How many times have you sat down to play 10 minutes of “Tetris,” only to look up hours later, your eyes watering?
And that’s a game you bought 10 years ago.
We’re all about bang for the buck these days, and when it comes to cheap thrills, no bucks give more bang than those spent on video games. On the other hand, few thrills can cost more than video games — $60 a pop is no one’s idea of cheap entertainment.
Yet, sometimes, $60 can be a bargain. See, at a recent Play meeting, an argument broke out over the best games that suck you in and spit you out hours later — sometimes years later. We began compiling a list of games that, in tough times, do not wear out their allure. So here’s a timely look at timeless games — the sort that make time speed up because you’re having so much fun, whether they’re the latest high-test Xbox offerings or a 16-bit download. We play them again and again, because they challenge our minds and our fast-twitch muscles to get better than we think possible.
Here (and inside) are some of our favorites.
Soul Calibur II (for PS2)
The basics: Choose one of a couple dozen characters to square off tournament-style in various arenas, or play against another player or online.
Why I like it: Talim. This sassy little wind-worshiper is seriously overpowered and delivers some crushing combos — plus she’s ultrafast.
The longevity factor: The sheer number and difficulty of combos, attacks and moves would take a lifetime for the casual gamer to master — but it’s fun even if you’re a button-masher.
Buy it: $14.82, walmart.com
— Cheryl Bowles
Wik: Fable of Souls (for Xbox 360)
The basics: You’re a froglike creature with a mule-like sidekick, journeying deep into a dense forest. Using your tongue like Spider-Man uses his web, you swing from branch to branch to dislodge grubs to feed your sidekick; keep him fed, and your journey continues.
Why I like it: Induces a Zen-like state in which you are executing difficult acrobatic moves.
The longevity factor: Once you get in the zone, swinging and flipping like a gymnast on the uneven parallel bars, you will want to stay there.
Buy it: $10, downloadable to your Internet-connected Xbox 360 from Xbox Live Arcade.
— Eric Gwinn
Mega Man 9 (for Wii, Xbox 360, PS3)
The basics: Vintage 1980s play, completely unaltered. Shoot your way through scrolling level after level, gaining more resourceful weapons, working your way through an increasingly tougher series of bosses.
Why I like it: A fond reminder of how classic (and difficult) some early games remain. Bonus: newly created levels are available for download.
Longevity factor: The sense of accomplishment after each level draws you back.
Buy it? $10. Downloadable from Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation network, Wii Virtual Arcade.
— Christopher Borrelli
Tomb Raider IV: The Last Revelation (for PlayStation, playable on PS2, and Mac OS)
The basics: Control the bodacious main character, Lara Croft, through screen after screen of exotic locales.
Why I like it: Exploring Egyptian tombs, the library at Alexandria and more — plus, this game is a key entry in the overall “Tomb Raider” story arc.
The longevity factor: Plenty of brain-teasing puzzles in gorgeous scenery. Platforming is a challenge, but fun. Plus, that downloadable Times of London level lets you explore a (fictional) new area of Tut’s tomb!
Buy it: $4.99 for Mac OS, amazon.com; starting at $2.55 for PlayStation on Amazon’s marketplace.
— Cheryl Bowles
Super Mario Bros. 2 (for Wii)
The basics: Pick one of four characters to play at the beginning of each level, then jump, dodge enemies and fight the boss. Business as usual.
Why I like it: Princess Peach’s skirt lets you jump farther and longer than the other characters. Plus, it’s cool that she’s not a damsel in distress.
The longevity factor: Come on — it’s Super Mario Bros.
Buy it: 500 Wii points ($5) on the Wii Virtual Console.
— Cheryl Bowles
Burning Monkey Solitaire (for Mac OS)
The basics: Choose from among more than 30 solitaire layouts and go to town.
Why I like it: Colors are bright, graphics are great and the game is easy to customize. And don’t forget the “Boss Coming!” menu option. The longevity factor: Did I mention more than 30 layouts? Not to mention the extensive cheats system. Not that you’d need it.
Buy it: $24.95, freeverse.com (demo available).
— Cheryl Bowles
Grand Theft Auto IV (for Xbox 360, PS3)
The basics: Use your heart, cunning and war-honed skills to keep gangsters and the government off your back in this coming-to-America tale. Lots of guns, cars and motorcycles, and lots and lots of blood.
Why I like it: Not just an orgasm of violence, “GTA IV” is a commentary on our media-saturated world. All of this plays out to a soundtrack of your choosing, with radio stations that run the gamut of musical tastes.
The longevity factor: It’s a whole, explorable world. And that’s before challenging your buddies online to Death Matches and other versions of virtual paint ball. “GTA IV” has it all.
Buy it: $60, gamestop.com
— Eric Gwinn
Echochrome (downloadable to the PS3 from the PlayStation Network)
The basics: Tilt a 3-D, Escher-like drawing — reminiscent of a skyscraper under construction — to let an artist’s mannequin walk from one end of the structure to the other without falling off.
Why I like it: The black-and-white line drawings and emotional chamber music combine for an artlike experience.
The longevity factor: Your brain and your hands must think five steps ahead to keep the mannequin on the beam, simultaneously rewarding your inventiveness while making you feel like a bomb-defuser facing a ticking clock.
Buy it: $7.99, using your Internet-connected PS3 to connect to the PlayStation Network.
— Eric Gwinn
Little Big Planet
(for PlayStation 3)
The basics: You’re Sackboy, a rag doll hopping from platform to platform, evading obstacles. It’s old-school platforming, with no Sonic-like increase in skills or Mario-like discovery of new weapons.
Why I like it: It’s endless creativity. By exploring the worlds of Little Big Planet, you uncover tons of costumes to try on, and you can change Sackboy’s facial expressions and body movements, which is cool enough in single-player mode but turns online multiplayer mode into a little big party.
The longevity factor: You can customize Sackboy to your heart’s content.
Buy it: $60; target.com
— Eric Gwinn
Battlefield 2: Modern Combat (for Xbox 360)
The basics: Go to the multiplayer smackdown — a timed, capture-the-flag skirmish that holds up to 24 live players, divided into teams, who race to secure strategic bridges and outposts. There are 16 environments, and every one huge.
Why I like it: Devilishly clever layouts — just frustrating enough to get you daydreaming strategies — coupled with smart controls and rudimentary goals (shoot the other players), and the unpredictability of live opposition, make for the video game equivalent of pickup basketball.
Longevity factor: The satisfaction of taking down a chopper never gets old.
Buy it? $30, gamequestdirect.com; but used copies go for $15.
— Christopher Borrelli
Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
(for PlayStation 3)
The basics: Visit inventive planets with Clank, your robot pal. Solve puzzles. Throw hardware at aliens, who explode into bolts that you collect and use to buy weapons.
Why I like it: A near-perfect mix of classic arcade gameplay and 21st Century animation. The closest we’ve come to a playable Pixar film.
Longevity factor: The planets are vast, but importantly, the puzzles are so smartly conceived, the challenges are almost entirely frustration-free — even encouraging. Perfect for families.
Buy it? $60, amazon.com. About $40 used at Gamestop.
— Christopher Borrelli
Boogie Bunnies
(for Xbox 360)
The basics: A 3-D puzzle game in which you launch colored bunnies into approaching columns of colored bunnies — the point is to stem the advancing flow, to break up columns of bunnies by matching similar bunnies in a row.
Why I like it: As anyone who ever wasted hours playing “Minesweeper” will tell you, games in which neat combinations are the goal give some of us the sensation, briefly, of tidiness. It’s secretarial crack.
Longevity factor: Whatever it is that other obsessive-compulsive digital treasures possess, this has in oodles — that sweaty-palmed, bleary-eyed desire to do two more levels, now three.
Buy it? Xbox Live Arcade download, $10.
— Christopher Borrelli
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Did we miss your favorite?
Hit us back at atplay@tribune.com. We’ll publish the results April 16 — the day after Tax Day, of course!
