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I can hear their pleas at night. More like cries for help, really. They speak through the walls, calling for release. These lost souls came to this vile place with the best of intentions, and now they can only wait. And wait. And wait.

I am, of course, talking about my shamefully unplayed collection of fighting games. What did you think I was talking about? Because I'm not just a player. Oh no, it's far, far worse than that. I'm a collector.

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If you have never played a game in the Final Fantasy series, somehow managing to avoid exposure to Square Enix's behemoth for its long existence, where would you begin if you were interested in checking out the franchise?

This question has been on my mind for the past several weeks as I've put many hours into a game that I like more than I should, Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy. 

Dissidia 012 isn't a game for everybody. It's a game for people who like Final Fantasy. As a devoted fan of the series, I like a lot of things in this little handheld brawler. I like the subtle differences in the way that the different characters play. And I like how the title asks you to play as each of the fighters, forcing you to learn their different styles.

But I also feel alone in my appreciation for Dissidia 012. Most of my friends don't know about Final Fantasy’s fine details. And so, as I have played, I have been mulling over the question of how one might introduce others to this beloved saga.

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I recently read through many of the Resident Evil 6 reviews, so I feel qualified to give you my critique of this blockbuster title. Let me start off by saying that I haven't played the game or the demo. I believe playing it before reviewing it will give me an unfair bias toward the game.

Let's start with Gamespot. They gave the game a 45/100. WOW. These guys are garbage. These guys obviously didn't play the game, either. I mean Game Informer gave RE6 an 88/100. Gamespot said that while the narrative is good, everything else sucks. I honestly don't get why people still go to this publication.

I mean c'mon; the reviewer says that the quick-time events are too long. How is that a bad thing? Quick-time events are soooo much fun. They also said that the game's set pieces are mediocre. I doubt that is true. But let's move on to a much more qualified publication.

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I sat with my hands resting on the keyboard and mouse, mulling over a selection of loot I'd accumulated from my hacking and slashing through the Ghosts of Plunder Cove. Did I want to equip the Hasty Maul, which has a "very slow attack speed" but also a "+7% attack speed"? Doesn't sound so "hasty." How about the Vampiric Lumber Sledge with the ability to steal 6 health on a hit? Or maybe the Paired Battle Axe with a "very fast attack speed" and a "+5% chance to execute"? Execute what? I'm not sure.

It's a quarter to midnight, and I'm nearly through my six-pack of Session lager. I need to get this show on the road. I don't really have a good way of knowing what would be the best weapon to equip, so I settle on Ole's Massive Wrench's 161 damage per second rating and dump everything else off on my pet hawk to sell back at town.

Runic Games' sequel to its premiere action role-playing game is overflowing with swords and shields and hammers and axes and wrenches and all kinds of spoils. I knew this going in. Everyone knew this going in. Many might profess that this is their reason for playing.

But Torchlight II taught me an important lesson: It's not really about the loot.

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I hate many current action games because their controls are often too complicated. I still can't remember all of Bayonetta's moves unless I have an FAQ file on my computer.

But Assassin's Creed made action games fun for me again ... just by simplifying all the controller commands.

Its control scheme might almost be too simple. You get one attack button and one jump button. Holding down the right trigger (on the Xbox 360; R2 on the PlayStation 3) opens up a bunch of other moves, but  I usually only use attack and jump. That's all I need to pull off all the acrobatic moves I want to use..

Expert gamers would say I'm just an amateur who doesn't understand hardcore action. They're wrong. Game developers started making controls too complicated right around the Playstation 2 era -- I don't know why ... maybe to make the action more intense. But whatever the case, you don't need to make things complicated just to make them fun.

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Bully is a game most remembered for the controversy it generated before its release. From initial hysterics claiming that Rockstar was developing a "Columbine simulator" to cries that the game was promoting bullying behaviors (it wasn't) or trivializing them (which was maybe a more legitimate criticism), Bully may have received more attention in the media before its release than after. Once people had a chance to experience the game and evaluate it for what it was, they found a competent translation of the Grand Theft Auto formula in a different aesthetic that was maybe a little rough around the edges. In truth, there wasn't a whole lot about the game that was controversial once people had a chance to play it.

Well, except that you could kiss boys. Some people didn't like that.

The fact that so much hot air was expended on the "controversial" aspects of Bully means that not much attention was paid to some of the game's more subtle touches. Like anything Rockstar puts out, the it is as deep as it is broad, and there are a lot of little gems in the design that are worth taking the magnifying glass to. In particular, Rockstar included a number of systems designed to make the world of the game compelling, immersive, and real, some of which I've not seen included anywhere else.

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Minecraft fans never stop impressing me. I mean, who else would recreate The Empire Strikes Back's iconic Hoth battle entirely inside their favorite game? It's funny, I remember a time when gaming had done this scene to death, but it's been long enough now that I'm sort of jonesing for a good Hoth level.

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It feels like just yesterday that I was sat in my living room watching my brother play Sonic 3 and Knuckles on the Mega Drive as a wide-eyed child. The tropical colors of Angel Island and mood-lifting music were simply mesmerizing. What made Sega's console truly amazing to me, though, was that this machine had been created in a place that was literally on the other side of the world; it was mysterious. That sense of wonder obviously diminished as I got older -- not just because the enigma of foreign technology had been lifted but also because in the 18 years since that day, the rest of the world has had time to catch up.

Slow changes over time are always less noticeable and more acceptable than sudden ones. Perhaps it's for this reason that gamers and the industry as a whole have only recently started to publicize the disheartening news that Japan, arguably the spiritual home of interactive entertainment, is losing ground to their Western counterparts. It's a worrying thought, to be sure, but the question on my mind (as I’m sure it is on many others') is, "Why?"

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The Community Spotlight features some of the best unedited articles that didn't quite make the front page.This week, we refuse to stay with our video-game tour group, reject the imbibing of our in-game characters, review what we know about the Unreal Engine 4, and more. Join us!

Stop making tour guides in video games
By Alexander Kraus

Alexander is sick of being told what to do. He acknowledges that gamers need motivation, but that it must be carefully crafted to appeal to the player. His favorite method? Stealing your stuff, a la Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

How being a teetotaler inspired my first immersive gaming moment
By Justin Davis

Lots of video games feature illicit substances, and some even allow players to partake (via their characters, of course). But Justin chose, in real life as well as in-game, not to do so...until a mission in Borderlands 2 took the decision out of his hands. Interesting take, no matter what your poison is.

Unreal Engine 4 might be bested by Square Enix engine
By Edward Varnell

Based on their appearances at this year's E3 convention, Edward examines the status of two of the biggest upcoming graphical engines. "I hate to admit this," he writes, "but (SE's engine) looks so much better though, half of developers would use UE4 or their own."What do you think?

Gaming's greatest 'epic misquotes'
By Nick Pino

Ever seen those Internet mash-up images that basically exist to piss off nerds and fanboys? (Like this one, for example.) Nick has made a few aimed at gamers. See if they get your hackles up.

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Here are some things I think about video games:

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I was having a leisurely pint of ale with my girlfriend when my mind began to wander away from our conversation. What ever we were talking about evidently paled in comparison to my thoughts on the Walking Dead game, the third episode of which I had played through a couple of nights before. When she ultimately realized that I was not giving her my full attention, I tried to explain why the game touched me so deeply. I found it almost impossible to justify my feelings without speaking about it in “gaming terms” and by comparing it to other games (two things I know she doesn't understand and finds difficult to relate to).

I took a moment to compose myself and tried again, this time with the non-linear narrative and the implications it has for character development. I started from the beginning, telling her about the player character, Lee, and how we are shown that he is going to jail at the opening of the game. Besides this, we know nothing about the character and are still expected to speak for him, which shapes our version of him from the very start. I find this a fascinating way of opening a decision-based narrative. Does the player embrace the ambiguous criminality that has been set at their feet, using it to justify immoral actions that their version of Lee may perform? Alternatively, do they attempt to right these unknown wrongs with their own intervention, repenting for what could be a minor indiscretion by way of noble altruism?

This brought us to the question: Would she care to take part in this fascinating exploration of human morality?

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Dark Souls, developed by From Software and released in 2011, redefines the idea of death in video games. In fact, death is integral to the game in every capacity, including its gameplay, minimalist story, and how the character interacts with other players online.

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