Blog Herding – The Best Blogs Of The Community (July 9, 2015)

It's time for Blog Herding again, and this week's collection of blogs centered on Batman, Morrowind, and Final Fantasy doesn't disappoint. Give them a read, comment, and enjoy!

Community Blogs For July 2 – July 8:

Why I Am Worried About Mighty No. 9 And Red Ash
Jon_G is unsure of developer Keiji Inafune's ability to deliver on so many projects. While the man knows his Mega Man games, and these are clearly inspired by the 2D Blue Bomber titles as well as the fantastic Mega Man Legends, it just seems like too much too soon.

Better with Age: Morrowind
Gamemaniac3434 starts off his blog with how bad this iteration of the Elder Scrolls can be. But he does eventually get to the good stuff, including the diverse creatures, biomes, and a world that begs to be explored. All I remember is making some folks mad when I accidentally stole an item and getting run out of town constantly.

How Crowdfunding Is Changing the Way We Pre-order Games
Crowdfunding has Adam Kaye musing on how we pre-order games today. He writes that Kickstarter is essentially the same as pre-ordering games for an exclusive bonus. It may be a sign of things to come in an ever-evolving industry.

How Final Fantasy VII Remake Should Be Handled
Square's remake has a lot of expectations from a huge amount of fans, and Jon_G is one of them. He dives into everything from the battle system to world map, and even story changes. And though story changes will prove divisive, the game deserves a proper localization this time. 

Guess that Game (July 2015)...
Firedude3663 is back with another guessing-game challenge. It's a little late this week, but we'll forgive our blogger, for he was playing Terraria's new update.

Silent Hill Does Sewers Best
For being such a creative field, video games tend to take us to a lot of sewers, and that bothers Psykologic. You see, he finds them boring. However, one game does them just right: Silent Hill. Our blogger has no qualms about trekking through the horror title's poop-filled waters. 

Is Nintendo Too Big To Fail?
Marco Polo gives us an insightful look into what Nintendo needs to do to keep fans happy. And while the Big N has a ton of money that allows it to make mistakes, he isn't sure the creator of Mario can afford too many more. Then again, Nintendo could always just produce more amiibos and make bank.

Arkham Knight's Plot Disappointed Me *Spoilers*
Attackcobra didn't enjoy the latest Batman game's plot that much. I've yet to beat it, but I definitely don't think any of the games hold a candle to what we find in Batman comics (though that's a much larger pool to choose from with some terrible Batman tales as well). I'd actually like a game based on Scott Snyder's current Batman run. The entire thing.

Writing Challenge Responses:

Community Writing Challenge: A Day in Amalur
Sam_Lincoln admits that this writing challenge was difficult – there are just so many neat places to visit in video games – but he eventually settled on the world of Kingdoms of Amalur. Listening to Lorestones is what seals the deal, and Sam would love to don actual mage robes, sit on a beach, and do just that.

Community Reviews:

Batman: Arkham Knight Review: Beware the Batmobile
Blogger Refle gives his two cents on the latest Batman game, and finds the Dark Knight's adventure to be fantastic. How good? Year One good. The Batmobile? More akin to The Dark Knight Strikes Again: Quite average and a bit infuriating considering the potential.

Community Writing Challenge:

Licensed games get a bad rap. Sometimes that's appropriate, but some can be great fun. What I want to know is what IP you'd like to see turned into a video game, or what properties deserve a better game than they received (I'm looking at you, Avatar: The Last Airbender).

Community Playdate:

I want to change things up this week and find out what you're all playing and when you're available to play. We've had some success with Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate and Super Smash Bros., but I'd like to get more community members gaming! Please let me know what we should play, when, and what would make you more likely to jump online!

I hope you enjoy the blogs! Please contact me via my Game Informer page or on Twitter at @LouisGarcia12 with any blog news or playdate suggestions.