September 24, 2008 - Like many before me who have also (hopefully) moved on to bigger and better things, I've done my requisite time as a "chef" in the fast food industry. Those halfhearted early days of employment spent flipping burgers, dealing with barely minimum wage pay, and coming home smelling like grease reinforced the fact there's nothing romantic about the notion of working in a restaurant chain. Popping a few quarters in for a round of BurgerTime is far preferable.

I'm convinced the game must have been the byproduct of a feverish nightmare had by a former burger flipper turned developer. Assembling giant burgers by running around a tower of badly assembled scaffolding - all the while being chased by mutant, flesh-eating food - is incredibly surreal. The approved method of burger creation is even more questionable. You must stamp on the immense hamburger buns, piles of lettuce, and meat patties respectively to send each one toppling down to the levels below. Talk about unsanitary.

The closest you'll come to emulating the BurgerTime experience in real life is to show up to work after staying away for 48 hours straight - not entirely recommendable. Climbing on top of the counter and stomping on burgers is a quick way to fired…or arrested.

BurgerTime's fast and frantic gameplay requires split-second reflexes, since you're only given a limited supply of pepper to stun the monstrous Mr. Egg, Mr. Hot Dog, and Mr. Pickle. Crushing these villainous cohorts beneath a thundering cascade of meat, bun, and lettuce is certainly satisfying. More often than not, you'll find yourself cornered by the three, who pounce at any opportunity to thwart your bizarre burger operation.

Being one of many worker drones who put together heart clogging meals for the masses day in and day out is not much of a good time. Playing BurgerTime, on the other hand, makes my stomach growl.