@Mark07041971: While I acknowledge and respect your opinion, I have to disagree on one point. Yes, FF XIII has a pretty lame story, but that isn't really indicative of all Japanese games. Some of the greatest stories in gaming have come from Japanese games, (Secret of Mana, FF VI, and Chrono Trigger, to name a few). Personally i think that story has lost focus in both Western and Japanese games. Looking at the decline from Dragon Age Origins, to Dragon Age 2, Bioware decided to cater to the masses by making a linear, and simplistic action game, and dumbed down the RPG mechanics, and story to make the game more accessible. On a larger scale, from Baldur's Gate, to DA, and Mass Effect, BioWare stories have been losing quality for a while, though Sonic: The Dark Brotherhood had an excellent narrative. I think the shift in popularity from Japanese to Western devs is mainly due to the fact that there are more Western devs these days. BioWare, Bungie, and Bethesda have all existed for quite a while, but their games were never all that widespread in popularity. Western gamers are more inclined to play games from Western devs simply because there are more mainstream devs out there now.

I was hoping he'd show the tankard as a weapon for the Handyman mod. :)

@ZacOfTheZombies Your analogy of McDonalds is completely off-base. McDonalds is a service, they give you what you ask for, specifically, everything is made for you, however you ask for it. Games, on the other hand, are products, not services, they are not bound by that same limitation of personal desires. They are made for the masses, not one person or group of people. In the end, though, games are not made for the gamers at all, they're made so that the developers and publishers can get paid. Products are made for the sole purpose of making a profit. The idea that developers should cater to your whims because you pay for the game is precisely the sense of entitlement, this article is talking about. BioWare doesn't owe you anything, they make whatever they please, and if you don't like it, don't buy it.

@ome248: I understand where you're coming from, I think, but I respectfully disagree with some of what you said. You said "games are meant to challenge us." In some ways that is true, but that doesn't necessarily mean in terms of action, or strategy. Everyone sees games differently, some people may see games as a test of reflex and skill, while others would rather have their brain worked out. Still others might just want to be part of a captivating narrative, and could care less about the actual challenge of the game.

While comparing specs can be an interesting topic to those in the know, 90 percent of gamers aren't as in the know as they may claim to be. Most people don't really care how big of a processing core the system has, they just want to know if it looks good and if they can shoot stuff on it. Nintendo has been top dog in sales for a long time, and even with the Vita's superior graphics and processing, I don't think Sony is going to outsell Nintendo anytime soon. Nintendo is sticking with a tried and true formula, while Sony is innovating, both are admirable in their own right, but personally I think Nintendo will continue to sell.

I really hope Martigen makes another mod compilation like MMM for Skyrim. That one mod made Oblivion a completely new experience.

Tails is the greatest sidekick of all time. no question. Cute, funny, helpful, and consistent. Sonic would've been screwed many a time if it weren't for Tails. As a chronic P2 as a kid, Tails was always my homeboy.