Editor's note: Daniel's walk down memory lane is a brilliant beginning to a new meme on Bitmob. To join in the fun, write about your own gaming decade and tag it "My Gaming Decade." I'll collect them all in a future post. -Brett 

If you’ll forgive me for saying so, I had a great decade. Each year of the 2000s ended better than the last. I was reminded of this when I read Stephen Totilo’s brief recap of his “gaming decade” on Kotaku. Inspired, I present to you a summary of my gaming decade:

2000: I discovered the magic of console modding. My modded NeoGeo was largely a novelty, allowing me to access the DIP switches and uncensor certain fighting games, but my modded Dreamcast became my gateway to imported games from Japan. I’m certain this prolonged exposure to a language I couldn’t understand piqued my interest in Japanese, convincing me to take a night class that fall.

2001: Those lessons inspired me to visit Japan for the first time, where I fell in love with...a Golgo 13 sniper arcade game. Whereas most gun games cast you as a cop, giving you an implicit mandate that your on-screen targets are dangerous criminals, Golgo 13 -- Japan’s favorite professional hitman -- has no such ethical considerations. When the game asked me to snipe a woman’s high-heeled shoe so she’d fall down a stairway to her death, I didn’t even blink. I had never played such an amoral game before.

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Gaijin Games should sponsor a marathon to promote Bit.Trip Runner...and put all sorts of obstacles on the course for people avoid.

Video Blips:

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Editor's note: Phew! Just made it.... What's the point in having a monthly breakdown of a laundry list of releases if we don't post it until the second week in? Anyway, Jeremy takes the mounds of press and hype surrounding March's RPG releases and cuts them down to easily digestible -- and informational -- morsels. -James

Role-playing-game fans live in a wealth of riches these days. The genre receives entries from all corners of the world and with different styles. This can make it hard for gamers to makes sense of the multitude of releases. But take heart! This monthly column breaks down each month's RPG releases, including gameplay descriptions and word on the street about a game's quality.

It seems March is the new November, especially for RPGs. A ton of significant releases are hitting store shelves this month, not the least of which are new entries into two long-running franchises. It certainly is an exciting time to be an RPG fan, so let’s have at it!

The Main Event:
Final Fantasy 13 (PS3/360)
Release Date: March 9

Let’s face it: The release of a new mainline Final Fantasy is essentially a national holiday for JRPG fans. North America’s most beloved and progressive franchise in the genre always attempts to be at the forefront of narrative and gameplay trends, and this entry is no different. Fans are already hotly debating the way the title streamlines many RPG tropes. The game is extremely linear both figuratively and literally. Square has scrapped traditional towns for the most part and have completely excised seemly sacred elements that don’t fit in to the game. While many see this shakeup of traditional JRPG values as blasphemous, it also illustrates how stuck in a rut the genre is. Besides, streamlining worked wonders for Mass Effect 2, so why not here? Add that to what is said to be the most exciting Final Fantasy battle system yet, and we have may have yet another fresh take on the genre from the industry leader. That said, fans haven’t historically taken to drastic changes in the franchise. Final Fantasy 12 was another fresh take on the formula, and that installment polarized fans. Will 13 do the same?

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Brawl in the Family is one of the funniest comics on the web, but these "blueprints" -- drawn by Dr. Wily himself --  are on a whole new level of hilarity. Click the image to see the whole, much longer comic:

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One thing stood out to me while I was attending the Nintendo Media Summit this past week: Metroid: Other M sure has a lot of talky talky. That isn't so much a problem for a video game -- it's just a little unusual for a classic Nintendo franchise, especially one that used to star a silent protagonist.

But yes, you'll hear a lot of talking in Other M, which is due out June 27 for the Wii. Samus Aran talking to other characters. Other characters talking to each other. Samus talking in her head. Talking everywhere. It's all a part of the developer's goal to humanize this robotic personality.

We sat down with Nintendo of America's localization producer Nate Bihldorff to learn more about this more realistic Samus, why they wouldn't give the same treatment to Link or Mario, and whether we'll see our star in a wii bikini. (You do know who's developing this game, don't you?)

Bitmob:  Why Samus? Relatively few Nintendo characters are made to be "real." You don't hear Link talking about Ganondorf or Mario wondering what Bowser is up to...yet you hear Samus talking about the Mother Brain, Ridley....

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Editor's note: Too many titles are content rest on their laurels when it comes to character development. Daniel argues that instead of constantly shuffling us from action scene to action scene, developers should spend more time giving us intimate depictions of the characters they present. -James

I opened my Heavy Rain review by noting that one of my favorite parts of the game is something that would be completely boring under normal circumstances. Despite that (or maybe because of it), it’s a thing that is sorely missing in games.

The scene in question occurs right after the prologue. In it, the main character, Ethan Mars, spends an evening with his son. You can let him sit there and watch TV while you have a beer, or you can look at a schedule of tasks and set him to dinner, homework, and bed.

This is exactly the kind of situation that I’ve heard a lot of people say they don’t want to see in games, but I think it’s necessary -- when it's done right.

One of Heavy Rain’s biggest assets over the usual game narrative is how it doesn’t hesitate to put players through the mundane parts of everyday life. While an NPC washes up in your apartment, you might fry her some eggs. Maybe mother is resting in bed for a minute, so you put the baby to sleep.

None of this stuff actually adds to the gameplay or the major parts of the storyline. All it does is help better illustrate the characters and their world. By spending a day in his home with his family, you get a better picture of who Ethan is, which hopefully makes it easier for you to connect with him. Try to count how many video games you can name that have protagonists you actually empathized with. Probably not too many.

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Editor's Note: I thought that I already held video games to high standards. After reading Cameron's article, I looked at some of my own work and realized I was guilty of using the "for a video game" qualifier too. I agree with this premise; we should start examining video games critically and not just in comparison to other games. - Jay

Video games comprise the only medium which serves as its own caveat. It's rare that critics explicitly qualify their praise with “...for a video game,” but they imply it whenever they let games off the hook for failures that would be inexcusable in other media. We have to stop doing this if we want games to get better. Video games don't exist in a vacuum. When we act as if they do, we perpetuate the myth that they're intrinsically inferior to other art forms. By refusing to raise our standards, we reinforce the worst stereotypes about video games and the people who play them.

As technology makes it possible to do more and more with games, their artistic deficiencies become increasingly evident. It's kind of like the uncanny valley effect, only for aesthetics. Back in the days when it was amazing that a programmer could get two little guys to run around a screen and shoot at each other, nobody was too concerned about the moral dilemmas those characters might be facing. In the rush to make the guys look more and more realistic, very few designers stopped to think about whether it might be more interesting if, for example, they looked like something out of a Paul Klee drawing. These days, programmers prove to us that they can render people shooting each other in amazing, lifelike detail. From a technological standpoint, that's truly impressive. However, if games can achieve that level of visual realism, there's no reason they can't push themselves in other directions.

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I say the following with the utmost sincerity and with no hint of irony whatsoever: I love the chicken wings at Hooters. And apparently, so does at least one jokester....

On this week's Mobcast, comedian and former 3DO/Sega/Sony PR dude Dave Karraker expressed his similar love for those hot wings, so we decided that we'd make Hooters the destination for Saturday night's Bitmob Meet-Up, right after the geek comedy show -- Cross Platform Comedy 3.0 -- down the street.

This is your last reminder to come join us for some nerd-humor laughs, a few drinks, and a few thousand pieces of meat that happen to be the same color as the waitresses' short shorts. Also: free stuff.

Update: Yes, we'll be giving away free stuff at the after-party. My apartment is overflowing with goodies (games, t-shirts, posters, etc.) that we've been saving for our fans, and I need to unload. East coasters, don't worry -- our own Brett Bates has you covered as well at our meet-up at PAX East. Uh, sorry middle-of-the-country people...but here's a bone for you:

If you help us promote the last two Mobcasts (which featured the comics from Cross Platform), you could win a download code for Borderlands: The Secret Armory of General Knoxx or a free, random game from our pile, which we'll send to you.

Details on the contest and this Saturday night's events (including a promo code for a discount off the show) below.

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Something's wrong with Master Chief's auto-aim, because he can't seem to get his eyes off of this Stormtrooper. Well at the very least, they're both wearing protection [via Kotaku]!

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I feel like G4TV's Patrick Klepek deserves some type of journalism award for the outstanding reporting he's done on this Infinity Ward/Activision story. Or at least a hearty slap on the back, that'd be good too.

News Blips:

G4TV received an internal memo from Activision Publishing President and CEO Mike Griffith that states that developer Infinity Ward is "central to Call of Duty's future." He added that Activision "relies on the combined talent, expertise and leadership of the team there for its success." As you may know, studio heads Jason West and Vince Zampella left Infinity Ward on Monday, allegedly due to a "breach of contract." If I fantasize about playing the next COD during my personal time, should I feel guilty?

Got any hot news tips? Send 'em over to tips@bitmob.com.

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May 3, 2010 looks like it's going to be a pretty important day for some people, and not just because it's World Press Freedom Day either. 

Video Blips:

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Editor's note: Think video games are a big waste of time? If so, check out Brian's humorous list of other things many people do that are far more boring and pointless. -James

As gamers, we share a sense of identity. We're all lazy man-children (or tomboys) who sit around in our underwear chugging six-packs of Mountain Dew, so that we can stay awake to beat the game. Besides being lazy, we're all unintelligent, repulsive bastards who burn books in bonfires. And who knows, we may even eat babies.

All jokes aside, any of us with an ounce of intelligence realizes that most stereotypes about video games and gamers aren't true. I mean, we all know that they don't really rot our brains, right? They may occasionally distract us from more valuable pursuits, but they don't dumb us down or turn us in to mass murderers.

Since we're now all aware that video games aren't a waste of time, I'm going to provide you with a list of handy alternatives that'll make your days go by faster than an Olympic skier on a training run. If you're looking for activities that'll truly insult your intelligence, I encourage you to keep reading.

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It's always good to have a friend. Can you match these video-game characters to their loyal companions?

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The month of March is starting out with a resounding bang! Bad Company 2 hits stores tomorrow, Final Fantasy 13 comes out in a week, and God of War 3 is looming on the horizon. If anything, this month will leave our thumbs sore and our wallets empty.

But don't worry, I see a light at the end of the tunnel. Despite being tired and broke, we all have a goal to work toward, thanks to Austin Hargrave. Better known as "PeanutButterGamer," the prolific ScrewAttack blogger, has issued a challenge to all gamers. He wants us to beat as many games as we can by April 1st, 2010.

Are you man enough to accept his challenge? If so, hurry -- you only have 30 days left!

In recent weeks, I haven't been gaming as much as I would like. But with school winding down and new, exciting games just around the corner, Austin's challenge is enough to motivate me to pick up the controller once more!

I'll be playing (and hopefully completing) Bad Company 2, Metro 2033, Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2, and Doom 3. How about you?

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Somebody take their big PlayStation 3 back in time to a little over 10 years ago and see it's Y2K compliant.

News Blips:

Due to an internal clock bug in non-slim PS3s, many users are unable to sign onto the PlayStation Network or play any games -- even single-player ones -- and some have even lost their trophies. Sony has a list of the various error messages that have popped up and estimates they’ll have things figured out “within the next 24 hours.” In the meantime, the company recommends that non-slim PS3 owners don’t turn on their consoles until the issue is resolved. Follow the PlayStation Blog for updates. I wonder what the error was -- did some developer program 2010 to be a leap year when it wasn’t?

Activision puts a halt to a fan-made sequel to King's Quest. The affected independent development team originally made a deal with Vivendi Universal back in 2005, allowing them to create The Silver Lining as part of a non-commercial fan license. Now Activision, who picked up the rights to the King's Quest license when it merged with Vivendi back in December of 2007, has decided to shut down the operation. Let us have a moment of silence for this (one-of-many) fan projects taken out by the man. [Joystiq]

Game Politics reports on two research groups' conflicting findings on the effect of violent video games on youth. Analyzing 130 existing research reports on the subject, Iowa State University's Craig Anderson and his team concluded that "violent video game effects are significant in both Eastern and Western cultures, in males and females, and in all age groups." Anderson feels that these findings are "definitive." Researchers Christopher Ferguson and John Kilburn of Texas A&M International University, however, released a paper that challenges Anderson's findings by identifying holes in the studies used and claiming a lack of real-world evidence (i.e., more violent video games today but low crime rates among youth). Video games don't make me violent -- researchers that say they do make me violent!

Ubisoft is giving away free copies of the Assassin's Creed 2: Multiplayer iPhone app for the first 48 hours of its release. Afterward (aka Wednesday), the price jumps up to $2.99. Be warned: If you don't like the game, you won't really be able to get your money back. [AppAdvice]

Got any hot news tips? Send 'em over to tips@bitmob.com.

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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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Editor's note: Chris absolutely nails why I named New Super Mario Bros. Wii my game of the year last year: It provides simple, unadulterated fun. Does that mean we need more simplicity in our video games? -Brett

A funny thing happened to me as I played through New Super Mario Bros. Wii: I realized that I wanted to beat it simply for the sake of beating it. No narrative, achievement system, or buzz on the Internet motivated me to complete it. Nothing but the gameplay itself compelled me to finish it, or play through it a second time in search of all the Star coins and secret paths.

But even though I knew I was having fun, I didn't understand the uniqueness of New Super Mario Bros. Wii until I thought about why I enjoyed it so much.

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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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