There is overwhelming support out there for printed instruction manuals, and I'm right there with the crowd on this one.  Manuals can do more than explain what the X button does in a game.  They can set the stage for the storyline, present short character biographies, spotlight original artwork, and so much more.  Now they're being sacrificed for the sake of increased profits in the name of the environment.  I hate to see them go, but the writing has been on the wall for a while here.  I had a feeling that printed manuals were doomed back when I opened the booklet for Tony Hawk's Underground 2 last generation and found that more than half of the pages were devoted to advertisements.  Advertisements in an instruction manual!  Now that is a waste of everybody's time.  Anything for a buck these days in an industry worth billions, I swear.

This week's Episode 43 of the Power Button podcast focuses on an interesting discussion regarding video games developed in the east (that'd be anything from Japan and other parts of Asia) versus video games developed in the west (which is everywhere else).  A recent survey of Japanese developers regarding favorite games from 2010 ended in a surprising revelation that a large majority of eastern developers prefer western titles to their own.  Which do you prefer?  Let's hear your thoughts.