The Community Spotlight highlights some of the best articles that didn't quite make the front page. This week, we discuss game length, examine the mechanics of the Battlefield series, defend Final Fantasy 8's antagonist, and call out Nintendo on its lack of smartphone support.

Is quantity a quality? Why game length matters
By Connor Sheridan
If some is good, more is better. That's what Connor says...as long as the "some" is really good. "Books and movies are things you experience, and games are things you do," he writes. Therefore, more to do can only be a good thing. What do you think?

Battlefield plays better on old brains
By John Baldrica
Have you noticed your gaming skills deteriorate as you get older? John says that deisgn choices in the Battlefield series mitigate that for you. "(The series) makes a number of design choices that diminish the effects of reflex and emphasize the effects of recognition and experience," he writes.

Sympathy for the devil: Ultimecia
By Dan Cox
Dan has written several of these articles lately (check out his profile page for all of them), but his examination of FF8's Big Bad just might blow your mind. If you remember the plot from that game at all, that is.

A tale of two shooters
By Jordan Ekeroth
In case you didn't know, two of the biggest first-person shooters ever will hit the market this holiday season: Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3. Jordan breaks down the history of the two series and previews the war to come. Which title will reign supreme? (More to the point, should we even care?)

A personal account of how Nintendo lost the gaming war with my family
By Alan Rappaport
Nintendo scored huge wins in the casual market with the Wii and the DS. Alan wonders why they haven't followed up on that success by making games for Apple devices. "If you don’t react soon, you will lose my family forever," he says.