E3 and a List

I knew a list would make it's way into this month of posting eventually but who knew it would come as early as day two?

With E3 a week away I've got video games on the mind. Two years ago I first came across G4's coverage of the event and got a live look at the show for the first time ever. I've never been able to go to E3, despite now being a freggin journalist (on paper), but I've been following the convention since the days of video game magazines. It used to require waiting until more than a month later when the magazines went to publication that we got the short blurbs about the next year in gaming. Then came the internet... well it was there but it wasn't as big. This meant that I could find out up to hour news and information from the show. Screenshots, previews and videos would flood the web every day. The stories would come too and it sounded like a blast. Of course all we had was pictures and words.

Then I gained access to G4 on Ashes' cable and everything changed. G4 and the X-play crew are live for all five days of E3. It was live at the event, the whole thing was there and I could be there vicariously through their coverage. It was pretty awesome and I was excited about seeing the next year of gaming at the same time as everybody in the press and nearby public. Last year I watched it religiously again and I will in a week. The timing is very unfortunate as it clashes with the world cup. Thankfully G4 repeats their coverage throughout the night. I'll be able to keep up with both the tournament and the game show with ease due to this convenient scheduling, or rather a major lack of programming on G4.

So in anticipation of E3 I bring to you another list. I like video games and I like lists. So hear is the combination of those two things. I bring to you...

THE 5 MOST ADDICTIVE GAMES OF THE LAST 10 YEARS

Dishonorable Mentions - Only get mentions because I didn't get addicted to them, but I recognize how others can get addicted to them.

• Wii Sports
• World of Warcraft
• Farmville
• DS Pokey-mans

5. Katamari Damacy - Katamari and all of the sequels count here. The first time I popped this insane Japanese gem into my PS2 I was hooked. Wacky music made each level exciting. The uniquely Japanese art style was charming and fun which meant the game didn't take itself too seriously. Speaking of not taking itself too seriously was one of the best characters in any video game, the King of the Cosmos. Just had to keep playing the levels and getting a bigger Katamari! WOO TANGENT!

4. Europa Universalis III - The greatest strategy game of all time and a big improvement for the series. I constantly come back to this game because it's so fun. Every time I play it's like I'm writing my own story while I play.

3. The Sims 1/2/3 - It's the ultimate time waster. This game is really about doing the same mundane shit as in life but occasionally throwing in some aliens, murder, robots, sex scandals and crazy inventions. I hate it, but I keep throwing Sims back on my computer and playing for a day or two before deleting it. Now that it's on Ashes' computer I won't have to put it on mine thankfully.

2. Rock Band & Guitar Hero - Every incarnation of these two series' gets thrown together because as a whole they've wasted so much time. Blasted off for a few years and I couldn't put them down. Always chasing a better score or a perfect play through. Hard to pick it up and not play for hours, which sadly happened too much.

1. Football Manager - Every incarnation of this game I play a billion hours and I always will. The game is the deepest sports game I've ever played. Tens of thousands of players and thousands of teams spread across leagues from every country in the world.