Gamasutra Expert Blogs: From Classic Nintendo Power To Xbox Live Indie Problems

In highlights from Gamasutra's Expert Blogs, industry notables write about diverse topics, including the design resources in Nintendo Power, tips for environment design, and why the Xbox Live Indie service is broken. In our weekly Best of Expert Blogs column, we showcase notable pieces of writing from members of the game development community who maintain Expert Blogs on Gamasutra. Member Blogs -- also highlighted weekly -- can be maintained by any registered Gamasutra user, while the invitation-only Expert Blogs are written by development professionals with a wealth of experience to share. We hope that both sections can provide useful and interesting viewpoints on our industry. For more information about the blogs, check out the official posting guidelines. Here are the top blogs for the week: This Week's Standout Expert Blogs - What Old Issues Of Nintendo Power Can Teach Us About Level Design (Christopher Totten) Christopher Totten explains why classic issues of Nintendo Power can be a valuable tool for designers, and how the maps and hints in the magazine reveal much about what makes an effective level. - Fluxus Games (Greg Costikyan) Greg Costikyan explains the Fluxus art movement of the 1960s and 70s, and demonstrates how many works from this movement feature elements that are also key features of game design. - Imposters (David Rosen) Hoping to provide some tips for more efficient environment design, David Rosen explains how "imposters" can take the place of 3D models to aid level design, and offers advice on how to properly implement imposters to make them look good and run well. - Dead Rising 2 Has Lessons to Learn from Case Zero (Nick Halme) Disappointed by Dead Rising 2's striking similarities to the original game, Nick Halme argues that the downloadable Dead Rising 2: Case Zero is a far more effective evolution of the franchise. - XBL Indie Games Top Downloads is Broken; Delaying Explosionade (Nathan Fouts) Explosionade developer Nathan Fouts explains why Xbox Live's Indie Games service is broken, and why he refuses to release his game until the platform works properly.