Blog Herding: Community Edition 03/07/13

Stop the presses and bust out the trophies. After 80 consecutive episodes of Blog Herding, this was a record-setting week in terms of blogs featured in this series. 22 different bloggers posted a diverse and entertaining collection of content from the wonderful world of video games. If you can't find at least one blog you like, feel free to turn in your gamer card at the front desk.

Blog Herding Stats:

Period Reviewed: February 25 – March 03, 2013
Number of User Blogs: 115
Number of User Bloggers: 64
Number of User Blogs Herded: 22

Community Events:

In honor of the upcoming Bioshock Infinite, Microsoft is having a free Xbox Live Gold weekend with many games offering special incentives, including Halo 4, Far Cry 3, Borderlands 2, Assassin's Creed III, and an opportunity to play with Rockstar developers. Find the full details here. A special thanks to markus1142 for submitting this information and for coordinating a number of multiplayer skirmishes featuring members from the Game Informer Online community. Contact him if you want to enlist.

Community Blogs:

What Is A Tapir?: The Use Of Game Guides
A clever blog from LetMeGetToACheckpoint comparing and contrasting traditional strategy guides to in-game aids and the kind of information you can learn if you take the time to use this resource.

Dissecting The Straightforward
A somewhat controversial piece by Nikolas Davidoff questioning comments made by one of the creative directors for Dishonored before the conversation escalates into a heated debate via Twitter.

Microtransactions, Accomplishment, And The Future Of Gaming
Whether you agree with Cameron Koch's perspective likening microstransactions to cheating or not, he makes a persuasive argument about how purchasing content can result in unfair advantages.

10 Games That Have Defined This Generation Of Gaming
John Wrek compiles a list of ten influential games he feels defined this generation of gaming, while providing a brief summary of each. Join in the discussion and share your thoughts on the topic.

What Games Sold Me On Consoles
Most of us don't purchase a console just to play one particular game, but as Arnulfo Hermes points out, that doesn't mean there isn't a game or two that can sell us on a system.

Five Highly Accessible Franchises
A strong advocate with a personal connection to accessibility in video games, Josh Straub evaluates five titles that, besides being all-around great games, also demonstrate a user-friendly experience.

Imagining A (Rocksteady) Batman Style TMNT Game
The rumor about a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game being developed by the studio that created the Batman Arkham games has been debunked, but born4this dreams of what could have been.

A Survivor's Take On Tomb Raider And The Controversy That Will Not Die
Perhaps one of the most powerful personal testimonies about the mature content found in the new Tomb Raider game, Theora Craft exposes her thoughts on the reimagined Lara Croft.

The Resident Evil Defense
Fans of the Resident Evil series can be a loyal and devoted bunch, like xking595x, who weighs in on Capcom considering a major reboot of the highly regarded zombie survival horror franchise.

Top Five Characters Nobody Wants To Be
In most of our games we enjoy taking on the lead role as the hero of the game, but as Kflame210 points out in this blog (with very mild spoilers), being the star isn't always all it's cracked up to be.

Five Things The Next Xbox Must Have
After Sony made its PS 4 announcement we knew it wouldn't be long for Microsoft to follow suit. With an announcement on the horizon, thegodofwine7 considers five must-have features for the next Xbox.

Still Not Convinced
General Mills44 contemplates the release of the Wii U, the announcement of the Playstation 4, and the upcoming revelation of the Xbox successor, while admitting he still isn't convinced which system to get.

So You Think Videogames Are Bad?
The allegations that video games cause violence are often absurd, and ADAMMWOOLLEY counters with an admittedly equally absurd argument that Disney's Peter Pan is a far worse influence.

The Broadband War And How It Affects You
Marco Polo considers digital distribution, downloadable content, persistent online connections, and the demand placed on our broadband connections, including how it will only increase in the future.

A Cat-And-Mouse Alternative To Run-And-Gun
Kyle Wadsworth evaluates the differences between the tactical approach found in Sniper Elite V2 and other traditional run-and-gun shooters, with plenty of pics to showcase the action.

I Think Someone Up There Wants Me To Be A Dev
Our resident video game developer in training, Mike shares a brief glimpse into his personal life and the journey he is currently undertaking on his quest to becoming more than just a player of the game.

Innovation, Originality, And Fun
A new generation of consoles is on the brink of being released and much has been said about what new features they might offer. AshaMan3000 wonders if we truly want innovation over a proven design.

Games I Want To See Announced At E3
Is it too early to start speculating about what goodness might be revealed at E3 2013? Not if you're Blade, who mentions a few games he hopes to see announced at the industry's biggest trade show.

Halo 4 Multiplayer Is An Ongoing Love Affair
Halo has created a cult-like following, growing larger with each subsequent release. Vogon5 admits that despite the popularity of Halo 4, his love of the game is bittersweet because of a few flaws in the MP.

Dynamic Content, Nanotechnology, And You
A truly visionary piece by quasiconundrum, musing about the future of gaming once it evolves beyond a physical box residing in your entertainment center and a game confined to design limitations.

Xl9 And Thegodofwine7 Present: Top 10 Co-Op Games
A joint blog between xl9 and thegodofwine7, which discusses their ten favorite games for cooperative gameplay.

Pulling Rank
After conducting exhaustive research into the various branches of service and ranks of several video game personalities both real and virtual, markus1142 compiles the list into a roster of those in uniform.

Community Reviews:

XCOM: Enemy Unknown Review – A Love Letter To Strategy Gamers
Andrew Marcos admits he only occasionally plays strategy games but was smitten by XCOM: Enemy Unknown, naming it one of his favorite titles from 2012 and recommending it to other gamers.

Dismemberment, Now With Friends!
A brief review for a potential Game of the Year winner, Akaroth analyzes Isaac Clarke's latest encounter with the necromorphs in Dead Space 3, while praising the game's weapons and crafting feature.

Marked And Executed
Many have hailed Mark of the Ninja as the new benchmark in the stealth genre and xl9 concurs as he shares a short review of the game, calling it near-perfect and one of the best stealth games ever made.

Import Review: Project X Zone
Project X Zone is an RPG that's already available in Japan and slated for a summer release in the USA. Thanks to our unofficial foreign correspondent, LGAR provides us an early peek of what to expect.

Don't forget to send your feedback, recommendations, and community events in to my personal Game Informer account located here to ensure this feature continues to provide the content you're eager to read.

Happy Blogging!

Your friendly neighborhood blogging community (02/25/13 – 03/03/13):
ADAMMWOOLLEY (2); alex720; Arnulfo Hermes; AshaMan3000 (2); Bizzleboo; bjdbuch; Blade; blaxarbush911 (4); blaze6106; BLiNDFATES (4); born4this; Cameron Koch; Captain Super; Caudex; Coachscorner00; Daniel Jones; Dima (4); DJH (2); DrPool; Enigma; FrankxthexBunny; General Mills44 (7); Ghost; Idostuff; Jack Gardner; Jeremy.JustJeremy; John Wrek (4); Jolt the Cynic; Josh Straub (2); Kflame210; Kyle Wadsworth; LetMeGetToACheckpoint; LGAR; Luis E. Morales Falcon (2); Marco Polo (4); markus1142 (2); maxmaher; Mike; Mr SIye (2); nathan98; Nikolas Davidoff; NinjaPixel; O'Dell Harmon; Odoyel; Paradigmthefallen (3); Psykologic (2); quasiconundrum; RFXRage; sastgamer (2); The Destroyer (7); The Doctor; The Great Cubone (4); thegodofwine7; Theora Craft; TheSniper; Titus212; Vogon5 (2); warlord5531 (2); Warrior; White Angel Dragon (3); xking595x; xl9 (2); Zangmaster (3); and of course yours truly...Saint.

Video Game Archives – Quote of the Week:
"You're never going to completely please everyone, so it's more important to be true to your own vision." – Rhianna Pratchett (lead writer of Mirror's Edge, Tomb Raider)