(Didn't know exactly where to put this topic, so sorry ahead of time; maybe I'm presumptuous in thinking it even has a place anywhere on this entire forum, but oh well.)
Everyone here would likely, it seems, be happy to know about actionbutton.net; it has possibly some of the most informative and well-thought-out literature on video-game design throughout the internet. The reviews are incredibly long and off-the-wall, but they hold something valuable for those who want to know _why_ a game might be theorized to be great beyond simply having great "mechanics" or "atmosphere". I do hope one or two people here give them a look, particularly these ones:
Super Mario Bros. 3:
http://www.actionbutton.net/?p=426Canabalt (this is a free flash game, very much worth a look):
http://www.actionbutton.net/?p=618Out of this World (old French game which I would guess Nifflas has played one of these days):
http://www.actionbutton.net/?p=431