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Comedians Sheila Bryson and Dave Karraker join Bitmob's Dan Hsu and Demian Linn on the latest and greatest episode of the Mobcast.

The group discusses each person's first professional experience in the gaming industry, Nintendo's recent press event, interesting console launches, personal metrics of nerd cred, and which game hunks Sheila finds attractive.

Have a question you want answered? Want to share some important insight with the world? E-mail the crew at letters@bitmob.com.

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Two weeks ago, it was the common cold. This week, it was a damn computer virus. I got it when I was poking around on some shady sites for the official track listings to a few of the community's game-music selections. Not to worry though. I sprang in to action and quickly arrested the problem -- no traces of the bug remain.

For the 29th Jukebox, regular contributor Michael Pangelina brings us a tune courtesy of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider, Jukebox Archive curator Evan Killham tosses is a song from Heavenly Sword, and don't miss Eric Sapp's selection from Silent Hill 4.

Also, as a small announcement, next week's Jukebox will be the 30th edition. Keeping with tradition, I'll be posting a special version based around a special theme. This time I'm looking for arranged instrumental versions of classic tunes. Whether it's some random, super talented pianist on Youtube piano or a selection from Video Games Live, this is your opportunity to share a favorite instrumental interpretation with the community.

Anyone can join in the fun and show the community some great game music. Hit the jump to find out how.

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Editor’s note: When I was younger, "children's games" never earned a spot in my collection simply because they were usually poorly executed. I suspect those experiences have carried over with journalists reviewing games today. And I fear that I won't have the same patience as Matthew to sit through Bakugan with my own son when he's older. I can only hope to instill a decent sense of taste.... -Rob

When I read reviews that are meant for a younger mindset, I cringe. No matter how many times the reviewer says that he’s doing so with respect to the game’s audience, you can tell that just isn’t true. I don’t know whether it’s because reviewers can’t think like a 9-year-old or that they’re just afraid of losing their “hardcore” cred in whatever culture they wrap themselves, but they miss the point every time.

Want to know how to review a game with adorable woodland creatures sporting googly eyes or whatever flavor-of-the-week cartoon character happens to be the current fad? You play the game with a kid.

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This week on Hit or Miss: Nintendo announces some release dates or something (is that a big deal?); Doritos tries to convince us that lending their brand to a "Pro-Gamer Combine" can make the idea of a "Pro-Gamer Combine" not-absurd; Tecmo tries to convince us any pornographic undertones in Dead or Alive: Paradise were totally "unintentional" (large, obvious wink); and Electronic Arts suggests the new Medal of Honor may -- gasp! -- actually be a thoughtful and empathetic examination of real-life combat in a big-budget shooter.

Where the hell do they get off, right?

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Having this fancy new article editor has doubled the number of posts I've seen in the Mobfeed compared to recent months. Glad to see so many people are taking advantage of this opportunity and cranking out intriguing stories.

Jeremy Sigor starts with his stance on Darwinia+, and how developers could learn a thing or two about porting RTS games from PC to console based on Darwinia's XBLA release. Next, B.J. Saricks is fed up with 1-10 review systems that refuse to accept five as their average score. It's in the middle, what's the problem?

Fred Olson II finds comfort in assuming a decisive role in games, finding the ability to make world-changing decisions and to do the right thing in situations empowering. Finally, Chas Guidry tackles the latest news on a remake of Final Fantasy 7, and why an HD version of the game may not be the best option.

Three Simple Ways Darwinia+ Teaches Us How RTS Games Can Work on Consoles
By Jeremy Sigor
Fans of the strategy game Darwinia were concerned at how it would fair when ported to Xbox Live. While many RTS titles don't stand up when brought over to consoles, Jeremy feels Darwinia+ not only works, but sets the bar for future games making the jump between platforms.

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Editor's note: Jeff's history lesson provides a sobering -- and hilarious -- look at the history of gaming peripherals. It's a must-read for anyone excited about Project Natal or Sony's wand controllers. -Brett

Maybe you've seen them at your local video game shop: piles of odd looking plug-ins, add-ons, and thingamajiggers in the corner collecting dust, over-excited proclamations screaming from their worn boxes -- "FULL BODY ACTION!" "Everything else is child's play!" "Now nothing comes between you and the game!" 

What are they? Gaming's forgotten history, that's what. A history that could possibly repeat itself with the heaps of futuristic peripherals coming out from Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo.

Not that I blame them for trying to sell gamers on the future. The positive perception of any video game company is fueled by technophiles in lust. However, if the technophiles would stuff their e-boners back into their file and think back a decade or two, they might remember that while the tech has improved, the promises haven't changed much.

And if they don't remember, I'm here to help: Here are five gaming technologies that were ahead of their time -- and the lessons companies can learn from them today.

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Capitalizing on the gaming craze that flooded television in the early '90s, GamePro attempted their own show in effort to reach the youth readership. If you've never heard of it, don't feel left out; the show did about as well as you'd expect Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure Into Video Games would.... Bodaciously [via The Retroist]:

Low ratings and one fired co-host later, GamePro TV's two-year run as a gigantic infomercial for the magazine had run its course. No words can truly describe the "totally rad" vibe this show puts off, so I've included a short video. Can you see why we are not watching this today? Yah, here we go, bud!

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Editor's note: Alex and Matt Giguere use the first edition of the community-created series Backlog Brigade to discuss the GameCube classic Eternal Darkness. Along the way, they try to figure out what exactly makes a classic game classic.

If you're interested in participating in future Backlog Brigades, check out the notes at the bottom of the article. -Brett

Working your way through your massive pile of shame can be a daunting task. But I've thought up an ingenious plan to get me through the slog: recruit fellow Bitmobbers to play along with me. They'll encourage and motivate me -- and best of all, we can talk about the games together after we play them.

Matt Giguere stepped up to the plate to take on the first game on my list with me: Eternal Darkness. Our resulting conversation turned into what I think is a worthwhile discussion about the challenges of designing a "timeless" game.

Alex: I'm not entirely sure how this conversation should go. Any ideas on what we could talk about related to Eternal Darkness? I was thinking about how it's definitely a product of its time and could be slightly impenetrable to new players.

Matt: When you say impenetrable, do you mean how time has treated Eternal Darkness compared to current games in the survival horror genre?

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Combining my love of retro games with this edition of the Game Club results in a strange jumble of slightly aged to almost completely forgotten games for you to choose from. You'll be asked to spend a little cash this time around, but the games I've chosen can be purchased for $7 or less at a decent resale shop or online.

Without further ado, here are the games in the running for the fifth edition of the Bitmob Game Club.

E.V.O.: Search For Eden: The premiere game focusing on evolution. You start off as a fish in a dangerous ocean and adapt to your surroundings by taking on the characteristics of the enemies you defeat.  This was originally released on the Super Nintendo and published by Enix.

Fallout: I've had a copy of the original Fallout sitting on my desktop for ages but never had a good reason to boot it up. If you love Fallout or have never played the original, this game just begs for a proper run-through.

Mark of Kri: If you've longed to play a cartoonish button-masher influenced by Polynesian culture and art, then this is the game for you. Now lost to the budget bins of pretty much every game store on the planet, Mark of Kri was met with several favorable reviews when it launched early in the PlayStation 2's life.

Okage: Shadow King: For years I overlooked this game, dismissing it as simply childish. You assume the role of the unfortunate human host of an aggressive and loud shadow claiming to be a fearsome demon king. He commands you to help him reassemble his true form, but like any  role-playing game, you find something darker happening in your world and must put an end to it before appeasing your parasitic shadow. Okage is also for the PS2, and surprisingly disturbing in places, contrary to the box art.

I wanted to do something different with the Game Club, and this is certainly a departure from web games and Braid. Participation hinges on your ability to procure a copy of the chosen game, but that shouldn't be too difficult. If you are interested in participating, say so in the comments below or email me at jasmine[dot]rea[at]bitmob[dot]com.

Also, please vote on which game we should play in the comments. The more discussion we can strike up, the better.

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Editor's note: In response to Christian Higley's article challenging the notion that indie games must be fun to play, Cameron widens the debate by appealing to mainstream developers to make games that have unpleasant or physically taxing sequences. Such moments, Cameron argues, can do a lot to strengthen the bond between the player and their in-game avatar. -James

In his recent post, Indie Games Should Keep Acting Like Indie Games, Christian Higley defended indie developers who make games that intentionally avoid being fun. I agree with much of what he said and would love to see more games take the risk of providing something other than a good time. But this isn't relevant only to indie gaming.

By definition, mainstream developers aren't willing to step outside of established conventions -- most specifically, the idea that video games are ultimately all about having fun. But occasionally a few have, and looking back on a couple of them can provide ideas for future experiments in the unenjoyable.

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Film critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert were revolutionaries. They were embarrassing themselves playing video games long before the Wii:

I remember playing something similar in an arcade once. I had about as much fun as it looks like they did. Hopefully, Project Natal will erase my memories of lousy motion-recognition games. Hopefully.

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If you're searching for the finest video-game-themed decor to fill your living room, you can't overlook this classy Snatcher pillow. One glance has filled me with envy, desire, and rage.... It's just that good [via Sprite Stitch]:

My sprite-stitching skills are pretty basic, and knowing that this design took the creator 18 months to finish is completely defeating.... The level of detail and smooth color transitions on Gillian's coat and in the environment make me want to curl up in a ball. Hit the jump for a close-up of the dizzying 26,000 stitches. The image was originally taken from the Sega CD version of Snatcher, arguably the best-looking of the six different releases. 

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