviews of under-appreciated games really added to the personality of the website back when it was VC Reviews and WiiWare World.
Grew up with PJ. Went from 2nd grade through college with him and then shared an apartment. Hanging out with him was like being in an episode of Seinfeld---ridiculous situations just followed.
@Knuckles wanna friend me? 3ds? Switch?
@Kayloo I'm sorry, but do I know you? Your name isn't ringing a bell, and this is a rather odd spot to try to add me as a friend on 3DS or Switch, considering the subject of the article.
Yea you do we used to talk on here alot
RIP to one of the best writers and people I've ever known. Wish I stayed in contact with him in recent years, he was an amazing mentor to me back in the day.
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