Gamasutra has posted an editorial analyzing Bushido Blade (PS1) and how it communicates designer morality and cleaves to its title. The article meanders a bit into the philosophy near the late middle section, but also contains some interesting thoughts on the difference between simple and complex game rules:

Traditional fighting games are like college courses, and versus matches like exams . . . In Bushido Blade, none of the answers matter; only your quick, correct reaction determines your future.

Popular casual games like Bejeweled have much this same core, where intuitive control means there’s as little barrier as possible between the player and his manifest will. When that happens, gameplay is less about testing a player’s knowledge about an arcane and draconian rules, and more about the intrinsic joy of changing the (virtual) world around you. Of course, there’s room for both kinds of gameplay, but if you’ve ever wondered why your mom hates video games, it may be because the Tao of gaming has been buried under all the rules.

From the “it’s about time” files, PopCap Games has announced that it will be porting Peggle to the DS. They’ll be doing this with Q Entertainment (Lumines, Meteos), a development house already experienced with the unique demands of handheld gaming devices. Touch interactivity seems well suited to PopCap’s precision aiming game, and Peggle’s short play sessions seem like a good fit for portable gaming. That in addition to Peggle’s uncommon appeal to both casual and hardcore gamers makes this a game to keep an eye on.

Activision has announced Wee 1st, a new brand intended for its Wii-targeted development.

Nintendo has historically had difficulty forming reliable relationships with third-party developers due to unfamiliar hardware and draconian business policies. However, the new brand’s starting lineup clearly isn’t targeted at core gamers, a sign that third parties may be growing more comfortable with the Wii’s target demographic and design sensibilities. Whether or not this will lead to the software explosion the DS enjoyed about a year after its launch remains to be seen, however. Place your bets for what will happen for the fourth quarter of 2008.