I am sooooooooooo tired of seeing articles on gaming websites that scream about how Celebrity X loves games, only to read that Celebrity X's favorite game is Pacman (or Asteroids, or Galaga, or Super Mario Bros). That's like me claiming I'm a big TV fan, and then saying that Jeffersons show is pretty good. If the newest game you can list came out a quarter of a century or more ago, trust me -- you don't love games.

Pokemon feels a bit like a kids' game, but in a way that doesn't turn me off as an adult at all. The carton style is simple, colorful, appealing, and the fact that you play as a kid instead of an angst-ridden, emo teen is a refreshing change compared to many role-playing games. Pokemon is the perfect game to give to your kid, but it's equally perfect for older gamers as well. Am I a tad bit embarrassed to confess that I enjoy Pokemon? Sure.

Before they were wiped clean off the planet, dinosaurs very likely made the lives of humans far more interesting (and short) than the comparably tame (yet still dangerous) beasts that currently roam the earth. In the eyes of game developers, dinosaurs aren’t always the straight-laced, carnivorous, lumbering brutes they’re made out to be. This month’s Free Bytes themed medley showcases a handful of outlandish and imaginative games that show a slightly different side of our dino pals.

Shakespeare may have asked "What's in a name?" but we're pretty sure that even he would have thought that these games took it just a little too far. Note to the marketing department: it's probably a good idea to run your ideas past one or two non-marketing people before you print the box covers.

IGN's Meghan Sullivan and I sat down to compare opinions about EA Sports Active. My experience with the game was great (although I will warn you all not to overextend your knee on those lunges. Trust me -- I speak from personal experience). So did Meghan agree?

Nostalgia can be powerfully intoxicating, especially when game publishers whip up shiny new versions of your favorite childhood games and parade them before your eyes like a giant, marvelously glowing carrot dangling off a stick. The draw of retro remakes can be so alluring to some that it necessitates an impulse buy, which can sometimes wind up leaving you feeling bruised and beaten with said stick. Digging into Nintendo’s newly revamped Punch-Out!! on the Wii will undoubtedly make you sore, but not because the game isn’t absolutely incredible.

If you play games yourself, it can be frustrating if your friends and family don't share your love of them. But don't despair -- it's possible to convert people into gamers, as long as you pick the right games to introduce them to. And much like Nancy Reagan warned us would happen in the war on drugs, these gateway games can quickly lead to trying a few more games, and then they're trying new genres, and before you know it, you'll have another gaming partner. Here's a crazy one to addict someone to.

If you had one arm that was a tentacle with a hook at the end and the only thing left of the other arm was a gnawed-off bone, I’m sure you’d wind up with an equally fitting nickname as the one bestowed upon Scarygirl. Dressing like a pirate certainly wouldn’t help things either. Awakening in the middle of the night by mysterious nightmares of being jettisoned into the ocean, this creepy lass embarks on an adventure through a dark and twisted world to find the man appearing in her dreams.

Role-playing games tend to be sweeping, epic, and just plain long. And I like to play role-playing games. However, I've noticed something about them lately that's disturbing me. When I finally get to that long-awaited ending, it doesn't feel as gratifying as it should. More often than not I find myself feeling a sense of relief that I'm finally done and can move on to another game -- or start reading a new book.

As celebrity offspring like Fifi Trixibelle, Daisy Boo, Audio Science, Camera, and Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily can no doubt testify, being given a decent name is no laughing matter. So, why is it that developers have seen fit to give seemingly little thought to the chosen titles of the following video games? From cross-cultural boo boos, made-up words, and terrible innuendos to the just plain silly—here's our first batch of the worst video game names in the world. (Come back on Thursday for part the deux.)