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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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From October 1 to October 22, you can become the proud owner of some Halo 4 Warrior Avatar Armor on Xbox Live.

The catch is you need to watch three out of four U.S. presidential debates. On paper, this is a wonderful thing. People need to be more politically active as candidates become less centrist. Getting free avatar armor for being involved sounds like a good way to push for activity.

I question the tactic’s effectiveness, however. This isn’t about being politically aware. That’s different. We see political messages in gaming all the time. But activity? Activity is a different beast, a different cauldron of troubles and challenges for those outside the circle. This program might get players invested, but whether it’ll get them to become politically active is questionable at best.

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Sony recently announced that players can buy retail games from the PlayStation Network on launch day. Digital distribution is slowly encroaching, and for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, I welcome this idea. I've realized that many of the games I purchase for these consoles are ultimately disposable and rarely ever retain value. As much as I might have liked Call of Duty 4, it is virtually worthless to gamers eagerly awaiting Black Ops II. 

Nintendo is also pushing into the digital market with downloadable versions of first-party 3DS games, and I am far less eager to participate. 

Even though Nintendo first-party titles sell well, they almost always retain their value. If you go into a used game store today you're sure to find copies of New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Kid Icarus Uprising, and Super Mario 3D Land hovering around their launch price points, even on the used game shelves. Mario Kart Wii is still incredibly hard to find over four years since its launch. 

While this reasoning feels very flawed, I can't help but view Nintendo games as more of an investment than things on the 360 or PS3.  Perhaps its because weird titles go missing (like Mario Kart Wii still selling for around $42 used) or that I typically enjoy replaying Mario and Pokémon titles. 

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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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Note: This article may contain minor spoilers for the Metal Gear Solid series.

Metal ... Gear? The movie?

Really?

At the 25th anniversary of Metal Gear in Tokyo, Konami announced the real deal: Metal Gear Solid is officially getting its own film.

I was pretty psyched. After all, the Metal Gear Solid mythology is damn near close to a movie. 

It has everything -- a deep story, in-depth characters, twists, detailed dialogue, and of course, tons of action.

But why am I sitting here writing this article? I’ll try to explain, dear reader.

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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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Author's note: I have only played through the first part of Darksiders II so far, so my observations will be limited to the first area of the game.

Last week, I wrote an article about the Darksiders series' human-incidental apocalypse. Bitmob community writer Ed Grabowski left a great comment on that post, which read, in part, that "The first had awesome art direction, [and] the second went for the generic fantasy look."

I quote Ed not to pick on him, but because I've had some of the same thoughts about developer Vigil Games' latest title. Darksiders II is, in fact, a huge visual change from the first game, abandoning End-Times-ravaged Earth for a high-fantasy aesthetic.

The difference is that I don't mind.

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