In an amazing display of honor and integrity possibly extinct amongst American businesses, Toyota Motor Corp. CEO and President Akio Toyoda declined to accept an award from the Japanese Government for the Prius model’s energy efficiency. The Prius was one of 3 products selected this year to receive the Grand Prize for Energy Efficiency and Ecological Quality from Japan’s Trade Minister.

Referring to the recent voluntary recall of 437,000 Prius for possible brake problems, Toyota spokesman Paul Nolasco said, “We declined to accept the award because we thought it was not appropriate.” Toyota made the decision to recall the Prius amongst the recent recall of a total of 8.5 million other Toyota autos after receiving only 200 complaints total in both the U.S. and Japan of the hybrid experiencing a braking delay in very specific cold weather conditions over very bumpy roads.

While some complain that the possibly company-killing recalls should have been made sooner, upon hearing of the refusal of the award and seeing some of the shame evident on some Toyota spokesmen’s faces during recent press conferences, I couldn’t help but be reminded of some of the principles and traditions that guided the gentlemen, knights, and samurai of old. It stands in stark contrast to the arrogant defiance I have seen on the faces of defeated and disgraced businessman and politicians lately.

It also made me wonder what it would be like if members of the video game industry had to show similar levels of contrition and shame to investors and consumers for crap they’d brought unabashedly to market. The unviewable screen of the original Game Boy Advance? The Xbox 360 and its Red Ring of Death failure rates? Daikatana, Battlecruiser 3000? Who are some companies, products, or people that you think ought to commit verbal Seppuku?

The folks over at GameAlmighty.com have posted an article on what we can only hope will be a lasting trend – good games all-year round, not just a holiday season fisted full of all the best titles. Do the game publishers honestly think we save up our money the entire year until the holidays roll around, and then like some sort of gaming chipmunk we stuff our cheeks full of enough of them to play for the next 12 months?

From GameAlmighty.com:

“[It is] my opinion that this was an ill-advised practice rooted in an old model that assumed most game purchases are made by someone for someone else. As in a Mother buying Super Mario Bros for their child at Christmas because it was on his list, instead of the more contemporary and accurate example of a 35-year-old kid buying Super Mario Bros Wii for himself now because today was its release date and rationalizing it all to his wife by saying it is for their children ‘because they have been good.’”

They also include a slew of mini-reviews covering all of this weeks most significant releases as well as a very in-depth review of the highly-anticipated Wii shooter, The Conduit that is definitely worth checking out.