Blog Herding – The Best Blogs Of The Community (May 4, 2017)

I'm surprised to see all the game of the year talk this early in the year, but it is a testament to the quality of games we've seen released before the summer. Overall, this is a great week of blogs, and there is something for everyone!

Community Blogs For April 28 – May 3:

A Return to Form? Or Just Another CoD? What's the Difference?
Brendon Curzio starts out writing about how everyone reacted more favorably to the reveal of Call of Duty: WII than other recent entries. But he finishes the blog by saying it has been the same game for 10 years. I disagree, and loved the space-age theme of the previous game, but I get what he's saying: The gameplay typically stays largely the same. For me, however, it's the tiny tweaks and bombastic set pieces that make the games great.

When Games Connect With Us
GerardoExber goes through a tiny list of games to write about how he has connected with them. From personality to how a character walks in Persona 4, Gerardo finds plenty of ways to connect with games. I am not sure I have connected with a character too much, but I can relate to a Pro Evolution Soccer player fluffing his lines (that's soccer speak for messing up a shot).

Everything Wrong with Fallout Shelter
Remember Fallout Shelter? Yeah, it has probably been a while since you obsessed over it. StarterPack is here to tell us why the game fails, especially with having to pay attention to it so much. I thought it was fun for a bit, but it wasn't something I needed taking space up on my iPhone.

Why Resident Evil 7 Deserves Game of the Year For 2017
Arguing for Resident Evil 7 as this year's best game would be tough, but doable, and boxcar182 explains his points well. We've seen a ton of good games this year, from Breath of the Wild's open fields to a new Yakuza tale, to Horizon Zero Dawn's mechanized critters to the storytelling heights of What Remains of Edith Finch – it's been quit a year. But you would be remiss to discount Capcom's fantastic reimagining of its storied franchise.

Gaming trends that should go away
Aaron Bivens is a mobile gamer who is sick of daily bonuses and waiting for turns to recharge. Me too. I quit a lot of promising iPhone games due to these gameplay designs. I know why developers do it, but it makes gaming a chore.

One Man's Thoughts: Persona 5
Attackcobra is also blogging about another game-of-the-year contender. The blogger writes, "Persona 5 retains almost everything I loved about the past entries in the series – likeable characters, interesting story, addicting social sim elements, fun combat"... and the list of things he likes goes on.

Remembering Defiance
An impulse buy is what got Psykologic to pick up this MMO. I remember transcribing a Game Informer interview with one of the developers of this game during my internship, and I was curious what people thought of what sounded like a cool sci-fi romp. Our blogger thought it was a lot of fun, and provided a fascinating world to explore. I always wanted to try it out after listening to that interview, but never got the chance!

"Damsels" of Zelda 101: Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Haley Shipley is back with another edition of her series that dives into the female characters of the Zelda series. She sets her sights on Breath of the Wild this time, dissecting its story and female characters.

Writing Challenge:

So I noticed recently that I mostly like to climb things in Breath of the Wild. Sure, that's a huge part of the game, but sometimes it isn't even to find a shrine, but just to look over the ocean or see if I can make it with the amount of stamina I have. Most of my playtime is just that. Climbing. What are some things you like to do in games that are a part of it, but not really what you're meant to do for hours on end? What kind of fun did you experience doing those things?

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.