Before you check out the latest collection of video game blogs, take a moment to consider that on this day back in 1985 Nintendo released the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in the United States for the retail price of $125. Hail to the king.

Blog Herding Stats:

Period Reviewed: October 08 – October 14, 2012
Number of User Blogs: 138
Number of User Bloggers: 81
Number of User Blogs Herded: 11

Community Events:

THE Raffle Blog For Team GIO
The Extra Life 24 hour video game marathon is this weekend and if you're reading this and haven't donated yet but want to, it isn't too late. Sign up and be entered in the raffle to win cool prizes.

Community Blogs:

What The Heck Is Retro Studio's Next Game?
The release of the Wii U is looming and The Invertroid wonders what Nintendo developer Retro Studios might be creating next, including the probability of what they might be working on.

My First Foreign Game: "Uncharted 2: Il Covo Dei Ladri"
A unique blog from our unofficial foreign correspondent, community member Glasses. Currently residing in Switzerland, Glasses decided to play Uncharted: The Cave of Thieves and share the experience.

In Dishonored, Heads Will Roll
Greek poet Euripides is quoted saying, "Ten soldiers wisely led will beat a hundred without a head." Kyle Wadsworth takes this literally on his playthrough of Dishonored, as illustrated in this photo blog.

Augmenting The Digital Self In Deus Ex
David Chandler shares a unique perspective on how "video games fit into our ever-changing relationship with technology," and how Deus Ex: Human Revolution is one of the few games that capture this.

X Marks The Spot
The reboot of X-COM descended upon gamers with the shock and awe of an alien invasion, but if you're undecided as whether to play it, perhaps this short blog from markus1142 will help you decide.

Carrying Over
It's impossible to agree on what has been the most influential innovation experienced in this generation of gaming, but thegodofwine7 thinks importing your progress into sequels ranks up there.

The Beautiful Music Behind...First Person Shooters
Gone are the days of in-game audio and music using 16 bit MIDI files; modern era games often boast CD quality soundtracks produced by actual musicians, and DrJoeystein presents some of the best.

Fistful Of Lunacy
The wildly popular Borderlands 2 remains a common discussion topic. This blog by Hannibal focuses on the sheer number of weapons made available in the game and the amount of destruction they deal.

Mine-Shafted: Creative Mode
Another gamer falls victim to Minecraft and now that he's hooked, footthumb wonders why the console version doesn't have creative mode, which was just implemented early this week.

How To Make Maya A Hellacious Healer
Joseph Breen posts a popular blog that even managed to capture the attention of one of the staff members, whereby he outlines his strategy to make a dominating healer in Borderlands 2.

Sound Shapes Is Music To My Ears
Many gamers including Daniel Jones share an equal interest in music, so what better way to enjoy the two hobbies than by marrying them in video game that incorporates some of your favorite songs?

Community Reviews:

Looney Tunes: Reloaded – (Video Review)
Don't be deceived by the title, this is actually one of the best reviews produced by Craigaleg for the very popular and recently released  Borderlands 2, a game some say is a candidate for Game of the Year.

Dishonored: Stealth Done Right
Responding to Game Informer's review for Dishonored, footthumb concedes the points made by Joe Juba, but thinks if you're a fan of stealth games, the minor grievances are irrelevant.

Review – Darksiders II (PS3)
Over the course of the week BLiNDFATES posted quite a few exceptional reviews, like this one for Darksiders II, the hack-and-slash adventure game from THQ released back in August of this year.

For Whom The Bell Tolls
Telltale Games is on to something with their episodic point-and-click adventure games based on the Walking Dead series, and this concise review from WF1 takes a look at the newly released episode four.

Be Prepared To Lose...And Lose...And Lose
JaKudz92 discusses his frustration (and enjoyment) with FTL: Faster Than Light, a game the developer describes as a roguelike, real-time spaceship simulator sure to test your skill (and patience).

Community Podcasts:

The JACKED UP Indie And Mojo Show Episodes 47 & 48
If you're a fan of The JACKED Up Indie and Mojo show, it's your lucky day, as the team posts not one but two episodes of the show, including one that features special guest and GIO community member Hist.

Robot In The Corner Podcast: Episode 3-1
Did the hosts of Robot in the Corner really kick off Season 3 singing their rendition of Fat Bottom Girls by Queen? They did indeed. Listen in as they discuss (and sing about) Borderlands 2.

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 (10/08/12 – 10/14/12):
ace13; Alex Beyer; AlexChase (4); Andrew Marcos; Apricot; blaxarbush911; born4this; Cameron Koch; CheeseballPwn; Coachscorner00; cybertronian assassin (2); dadarkheart; Daniel Jones (7); Darth-Carbonite; David Chandler; David Python; Di5a5terp13ce; DJH (3); Doctor Apozem; DrJoeystein; DrPool; Drym Shyuan; Enigma; FAMESREVENGE; footthumb; Frosty; Geno; Ghost; Glasses; GoldvsSilver; Hannibal; Harry; Hobo Baggins; Jack Gardner; JakeAuditore; Joe Fathead; Jolt the Cynic (2); Jonathan Harrison; jordanthegamer (4); Joseph Breen; Joyful Penguin; Kinsey; Kyle Wadsworth; LionheartAce; lotrgeek (14); Louis Marcos; Luis E. Morales Falcon; markus1142 (5); Master of Unlocking; Matt. Yeah, That One.; MeetMyBlade; Meta77; MikComposer; Mike (2); MintyClinty700; Monty1408; Neil Hackel; Noobtubin8er; playerofgames11; Proprietary-Windmill (4); RezidentHazard (rides again) (2); RFXRage (2); Roxas; Seamoni; shadowBack; Specter (2); The Invertroid; thegodofwine7; Theora Craft; Tim Gruver (2); Timothy Repasky; TOGNick; Vogon5; wayoverdue (7); xking595x (2); xl9 (7); XSpectreGreyX; xTheCrowing (2); xXBourne07Xx (2); ynoT0312Taz; and of course yours truly...Saint.

Video Game Quote of the Week:
"Two possibilities exist: Either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying." – Arthur C. Clarke, XCOM: Enemy Unknown