Though I had initially promised another post on the Xbox 360 this week, these words were typed before a great gaming related spectacle occured, an event that requires further discussion here in my space and, I hope, throughout the gaming community. The 2008 Spike Video Game Awards were televised on Sunday evening and the experience was laughable, horrifying, and undeniably disappointing all at the same time. The entertainment value came largely from the "I can't believe I'm seeing this" factor, though they unveiled some new trailers for some upcoming games that were rather enticing as well. But mostly my thoughts were dominated by how they forgot two important things: good video games and the people who play them.

It's a tough time of the year to stay skinny. You're eating giant meals with the extended family and sucking down mugs of eggnog like it's nobody's business, plus it's cold and wet outside -- nobody wants to go running in that nonsense. Hey, you're not alone -- even game characters pack on the pounds when they eat too much or don't exercise. Check out some of the more notable examples below.

Wizards tend to have an abundance of dusty mystical tomes lying around their libraries, but browsing one of these long forgotten books leads to disaster in Hey Wizard. Squeezing in some light reading accidentally unleashes the nefarious Megagate, a wicked beast that makes off with the bulk of your wizardly spells. Being a wizard without mad skills just doesn’t jive, so there’s no choice but to head off in hot pursuit to regain your powers. Using the few quirky magic spells remaining in your possession, navigating this oddly hued world, and obliterating the Megagate’s naughty minions proves to be an enchanting adventure.

Since Harvest Moon first sprouted up in '96, the series hasn't gone for many wild innovations. You still start out as a generic-looking youth with a destiny to fulfill -- and that destiny boils down to growing vegetables, selling vegetables, and getting a ring on the finger of an eligible local lady. It might sound like the most mundane plot in the history of video games, but Harvest Moon games creep up on you like a kudzu vine. One minute you're snickering at sappy romantic dialogue, and five days later you're waking up in a cold sweat, wondering if you watered your cucumbers.

The trouble with puzzle games is that it's really difficult to explain to anyone who hasn't played them exactly how brilliant they are. Take Tetris for example -- it could accurately be described as a game where the goal is to fit different shapes together in lines as they fall towards the bottom of the screen, but that would in no way get across the sheer simple addictive genius of it all.

Dana returns to World of Goo, spends an evening with Lara Croft, and discusses her potential addiction to Civilization Revolution. Amanda downloads No Doubt for Rock Band, returns to her summer fling, Final Fantasy, and relaxes before bed with Zenses: Rainforest Edition.

I tend to forget how utterly addicting a puzzle game can be. It's like a relationship -- it might be tempting to believe it's possible to dabble with little effort or time commitment, but that's an utterly deceptive idea. Puzzle games will suck up every second of time you can give them…and then some.

Green Pixels and IGN's ModCenter site hooked up to bring you an exclusive interview with WeirdBeard Games, the people who made 99 Bricks -- an addictive Tetris-like stacking game. They'll share where they got the idea for the game and what they plan to do with this game in the future. iPhone anyone? You may even get some tips from the developers for how you can build bigger and better towers. And if you haven't seen the Green Pixels write-up, check that out too.

A video game that's actually supposed to teach you how to drive. We sure hope it isn't anything like Grand Theft Auto: IV! This week also welcomes a new Sonic game as well as sequels for Winter Sports and Left Brain Right Brain.

Scrabble Might Swear at Your Kids
Mother Tonya Carrington bought her son Scrabble (rated for ages 3 and up) to help him boost his vocabulary. She was shocked to see some of the words that his virtual opponent used to win the game. You probably will be too.