Bitmob.com

Editor's note: Brian explores why people feel the need to justify their own tastes by comparing them to the preferences of others. I do it, and I think it's because we all like to think our own predilections are important. I can't imagine anything more devastating than having someone I respect tell me my interests are pointless or stupid. -James

"My Lego set is better than yours because it has pirates instead of knights," yells a six-year-old boy. Judgmental statements like this are likely familiar to childhood survivors and game-website regulars. It's not uncommon for professional game journalists and amateur writers to claim that their favorite game is the best.

Are you one of the few individuals who didn't find Nathan Drake relatable? Then you're an idiot who has horrible taste. Do you like Final Fantasy 13's storyline and cast? Obviously, you're a stupid anime fan who likes one-dimensional characters, goofy Japanese stuff, and clichés. Do you enjoy Halo? Then you're not a real gamer since it has crappy dual-analog controls.

Hopefully, you've realized that these statements are not my sentiments: They're comments I've observed on game websites. Need proof? People crucified Aaron Thomas a few months ago because he didn't appreciate Uncharted 2 as much as everyone else. I've also been told that Final Fantasy 13 has a horrible storyline and goofy characters more than once -- even though I enjoyed both -- and I've listened to hordes of PC gamers claim that Halo players are idiots who've never stroked a mouse.

6

Tweet

Tell your friends! Tell your enemies! Tell everybody:

I've had some really cool submissions so far, but you guys have less than a week left to enter the Draw The Warcraft Hero Contest. The deadline is April 21st. That's next Wednesday! So if you've been slacking, get drawing!

If you need to see the info regarding the official rules and prizes, just look at the original story. Remember: Art won't be based on skilled, so not being able to draw is no excuse!

0

Tweet

Tell your friends! Tell your enemies! Tell everybody:

I enjoy manipulating words and finding strange patterns in them. I've read books full of these sorts of brain-bending questions such as, "What word in the English language has three consecutive sets of double letters?" (The answer is "bookkeeper.")

I've created some video-game related word puzzles of my own to test your mental acuity. Good luck!

If you get stuck, click here for the answers.

1) This Ubisoft franchise has three sets of (non-consecutive) double letters.

2) The title of this popular EA franchise contained vowels in the first two years it was released, but has become vowel-free since then.

3

Tweet

Tell your friends! Tell your enemies! Tell everybody:

I'm taking a break from puzzle and physics games to unleash this horror onto the world [via Geekologie]:

What can I say? The boy likes mudkips.... If you're interested in making a Pokémon trainer of your own, head over to  Hapuriainen's DeviantART page for the full flash experience. You can make more sensible-looking trainers, but whenever I see a character creator I just have to do something horrible with it.

0

Tweet

Tell your friends! Tell your enemies! Tell everybody:

Today’s Community Spotlight is sponsored by allergy medication. Without it, I wouldn’t be able to see the words I’m typing -- or be able to breathe. 

Chaos and Conviction: My Collection Obsession with One of Gaming’s Finest Titles
By Sage Knox
Sage has an obsessive history of collecting multiple editions of Splinter Cell games, much like my own with special editions of Resident Evil games. As a long-time fan of Splinter Cell, he is looking forward to Splinter Cell: Conviction, but will he be inspired to purchase the game multiple times?

10 Reasons Why You Should Be Playing Section 8
By S. Robert Delk
With the flood of big multiplayer games coming to the market in the past year, smaller and less impactful games have fallen by the wayside. Robert wants to draw your attention back to Section 8 by appealing to your love of Tribes, Halo, and dedicated servers.

1

Tweet

Tell your friends! Tell your enemies! Tell everybody:

Despite Nintendo's forceful attempts to maintain a squeaky-clean image, we can't seem to avoid associating the Wii with sex. While it's normal to make off-the-cuff remarks about vibrating controllers, Amanda Flowers took her love of Nintendo to new heights. The 24-year-old resident of Manchester (not pictured right) claims to be a sex addict and blames the Wii Fit Balance Board for her unhealthy erotic urges.

During a casual game, Amanda fell from her Balance Board. According to her doctor, the stumble damaged a nerve and caused her to develop persistent sexual arousal syndrome.

Describing her discomfort, Amanda explains, "It began as a twinge down below before surging through my body. Sometimes it built up into a trembling orgasm." No cure for the disorder exists, so Amanda is now on the prowl for a "super stud" to satisfy her appetite.

Considering the severity of Amanda's problem, you might want to think twice before buying your girlfriend a Wii Fit for her birthday [via Yahoo! News].

8

Tweet

Tell your friends! Tell your enemies! Tell everybody:

Editor's note: This is the final installment of Richard's epic diary of his time with Rockstar's Bully. While each entry stands on its own, read it from start to finish to discover one of the most thoroughly fascinating -- and surprisingly touching -- "reviews" of a game you'll ever come across. -Brett

It’s been nine days since my last confession (by confession I mean Game Diary, of course). I've had a tough week lost in assignments. But fear not, dear reader, I’m here now. And I’m ready to push on to the impending conclusion of Rockstar’s masterful boarding-school sandbox game, Bully.

11 April 2010

“It’s America! We go in with threats and bribes until we get what we want.” Yep, that's what Jimmy said when he found out the school had descended into anarchy, with no sign of the chaos ending. I've lost count of the number of lines of dialog that poke fun at societal and cultural norms in the United States. The cultural parody of earlier Grand Theft Auto games was completely outdone by Bully, even if it does miss several subcultures along the way.

Sure enough, the school looked like a war zone. Kids were running around throwing things and fighting each other. The cliques were destroying their most hated parts of the school -- nerds torching the gym equipment, jocks trashing the library -- and rioting endlessly. The only thing that held back the experience was the heavy toll all of this took on the frame rate. I encountered a lot of slowdown as I ran around the school from one building to the next.

4

Tweet

Tell your friends! Tell your enemies! Tell everybody:

Editor's note: Video games have a long history of pitting players against a god-like end boss or putting them at odds with a religious sect. Ben highlights several recent releases and suggests that this trend is back and more vibrant than ever. Is killing god in games problematic? -Rob

As the Easter/Passover holiday weekend came to a close, I was reminded of a take on religion that's begun to permeate our popular culture -- film to be sure, but video games, too.

Every so often, video game trends give us new enemies to face without feeling too guilty about destroying their throngs of followers -- Nazis, zombies, Nazi-zombies, etc. -- but it seems as if the new final boss of choice is god.

I first noticed this playing through Demon's Souls. To save the kingdom of Boletaria from The Old One and his demons unleashed upon a power-greedy people, I chose a Temple Knight. After all, what could be a better choice for saving the world from demons than a soldier of god?

But as the game progressed, I slowly realized through the exploratory narrative that the god from whom my character received his holy strength was, in fact, The Old One! In the end, the game gives you the choice of either joining The Old One as one of his demons or killing him.

Kill god?!

9

Tweet

Tell your friends! Tell your enemies! Tell everybody:

Editor's note: This is a very interesting (and humorous) analysis of the Grand Theft Auto series. It dives into the "games as art" debate (don't groan yet -- Richard does a good job with it) as well as GTA4 protagonist Niko Bellic's psyche. Why is mowing down pedestrians with a sedan fun? Read on to find out. -Shoe

It's no secret that the Grand Theft Auto series has spawned countless psychotic serial killers and several rather unpleasant rapists ever since Grand Theft Auto 3 hit the PlayStation 2. This is backed up by dozens of studies done by guys in lab coats who couldn't get laid even if their disco sticks ejaculated fine wine and water from the fountain of youth. That means these studies are made of science, and science is never, ever wrong!

Still, for all the Ed Geins and Charlie Mansons that the Grand Theft Auto series has vomited onto society, I can't help but feel that throughout the hundreds of hours I have used these games to train myself to fire real weapons and steal real police cars and watch real TV, I have perhaps also engaged in something meaningful.

5

Tweet

Tell your friends! Tell your enemies! Tell everybody:

Rumblings from the Internet indicate that Marvel vs. Capcom 3 may finally be on the way. As a huge fan of the series, I'm really excited. Now, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 had one of the largest rosters of any fighting game, but many great Marvel and Capcom characters were sadly absent from that epic rumble. Do you feel a list coming on?

These are the characters that I feel need to be in Marvel vs. Capcom 3. The words "wish list" may be in the title of the article, but this is really more of an ultimatum. Include these characters, or I will whine on Twitter. A lot.

Phoenix Wright

He was once rumored to be in the running as a character in Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, but it was not to be. This was a crime against gamers everywhere. Phoenix Wright has emerged as one of the great new gaming characters of the last decade, and his outlandish style would make him perfect for such an over-the-top fighting series.

I've heard some argue that it would be impossible to make a move-list for Phoenix Wright. Bull. Have you ever heard of a Sega Saturn game called Fighters Megamix? A Daytona race car was a playable character in it. If an automobile can mix it up, then why not a blue-suited lawyer?

35

Tweet

Tell your friends! Tell your enemies! Tell everybody:

Bitmob prides itself on being more than the average game site. We are not beholden to the preview/review cycle. But we still love looking forward to games. And so do you.

We want to hear your thoughts about what's coming up in 2010. Are we going to see any surprises? Are we going to see any innovations? Will 2010 change the gaming landscape for years to come?

For our next callout, we want you to put on your prognostication hat and have a go at a game that is scheduled for release in 2010. You can take any angle you'd like in your article, but we want you to exercise some creative thinking.

The catch: After E3 and all the upcoming press events, we'll ask you to come back to your game and see whether your opinion has changed in any way.

Here's how you join in the fun:

1. Choose one (1) game that is scheduled for release in 2010.
2. Write an article about that game. Try to keep it concise. About 200-400 words should do it, but you can go longer.
3. Tag it with "Anticipated Games."
4. Submit your article by April 28, 2010.

Cover as many games as you wish, but make sure you submit a new article for each game you want to write about.

Stumped for ideas? Check out my sample article, or peruse the following questions to spur those creative juices:

6

Tweet

Tell your friends! Tell your enemies! Tell everybody:

It's that time again, Bitmobbers! We need your answers to the upcoming Pixel Revolt community question.

This week's question asks you to think along the z-axis and predict of the future of gaming in 3D. With the announcement of the 3DS and the emergence of 3D gaming on consoles and PCs, we want to know:

What game series do you feel would benefit most from getting the 3D treatment? Why?

Send on over your email and audio responses by 6 p.m. PST on Thursday to be featured on Pixel Revolt!

How you can respond to the question:

1) Record a sound clip on your computer, then email it to us at PixelRevoltDL@gmail.com (Preferred)

2) Email your written answer to PixelRevoltDL@gmail.com

3) Leave a comment in this post!

Oh, and just a reminder: We've changed the way we present voice mails, which means we can now insert them in as we record for instant feedback. In other words, record away!

5

Tweet

Tell your friends! Tell your enemies! Tell everybody: