Nobody knows where the humanoid came from, and nobody knows where he'll go if he escapes. Nobody knows who put all the robots in the mazes, and nobody knows why Evil Otto is so happy and indestructible. And nobody cares, because it's 1980, and this game talks to you.
Gameplay: There are 64,000 different levels in Berzerk, and each one has up to 11 Cylon-esque robots scattered between you and the exit. Your objective is simple: safely exit the maze.
It isn't as easy as it sounds. After the first level, the robots shoot at you from eight different directions, and if you linger in a level too long, the indestructible Evil Otto will bounce into the room and head straight for you, unhindered by walls or robots.
Armed with only a laser blaster and your hand-eye coordination, you'll pick up 50 points for each robot you destroy, and a bonus of 10 points per robot if you destroy them all before you exit the room.
Could be mistaken for: Frenzy, Daleks, Shamus
Kids today might not like it because: Running through maze after maze with no real hope of escape is a Sisyphean nightmare.
Kids today might like it because: The robots are so stupid, they'll kill each other and walk right into walls in their single-minded efforts to kill you, and it isn't every day that a human gets to feel superior to a robot.
Enduring contribution to gaming history: Berzerk has the dubious distinction of being the first game involved in the death of a player. In 1981, 19-year-old Jeffrey Dailey had a massive heart attack after racking up more than 16,000 points. A year later, 18-year-old Peter Burkowski hit top-10 scores on back-to-back games in under 15 minutes before having a fatal heart attack of his own.
Wil Wheaton fights like a robot.