Game Informer community – you all came up big with your responses to last week's writing challenge! Not only did you share an eclectic mix of great stories, but every single one of you made me want to get back to my pile of shame. One day I will beat Super Metroid...well, after I pump about 300 hours into Monster Hunter 4, anyway!
We also have a huge number of other great blogs this week, and I hope to see a bunch of quality posts for next week! To help get you all writing some more, check out the new writing challenge below!
Community Blogs For March 23 – March 29:
My E3 2015 Predictions
Blogger BLT owns a lot of remakes for the PlayStation 4 – and
doesn't really enjoy that. This post makes an argument that there isn't a
defining game for the PS4 just yet, and makes some E3 predictions based on what
we've seen and heard from the gaming industry these past couple of months. I
really do hope the first prediction comes true: I absolutely love getting lost
in Bethesda games. Fallout 4, anyone?
Side note: BLT receives bonus points for mentioning Power Stone. Make Power Stone 3
happen, Capcom!
March Game Challenge: Week Four
Rebekah is challenging herself to complete more games, and
Far Cry 4 is her main squeeze right now. She's really digging all of the side
quests and chances to explore off the beaten path, but doesn't love killing
the animals – unless it's an eagle or "demon fish." But really, with a name like "demon fish" we can't really blame her.
First Impressions: Final Fantasy Type-0
I used to be quite the Final Fantasy fan, and just like
TonberryKing128, I was pretty disappointed when Type-O didn't come over to our
shores. Fast-forward years later, and now it's on current-gen systems, and the
TonberryKing has given his first impressions of the game. So far it sounds like
fans of the series should give it a shot – just keep in mind it is a port of an
old PSP game.
Book Report: Reality Is Broken
Rebekah takes time out of her gaming schedule to read a bit. Her
book of choice? Jane McGonigal's Reality
is Broken, a book about how games can really improve one's life. If you'd
like to learn more about the book, give this blog a read. It sounds like a
great reason to put the controller down!
My Feelings Regarding Zelda Wii U's Delay
Writer Timothy Repasky is a little annoyed about Zelda Wii U's delay,
but ultimately believes this will only work in the game's favor. I agree with
him; Nintendo is notorious for delaying games, but it usually means fans of
Super Mario, Link, Zelda, and Kirby get a timeless experience befitting of that
series' legacy. What are your thoughts on the delay?
Games That Remind Me Of Certain Movies/TV Shows
Blogger TidusandYuna1983ZackandAerith (deep breath!), does a
great job of comparing game worlds with popular movie and TV show universes.
While it isn't too hard to find similarities between different entertainment
properties, it's pretty crazy cool how close some of his choices mirror each other.
Making Characters In Pillars Of Eternity
Pillars of Eternity has been touted as one of Obsidian's best
games to date. An area of the game blogger Eric Watson absolutely loves is the
character creation. He's about three hours in... just the character creation
portion of the game. What do the rest of you think of it? The last time I
really invested in making a character's face was when I made my Commander
Shepard look like me. Then Mass Effect 2 didn't import my face correctly and I
stopped working so hard on crafting my likeness on virtual avatars.
Writing Challenge Responses:
Game Shame – Classic Games I've Never Finished
Anime & Game Fan has always wanted to write about his game
shame, and our writing challenge led him to finally complete his blog on that
very topic. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX headlines the incomplete
games, but Borderlands 2 makes the list, along with the very first Metal Gear
Solid. Sometimes it's the time investment preventing completion, and sometimes
the game is just too hard.
The Game I've Never Beat: Resident Evil 2
Boxcar182 takes us back to 1998, a time when Blockbuster and
Hollywood Video both existed. Resident Evil 2 is a certified gaming classic,
but when Boxcar182 first experienced Raccoon City, it was as a bystander. The
zombie terror was just too much for the then 8-year-old gamer – and then the Licker
appeared. That did it for the fledgling gamer, and the game remains on Boxcar's pile
of shame to this day. There's always the Super Replay, mate.
Blog Herding Writing Challenge: A Game Whose Completion
Eludes Me
Rebekah's experience with Dragon's Crown ended at the last
hurdle: the final boss. Up to then it was smooth sailing with minimal deaths.
In fact, the boss made her team "super dead." She uses the word"dead" enough that even Resident Evil zombies are unsure of this
post. I've run into a similar situation with the final boss in Xbox classic
Otogi: Myth of Demons. I still think about beating that game and its awesome
sequel, but haven't booted up the ol' Xbox in years.
The Game I Never Finished: Mass Effect
BioWare's Mass Effect series is made up of a trio of awesome
sci-fi games, possibly the best ever made. And blogger Irwin529 still hasn't
beaten the first one. This is partly due to getting lost in the main hub, the
Citadel, as well as being unable to navigate missions using the Mako vehicle. Those
two walls, along with the huge scope of the game, meant no more than six hours
were played. But he still loves the series!
Chrono Trigger – The Best Game I Never Finished
Chrono Trigger might be
the best role-playing game ever made. So when Adam Kaye says he hasn't
finished it, my heart breaks a little. He's made it all the way to the final
boss, and even though he never beat that blasted goon, it's still his favorite
game.
My Regret Of Quitting The Wind Waker
Zelda games always prove divisive among fans – possibly none
more than the GameCube's Wind Waker. Blogger cerpintaxman said it was laziness
that kept him from beating Wind Waker; he saw how much time his siblings
invested in the game and it scared him away. It took me a while to beat Wind
Waker when it was first released (I have an obsession with boats and
exploration, and am always wishing for more pirate games), but it was well
worth it!
Community Writing Challenge: The Game I Never Finished –
Final Fantasy VII
GerardoExbert(#gamerbyheart) has never beaten Final Fantasy VII.
He's tried, but it's proven to be a little too difficult. He's making one last
attempt to beat it, and if he doesn't, at least the game left a big enough
impression on him to write up a little poem.
Community Reviews:
Bloodborne Review: Grab A Glass Because There's Going To Be
A Flood
Bloodborne is all the rage right now, and blogger Enuo gives us
a review explaining just why everyone is having so much fun with it (and why
everyone is dying a bunch). He gives the game a perfect score, and while I've
always been a bit underwhelmed with Demon's Souls and Dark Souls, I'm looking
forward to giving the latest From Software title a go. And if you haven't, give
their Xbox title, Otogi, a try. Pure gaming gold rife with Japanese demons and
lore.
Community Writing Challenge:
This week I want everyone to write about wondrous worlds. What gaming worlds do you think are the most awe-inspiring, fantastic, or plain-old interesting? Baten Kaitos features a city made of clay; Skies of Arcadia is an absolutely beautiful interpretation of a world brimming with flying pirate ships; and Shadow Hearts has always been fascinating to me thanks to the alternate history, demons, magic, and a wolf with Solid Snake-sneaking skills. Please share yours with the community!
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.