Welcome to this, the 11th edition of Fire Flower. In this week's column, rather than tackling something that's bothering my weasel-addled brain right now, I have decided to recap on the last ten issues of my column. So, for your reading pleasure, I present you with a Fire Flower retrospective.

FF#1: The Importance Of Being Exclusive.

Fire Flower #1 was my first column for Cube-Europe; though I had been a News Reporter for over a year, I wanted to move away from the fast-paced newstrack to something where I could share my insights. In this first edition, we looked at console-exclusivity and its impact on sales and how essential identifiable brands were to driving hardware sales and reinforcing a brand image. Naturally, the success and failure of Nintendo is a big issue in exclusivity, with the appeal of the Mario franchise dwindling somewhat over the years and the seemingly baffling tactic of appealing to only the hardcore demographic. [link]

FF#2: Teamwork.

The second edition of the column looked at the appeal of online and offline multiplayer, concluding that being in a small room with three of your friends is far more appealing than playing some faceless opponent several thousand miles away. Although you have to share the Pringles with your friends when they come round, there's nothing quite like the devastated look of disappointment as you mercilessly crush them at Mario Kart to really get your blood pumping: online just isn't the same. [link]

FF#3: Video Gaming Is Money.

I have to apologise and print a retraction here: Gunpei Yokoi resigned rather than got fired. Despite the fact that all my research said the contrary, I have to hold my hands up and admit the mistake. Even though the difference between abandoning ship and being pushed down the gangplank seemed to be rather unclear. Nonetheless, the videogames industry is all about making money, just the same as the film industry and the sandwich-making business. A lot of people seemed a bit upset by this, clearly believing that developers and publishers are desperate for their approval and not just their money... [link]

FF#4: Responsibility:

The proverbial hot potato of the videogames industry has, since the release of Mortal Kombat, been age ratings and suitability of content for younger players. Parents should spend less time writing enraged letters to the more conservative newspapers and more time monitoring what their children are doing. The lesson here is that retailers, developers and publishers should not be held so damningly accountable every time a child plays Grand Theft Auto. [link]

FF#5: Pobody's Nerfect.

Yeah, you heard me. In reading the response to column #3, I decided to write a feature on the desire of all and sundry to criticise the industry and view it in a blinkered and pessimistic manner. Really though, we are living in interesting times; new handheld consoles, the new generation of home consoles is coming soon and there are some pretty fabulous games available out there. Things could be worse, and we must remember that in all our criticism. [link]

FF#6: Is It Over Yet?

Another question raised in the debate over videogames perfection is lastability. Rather than focusing on the gameplay of the main game, many developers are preoccupied with frantically expanding the dull experience by adding useless and uninteresting extra modes to increase the lifespan of the game. Never mind that the cars handle like juggernauts, or the dialogue is painfully corny, or it sounds like the musical score was recorded by a two year-old with a xylophone. Let's add a 'Time Attack' and 'Mirror Mode' that'll make it more fun. Yeah, right. [link]

FF#7: Make Some Noise!

This was a very personal piece dealing with my bafflement at the popularity of stealth games; those bland, cheesy sneak-'em-ups that would be great as single levels in good games but themselves are extremely boring to my taste. You only have to look at Beyond Good and Evil to recognise excellent stealth sections that have been put to good use and built into an interesting and varied game. Stealth games themselves though, suck beyond all belief. So there. [link]

FF#8: Kept In The Dark Again.

Playing games recently, I notice a worrying tendency towards the overuse of the black end of the colour spectrum. Some games are totally clouded by a black mist that means you have to play them in a very dark room to actually have a vague idea of what is happening. Developers are now using pitch blackness as means of conveying atmosphere where none exists, laziness is creeping into the cycle as deadlines must be met. [link]

FF#9: Apply Within.

Everybody loves Reggie Fils-Aime...except Nintendo, it would seem. Reggie is undoubtedly the biggest PR asset that Nintendo has on the American stage; he's far more interesting and dynamic than the parade of smug old men that Microsoft and Sony roll out to make comments on the industry. But there was Reggie at this year's E3, a tiny Game Boy Advance Micro in his mighty hand...even another Zelda video couldn't help but make the giant of the industry look more than a little small under the hot spotlight. [link]

FF#10: Show 'em Who's Boss!

The last Fire Flower covered the changing role of the end-of-level-guardian, how it has apparently been replaced by the mid-level and final level boss. Showy set-pieces and sudden adrenaline rushes are now the order of the day as the average casual gamer demands. Gone has the massive sense of achievement at beating the end-of-level-guardian, as linearity goes out of the window and progression is blurred and marked only by another encounter with a Rock Troll. [link]

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[We suggest that if you were hoping for an actual new article from Iun you can pass the time until the next one by, er, learning off his previous ten by heart, or something. Oh, just be patient.]