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Blog Herding – The Best Blogs Of The Community (January 14, 2016)
A lot of returning bloggers are in this edition of Blog Herding, with plenty of newcomers slinging words. Dive in and enjoy.
Community Blogs For January 7 – January 13:
Confession – I Rarely Customize My Character
Craigaleg wants to jump right into a game, not mess around with facial features. I usually only spend about 15 minutes doing this (my Mass Effect 1 character looked damn good before Mass Effect 3 wouldn't let me import it, killing my momentum to recreate my face ever again). Time is also why I stopped customizing Pro Evolution teams with correct names and jerseys. I'd rather just start playing. What about the rest of you?
4 things I Like Seeing In Video Games
GerardoExber writes us a unique list about things he'd like to see more in video games. I really like that he put strong, smart female characters in the number one spot. I love characters like Rey in the latest Star Wars film, and want to see more like her join the gaming realm, though it sounds like Lara Croft is a fantastic character in her latest game.
Overwatch Beta Impressions and Video Feature
Craigaleg pulls double duty this week, setting us up with a nice blog on Overwatch. I don't know much about the game, so if you're in the same boat you'll find what I did: a lot of solid information on how it all works and the large cast of characters.
Most Anticipated games 2016
PeteyG breaks down the games he's most excited for this year. If this list is any indication, we're in for a good year of gaming. What are your anticipated games of the year?
Fire Emblem: Fates and the Future of Player Choice in Nintendo Games
MightyMagikarp dives into how different Fire Emblem Fates is thanks to the fact that it will release in two different versions. What's even more interesting is the choice provided to players, and Mighty isn't afraid to give his two cents on the larger focus on this gameplay aspect. I think it's a good move.
I Would Take Advanced A.I. Over Virtual Reality (for now...)
Marco Polo isn't sold on virtual reality quite yet. What he'd rather see is better A.I. so we don't see soldiers running into walls. I agree with him. I've seen too many soccer players in FIFA not perform a basic run that someone knows how to do in middle school. It can be so much better.
A Thief, a Rogue, and a Scoundrel: Thief, and the Terrible, Awful People I'd Like to See More in Video Games
Blogger Thomas Loughney found out during holiday break that he enjoys being evil in video games. I'm the opposite: In games like Knights of the Old Republic, I refused to gain any Sith points. Ever. Thomas' story about how he was lured to the Dark Side in Thief is a fun read.
Top 10 Games With Great Stories, But Awfully Executed...
StarterPack's list is an interesting one. It doesn't focus so much on stories as it does games that maybe didn't quite work out as well as they could have. Still, there are some great points made for the games included, though I disagree with Wolfenstein's assessment (I love that game).
Community Writing Challenge:
How has gaming changed you? Some of you have written about how it's pulled you from depression and helped teach you English. I want to know how gaming has made you better, helped you, or maybe even drained all of your allowance! We all love this hobby, but it sometimes goes beyond guiding Pac-Man to some dots. Sometimes it changes you in sillier ways (I may run into a problem at work and think, "Oh, I'll just reload an old save point," before calling myself an idiot).
Community Playdate:
I'm currently rethinking how to best get the community gaming together, so expect this feature to come back next week. So far I have heard that the community would be up for playing Destiny, Splatoon, and Rocket League. That's a mighty fine list. Please let me know what other games you'd all play, and what days or time frames work best!
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.
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