I got going on this idea because my first night on the job for Kotaku — covering a Godfather II event — I sliced my foot open and spent the next week limping from junket to junket. But whenever I thought I had it bad as a games journalist, I'd always remind myself that journalists in video games usually have it way worse. They wade through zombies, deal with emotionally unstable people and more often than not wind up on the front lines of wars and stuff. They're the ones that deserve a bottle of Cristal and a hug. But instead, they get this photo gallery.

Taylor — Suikoden 5
[Image Cred]

Irene Ellet — Valkyria Chronicles
[Image Cred]

Frank West — Dead Rising
[Image Cred]

Elena Fisher — Uncharted
[Image Cred]

Joseph Schreiber — Silent Hill 4

Keith Helm — Disaster Report
[Image Cred]

Ben Bertolucci — Resident Evil 2
[Image Cred]

Ulala — Space Channel 5

Everyone — Michigan: Report From Hell (never came out in North America)
[Image Cred]

Madison Paige — Heavy Rain
[Image Cred]

Laura Parton - D2

Keats — Folklore
[Image Cred]

Maya Amano - Persona 2: Eternal Punishment

Alyssa - Resident Evil: Outbreak
[Image Cred]

I give honorable mentions to the news announcers in King of Fighters 12, the sportscaster characters in any sports game ever and one to Reuben Oluwagembi in Far Cry 2 (couldn't find a good enough picture of him). Other than that, these are all I've got — hit me up in the comments if you think of more. Owen Good nominated Paperboy I assume on grounds that he would have been promoted to copyeditor by now, but I don't know...

P.S. I still have the cork from that bottle of Cristal in my purse. It reminds me of everything that's happened in the last year and how much of it I owe to Kotaku. Here's looking at another year of blogging!

Let's all take a ruminating journey with Balloon Fight, read the wisdom of some of society's greatest thinkers, watch video game characters go through their workaday tasks and encounters — because somehow, it all seems to fit together. I'm not sure how. But I am sure that I LOL'ed at "Where is that large automobile?" Good stuff to end the day here in Kotakopolis.

Balloon Trip: An Existential Journey [The Resigned Gamer]

Mario's been dying that way for years, so, here's a video in which he tries on some new demises in search of a better good death. They missed Defender, where he explodes in a fireworks burst and burns white-hot thermite particles through anything on the screen. That would be funny. Certainly funnier than what happened between Luigi and the Koopas.

Deaths That Just Don't Work for Mario [YouTube]

The release will also feature "new artwork" and audio "modernized for today's high performance sound systems." All that for 400 Microsoft Points, better known as five dollars? Counte me in. I mean out! I already own this game.

Check out details on features, achievements and co-op multiplayer at Gamerscore Blog. Michael McWhertor

Extra! Extra! Paperboy Delivers on Xbox Live Arcade [Gamerscore Blog]

The Mega64 group got together and decided to harass the local newspaper delivery guy old-school-Paperboy style and catch the whole thing on video.

The video shows all of the hindrances from the old Paperboy game: a kid running around with a tire, a remote control truck, zombies, a skateboarder.

The surprising thing is that the newspaper guy, who is in a truck not riding a bicycle, doesn't just run over the assortment of human oddities blocking his way.

Paperboy [Mega 64]

There once was a woman from where?
Who bought her husband a PSP Memory Stick to share.
But to her chagrin, when they popped it in
It was full of women with everything bare.