With Demian off to Europe for Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany (look for his stories from the show during the week), I'm your host for this week's Bitmob Spotlight.

This week's installment features complaints -- and a string of masochism -- about games (Bitmobbers were grumpy this week!); the best strategies, from class breakdowns to disposition of forces, for rescuing portly princesses; fragging foes in Team Fortress 2, questioning the bulk of killing-based gameplay in big-budget games; and playing games with the Bitmob community.

Read on after the break!

Sick of Being a Virtual Killer
By Aaron Betts
Violence in gaming continues to be a popular topic among fans and detractors of games (even if "You Know Who" has slunk back to his hole in recent months). Aaron says he's tired of publishers and developers making so many games focused on killing, even going so far as to admit that he's part of the problem because he buys these games.

Flower, Sun, and Rain -- What Is a Game with Both Pleasure and Pain?
By Suriel Vazquez
I can't tell if Suriel has a great deal of patience or has a masochistic streak. He says gamers can deal with minor flaws in their games. Flower, Sun, and Rain has plenty of flaws, he says, and he suspects that Suda51 has a reason for those issues being in the game.

An Overly Judgmental Gamer Complains about: Splosion Man
By Jeffrey Sandlin
Jeffrey clearly admits that he doesn't care for overly difficult games, fessin' up to using Game Genie in order to experience a game but do away with its challenge. He looked forward to Splosion Man's look and humor -- and found a masochistic experience of his own.

The Fat Princess Diaries: Lance Darnell Edition*
By J. Cosmo Cohen
Who needs a strategy guide when you have the Bitmob community? Cosmo's assembled a weighty treatise on tactics for PlayStation Network's Fat Princess. He even gives you a solid plan of attack! Don't give away too many secrets, Cosmo -- you still want to win games, right? Or are you holding on to the supersecret "Plan B"?

Let Them Eat Cake (in Moderation): How I Enjoyed Fat Princess
By Benjamin Torrey
Benjamin gives us a report on the Bitmob-Geekbox community matches for Fat Princess. I took part in the first match at 6 p.m. PST on Friday evening, and it was a lot of fun -- even if I couldn't coordinate forces because my headset refused to work. Turns out playing games with a group of like-minded folk is more fun than playing with random dudes! Well, we knew that -- Bitmobbers and Geekboxers are cool!

How to Enjoy Team Fortress 2: A Review and Guide
By Garret Staus
One of the reasons why I'm not a big fan of shooters is my inability to last longer than 10 seconds in most multiplayer matches (even when using my trusty keyboard and mouse!). Maybe Garret's Team Fortress 2 tips will help me. It's not really a review -- it's more of a primer for new players to get into and enjoy the game.

Casual Games Defining New Genres
By Alex R. Cronk-Young
Hardcore gamers are the Hatfields to the casual gamers' McCoys. Hardcore gamers worry that the emphasis on casual games spells the doom of their beloved hobby. Alex has another idea -- casual games bring new life to old genres (like adventure gaming) and add new genres (like tower defense) to the library.

Activision Attempts to Save Face...and It Might Be Working
By Jeffrey J. Wilson
Jeffrey's isn't Activision's most loyal customer. Upset over the publisher's treatment of Guitar Hero, Jeffrey started a personal boycott of the megacompany. Recent decisions on Activision's part, like offering a free copy of Guitar Hero: Van Halen with purchase of Guitar Hero 5, leaves Jeffery reconsidering his boycott.