Great Words about Great Games

"Oh. So you're really into videogames. Urm. Why?!"

I get asked this question a lot. I think anyone who admits to having more than a passing interest in computer games will be.

"Aren't they just a waste of your time?"

"Yes," I usually reply a little feebly, "but isn't everything?"

"Err..."

You should worry when real life feels like being stuck in a text adventure game

Evidently I'm still trying to work out the best way to communicate my enthusiasm about games. So far I've found that I'm slightly better at doing it in writing than when I'm suddenly asked to justify myself to someone who's arbitrarily decided to attack my favourite hobby, but even then, I still have some way to go.

So here are some things by people who do it better than me:

Animal Crossing: Wild World
Gary "Cmdr Zorg" Cutlack

Batman: Arkham Asylum
Alec Meer

Earth Defence Force
Kieron Gillen

Half-Life 2
Kristan Reed

ICO (video review)
Ryan Macleod

Left 4 Dead 2
Tom Bramwell

Sensible Soccer 92/93 Season
Stuart Campbell

Space Giraffe
Johnathan Blow (designer of Braid)

Street Fighter III: Third Strike
Heather Campbell

Super Mario Bros. series
Oli Welsh

Super Mario Bros. 3 (very long but very good)
Tim Rogers

Super Mario Galaxy (video review)
Robert "Rab" Florence

Tetris
Tim Rogers

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Heather Campbell (the case against)

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
Lewis Denby

World of Goo
John Walker (the case for)
Alex Kierkegaard (the case against)


It's a pretty short list at the moment, but I'll be adding to and editing it over time, in the hope it might one day be authoritative and comprehensive. In the meantime, please knock yourself out with that comment box down there to add any suggestions of your own.