Blog Herding – The Best Blogs Of The Community (April 20, 2017)

Blog Herding is lighter than usual week this week, but we make up for quantity with quality – and a new writing challenge. So what are you waiting for? Get reading!

Community Blogs For April 13 – April 19:

The End
Brendon Curzio goes for nostalgia with this one. Here he recounts moments he's had with "Souls-type" games. Ones like Kings Field, and of course Demon's Soul and Dark Souls. Part of the piece talks about how games can kind of sneak up on you. This entire series, and the sub-genre it has hatched, has been a revelation. Even if I wasn't a fan until Nioh.

Pay Day 2 is an Uncomfortable Experience
When it comes to violence, Zack Burrows has experienced a lot in video games. We all have. But one game in particular has really not sat well with Zack. One thing that really didn't feel good was the fact that there is a button you can push to yell and threaten hostages. As far as violence goes, I had a rough time seeing the ways I could die in The Last of Us.

A Growing Gamer: Of Willingness And Determination
GerardoExber poses a question: If someone does one thing a lot, do they eventually get better at it? Our blogger seems to believe that working through his backlog has upped his gaming chops. It makes sense, though I swear the more I play Star Wars: Battlefront online, the more I stay quite average.

The Games We Should've Had: Robotech/Macross
While we have had Robotech games, Marco Polo is correct in explaining that they probably could be quite a bit better. I mean, you have a show starring mechs and a whole host of action. What could go wrong? As mentioned, Zone of the Enders probably could provide a reference point for a truly great Robotech game. I think we should have had more Cowboy Bebop games. Or at least some localized for our shores.

My Favorite Soundtracks to Study To
Haley Shipley is nearly done with college. To get through the last weeks of studying, she is listening to video game soundtracks. And what an eclectic mix of music she listens to! From Majora's Mask to Flower, Shipley has a jam for each class. I am partial to anime soundtracks. Give me Mononoke Hime music performed via orchestra live and I can write any paper, freelance piece, etc. 

Community Reviews:

Review: Night In The Woods
Boo began his hike into Night In The Woods after hearing good things about the game. And so far the weirdness, deep story, and "fantastic" writing has really hooked Boo. However, the platforming could be done away with. In spite of minor issues, Boo gives it a fantastic 9 out of 10. 

Writing Challenge:

Kyle Hilliard posed a question this week: Do you mind playing big games back to back? Instead of comments, I thought this would make for good blogging. For me, I typically break up "big" games – I imagine triple-A jaunts like Zelda and Horizon – with online games I play with friends. Things like Monster Hunter and Star Wars: Battlefront. I also like to play Pro Evolution Soccer. What about you?

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.