January’s print month (in a couple cases, the January/February print month) is another very big one for me in multiple ways, but the biggest reason is that it marks my debut as a contract editor for Mac|Life magazine. As detailed before, I’m filling in for my on-leave editor for four months through the end of January, which means I’m in charge of the App|Life (app reviews and other coverage) section and Mac game reviews for the January, February, March, and April 2012 issues, while also assigning and editing web content for those departments.

The January 2012 issue is out now, and while I wrote only one small piece for this issue — a review of Steambirds Survival HD for iPad on page 58 — my editing work is on full display here, and I’m listed as a Contributing Editor on the masthead. The App|Life section runs from pages 54-59 this month, and includes five app reviews (such as Cards and Scribblenauts Remix), an Editors’ Picks section, and a one-page app narrative piece that ties together various apps under a theme. The narrative was submitted and edited before I started the gig, but the other content was assigned and edited by yours truly, plus I did the same for the Mac reviews of Cave Story+ on page 73 and Colin McRae: DiRT 2 on page 75.

It’s been a fantastic opportunity thus far, and I’m going to be really bummed if it ends as scheduled at the end of January. But I’m hopeful they’ll still have some need for me beyond regular freelance writing, so we’ll see what happens. Next month’s issue features a fair bit more writing from me, though I scaled back on my own sections for the March issue (currently in production). That said, I have some writing elsewhere in the issue.

I have a fair bit of content in the January/February 2012 issue of @Gamer this month, starting with my monthly Tablet Games column on pages 8-9, which looks at some recent picks for iPad and Android slates. I also had a chance to review four games for this issue, starting with a full-page review of the wonderful Super Mario 3D Land for Nintendo 3DS on page 68, which is followed by another full-pager on Kirby’s Return to Dreamland for Wii on page 71. Completing an unexpected trio of Nintendo game reviews is my half-page take on Mario Kart 7 for Nintendo 3DS on page 78, while a half-page review of The Adventures of Tintin: The Game for Xbox 360 is on page 81.

Also exciting this month is the fact that I contributed writing to a pair of cover features, both focused on the biggest releases for each company’s platforms in the coming year. PlayStation: The Official Magazine asked me to write pieces on four titles for its 2012’s Hugest Games cover story, including a full-page article on Max Payne 3 on page 49, a full-pager on Lollipop Chainsaw on page 53, a two-thirds page piece on Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (formerly Metal Gear Solid: Rising at press time) on page 56, and finally a whole page on The Last Guardian on page 57.

Meanwhile, Nintendo Power’s cover story for the January/February issue is the 2012 preview feature, for which I wrote three quicker blurbs on upcoming Wii U titles: Batman: Arkham City on page 64, followed by Aliens: Colonial Marines and DiRT 3 on page 66. As usual, I have some notable work in the Community section in the back of the book, starting with the lead piece: a 1.5-page article on pages 92-93 about a fantastic series of linoleum-cut artwork inspired by The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. And on page 94 is a full-page article of mine about some fantastic homemade plushes based on Bowser, Mog, and other familiar creatures.

Last but not least, I have five reviews in the January issue of Official Xbox Magazine, including a couple of big ones. My 1.33-page review of the middling Need for Speed: The Run is located on pages 66-67, followed by a big two-page spread review of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 on pages 70-71. A bit later on, I have a .33-page review of Twister Mania on page 77, a half-pager on Kung Fu High Impact on page 81, and lastly a .66-page review of The Black Eyed Peas Experience on page 84.

All together, the print month included several pages of editing work from me, along with 10 reviews, two sets of cover story contributions, and a couple other bits. Pretty swell.