The article titled "A Thought on the Quality of Games and The Reason Bad Games Keep on Comin" is below this, if that is what you were expecting to find.

Seeing as my article has dropped off the main page and that a few days have passed, I feel I should write a short response based on the comments people gave and to clarify a few other things. First of all, I apologize if I wasn't to attentive in the matter of responding to comments and criticisms, but the day after I wrote the article (one that I did not expect to make the soapbox in the first place) I had my wisdom teeth removed and have been on strong pain medication that has made my thoughts less than clear. Therefore, I am making this post the response I never gave.

I noticed that some people did not approve of my using the drop off of Editors Choice awards on Gamespot over the years as the appropriate means to prove my point. I realized that this proof would not be perfect while I was writing the article. I had to find evidence, and that was the only real concrete information that was readily available to support my claim. Unless there is something I have been missing, I know of no source to attain say, average scores, or something that could show people what I meant other than just a suggested trend, which most people seemed to notice anyway. As I said, it was only a "small" measure of proof, the best I could do at two in the morning the day before a small surgery on my mouth. And yes, I did overlook the fact that there are many high-profile releases coming out at the end of this year, so my estimate of 16 Editor's choice awards may have been a tad low, but I still have my doubts regardless.

I am also glad to see that so many people agreed with me and that I was not alone in my observations in a trend of declining quality in the game market. There were confessions and lamentations from some who fell for the very tricks of the new industry I stated in my article, the tricks which caused some people to purchase Hour of Victory or some other low-quality game. I applaud you for your honesty and hope that through either the experience of playing the game or perhaps (though less likely) my article you will become the skeptical gamer that I preached.

I also noticed some people say that my article is targeting the wrong audience, as Gamespot users are more likely to read reviews before purchasing games, and that ignorant parents (as some said) are the real issue. I consider my parents to be better than I am; more experienced and wiser than I will be for many years. But in the context of the gaming industry, along with a majority of parents out there (the minority being the parents who gamed in the past and may still today), they are as ignorant as can be expected based on their lack of experience. My brother asks for them for Star Wars Battlefront II from the local Blockbuster, and they return with Star Wars Republic Commando because the game said "Star Wars" on it. I do not blame them for this, as my parents grew up before the gaming industry really even started, and honestly do not much care for it. To them, Star Wars means Star Wars, and the differences that seem so obvious to us are mere subtleties to them. I believe StrikerGold puts it the best:

"This is how games like Hour of Victory get sold: A little Tommy, without the means, tells their parents, grandparents, who ever, that they want Call of Duty for the XBox. "Its a WWII game" they say. This sticks in the mind of the non-gamer relative for only a little bit. They go to the store, or online and are overwhelmed by the sheer volume of games. And lets be fair, LOTS of games have derivative names, bizarre names to the American eye like Katamari Damacy, or suffer from sequel-itis. Befuddled, they pick up Hour of Victory, which sounds a lot like Call of Duty by this point. Its a WWII game even! The store clerk, if uncaring or unscrupulous, or just wanting to unload the merch, simply rings it up without saying anything, and a craptacular game is sold. And Midway giggles with evil glee. Just because it sounds similar to all the other, better WWII shooters."

As to what should be done about this, there is no answer. Most parents that I know at least would care little if their purchase helped to fund the release of poor quality movie-based or other less-than-quality titles out in the market. Bad games will continue to be unloaded and sold to whomever will purchase them, which is a long line, and the market will continue to decline. Perhaps, over time, the market will rebound as some have suggested. But for now, we at least in my opinion, are stuck in a downturn that might not go away for a while. Yes, there are many high-profile releases at the end of this year, but bear in mind even companies like Ubisoft can make mistakes. Also, to whoever reads this, I may edit this entry in upcoming days as my mind clears out, as even now I am still mentally foggy because of all the pain medication, but I am taking less and less as the days go on, so this entry may change at least a little. Any questions or comments are welcome, though I expect few. Thank you for reading,

Cube