Video Game Haiku Contest

[DOSGuy]

Simply awesome.

Okay, I count three haikus that don't have the right number of syllables.

---Alien Carnage (AKA) Halloween Harry---

Flamethrowing hero
Combat the alien menace
Fell the zombie swarm

Kom-bat the aa-lee-en men-is (8)

---Scorched Earth---

Death's Head in the sky
Rain of nuclear destruction
We all curse our fate

Raan uv nuu-klee-er des-truk-shun (8)

---SkiFree--

Speed down the mountain
Free style for extra points
More than one Yeti?!

Free stiil foor ek-stru poynts (6)

You can maybe argue that style is pronounced "stii-ul", but I feel that I pronounce it as a single syllable, "stiil". It's probably okay, but it's somewhat controversial.


A couple of comments about the others:

---Lemmings---

They climb and they fall
They explode and they tunnel
You must guide their fate

That's pretty darned accurate!

---Chopper Commando---

Where have I gone to?
This is not the base I left...
The Mark Currie Zone!

(AND)

My ammo failing
I fall on my last resort
Fairwell, my chopper!

These made me laugh. Mark Currie is going to love the first one.

[SpellSword]

Okay, I count three haikus that don't have the right number of syllables.

Oops.

Alright, how about this:

---Alien Carnage (AKA) Halloween Harry---

Flamethrowing hero
Fight the alien menace
Fell the zombie swarm


---Scorched Earth---

Death's Head in the sky
Nuclear destruction rains
We all curse our fate


---SkiFree--

Speed down the mountain
Free style it for extra points
Then die by Yeti?!

[Hakutoshi]

Duke Nukem II

The abducted hero
Thrown into battle once more
Against enemies from beyond

[DOSGuy]

Duke Nukem II

The abducted hero
Thrown into battle once more
Against enemies from beyond

That's a good description, but it doesn't quite meet the 5-7-5 syllable rule.

Thee ab-duk-ted hee-roo (6)
Throon in-tuu ba-tul wuns moor (7)
A-genst en-e-meez frum bee-yond (8)

[Legalmumbojumbo]

Development hell
Nukem is taking forever
Will the baddies die?

[DOSGuy]

Nuu-kum iz taa-king foor-ev-er (8)

[DOSGuy]

Okay folks, the contest is almost over and the deadline will NOT be extended. The prize will be something unique and cool. Remember that you're allowed to enter as many haikus as you want, so if you have any ideas left, submit them now!

[DOSGuy]

We have a winner! The winner is one of our oldest members. It was a tough choice between two of his entries.

---Scorched Earth---

Death's Head in the sky
Nuclear destruction rains
We all curse our fate

This haiku has exciting imagery. "Death's head" sounds like a really cool metaphor, although it's actually the name of a weapon in Scorched Earth. It still sounds cool, though. Death's head, nuclear destruction, this haiku captures the mood of Scorched Earth's sometimes intense battles with up to 10 tanks. Between the Death's Head, and maybe a few napalm attacks, there would be very little terrain left after this battle, and what there was would be charred.


And the winner is...


---Lemmings---

They climb and they fall
They explode and they tunnel
You must guide their fate

Though the imagery is less exciting, you can't deny that this haiku completely captures the essence of Lemmings. They climb, fall, explode, tunnel, and you must guide them. It's technically perfect, though perhaps less exciting than a tactical nuclear strike. I think that the concept of the haiku is to be profound in an understated way. Japanese haikus are even shorter than English ones. They are a short, simple statement that look into the heart of something and describe it without hype or hyperbole. This is the core of what Lemmings is, described in a short, straightforward poem. The bit about "you must guide their fate" has a nice, ominous feel to it. The future is unwritten; their survival isn't guaranteed. They will either live or die, you must guide their fate.

Congratulations to SpellSword! You win the first (and probably only) Classic DOS Games T-shirt!

[leilei]

I would have take part
But my english is not good
That's too bad for me

[SpellSword]

A Classic DOS Games T-shirt: Very Cool!
I will wear it with pride!