...that while I love interactive storytelling,  I am not an avid gamer.  For me, it's all about the storytelling, and very few games find the perfect platform to bring their stories to life.  To some extent, there aren't that many worlds that demand interactive exploration.  My list of essentials is short:

On the White Wolf front:

Werewolf: The Apocalypse, 2nd Edition
Mage: The Ascension, 2nd Edition Revised
Wraith: The Oblivion, 2nd Edition
Trinity, and all attendant supplements (my idea of a universe designed for tabletop exploration)

My one big other tabletop game, naturally, is Dungeons & Dragons.


On the console I love:

Halo
Final Fantasy VII

and that's about it, although I am eager to check out Bioshock.  For me, it just takes a lot to get invested.


On the computer:

SpaceQuest...
...and perhaps my biggest game love of all time, STARCRAFT.  As you might imagine, it's hard for me to get excited about new and upcoming releases, because for me, it's not just about gameplay, although bad gameplay can definitely ruin a good story.

Starcraft had it all, man.  I love the aesthetic, I love the characters, and Raynor's story is perhaps the most tragic in game history.  His tale ends in a forgotten alien monastery, where he tries like hell to keep sane while the one woman he ever loved, as corrupted by technology and power as a being can be, conquers the known universe.  Both wind up alone, distant from humanity, with only alien voices in their heads and their own broken connection for comfort.  If Rambo thought he had it bad...

Tassadar and the Dark Templar saw what Raynor was good for.  He saw a relentless tactical mind broken by grief and rage, and unleashed it when nobody else would.  Raynor is as tied to the Protoss as Kerrigan is to the Zerg.  To even cope with his life and his mission, Raynor must leave his human frailties and strengths further and further behind him.

How can the universe get any more cruel to this utterly destroyed man?

And how can there be victory against the Zerg?

www.starcraft2.com

Oh, my dear lord.

To Blizzard, I say that if you ever seriously consider making a movie of this, think of me.  On the other hand, it might be better to leave this story where it is.  It works perfectly as the Shakespearian tragedy of strategy gaming, as well as being fairly prophetic about our political climate.

To Jim Raynor, all I can say is hang in there, haas.  I'm coming for you.  Not the armada of Arcturus, nor the would-be martyrs of Aiur, nor the entire goddamn Swarm can stop me.