The Community Spotlight highlights some of the best articles that didn't quite make the front page. This week, we've got a bold statement regarding Nintendo's brawler, a plea to gaming journalists, a little perspective on the 3DS, and more. Plus that article on "secret sauce" mentioned in the headline. Mmm...I'm hungry now. For video games. And barbecue.

"Smash"ing the competition
By Siri Karri
Siri makes the daring claim that the Super Smash Bros. games are the best fighters ever. Why? Accessibility, intuition, and depth. Since Smash is the only fighter I don't suck at, I'm inclined to agree with him.

In defense of the 3DS
By Winson Shuen
Weak launch lineup. Gimmicky tech. Sound familiar to anyone? It does to Winson, who draws a parallel between the 3DS launch and the debut of the original DS. And we all know how that ended up. (Hint: pretty well.) He also points out that we've all been spoiled by the DS Lite's magnificent battery life. My Pokémon demand no less, sir.

Do we really need Dead Rising 2: Off the Record?
By Richard Bywater
We've seen a spate of games using recycled environments recently, and Dead Rising 2: Off the Record joins that trend. But that's just one reason why Richard isn't too eager to rejoin photojournalist and zombie slayer Frank West. He's leery of changes to the gameplay mechanics, too. Read on for more.

Player creativity and emergent gameplay: The secret sauce to interactivity
By Michael Kenyon
What do you remember when you finish a game? For Michael, it's his interactions with the gameplay that stick out more than any scripted story. He gives examples from EVE Online, Oblivion, Fallout 3, and other titles to illustrate how the stories we create for ourselves can be more meaningful than any part of the written narrative.

An open letter to gaming journalism
By Hatuey Diaz
We're sometimes a little defensive as gamers. That's not surprising, given the negative perception and stereotyping the medium receives. Hatuey's advice? Get over it. Because it's all about the almighty dollar, and the gaming industry has never been more successful financially. Good advice...but I'm still not gonna talk about how awesome Demon's Souls is on a date. (Unless she asks. Then all bets are off.)