Blog Herding – The Best Blogs Of The Community (April 13, 2017)

As I sit here putting together Blog Herding, all I can think is how great this community is when writing about a diverse range of topics. Thanks again, bloggers, for another great week of reads!

Community Blogs For April 6 – April 12:

Heropon's Top 30 Video Game Songs
I still hum tunes from the very first Super Mario game, so I love seeing a list of the best game songs by Heropon. While the writer does have to do away with Final Fantasy songs, I wish they had been included. What are some of your favorite video game tunes? I still jam out to a bunch of OSTs.

Everything Wrong with Horizon Zero Dawn
Horizon has gotten heaps of glowing praise from many gamers, but StarterPack isn't one of them. While he admits the gameplay is mostly fun (if a bit too Tomb Raider-ish), other problems stand out as less forgiving.

The Adventures Of A Gamer Teacher: That Which Unite Us
GerardoExber explains what it is like to be a "video game teacher" via another poem. Check it out!

Where Should The Batman Series Go Next?
Whirz ponders where the Batman: Arkham series is going next. It's a good question. I love that Whirz brings up Scott Snyder's iconic Court of Owls as a possible villain. I don't need to see Joker over and over and over again. But a psychological thriller with the Owls? Sign me up.

Writing Challenge Responses:

CWC: The Different Uses of History in Gaming
Brendon Curzio confesses that history isn't his expertise, but this gamer definitely loves it when it is done well in games. He breaks down the blog by games based on actual history, alternate history (my favorite!), and lore-heavy games that create their own, believable history.

Community Writing Challenge: A Lesser Known History Lesson
Zack Burrows chose to write about Valiant Hearts: The Great War for this week's challenge. What sets this game apart is its focus on people, not shooting, and that its setting is World War I – an insanely significant war, especially in America's history and development – instead of the more commonly used World War II. I mean, it's a war where you can find photos depicting soldiers on horses while an early plane prototype flies overhead. Not only is it fun to play, but you will learn some facts about the war.

CWC: Talk about history in games
Cyndaquill writes us a listicle containing some of the most popular games based on history – and most popular, period. Series like Call of Duty and Battlefield, but also Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice. World at War is our blogger's favorite game set during World War II, and I have to agree that the game was both grueling and enlightening.

Community Writing Challenge: Games as Historical Fiction
Haley Shipley's blog is very similar to a paper she wrote her senior year of college, which is super cool (good job on passing!). Basically, she studied and wrote about what first-person shooters mean in American culture. It was a fun topic for her to pursue in college, and what she shares with us also is very interesting to read.

Writing Challenge:

Nothing this week!

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.