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[Destructoid's own Forums MOMerator Joanna "Zodiac Eclipse" Mueller shares the story of how she and her husband met in Star Wars Galaxies, just in time for Valentine's Day. I hope you packed your toothbrush, because this is the sweetest thing you'll ever read! --Mr Andy Dixon]
With Valentine's Day upon us, I figured it was finally time to share my own personal tale of love and videogames. As anyone who's ever accidentally brought up the topic of gaming with a significant other while in my presence already knows, I met my husband while playing my first MMORPG: Star Wars Galaxies.
This is our story.
[For his "Horror Story" Bloggers Wanted response, Dtoid community blogger Revuhlooshun shares his experience with the PS2 classic Siren, and the difference between "surprise" and "suspense" as a means for scares. Want to see your own words appear on the front page? Go write something! --Mr Andy Dixon]
The original Resident Evil f*cked up my childhood. Living out near the woods as a kid, that game was the last thing that I needed to see while growing up. Leaving the house at night became a dreaded affair for years to come. Basements became a place that I no longer ventured into. If the power went out in a room that I was in, I wailed like a bitch. There was even a brief period of time where I lived in an apartment that was right behind a graveyard with the windows facing towards it. "Oh my gawd, if sh*t starts poppin' out the grave, I'ma be the first to go!" I don't know how my parents ever got me to sleep in those days. They must have been crushing Ambien caplets into my desserts before they put me to bed.
It's been a long time since a horror game has spooked me so much; I sort of became desensitized to the genre after playing so many of its games. I still enjoy horror games and play them frequently, but it's from a much different perspective than the one I had during middle school. Now when I play a horror game, it's less about the scares and more about savoring the atmosphere. It's a little saddening to say that, but let's be honest: How can a game scare you after you've seen everything that the genre has to offer? There just comes a time where these games stop scaring a person.
Then I played Siren, and I no longer want to go to Japan. Ever.
[In what may possibly be the funniest user blog I've ever had the pleasure of reading, Dtoid community member UsurpMyProse highlights his five "favorite" Dark Souls bosses. Want to see your own words appear on the front page? Go write something! --Mr Andy Dixon]
I BEAT DARK SOULS!
This is the kind of statement that needs to be shouted from the highest rooftop and/or mountain peak, but due to an aversion to heights and hiking, I've decided to go with their modern equivalent: the Internet! So here I am, arms outstretched in my best Rocky pose, sun streaming at my back, voice trembling with raw emotion as I shout through the beard I've grown for some reason:
I BEAT DARK SOULS!
That's right. I beat it. Full-on, Walter White-level "I won." I've rung the bells, gathered the Lord Souls, slayed Gwyn, Lord of Cinder and did... whatever it was I was supposed to do. I don't know. Burn, I guess? I'm sure that ending is chock full of subtext, but I was a little too busy getting rocked by all manner of dragons and weirdly sexy lava spiders to figure out what the point of it all was.
So here I am, emerging from my long, harrowing journey a new (better?) man. Sure, I've got some scars. I wake up at night in a cold sweat, thinking I'm still back there in Blighttown, wondering if it's going to be the giant mosquitos that get me, the toxic water, or the framerate. I can't go near a treasure chest without thinking it's going to sprout legs and try to eat me, though I'm not sure that's something I have to worry about on a regular basis. But at least I can say I did it. At least I can look a man in the eyes and tell him I've been to Hell and back. Yeah, maybe NG+ is somewhere out there, lurking just out of sight, but I've still got stories. Stories that'll make your skin crawl. That'll make you want to call up your mother and tell you that you love her. I've got...
[Dtoid community blogger Pixielated shares an introductory blog with the community and examines how some positive gender representations in gaming can help people better understand their own identity. Want to see your own words appear on the front page? Go write something! --Mr Andy Dixon]
I think before I proceed further with blogging there's one additional detail about myself that I should reveal. I guess you could say I wanted to make sure this gaming blog was about gaming first and let you guys into my head for a bit before dropping heavier stuff on you. Additionally, my comments reveal I'm more than a bit LGBT positive.
In my first introduction post I alluded to being born "under a rainbow"; what I didn't say about being a part of the LGBT community was that I can claim two parts of that acronym rather than one. I think it's only fair that if I continue on with blogging and talking about gaming and -- at times -- sex, sexuality and gender as it pertains to gaming, that I address the fact that I'm transgender as well.
[I thought I had read the most emotional blog the Destructoid community had to offer. Apparently I was mistaken. User Wrenchfarm shows us his interpretation of the events of Dark Souls and how they're analogous to his grandmother's decline into Alzheimer's. Want to be on the front page? Get blogging. --Spencer Hayes]
Grandma has been in a nursing home for 8 years now. I don't like to visit.
Don't get me wrong, I love my Grandma but it's a miserable place. The staff try their best to make it nice. Happy cartoon posters on the walls, volunteer guitarists and singers for the occasional afternoon performance, genial soothing voices and endearing nicknames. I appreciate the effort for my Grandma's sake, I really do. But it doesn't do much to cover up the stark reality of the situation. The sight of wheelchairs lined up in front of a TV set playing infomercials. The moans of octogenarians so out of their minds they're no longer capable of speech. The smell of disinfectant and adult diapers.
But worst of all is the blank stare in my Grandma's eyes. The absence of any kind of recognition or warmth. This woman who I grew up visiting every weekend. Who used to go picking apples with me in the orchard, who served countless Sunday dinners. All the hours she spent in vain trying to teach me the basics on piano, the games of "name that tune", the mail days where she would drive halfway across town to drop off an issue of Ultra Gameplayers for my brother and me. She doesn't remember a bit of it.
I can't stand it.
[Dtoid community blogger ChillyBilly shares his personal story of how he became a videogame collector, and why he's decided to stop. Want to see your own words appear on the front page? Go write something! --Mr Andy Dixon]
One thousand, five hundred sixty two games. Thirty three consoles. Forty seven handhelds. Hundreds of pre-order goodies, posters, toys and little tchotchkes.
The culmination of over five years of hardcore collecting.
And you know what?
I'm done.
[Dtoid community blogger Cutie Honey shares his list of games that made him feel the feels in 2012. Be sure to read the whole thing, too; there's a contest hidden betwixt the text! Want to see your own words appear on the front page? Go write something! --Mr Andy Dixon]
With the 100s of games I've played throughout the last quarter of a century, I could count on just one hand the titles that had some abnormally large emotional effect on me:
These are four treasures that absolutely made me evacuate out an orifice, whether it be from joy or sadness.
So imagine my surprise when 2012 had not one, but EIGHT games that made me react in some peculiar mood. While some of them may have not been on a tear-jerking or mind-blowing level of delivery as the initial four I've listed, they've gotten people like me talking about them long after the credits finished rolling. The following eight games (and some extra stuff) wouldn't be part of my BEST GAMES OF 2012 list, not that I would do one considering they've have been overdone to death by far more prominent figures. They are just eight titles that resonated emotionally with me in one way or another, regardless of gameplay flaws.
Each game will receive a nifty title for their award and an emotion they exhibited that goes with it. Tying it all together thematically is going to be a picture of a moé magical girl being kawaii for you. Except the very last title mentioned, there's no real order of preference with these games so please don't think of it as a countdown. Although akin to an opinion piece, there will be so much hyping, hyperbole, hyperlinks to obscure jokes, and other hypers; you'll wish you equipped V-ism. With that, my eggshell-walking shoes come off and it's time to start handing out fake awards.
[The hard-working gents on your Cblog Recaps team put together this fantastic list of their personal favorite blogs of the year. Special thanks to ChillyBilly for the header! Want to see YOUR blog get mentioned on the front page in 2013? Go write something! --Mr Andy Dixon]
There are plenty of videogame blogs here in the blogocube. Part of what makes Destructoid a unique slice of Internet pie is its wonderful community. The community seems to attract a wide range of interesting and talented people. The community blogs (or Cblogs) are a place where this is demonstrated on a daily basis. There are amazing writers, artists, musicians, you name it, that write blogs there. Some of the better ones even end up on the front page!
Continuing our long-standing tradition, we at the Recaps team have decided to highlight our favorite blogs, bloggers, and moments of the year.
So, please join us in our pretentious choosing of the best of the community blogs in 2012!
[Here's the second half of Dtoid community blogger Bory Borham's two-part analysis of the new Metal Gear Solid trailers. Spoilers for MGS and also Moby Dick abound, so turn back now if that's not your thing! Click here to check out Part 1 if you missed it! --Mr Andy Dixon]
What lies ahead is a pretty heavy duty analysis of the trailer for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. If haven't played every Metal Gear game up to this point, then you may find yourself experiencing bouts of extreme spoilage. Bearing witness to such Metal Gear spoilers may in fact rot your eyes, ears, brain, and/or very existence.
You've been warned!
[Dtoid community blogger Bory Borham goes way deep into the Metal Gear Solid universe with this write-up, and maybe even uncovers some secrets concerning the series' next iteration! Fascinating stuff! Oh, and be sure to check out Part 2 in our Community Blogs once you're done with this one! --Mr Andy Dixon]
Before we get started here, let me say that you are now entering spoiler city. If you haven't played every Metal Gear game and you don't want to be spoiled absolutely rotten, turn back now. Hell, depending on your definition of a spoiler, we may even learn more about Metal Gear Solid V than you are comfortable with. So yep... you've been warned.
Still with me? Good. Lets do this!
[Dtoid community blogger fly pro knows what he'll be playing as the asteroids begin to fall. What about you?WARNING: Major spoilers for KOTOR contained within! --Mr Andy Dixon]
As you all know, the end of the world is upon us. Like, in just a few hours! That doesn't leave a lot of time to finish up the rest of my life; hell, that doesn't leave a lot of time for anything. So while most of you are finishing up final exams or doing some last minute Christmas shopping, I'm going to go out with a bang and play games right up until the end.
Before we go any further, let's be real for just one second: the world is not going to end tomorrow. Because I won't let it. I have too many games to catch up on and Christmas break is the best time to do so! So beyond being upset about civilization as we know it ceasing to exist, I would be pissed that I didn't get to play some of the great games of 2012. I'm still looking forward to playing Assassin's Creed III, Dishonored, and finally finishing Mass Effect 3. Not to mention that I haven't gotten my hands on a Wii U yet!
But what if the world really was coming to an end and we only had time for one more game? I know that the Bloggers Wanted call for entries was about your favorite game moment of 2012, but if the world is going to end then shouldn't it be about your favorite gaming moment of all time?
[Dtoid community blogger Jinx 01 shares his love of everyone's favorite meta game. Want to see your own words appear on the front page? Go write something! --Mr Andy Dixon]
I usually spend the Christmas holiday with my family at my grandmother's place. Unfortunately, this leaves me with no Internet access during the Steam Holiday Sale. For the last few years I've been running out to McDonald's or Starbucks with my netbook at 2:00 PM every day to check the new daily deals. Yes, I have sat in my car outside a closed McDonald's on Christmas day to get online to check Steam sales.
Last year my friend Kelly texted me each day's deals so I'd know whether it was worth driving out to hunt down WiFi. This year will be different, though; I have a Galaxy S2 and the Steam app for Android, so I can browse the deals and make purchases instantly over my phone. I am so excited about this I could burst.
[Dtoid community blogger TriplZer0 shares some insight into dealing with an all-too-common first-world problem. (Who knew I was actually depressed all this time?!) Want to see your own words appear on the front page? Go write something! --Mr Andy Dixon]
Ah, the holiday season. The time when many of us buy new games for ourselves or receive them as gifts. How many of you are familiar with this scenario: you unwrap the shrink wrap off a new game, eager to play it, and then your eye drifts over to the unplayed ones still on your shelf. You shudder when you think about them.
The backlog. The pile of shame. You know, those games. The “I’ll go back and play it someday” games. If you’re like me, you probably have more of those kinds of games on your shelf and on your hard drive than you’d like to admit. But it’s okay! You don’t need to be ashamed of your backlog anymore. You don’t have to beat yourself up for not finishing more games. I’m here as an officially licensed videogame therapist* to help you through the Five Stages of Backlog Grief.
Okay, so I'm not any kind of therapist. I just talk about videogames on the internet. This tongue-in-cheek model is roughly based on the famous Kübler-Ross model, or commonly known as the five stages of grief. Remember, if you have serious issues, you may want to seek professional help, but as far as the gaming world is concerned, this should help ease you to a state of clarity!
[Destructoid community blogger FrankHowley shot a POV horror film using nothing but his new Wii U! He made it as part of the Wii U Challenge we mentioned earlier. Check it out! --Mr Andy Dixon]
I shot this POV horror short film in one long take using the cameras on the Nintendo Wii U's GamePad during a video call. It's inspired by the found footage films Noroi, [REC], The Blair Witch Project, and VHS.
It's an innovative use of the technology; nobody else has told a story using the Wii U camera and I'm proud to be the first. It also highlights the video call feature, something that's largely gone unnoticed.
[Dtoid community blogger GlowBear shares some examples of emotion done right -- and how easy it is to get it wrong -- in videogames. Want to see your own words appear on the front page? Go write something! --Mr Andy Dixon]
A mood killer can come in many forms. It can be a sudden, abrupt noise thrashing through a quiet, solitary moment. A seemingly silent-but-deadly fart that incapacitates a gathering of people during a somber moment. Or an intense or emotional scene can be completely void of any substance due to something as simple as delivery.
When it comes to films and games, the delivery of a line or action that should evoke sadness, joy, shock, and the like depends primarily on two things: the performance of the actor and the material they are given to work with by the writers.
[Dtoid community blogger crackedbat shares some of the things that surprised him most about the current console generation. Want to see your own words appear on the front page? Go write something! --Mr Andy Dixon]
As the Wii/DS era draws to a close, many are wondering if Nintendo will be able to replicate the success, or at least do half as well as they have done in that eight year span. The 3DS is treading slightly above where the DS was at this same period of time, but I’m sure most fans and analysts will tell you that there is very little to no chance of the 3DS selling as well as the DS. On the DS, a game like Cooking Mama could sell five million copies. On the 3DS, Cooking Mama 4 has only just edged the quarter million mark (though that may have to do with them charging forty goddamn dollars for the game). The casual audience that was once there is no longer with us, and only time will tell if those who flocked to Wii Fit will do the same for Wii Fit U.
As the games industry enters another console generation of big budgets and uncertainty, I’m reminded of how things were back in 2005/2006. The future of gaming was just as much in the air as it is today. Xboxes were dying left and right, the PS3 was selling for an absurd amount of money, and Nintendo was placing all of its eggs in the motion control basket. The endeavor proved to be a success for all three companies: the Xbox 360 has more than doubled its predecessor's sales, the Wii has become Nintendo’s best selling console, and the PS3 proved that if the company backing you is large enough, you can overcome anything. In this time period we also saw a real competitor to Nintendo’s handheld empire emerge (and no, I don’t mean iPhones) and the DS become the best selling videogame system of all time (or it’s still behind the PS2, depending on your source). None of these things surprise me, but there are some facts about this console/handheld cycle that, had you told me this in 2006, I would have called you a dirty, rotten liar. Here are just a few that come to mind.
