Bitmob.com

Editor's note: GameSetWatch first uncovered the strange story (and alternate reality game) behind not-actually-real blogger Rachael Webster, AKA PixelVixen707, but this update is well worth checking out. Read Webster's interview with Robert Ashley here (her initial contact email to Robert included a link to the GameSetWatch article, but he didn't click it and was none the wiser). -Demian

---

Genuinely thoughtful commentary on videogames doesn’t come by all the time, and how much the rarer is the emergence of a truly worthy and unique voice. So when Rachael Webster, an aspiring writer stagnating at a menial job at a small and mostly unknown city newspaper, first took up the pen for her blog in the fall of last year, she quickly found herself amongst enthusiastic supporters and a welcoming community. PixelVixen707, as she called herself, brought a sharp-tongued but winsome pluck to the conversation about games, along with unusual, sometimes genuinely surprising, insights. Rounding out the program was an occasional note about her personal life— and that is where things fell off the rails a little bit.

Read more >>

We all love videogames, sure. But some folks out there love them a wee bit more than us. Don't be jealous, though -- these superfans show their adoration by creating tons of cool, cultural things for our own amusement. That's why we've starting the Cultural Corner -- each week we'll showcase a fan whose talents extend far beyond pushing a bunch of buttons.

First up: Grub-time doodler Derek and his personalized lunch bag art. Every day he makes some cool art for his kiddos and posts them on his website. It's here you can check out his near-perfect renditions of videogame characters, Pixar-inspired Batman rides, and even KHAAAAANNNNN! We recently chatted with the talented food-cover scribbler to find out more about his hungry hobby.

Read more >>

Here it is. Monday. Podcasting day. Mobcasting day. And while we taped a delightful episode, with G4's Patrick Klepek joining the gang of Shoe, Demian, Ford, Donahoe, and Robert "voice of God" Ashley, something happened. Maybe it was a bum fetzer valve, maybe an inadvertently ejected dilithium core, but by the time Robert made it back to his HQ, the file was gone, and no file-recovery utility could bring it back again. We all knew that one day there'd be an unexpected disaster and a "lost Mobcast," but we didn't know it'd be so soon. Mobcast #2, you never deserved this.

But next Monday is a new Monday -- tune in then when we bring on three more special guests to discuss five topics of our choosing, plus one of yours. To submit a topic you'd like us to yap about, shoot an e-mail to letters@bitmob.com with "Mobcast" in the subject line.

Read more >>

Editor's Note: I really have nothing to add except: read it! -Demian

---

Almost ten years ago to the day I was crammed in the back of a Jeep with three friends, slowly climbing the impossibly steep roads that snake their way up the Himalayas. Our destination was Darjeeling, India, the “Queen of the Hill Stations.”

We had initially planned Darjeeling to be a stop-off on the way to Tibet, but when 1600 Maoists laid siege to a Tibeten police post, we were advised against unnecessary travel. We didn’t argue.

Darjeeling had its own attractions, though. Our lodgings looked out on the vast expanse of lush tea bushes stretching down along the hillslopes. You could just about make out the figures of tea-pickers in the fields, old ladies with baskets draped over one arm, quickly making their way along the steep, leafy rows. The town itself is so high that when we opened the balcony doors, clouds poured into our room. Everest loomed in the distance. It was stunning.

Despite this, it isn’t the views that are my enduring memory of Darjeeling, but something a little more unique. For among the little shops and restaurants sat high in the Indian sky is a small room, little more than a shack really; the highest arcade in the world.

Read more >>

Editor's Note: Rob makes a strong case for the little-known but very importable Demon's Souls, a game that features zero historically accurate giant enemy crabs. -Demian

---

The question on most readers' minds will not be the one posed in the title, but rather, "what is Demon's Souls?" While I won't have anything to write that likely hasn't already been written elsewhere by now (since the game has been out for several months), I haven't read anyone discussing the title here and I believe this is a game that deserves as much print as it can muster.

Demon's Souls is a dark fantasy action-RPG from developer From Software which aims to be a spiritual successor to their previous series, King's Field. Played from a 3rd-person perspective in real-time, Demon's Souls charges the player with ridding the land of (what else?) soul-stealing demons. The game is largely influenced by western RPGs -- you'll select a character class with a set number of attributes, level up, and equip your character with various weapons, armors, magic, and miracles. Those are the basics; the other gameplay concepts are what really make Demon's Souls worth your time.

Read more >>

Capcom does a really good at pleasing its hardcore fans. People asked for bizarro Wii fighter Tatsunoko vs. Capcom to come to the States and Capcom promptly set up a green card. Now if we only had a new Bionic Commando game. Oh, wait... Uh, Resident Evil 6?

New Blips:

• Tatsunoko vs. Capcom boards small white plane for USA. Gaming mag Nintendo Power officially announced Wii fighter Tatsunoko vs. Capcom will soon be coming stateside. Don't know who Capcom is fighting? It's cool. We won't tell 'em. [Kotaku]

• Kojima Productions teaser page continues teasing for your displeasure. Yep, it's that damn site again. The one we talked about on two occasions already. So what's new? Just a countdown clock. Oh, and a storm. Get this: We hear at 48:15:16 it will start raining. But we could be teasing. Come back here tomorrow morning to find out. [1UP]

• Bethesda's spastic arm motions indicate Wii game announcement soon. The folks behind Fallout 3 and Oblivion will be revealing a "big" title made specifically for the Wii later this year (E3?). No word on what kind of game it will be, but if it doesn't involve prettying up ponies with armor, we're so not interested. [GamesIndustry via Kotaku]

• Team Ninja turndown Pirate offer; stick with Ninja Gaiden franchise. Even though former series director and lover of physics-defying boobies, Tomonobu Itagaki, is no longer working at developer Team Ninja, the members left confirmed they will continue making Ninja Gaiden games. Or at least until Robots give them an offer they can't compute. [Kikizo via Joystiq]

Hit the jump for a pre-teaser teaser for Mass Effect 2, Microsoft press conference scuttlebutt, hot Mirror's Edge cosplay, and...more.

Read more >>

Editor's Note: Despite Reed poking fun at the fact that he's doing a list, he's covering a pretty interesting topic that demands more feedback. Also: probably the only time you'll see Pocahontas' Colors of the Wind referenced on this site. -Greg

---

Hey, you guys love lists, right? I love lists, too! This is a list of games that aren't simply revolutionary like Wolfenstein 3D or Super Mario Bros., but games that really showed that they can be considered art while using the medium they're on to its highest potential.

1. Shadow of the Colossus

This game has improved the medium for two main reasons: 1) its minimalistic storytelling that was not spoon-fed to you, and 2) its beautiful graphics for the time. SOTC's storytelling has been mirrored in games like Braid, where you actually have to think, and I like that. The graphics, on the other hand, blew my mind. The fact that when you climb a colossi you actually feel like you're holding onto its hair/moss is remarkable. This game is an obvious contender for "Games as Art" because of its stunning visuals.

Read more >>

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4

This week, we talk writing tips, games journalism, EGM back issues, and GTA sales on DS. As always, send your letters to letters@bitmob.com -- because the spam filter never lets our stuff get through. And away we go:

My boss and I were having a discussion about Flash-like minigames (Bejeweled, and other PopCap and Pogo games) becoming a huge hit within the last few years for various reasons. He alleges that these games are actually pulling graduating talent away from the higher-end gaming market. I argued that minigame developers are probably mostly self-taught designers without a ton of traditional education, and that people graduating from various schools are still going to larger companies like EA or Activision Blizzard. Who's more right?

-SjSchoo

 

Read more >>

Howdy, folks! Here's the second episode of The Hoe Down. This week, I attend the Burn Zombie Burn party and yap it up with zombies. Oh, and I eat brains, too. And y'know what? They actually tasted pretty good. Mmmm...purple.

Just like last week, I wanna thank Area 5's Jason Bertrand for his help slicing this up. And I also wanna thank fellow Bitmobber Aaron Thomas for his help filming me acting like a jackass.

Aight -- hope y'all enjoy it.

Read more >>

We've had tons of great stuff in the Mobfeed lately. These are just a few of our recent don't-miss posts:

Chessmaster Live Review
When Derrick Hopkins isn't helping us build Bitmob (he's one of our developers) or hosting Dead Pixel Live, he's writing game reviews that aren't like your normal game reviews. His first was Street Fighter 4, his second is Chessmaster Live. Whether or not you consider it a review in the traditional sense is secondary -- it's a really good read.

Thou art check, mated, and eyebrow'd, sirrah!

What's Wrong with House of the Dead: Overkill
Luke McKinney would like to tell you exactly what is wrong with House of the Dead: Overkill, and he brought some helpful visual aids. Also: He still loves it.

House of the Dead: Overkill Wii zapper control set-up.

Pixellation: The People of the Game Industry
This documentary proof of concept by Tim Thomas, TJ Babcock, and Jason Lataillade has a very personal, 1UP Show-esque feel, and features interviews with ex-1UPers Philip Kollar and Anthony Gallegos. We'd love to see a longer version with more developer interviews mixed in!

 

Read more >>

Read more >>

Most everyone will agree that Super Mario Bros. is a good -- if not great -- game. Absolutely worthy of preservation. (See my previous post for more canonical games.) But what about the not-so-good games? And what about the absolute dreck like Superman 64, one of the most critically reviled games of all time? Wouldn't it be better to dump those games in a New Mexico landfill and pretend they never happened? Why save Superman?

Read more >>