"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." is a quote from the classic Charles Dickens story, A Tale of Two Cities, but it also describes this week in the video game industry. Many gamers continue to experience the Battlefield 3 beta; others are enjoying the recently released Rage. While all this is going on, we should pause in memory of the passing of Steve Jobs, one of the greatest pioneers and visionaries the world of technology has ever witnessed.

Blog Herding Stats:

Period Reviewed: October 03 - October 09, 2011
Number of User Blogs: 106
Number of User Bloggers: 63
Number of User Blogs Herded: 12

Upcoming Events:

Need A Good Karma Boost? Help Some Sick Kids And All Will Be Forgiven
The Extra Life 24 hour gaming marathon is nearly upon us. The next day or two will be your final chance to join TEAM GIO and support a charitable event aimed at helping sick kids. Contact mojomonkey12 for all of the details.

FragFest Fall 2011 Schedule
Man your battle stations! The man in charge of Frag Fest has released the Fall 2011 schedule with all sorts of opportunities to play online with your fellow GI comrades. Cheers to eyros2k for herding cats and coordinating these events.

Community Blogs:

Weak And Flawed: Some Of Video Game's Humbled Heroes
Showcasing his first and only blog, Birds are dumb takes a moment to analyze some of video game's more humble protagonists in this witty post sure to make you smile.

POKEMONth Post: Legendary Pokémon - The Ultimate Conquest
If you thought you knew everything there was to know about Pokémon, did you know there are three kinds of Legendary Pokémon? In her latest blog, Oni no Tenshi explains them.

To Die For: Exhibiting Rage
An introductory look at the first forty minutes of Rage, the newest title from Bethesda Softworks, complete with stunning screenshots demonstrating the legacy we've come to know and expect from id.

The Necessity Of New Game+
New Game+ or Replay Mode is an unlockable video game mode that allows players to start a new game with certain benefits after they finish the game at least once. Read Matt-boy's thoughts on why this is a much needed feature in all games.

Another "Are Video Games Art" Post - But With A Twist
A voice from the past, one of Game Informer's seasoned bloggers, rekindles the video game art debate with a different approach. Read Hist's latest work and join in on the discussion.

My First Few Hours With Dark Souls
For Game Informer member screamingllama135's first blog, this inspiring little piece chronicles the first few hours of Dark Souls and should leave you amused with his experience.

Tales Of An Ex-Gears Of War Hater
Sit back and enjoy the saga as fellow gamer John Jones recounts his journey from hating Gears of War to enlisting in the ranks as a fellow Gear in Microsoft's latest installment of the GoW series.

Battlefield 3 Beta Reactions
Since its release, reception of the Battlefield 3 beta has been hit or miss. One of Game Informer's newest bloggers, Reptar7, delivers his own battle assessment of the action.

The Matchmaking Dilemma
All of us have suffered from the imbalance of a video game match-making system. Craigaleg breaks down the commonly used system, the problems with it, and possible solutions.

Favorite Not-Quite Bosses
There are bosses and there are baddies who aren't quite at that level but are still impressive adversaries. Read Cru Hunter's blog to see his list of favorite "not-quite" bosses.

Why I'm Crazy About Game Informer
Another satisfied Game Informer enthusiast, Ed_B44, raves about how he learned of the magazine and website and why he is so crazy with his discovery.

Enticingly Culpable Practices
A persuasive blog by Jessie Scott on the practice some video game publishers take to protect their assets by implementing a "You Can't Sue Me!" clause.

Review Of The Week:

Glutton For Punishment
The recently released Dark Souls was a popular title among the reviewers this week. One of the most thorough reviews is this one by Craigaleg, who scored the game an 8.25 compared to GI associate editor Phil Kollar, who awarded it an 8.75.

Community Podcasts, Vlogs, and More:

The Armchair Gamer Podcast Episode Three
GI Community Member Gamebeast23456 and his co-hosts talk about an eclectic selection of topics from the video game industry including Portal 2 DLC and the new iPhone announcement.

Gameinformer Online Radio - Episode 28
Mray901 and the other co-hosts of the GIOR podcast talk about Dark Souls, Rage, and Spider-Man: Edge of Time. Also, don't miss the interview with David Hayter, the voice behind Solid Snake.

The Indie & Mojo Show Episode 8: Pokemania
Join indiejones and mojomonkey12 as they talk about everything from Pokémon to the Battlefield 3 beta. Listen to the show to see who gets a shout out and what about the GI community irks them.

Robot In The Corner Podcast: 2-4
The RITC team discusses their most anticipated games releasing this fall, joining Team GIO for the upcoming Extra Life charity event, and the Netflix instant queue movie of the week, Batman Forever.

Don't forget to send your feedback, recommendations, and community events in to my personal Game Informer account located here to ensure this feature continues to provide the content you're eager to read.

Happy Blogging!

Your friendly neighborhood blogging community for the week of October 03 - 09, 2011:
Anticitizen-One, Apozem (2), Birds are dumb, Black Rook, BlackHeartedWolf (2), blaze6106 (6), born4this, Brad Tramel, brainraider1 (2), Cody Gilley, Craigaleg, Cru Hunter, David, DeadManWalking, DeathsApprentice,  Derreck, dragonryder (2), DrJoeystein, Drym Shyuan (2), DStubbs (3), Ed_B44, Elias, eyros2k, freak24 (2), Gamebeast23456 (3), Harbinger (2), Hist (2), Icefire13, indiejones (2), Jack, The Quixotic Gamer (4), Jessie Scott, John Jones (3), Joshua Weibel, KAGEHOSHI- , Lancehead (3), Matt-boy, Max the young true gamer, Metagross, MinorThreat99, Mitch, mojomonkey12, Mray901 (2), o_JMan240_o (2), Omniscient Tyrant Fox, Oni no Tenshi (3), PaperandPen (3), Phil, redlitez76, Reptar7, screamingllama135, Shootist2600, Silvershine08, The Fox (2), The Game Store Guy (4), Titus212, TOGNick, Undertaker Adrian, Vurtax, Wallrunner, wayoverdue (3), xl9, xXBourne07Xx (3), and of course yours truly...Saint.

Video Game Quote of the Week:
"We all make choices, but in the end our choices make us." - Andrew Ryan, Bioshock