The PlayStation 3 may claim to cure cancer with Folding@Home, but can games really make the world a better place?

At this year's TED Conference (Technology, Entertainment, Design), Jane McGoniga gave a presentation on how "gaming can make a better world." While playing games and saving the world at the same time may seem to be a little far-fetched, companies such as Foursquare and Gowalla have seen success in turning the monotony of everyday life into metagames.

Would you prefer a more immersive alternate reality or a more immersive reality?

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You have a flag. Someone else wants that flag. They're coming for it. Are you going to abandon that flag? Hell, no. You're going to guard that thing. This is called camping.

But is camping only as old as online shooters? What if I told you its origins go back further -- back to the golden age of arcades [via Halolz]:

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Editor’s note: Infinity Ward's abandonment of long-cherished PC gaming standards for online multiplayer in Modern Warfare 2 was a real let down. John highlights some of the issues with that decision but also searches for ways in which those changes could lead to new opportunities for games. I still wonder, though, why cross-platform gaming and mod support aren't possible with dedicated servers. -Rob

You’re probably familiar with the outcry against Infinity Ward’s changes to what are still recognized as platform-defining aspects of PC gaming. For me, these changes aren’t even close to an ideal feature set for any multiplayer shooter I’d like to play.

After some thought, though, this shift could prove worthwhile for the industry. I’m certainly not going to come out and say that those like me, who grew up with competitive-PC gaming, should willingly give up expected functionality when we buy a fully priced product.

But sometimes changing key things can open ground for innovation or -- at the very least -- breed the thinking process necessary to push not only community but industry standards far beyond what we as consumers assume.

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Papercraft fanatics can do just about anything with their medium. While most projects tend to revolve around blocky, super-deformed, video-game characters, sometimes the crafting obsession meets the keen eye of a sculptor and yields something almost indescribably brilliant. Look at this Game Boy [via Behance]:

My brain is having a difficult time accepting that this is made from paper. Sure, once you look at it for a while you can make out the texture and skillful paper layering, but it is still quite impressive. The back has a meticulously crafted slot that  allows you to insert paper cartridges.

You can find a classic gray version, a couple of cartridges, and tons of folded and pre-folded pictures at Behance. 

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What a gamer sees in a game doesn't always jive with what the developer intended. That's not necessarily a bad thing -- as long as the gamer likes what he ends up with, of course.

We recently saw a demo of Hunted: The Demon's Forge, a third-person...well...on the product sheet, publisher Bethesda is calling it a third-person co-op action game for the 360, PS3, and PC -- that much we can all agree on. But it's when the developers at inXile Entertainment start describing their baby that we start seeing things differently.

Before the demo started, they summoned a few great names in dungeon-crawling gaming to set things up for the audience: Baldur's Gate, The Bard's Tale...even Dragon Age: Origins. But we saw something decidedly different in Hunted....

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Anyone who follows our weekly head-scratcher Guess Who knows we didn't run one last week. Unless you don't follow Guess Who, that is. If so, why are you reading this? Idiot. But for those of you who do follow my little game, you're smart. Really smart. Well, only if you're able to guess this week's mystery game character based on their five seemingly random clues. Otherwise you're just a really nice nincompoop.

Guess Who

1. What's this? Someone else looks like me? Um, not fair!

2. I've been called a cross-dresser, which is ridiculous -- I'm not religious at all!

3. Not to brag or anything, but ladies are dying to meet me.

4. If you hate me, all I have to say is this: "Listen, buster -- cut the crap!"

5. My archenemy compensates for short-sided ways. It's embarrassing, really.

Who am I?

Continue after the break to find out.

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Over the course of development, designers and animators toss a lot of ideas around. It's a healthy way to produce interesting concepts and potential features. Unfortunately, some characters and enemies don't make it through these brainstorming sessions. Although these characters may never appear in the game, some developers believe they deserve a bit of exposure.

So in the spirit of transparency, 2K Marin and Irrational Games share some concept art of the rejected and discarded enemies of BioShock 2.

One look at these grotesque, deformed things should answer any questions regarding their viability as enemies. I mean, Yam Hand? Seriously, how could he ever stand up to a Big Daddy? Who knows, maybe that oversized vegetable at the end of his arm could do some damage.

But you know who is cool? Jelly Man! He's one dude you wouldn't want to run into at night or in a dark alley.

Be sure to check out all of the rejected concept art at Irrational's homepage. You never know -- these enemies may appear in BioShock 3: Revenge of Yam Hand!

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If a manager instructed me to complete a project by "crafting items," I'd back away slowly and call Human Resources.

News Blips:

A university professor believes that translating elements of video game culture into the contemporary workforce serves as an essential form of motivation. By establishing a clear victory condition and an incremental reward system similar to those found in video games -- such as utilizing a World of Warcraft-esque progression style for academic studies -- those workers of the "gamer generation" would be able to easily apply techniques learned from video games. "It will be up to management, often of pre-gamer generations, to figure out how to educate themselves to the gamer culture, and how to speak to it most effectively," said the professor. I wonder what business trips would be called. "Raids"? [ITNews]

Joystiq reports that Microsoft is planning to add USB storage support to the Xbox 360. According to documents received by the website, a Spring 2010 system update will bestow consumers with the capability of storing Xbox Live Arcade and Indie games, Games on Demand, DLC, title updates, and even disc-based games. However, you'll only be able to use 16GB of the free space on your storage device. Way to go, Microsoft: You've caught up to modern times -- sort of!

Google, Intel, and Sony have combined resources to create an ambitious multimedia platform called GoogleTV. Google hopes to establish a niche within the television market by giving consumers easy access to the Internet and applications through the Android-powered GoogleTV. The project includes an entirely new generation of televisions and set-top boxes provided by Sony. How long will it be until we see useless Twitter updates like this: "Hi, everyone! I'm typing this from my TV right now." [NY Times]

An enigmatic website given to players who earn the platinum trophy in God of War 3 hints to yet another addition to the series. Loading up the website doesn't reveal much, apart from a raging thunderstorm and a peculiar symbol reminiscent of a Spartan shield. Speculation so far has suggested a handheld release or the possibility of co-op support. Whatever it is, I want it have a loud-mouthed Spartan yelling about madness and dining in hell. [GamersMint]

Got any hot news tips? Send 'em over to tips@bitmob.com.

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At an appointment to see Obsidian's espionage-themed RPG Alpha Protocol at GDC, the producers kept coming back to the three B's: Bond, Bourne, and Bauer. Each super spy practices his own particular form of espionage, and the producers stressed that in Alpha Protocol, you can cater your experience to become just like any one of them.

To demonstrate, they showed me a scene from the game played out in two very different ways based the choices you've made -- and the choices you make as the scene unfolds:

The Bond Way

You find the door to your apartment ajar; suspicious, you enter with your gun drawn. As you peek into the bedroom, you find a female acquaintance asleep on the bed. You lower your gun and pause for a moment, admiring the graceful arc of her legs extending from the hem of her short skirt. She stirs, and you sit on the bed next to her. She says she tried to wait up for you but sleep surprised her.

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The Bitmob Mailbag is back and ready for your questions. If you want to be a part of the fun, submit a query to Letters@Bitmob.com subject: “Mailbag” and you just might get your question answered. There’s even a small chance it will be answered correctly! 

Hey Bitmob,

I thought you guys might get a kick out of the Castle Crashers animal orb coasters my girlfriend and I made. Check 'em out:

Pictures of the individual coasters are located here.

Thanks!
 - Alex

Aaron: I played about ten minutes of Castle Crashers and thought it was pretty dumb. However, I don’t find those coasters to be dumb at all -- they’re really cool! I think I like the angry-looking Cardinal the best, but the Troll is pretty awesome as well. Thanks for sharing, Alex!

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I was overjoyed when I learned that Red Dead Redemption will feature cattle herding. Then I promptly dropped another coin into my "phrases that cause face-palms" money jar.

Video Blips:

• The spaghetti-Western vibe runs strong in this featurette for Red Dead Redemption. Perhaps the next game won't include the standard grizzled loner protagonist with only a gun and a horse to keep him company. [GameTrailers]

Continue after the break for the opening cut-scene to Lego Harry Potter, some gravity-defying chaos in the Just Cause 2 launch trailer, and a commercial for the PlayStation Move that would make Doc Brown proud.

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Editor's note: Brian's choices in this second edition of the Ultimate JRPG Buyers' Guide for RPG Haters show that Japanse role-playing games are more than just grindy dungeon crawls. Never judge a genre by its stereotype. -Jason

One day isn't a long time, so unless you're one of my robot employees, you probably haven't had the chance to complete any of the JRPGs I suggested in the first portion of my Ultimate JRPG Buyers' Guide For RPG Haters. Even if you were able to devote a few hours of your day to Super Mario RPG, Mother 3, or Terranigma, perhaps you weren't as enthralled by those titles as I was.

Fortunately for those of you I've failed, I'm here with another round of unique JRPGs that may temporarily distract you from the antics of Marcus Fenix and Dom.

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Heavy Rain made quite a splash when it appeared last month. But what if you don't have a PlayStation 3? How are you going to experience the future of video games? Luckily for you, someone has captured the essence of Heavy Rain in a Flash game: Press X To Jason.

Stay tuned after the jump for further Heavy Rain parody, this time via X-Play....

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Editor's Note: I personally get a lot of enjoyment out of glitches in games, so long as they don't impede my progress. I've also been known to take advantage of bugs, but only in a single-player environment. Cameron makes a good point here -- sometimes bugs are just fun. - Jay

Most gamers and programmers see bugs as flaws that should never be present in a finished game. At best, we see them as breaking immersion -- taking the player out of the experience, even if only for a moment. At worst, they can completely sabotage the gaming experience by causing crashes or otherwise impeding progress. However, game developers are somewhat unique in their drive to eradicate all accidents from their work. It's time for that to change. Developers need to learn what artists and craftspeople have long known: mistakes can turn out to be an integral part of a finished work.

This is a subject I've wanted to write about for a while, and episode 45 of the Mobcast finally pushed me to do so. About an hour into the episode, during a discussion of the differences between Japanese and western developers, Mark MacDonald explains that Japanese developers typically put a far higher premium on fixing every programming glitch. As an example, he points out that no Japanese studio would ever let a game as buggy as Fallout 3 out the door. I say, "so much the worse for Japanese developers." Fallout 3 is one of the best arguments for why developers need to cultivate a sense of when to own their bugs rather than rushing to patch them.

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I don't know about you, but St. Patrick's Day knocked me on my ass. I heard somewhere that the best hangover cure is to just keep on drinking.... That advice might have come from an alcoholic gamer forcing his way through Final Fantasy 8, but I think he's onto something. 

The Drunken Moogle specializes in all things alcohol and video game related. So if you're looking for that perfect cocktail to help you forget about all the green beer and bad decisions from the night before, here's my current favorite recipe.

 Ingredients:

1/2 shot of Goldschlager Cinnamon Schnapps Liqueur
1/2 shot of Wild Turkey’s American Honey
1 Can of Ginger Ale

Directions: Shake the American Honey and Goldschlager and pour into an Irish coffee glass.  Add the ginger ale until the glass is full and then stir to mix up the gold particles. 

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It’s Saint Patrick’s Day, fyi, and all across the United States people are using the vaguest amount of Irish heritage to excuse their drunken and disorderly behavior. I remain sober and dedicated to you all as I assemble this very special green edition of the Community Spotlight.

Michael Rousseau starts with an atypical look at the fury of Street Fighter fans over Super Street Fighter 4 – a screenplay revolving around pants. Alex Hann is next with his stance that the soundtrack to a game is probably the most important part of the playing experience.

Jon Porter considers Yoshi’s Island, looking beyond the charming exterior and simplistic-yet-engaging gameplay to find the horrors of thinking too deeply about supposedly whimsical characters. Jose De Jesus spent a lot of time rummaging through the seemingly endless supply of fan-made, fake-video-game movie trailers, and narrowed his list down to his five personal favorites.

Finally, Michael Edwards traces the origin of interactive films back to Dragon’s Lair and shows how Heavy Rain might be the first to really get this type of gameplay right.

Jean Fighter: A Short Screenplay
By Michael Rousseau
Rather than address the anger of Street Fighter fans over the minor changes coming in Super Street Fighter 4 in a typically analytical way, Michael puts his creativity to good use to deliver a screenplay instead. Although brief, he humorously hits the root of the matter via the medium of comfortable clothing.

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Editor's note: Let's hear it for -- no, let's drink to -- timeliness! -Demian

Saint Patrick's Day is a holiday that calls for debauchery. Whether it be car bombs, drinking until you can’t feel feelings, or getting into rowdy ruckuses with guys who wear way too much green, the Irish stereotype calls for much celebration. While too much celebration may give the law a reason to lock you in the hold, there’s certainly no reason not to imbibe a bit of the spirit and allow these Irish video game characters to help you tip your hat to the holiday (c'mon, you try and make that segue):

Atlas (Bioshock)

I hope I don’t have to throw a spoiler warning on a game that came out almost three years ago, but, if for some reason you haven’t played it yet, go ahead and skip over this character, as it involves a pretty huge spoiler for the game.

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It's no secret -- DICE and Infinity Ward share an amiable rivalry. After all, the two companies are responsible for some of the most successful infantry-combat simulators on the planet. But when DICE dropped a new promotional video for Bad Company 2, their simple rivalry devolved into adolescent name-calling.

Before you check out the video below, watch Modern Warfare 2's original PSA here. In case you're still confused, allow me to clear the air after the jump. 

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If only there was a way to print those digital Final Fantasy 13 pictures, then you could make your own physical art book for under 10 bucks! 

News Blips:

Square Enix releases the Final Fantasy 13 Larger-Than-Life Gallery, a digital art book, for the iPhone/iPod touch. The app features high-resolution images of the FF13 world, a clock and calendar function, and costs $8.99. I'm left a bit confused how something on the pocket-sized iPhone could be considered "larger than life" -- whose life? 

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I recently hit a bug in God of War 3 that forced me to start the game over entirely from scratch. I reached a section in Hades where I'm supposed to fight two giant hellhounds. That sequence never triggered, so I couldn't continue any further. This may be an isolated situation (no one else I know ran into this problem) but lesson learned: Keep multiple save files.

Even though I lost a few hours of progress, I didn't exactly mind because -- holy crap -- the first 20 minutes of GOW3 are beyond epic. I felt like I was going up against the final boss, not playing through an introductory chapter.

Check it out for yourself, courtesy of our video partners over at Frame Rated:

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