PixlBit

Last night I posted my welcome blog to the influx of new community members that came to us by the now defunct, yet always remembered fondly, 1up.com. Today I wanted to give you all an update on what’s been going on over here at PixlBit, and what’s been going on with me personally.

For a long while I was a regular blogger over at 1up. I gained a bit of a following for my Legend of Zelda piece and my ongoing MIA feature. When I came to PixlBit I brought MIA with me, and since then we’ve posted updated versions of previous features and, of course, added more than a few entries to the popular series. You may be surprised that while MIA is still in my charge, I’ve brought in other writers here to contribute. JD and Julian have produced some fantastic entries, with the former working on MIA: Viewtiful Joe even as I type this.

MIA was always community driven. I took requests regularly and encouraged discussion on how modern day versions of these derelict franchises could be made to work and flourish today. I’m looking to make this feature even more interactive in the future, and plan on announcing something within in the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned.

Of course there’s more to me than MIA. Features and editorials are really my thing, but I’ve been known to pop off more than a few reviews in my time. You’ll notice that our review section here is quite robust, and we pride ourselves in generating just as many reviews of great quality as the big boys. You’ll also notice that we often miss bigger releases.

The reason for this is two fold. As a smaller site we do not have access to the sheer number of review copies provided to publications like IGN, Joystiq, Destructoid, Giant Bomb, etc… This is not to say that we don’t get any, but that they are fewer and farer between. As a result, we end up picking up titles ourselves to review, which is why reviews of larger games usually come some time after release.

The second part is more nuanced. We know that there are literally dozens of places for you to get early reviews online for the big releases. We’re not going to try to compete with publications in this realm, because, at least for the time being, there is no way we can win. However, for every huge AAA release, there are literally dozens of indie games, small releases and imports that go unnoticed. This is where we get the chance to shine. While other sites gloss over games like Corpse Party, we give it front page attention. There are a metric ton of quality, small releases out there that need attention. And as a fellow ‘little fish in a big pond’ we figure it’s our duty to give them the attention they deserve.

As for me? My life has changed significantly since I have left 1up. As Julian mentioned in his welcome feature, I am going to be a father. Even this early on (we’re due in early August) this has been a life changing experience. I think of practically everything differently, including the games industry. You’ll start to see this more clearly as the months go on.

Currently I’m playing Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time (expect a review in the coming days), as well as the new Fire Emblem, Darksiders (for Backloggers Anonymous), Crysis and Ni No Kuni. I’ve also discovered Pokemon for the first time in my life - which now seems all the much longer now that I hit 30 this past year.

It’s starting to get exciting around here, and we are starting to make some fantastic plans, which will of course include the community to a degree not present in most sites if not any at all.

I’m glad you’re all here for the ride.

Game On.