After granting Blow the well deserved title of Community Game of the Week, I had the chance to interview David Flock, the developer behind the XNA masterpiece.

Every week I sit down at my 360 and download any and all new community games I find on the XBLM. Every week, I play at least five games that range from mediocre to terrible before finding one I find to be worthy of promoting. This week’s entry, Blow, has apparently been hiding right under my nose since November 17th, and I’m truly sorry I didn’t stumble upon it sooner.

Whether you love them or hate them, there is no denying that achievements have had a major impact in gaming. With the apparent success of Microsoft’s Xbox achievements everyone seems to be jumping on the bandwagon. We now have PlayStation 3 trophies, Steam’s achievement system, achievements in World of Warcraft, and various other achievement systems in games. If achievements are used correctly they can add both fun and challenge to a game, but what makes for a good achievement system?

Talk to any true film aficionado and you’ll find the conversation straying from the simple topics of starring roles and who’s directing to who the set designer is and the last project the head tailor worked on. Most of us don’t realize it, but the great majority of what you see on the screen, the overall feel of a well done film is due largely in part to the art direction teams. It’s not just the talking heads or storyline that rivet us, but the feeling that this world is real, believable and , most importantly, consistent.

In an industry where decapitation and mutilation is a mainstay, as well as language that would cause your grandmother to suffer a stroke, one taboo remains…Sex. Much like television and film, nudity and the subject of intercourse remains a largely unexplored territory for viewers and gamers alike. Where restrictions on language and violence have lessened over the years, sexual content has continued to walk a very thin line in an effort to find its place within popular media. On a recent episode of the popular Sitcom “30 Rock,” Tracy Morgan’s character, Tracy Jordan, schemes and subsequently succeeds at the creation of the world’s first porn video game, Gorgasim: The Legend of the Dong Slayer. While the title is as equally awesome as it is absurd, it raises a few good questions (which is the mark of good satire) about the possibilities and inherent hindrances to a game like Gorgasim becoming reality.

Ever wonder how Square Enix approaches character design? Check out this revealing tutorial after the jump.

Music can truly make or break the atmosphere of any visual medium be it a show on television, a movie, or a video game. The right selection of Music has the ability to transform what was once dull and mundane into something great. Would the Iconic shower scene from Pyscho with its symphonic jabs, or the simple chord progression that the film Jaws uses to such stunning effect be the same without them? With video games being inherently more immersive then either film or television, music can have a profound effect on the atmosphere for the player.

As you may be able to tell in addition to my love of video games I am also a huge music fan. Ever since hearing what designers and composers did with antiquated sound chips, the intrigue created by the union…

With the launch of the NXE comes the launch of a new column here on Check Your HUD: Community Game of the Week. Each week, we’re going to highlight a community game from the XBLM that we feel really stands…

Every once in a while you find a game that feels like it was directly catered to your interests, almost as if the developers had peered into your brain and found the exact switches to trigger the anticipation. While I…