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Two years ago, I wrote an article entitled "What Borderlands 2 needs to do to keep me satisfied." I adored the first Borderlands, but it also built up a few expectations in my mind for what developer Gearbox had to do for the then-theoretical follow-up.

Now I’ve put over 100 hours into that very-real sequel. So did Gearbox come through on everything -- or anything --  I asked for? Here's a point-for-point comparison of 2010 suggestions to 2012 realities.

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The other night, a friend and colleague, a game writer I admire and follow, considered giving up.

Like Batman turning to Robin saying, "I don't feel like fighting crime tonight."

Ouch, that's my soul you're stepping on.

I labor in obscurity, looking to the horizon as my hero lists respected video game website after respected video game website he's written for, and then says, "What's the point?"

"What's the point??"

I would kill (not actually) to have written the thoughtful pieces you've written! I'd lie, cheat, and steal (probably not) to be as well-known and highly thought of as this guy, and he considers giving up.

If he doesn't see the point, what chance do I have?

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I'm glad that High Moon Studios is making a Deadpool game if only because it gives me an excuse to post this hilarious video of the Merc with a Mouth dancing, posing, and just generally acting silly at the recent New York Comic Con.

You'll also see some lovely gaming-themed cosplay, including attendees costumed as Punch-Out's King Hippo and some sort of bizarre Assassin's Creed/Halo/Portal hybrid. See it all after the jump.

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Part of what makes a video game great is how it teaches the player. Even difficult games like La-Mulana and Dark Souls teach you how to overcome deadly challenges. Both are equally hard and rewarding to explore, yet Dark Souls is more punishing in death while La-Mulana retains the fun of exploring after death.

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Last month, I asked the community to examine the controls of their games and their effectiveness for the Total Control Bitmob Writing Challenge. Four writers submitted their takes on both classic and modern titles, and all of these pieces made the front page of the website. This is the final prompt I'm hosting for now, so put down your gamepads and check out these great entries.

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The perfect controls of Assassins Creed
By Jonathon Oyama

I can’t think of anyone other than myself who has participated in more writing challenges than Jonathon, so it makes sense to start this farewell off with him. While modern action games like Bayonetta feel like you need a cheat sheet to remember all the combos, Assassins Creed’s simple scheme felt just right.   

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Once again, it's time to get the spin from our unelected representatives!

Obama vs. Romney -- Fight! Now that almost all of us can watch the presidential debates live on Xbox live, it's our duty as carbon-based lifeforms to do so. Unless you're poor and don't have a Gold membership. Or an internet connection. Or an Xbox. Those people aren't supposed to vote, anyway.

Never mind that their first presidential debate turned out to be a snoozer. We live in a world where Vice President Joe Biden and Vice-Presidential candidate Paul Ryan spent 90 minutes beating each other with rakes. That put us one-all in terms of debates wins so far (Romney: 1, Biden: 1), and that makes tonight's town-hall-format match the official tiebreaker!

So, panel of experts ... what can we expect from tonight's slugfest?

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"Like Caesar presiding over the gladiators, I don't care who wins. I'm just there for the blood and glistening man-flesh."

- Isaac Clarke, Dead Space 3

 

 

 

 

 

"The Americans would save so much time and money if Obama just imposed tyranny on the land and ruthlessly crushed the faintest whisper of opposition to his iron rule. Then I could go back to watching Dancing with the Stars."

- M. Bison, Street Fighter X Tekken

 

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I like blood and guts. Part of that, I have no shame in admitting, comes from my gib-tastic experiences playing Quake and Half-Life as a kid. Another part of me isn't quite as juvenile, however. It yearns for maturity in video games and to see them taken more seriously as an artistic medium, but it still wants more pixilated viscera.

For example, games like Half-Life 2 and Grand Theft Auto IV reward you with a humorous display of ragdoll physics after you shoot a baddie with a rocket launcher. The recently deceased goes flying across the terrain, but where’s the meat? A guy who’s just been hit square in the chest with a rocket launcher should have his entrails strewn all over the place, an arm here and a leg there, and a severed head in the gutter.

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It’s tough to get motivated to exercise sometimes. If I’m honest with myself, I’d really rather get in one more League of Legends match than go outside and punish my body by jogging.

Exercise is healthy, though, and an hour or so of intense physical activity each week isn’t such a huge sacrifice. I may grumble and groan about it when I’m putting on my gym shoes, but I feel better mentally and physically when I run.

Unlike hobbies like soccer or skiing, video gaming doesn’t have an inherent active component, but there is a way we can bring a piece of our pastime with us while we’re exercising. I’m a huge fan of video game music, and I’ve recently discovered that a lot of it makes for great running fodder.

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Apparently, a few of my tips from last time didn’t work out so well. Something about readers being sent to prison, hoping that I die in a fire, and some nonsense about "dropping the soap" or whatever. On the positive side, I’ve received a few letters from gracious fans that detail how much they’ve learned in prison and exactly what they want to do to my genitalia once they get out. You know, they actually seem kind of hostile now that I think about it.

But fear not (incarcerated) fans, for I have not forsaken you! I bring good news; I have taken pity upon your pathetic state and have decided to help you out once again. Aren’t I just the nicest person? Anyway, let The Gaming School of Prison Survival commence.

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Dead or Alive 5 is clearly a direct response to the oft-pondered question, "Is gaming art?"

By casually asking the player to choose between absurdly revealing outfits and regularly revealing outfits, DOA 5's game designers force the player to reveal the true natures of his or her id state. The contemporary character-select screen, which has always tapped into our Jungian archetypes, suddenly takes on a decidedly more Freudian slant.

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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 move on from a venerable series, wonder if Halo 4 is in the right developers' hands, promote people, and more. Mix your herbs and read on.

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Why I'm moving on from Resident Evil games
By Avery Tingle

After playing the demo of Resident Evil 6, Avery was less than impressed. "Resident Evil is starting to feel like the Madden version of the survival horror genre," Avery writes, "a series of just-enough small tweaks and minor improvements with a new number slapped on."

Falling into the wrong hands (possibly)
By Jesse Meixsell

No, this isn't about the news of a Halo 4 leak. Jesse's concerned that Halo 4 was in trouble much earlier, when original developers Bungie handed the reins over to 343 Industries. Jesse looks at similar circumstances in other series...and their mixed results.

People promotion in a faceless world
By Aaron Davies

"Does gaming have a face?" Aaron asks. "Who are the people that most video game fans recognize and relate to?" Aaron argues that it's important for gaming fans to have a real person to identify and associate with a brand. Do you agree?

Microsoft doesn't want free advertising for Halo 4
By Alexander Kraus

Microsoft has rolled out new content policies that prevent fans from uploading their in-game creations to websites like YouTube. And that doesn't make sense to Alexander. "I'm sure the numerous content creators out there will be glad to not give you any free advertising for your games, Microsoft," he writes.

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Resident Evil 6 makes me weep. The series that used to haunt my dreams as a kid is long gone, and something sort of like Gears of War took its place. Amusingly, I’ve tried forcing my way through RE6’s campaigns at least six times at this point, but I always throw my controller aside in frustration.

Why? Because the series gave up on trapping players in labyrinthian monster factories and started imprisoning them in unskippable cinematic sequences and perpetual quick-time events. The scary’s gone, and the disjointed action game that remains just isn’t cutting it.

You can blame several factors for this, like the creator of the original game (Shinji Mikami) leaving Capcom, the fact that over 20 different studios worked on this project, or you can adhere to the misguided belief that Japanese developers just don’t get Western audiences. The real reason is that the franchise is too old and too nebulous to support itself anymore.

We need a reboot, preferably one that breaks away from all the crap mechanics recent developers have “expanded” since Resident Evil 4. Ideally, the team that made Resident Evil: Revelations would take over the series, drop the numbers and home console support, and evolve RE into a portable horror experience.

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