The output of the Game Informer blogging community dipped slightly this week but that doesn't mean there aren't still some great posts to read, including a few of the best provided below.

Blog Herding Stats:

Period Reviewed: January 30 – February 05, 2012
Number of User Blogs: 65
Number of User Bloggers: 53
Number of User Blogs Herded: 9

Community Blogs:

What Makes Us Special?
Continuing the ongoing debate of purchasing video games new or old, we get to hear from a voice who works in the industry as Sheriff Warbuff shares his thoughts on the often controversial subject.

Why Free-To-Play Is Genius
A number of members in the community are debating purchasing new or old video games, but Jack, The Quixotic Gamer switches gears and talks about why the free-to-play business model is a smart choice.

Beginning The Adventure Again
If you're one of those gamers like Di5a5terp13ce who plays through video games multiple times, then you might enjoy his blog discussing the benefit of using the "New Game Plus" option.

Top 10 Sidekicks
As far as top ten lists go, top ten sidekicks isn't a totally original list, but that doesn't stop thegodofwine7 from sharing his version with some characters you're probably not expecting to make the cut.

The Lure Of The Dark Side
With the official release of The Darkness II listed as February 07, 2012, Shootist2600 plays the demo and shares his thoughts, which could influence your decision to purchase the game or not.

The Witcher 2 Is The Best Game No One's Heard About
One great thing about being part of a video game community is you can hear about good games (or bad) without ever playing them. Doctor Apozem shares his thoughts on The Witcher 2, a somewhat obscure game developed by CD Projekt RED.

Community Question Of The Month
This collaborative blog between the Game Informer community and JC has everyone pick their personal Game of the Year for 2011 in a piece that has been rather popular and well received.

Where Has Sociability And Locally Cooperatively Gameplay Gone?
The power of the Internet has revolutionized how we play video games with one another but some gamers like luciablee miss the good ole days where co-op meant physically sitting side by side.

The New Design Of Difficulty
The discussion of video game difficulty levels is nothing new, but o_JMan240_o questions whether traditional methods are sufficient or if it's time for a fresh approach to implementing difficulty level.

Community Reviews:

User Review Herding – 02/04/12
Samurai Zero returns with another collection of user reviews submitted over the past week including ones for Final Fantasy XIII-2, Super Mario 3D Land, Metro 2033, Assassin's Creed Revelations, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Pokemon Rumble Blast, and Saints Row 2.

VVVVVV
A simple and straightforward review of an atypical game you may or may not have heard of, JohnWrek provides his thoughts on the offbeat titled game, VVVVVV, a game he awards an 8 out of 10.

Community Podcasts:

The Indie & Mojo Show Episode 23
Indiejones and Mojomonkey12 welcome Game Informer regular Noobtubin8er to the show as the group discuss used games, online passes, and the most anticipated games of 2012, including Kingdoms of Amalur.

The 4th Floor Season 2 Episode 2
The regular hosts of The 4th Floor welcome Game Informer regular Mray901 to the show as they discuss everything from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic to time travel in movies, television, and video games.

Robot In The Corner Podcast: Episode 2-18
In the latest episode of the RITC podcast, Dean shares some of the new features in the upcoming SSX, Titus shares some enticing Blu Ray deals, and the group discusses the recent rumors about the next generation consoles from Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo.

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 (01/30/12 - 02/05/12):
agentmaine; aidanrinku; Aiden118; Aless Ale; Anticitizen-One; AVENGERLDZ; blkwolf999; born4this; Darth Kill; Derreck (2); Destructur25; Di5a5terp13ce; Doctor Apozem (2); GoldvsSilver; indiejones; Jack (2); Jack, The Quixotic Gamer; JC; jordanthegamer; kebebasan; kittenkill; luciablee; Magnus the Historian; Marco Polo; markus1142 (2); Matt The Hedgehog; Matt-boy; Mike; Myles Cadle; Nintendo Fan; Noe Ramirez; o_JMan240_o; Oni no Tenshi; Phlakes (2); PonstoryGames; PRjumpman124; rekoin (3); Reptar7; SamuraiZero; Sheriff Warbuff; Shootist2600; Still_Insane22; The Handheld Tank; The Legendary Ewok King; The Monster Hunter; The Trombogon; TheBen (2); thegodofwine7; Thejourneyman66; TOGNick; wayoverdue (4); YepImAPersonWaving; and of course yours truly...Saint.

Video Game Quote of the Week:
"I doubt that's one of your vital organs! Walk it off, Tough Guy." – Daxter, Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy