Kyle Orland’s Workblog

MVG asked five veteran gamers what game they would choose as being the most addictive of all time. Check out the eclectic results, then cast your own vote by emailing us at submissions@myvideogames.com

A little while ago, MyVideoGames.com ran a feature on The Worst Videogames of All- Time. We had a lot fun roasting our favorite chestnuts (and, based on the feedback we got, so did our fans). But what about the games that were so good we could barely tear ourselves away — even when our better half’s told us to come to bed? MVG asked five veteran gamers what they thought was the most addictive videogame of all time — and why.

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INTRO: In order to give you a clearer picture of Nintendo’s chances in the superconsole wars — their upcoming Gamecube will be going head-to-head against the Xbox, PS2 and Dreamcast — it may be helpful to look to their past business practices. And a great place to do that is by checking out (or, for some of you, *re-checking out*) "Game Over: Press Start to Continue", by David Sheff (with Andy Eddy). The original hardback edition, "Game Over: How Nintendo Zapped an American Industry, Captured Your Dollars, & Enslaved Your Children", was published in 1993 and written by Sheff. An updated January 1999 paperback edition, the one we’re reviewing here, contains extra chapters by Eddy, as well as a "picture history of Nintendo". And now, Kyle Orland’s assessment of the book.

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If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my three and a half years maintaining a Mario fan site, it’s this: Mario has the most demented fans in the universe.

With most games, fans are content to play, have a good time for a few months and then move on. Not Mario fans. They obsess over the games to the point of dementia. Like "Star Trek" fans discussing details of the Enterprise spaceship, they pore over the games’ minutiae. They memorize enemy names and item stats. They will not abandon a level until they have found every secret, beaten every enemy and collected every coin.

With the new Mario titles that are sure to be released for Game Boy Advance and GameCube, the number of obsessed fans will only multiply. So, in order to help all you Mario Maniacs-in-training, I’ve compiled a list of nine things every Mario fan should know.

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