Despite my best efforts at timeliness, you'll find informative and must-read articles from as far back as November in this episode of the Spotlight. Hey, at least you'll never know what I'll pull out of my hat next.

McKinley Noble starts us off with a cautionary look at Bayonetta's chances in Game of the Year competitions in this year of Bioshock 2 and God of War 3. Chris Cosmo Ross then reflects on what he misses most about PC gaming -- the immersive terror.

Nick Giunta believes your game retailer has soul -- soul that retail giants hope to crush by undercutting specialty prices. Ryan Conway's explanation of the ESRB rating system is unlike anything you'll find in any electronics section or game store, and well worth showing to people unsure of the games they're buying.

Gerren LaQuint Fisher takes a stance on the supposed dwindling of Japan's role in the games market and offers a less disparaging view on the subject.

Finally, Jeff Parsons delivers his take on Modern Warfare 2's much-discussed No Russian level.

Bayonetta: Already (Not) Game of the Year?
By McKinley Noble
Sega's decision to delay Bayonetta's North American release seems less controversial when you consider the stiff competition the game would have had for GOTY honors in 2009 (Batman: Arkham Asylum and Uncharted 2, to name a couple). But McKinley feels Bayonetta will have trouble staying fresh in gamers' minds once God of War 3 hits the scene.

PC Gaming: A Personal Experience
By Chris Cosmo Ross
Since the death of his gaming PC, Cosmo has found himself reflecting on the finer points of computer games. The strange, immersive feeling of total sound isolation and sitting so close to a monitor is something you can't easily replicate with a TV and console. His experiences with Ravenholm in Half-life 2 highlights the sensational delights of PC gaming.

Video Game Stores Got Soul...Brotha
By Nick Giunta
Love 'em or hate 'em, specialized game retailers are a haven of release dates, looping trailers, and gaming culture. But that experience could fall by the wayside -- is Walmart the Shang Tsung of retailers?

A Parents Guide to Video Games
By Ryan Conway
Ryan wrote this piece back in November in anticipation of the whirlwind Christmas shopping season. His breakdown of the ESRB rating system is one of the best I've seen, and applicable throughout the year for parents unsure about the letters appearing on the games they buy their children.

The Fall of Japanese Gaming is Greatly Exaggerated
By Gerren LaQuint Fisher
The debate over Japan's supposedly dwindling dominance in the game market is likely unending, but I find myself agreeing with Gerren. Japan isn't losing control -- as regional tastes specialize, companies are catering to their original markets more than squabbling over complete market dominance.

No Russian? No Thanks
By Jeff Parsons
Jeff's award list for the games he played in 2009 has one glaring omission: Modern Warfare 2. Why? He hadn't gotten around to playing it, but now that he has he is overflowing with opinions on the ever-controversial No Russian level.