​Surprisingly, the Snake game Easter Egg that was revealed on YouTube this week isn't the first example of a playable game on the online video service. On the contrary, for the last two years YouTube's video annotation feature has let users add a measure of interactivity to their videos, in the form of clickable buttons that lead down different paths.

 

While a lot of the "interactive videos" to be uploaded in that time come across as lazy, cheesy or generally unwatchable, there are a few that actually take the idea in some interesting directions. 

For example:

Sure, the single playable character, ridiculously easy difficulty and severely limited input options mean this stop-motion animated version of Street Fighter isn't going to challenge Super Street Fighter IV any time soon. Still, the life-like movements of these action figure fighters are like every child's secret play-time dream come to life. Plus the sight of tiny Guile kicking tiny E. Honda in the crotch is something we won't soon forget.

It's kind of a shame that what's likely the first console game to be fully playable in its original form on YouTube is also widely regarded as one of the worst games ever made. On the other hand, it's nice that the world at large can now experience this choose-your-own-soft-porn-slideshow-adventure travesty without investing in a used 3DO system.

Anthony Burch's review of this arcade light gun re-release for the Wii starts off normally enough, with Burch rambling about the game's flaws to the camera. But if you want to experience the full review -- and get the true final score -- you'll need to be ready to shoot some quick-drawing gunslingers before they shoot you. Even if this interactive review didn't cleverly and accurately capture just what's wrong with this game, it would be worth watching just to hear pap Burch's dry-as-dust insults when you fail.

Less of a game per se and more of an interactive toy, this one made the list because of it's seamless execution. Unlike the other videos on the list, which break to load a new page every time you click an on-screen button, tapping on this virtual keyboard actually plays the notes immediately in a picture-in-picture window. The result is a cute, playable guitar simulator that you can actually make music with. Now if only someone could harness this power for an actual game...

Interactive Hot Tub Girl: 

In researching this list, I came across a lot of cheesy "virtual date" or "virtual sex" interactive videos -- ones that make Plumbers Don't Wear Ties looked like a masterpiece of the form. But this one stood above the rest with its absurdist, over-the-top take on the genre. Come on, how can you resist a game that has both "offer her a sandwich" and "rub her face with a mop"  as selectable actions?