The Community Spotlight features some of the best unedited articles that didn't quite make the front page. This week, we compare super-difficult RPG Dark Souls to an old-school classic, search for diversity in player protagonists, and more.

Dark Souls is the new Simon's Quest
By Bryant "B" Chambers

I've had a spotty relationship with Dark Souls myself, but every week I seem to read another article praising it. Here, B says that Dark Souls is what the Castlevania series should have evolved into. He lists a surprising number of correlations between the two. Insightful stuff.

Diversity in video games: Where did everyone go?
By Brielle Wesley

Brielle analyzes the characters and content of Max Payne 3, examining the racial makeup of the game's cast. She also looks at how many of those characters end up dead (and their respective races). Her findings are perhaps not surprising, especially for a Max Payne game, but they're interesting nonetheless.

A boy's world: Video games need more strong female protagonists
By Javy Gwaltney

In a similar vein, Javy is disappointed at the recent reveal that Grand Theft Auto V will feature three playable characters...and none of them are female. He says heroines like Jade from Beyond Good and Evil are far too rare. "We need those kinds of protagonists. ASAP. Not just for the sake of diversity but for storytelling," he writes.