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Blog Herding: Editor And Reader Picks 4/08
Every Thursday we highlight both editor and reader blogs worth your undivided attention. Now's the time to get blogging! Check out our picks this week and then get writing. Maybe your posts will appear in a future herd.
Gamer Flashback: 9-9-99
"Walking into Best Buy that day was one of those surreal moments that only seem to happen during the launch of a highly anticipated product – be it a game system, a cd, or a blender. There was a buzz in the air and it made everyone's excitement that much more palpable." Jeff A. shares the heartwarming tale of this glorious day in his gaming history where he purchased both a Dreamcast and FFVIII.
Could the late '09 early '10 game rush harm the industry?
"Everyone who walks into a Game Stop, or any super store's entertainment section for that matter, every now and again knows by now that the past six months or so have been akin to a gaming renaissance...The past half a year was so game filled that many consumers are now feeling even more of a squeeze on their already tightly pinched pennies...I personally am left wondering exactly where this leaves the game industry over the summer, especially considering the fact that the big time games this year seemed far less staggered in their release dates than normal." GIO community member o_JMan240_o explores the AAA title flood of 2010 and what it may mean for the industry over the coming months.
On Difficulty
"The first few hours of Just Cause 2 were fantastic. I was blowing up bases, hopping out of helicopters, and basically turning the island of Panau into my personal chaos-fueled playground. I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was too good to last, and I was right. At around the five-hour mark the difficulty ramped up and it felt like a whole different game. A game that wasn’t any fun." Jeff C. discusses how the difficult decision of choosing a difficulty setting at the beginning of a game can impact your overall enjoyment of a title.
Scenes from Sakura-Con 2010
GIO community member DTJAAAAM has attended Seattle's Sakura-Con anime event for the past five years. At this year's Con he photographed his adventures and the colorful folks he met, all of which can be found in this post.
New 1000 Club Inductee: Bayonetta
"I've been wanting to go back to replay Bayonetta ever since I reviewed it. Actually, I've been wanting to replay it the instant I first saw the credits roll. After finally clearing the other big must-play titles of early 2010 off of my backlog, I decided to use the current lull in the gaming release schedule to bring Bayonetta into the fold of my 1000 Club." How did Joe do it? Read his post to find out.
What the New Gen 5 Pokémon Games NEED to Bring
We at Game Informer have written quite a few wishlists of what we want to see in sequels to some of our favorite games. GIO community member DarkLadySarai follows suit and tells us what she'd like to see in the next generation of Pokémon games.
Defending Mario – Why Mario’s Story is Better Than You Thought
"The original Super Mario Bros. didn’t go out of its way to tell a compelling narrative. Even so, as a kid, I knew a few things about the game. I knew Mario was lost in some kind of weird pipe world. I knew he had to fight his way through an army of shiitake mushrooms and flying turtles lead by Bowser. And I knew that some evil dinosaur had my princess. Even as a kid, I knew Mario’s story was terrible. What I didn’t know was how good Mario’s story was." Ben defends the epic narrative found in Mario titles and why it's soooooo good.
Lifetime Achievement Award...
"There seems to be some discussions lately, both in the forums and in a few blogs, about achievements. While most seem to be negative and relate to farming or boosting or whatever you want to call it, this blog is not." GIO community member Saint expresses his love for achievements and lists which one he thinks is the greatest to earn of all time. Check out his post and join the discussion regarding favorite game achievements.
Have you produced or read a blog post on gameinformer.com that you think should be considered for upcoming installments of Blog Herding? Send over an e-mail with a link to annette@gameinformer. com. I also accept bribes.
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