Yesterday became a very early birthday as my wife let my open my presents. We now have a GameCube. And four controllers. And money to spend on games. Apparently we couldn’t wait to take advantage of the video action — that and friends are moving this weekend and we can take advantage of sales at Best Buy. But I’m not complaining.

So I need to decide what games to buy. Mario Kart seems like an obvious choice, though I’ve played it a lot recently and have beaten 98% of the races. Then again it’s a racing game and always has a life of its own (proven last night by the awesome three and four player gaming). Super Smash Bros. Melee also looks good. I remember playing it on the N-64 and it’s a great multiplayer game. We rented Simpsons Hit & Run tonight, which is basically a Simpsons version of Grand Theft Auto without all the senseless violence. It’s a fun game, but I don’t know if it’s a must own. Only a small portion of the game is multiplayer, so that’s disappointing.

I’m also going to have to get my share of racing games. Burn Out 2 looks good (I’ve played the original), and I’d also love to get a realistic racer like NASCAR Heat 2: Dirty to Daytona, which covers NASCAR from dirt tracks to modifies to the truck series to the full blown pros. Of course NASCAR 2005: Chase For the Cup sounds pretty sweet.

There’s a few other games I have my eye on, like F-Zero (great racing game on the SNES), Medal of Honor (I’ve played on the computer, though I’m curious if a console version would be any good), and the various James Bond and Lord of the Rings games. I also just checked out the web site for Custom Robo — that looks way cool: build a robot and then fight with it. Looks like lots of multiplayer action.

Thankfully GameCube games get pretty cheap when they’ve been out for a while. Several of these games are available for under $20. Bonus. Does anybody have any recommendations for good games?

I mentioned the other day that I’m thinking about getting a Nintendo. I’ve been pretty anti-Nintendo in the past few years, at least when it comes to owning one. I know myself, and I have a tendency to become addicted to video games. It happened a number of times in college, and by midway through my sophomore year I learned to stay away.

My roommates have fond memories of playing a game called Worms. I have fond memories of righteously refusing to play for fear of becoming addicted.

But it’s also one of those things you need to learn to overcome. Sometimes you want some sort of quasi-disengaged stress reliever. I just need to learn when not to play it, especially since I work at home. That makes it difficult.

I’m just finding myself intrigued by video games. They’re so much cooler nowadays. It’s not dots on a screen anymore, but entire virtual worlds. The video game industry is a $9.4 billion business, which is bigger than the box office (though I think Hollywood as a whole would have to be larger).

And as a volunteer with my youth group, a game system seems like required material. It sounds stupid, but a video game system is the common denominator among guys. I don’t know a single guy in our group who would say no to a night of video games. While basketball, paintball, a concert, or any other event will draw plenty of guys, I don’t think any of them would get the total response video games seem to. Maybe that says something depressing about teen guys, but I won’t think about that now. I certainly realize video games aren’t the best way to spend time with guys, but it does open a door. I recognize if that’s all you ever do you’re in trouble.

Par for the course when being tempted by a new electronic goodie, I have my doubts. I’m leaning toward the GameCube for all the Nintendo-exclusive games, like Mario Cart and Super Smash Brothers. I realize the PS2 and X-Box might be better systems, but the GameCube is also cheaper. Though that does make me wonder how long until the GameCube is relegated to the pile of oldies like the NES, SNES, and N64. Only a matter of time (to which I want to respond, “So buy now! Buy now!”).

Sometimes I think too much.