Time to take a break.The humorist Don Marquis once said that "a sequel is an admission that you've been reduced to imitating yourself." He died in 1937, so I'm pretty sure he wasn't talking about video games. But glance at the sequel-flooded game industry these days and you'll know that he was on to something.

The good news? Despite their prevalence, video game sequels tend to be technically superior to their predecessors. They often fix flaws, improve visuals, and add features than fans have requested. The best games in most successful franchises are often not the first ones.

Getty ImagesThe joystick generation is growing fast.

A new report finds that the video game playing population of the United States now totals 135 million -- a 140 percent increase over the amount recorded in 2008.

Those players put in over an hour a month on a wide variety of titles, according to research firm Parks Associates. The biggest draws are free-to-play and social network games, titles that spread beyond consoles and hefty PC rigs and onto the web and smartphones, among other platforms.

Nearly 80 percent of all U.S. gamers play either free-to-play online games or Facebook games, the study found.

Six games enter, one game leaves.

The dust has settled from last week's poll, in which we asked the simple question, "What's your favorite fighting games franchise?" We have a bona fide champ -- and he's pretty nasty.

With 35% (7,680) of your votes, the Mortal Kombat franchise finished off the competition. Interestingly, the bloody brawler was chased by the kid-friendliest, as the light-hearted Super Smash Bros. muscled into second with 28% (6,142).

On the surface, you can't beat free-to-play games. After all, having access to titles people used to pay $15 a month for without ever having to open your wallet? It sounds too good to be true.

Unfortunately, it often is.

While some free-to-play games live up to the billing, too many take advantage of our inherent desire to save a buck. Instead of paying cash up front (whether it's $60 for a retail game or $1 for an app), you'll often end up paying much, much more on the back end. Or worse, you'll wind up playing a cut-rate version of the game while others have all the bells and whistles. After all, you get what you pay for.

All you need is love.They might not be made of flesh and bone, but even video game characters know what it means to love. Or at least they're programmed to. Whatever the case, we could all learn a thing or two from the selfless romance embodied by gaming's most iconic couples. Our heart containers are bursting!

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Roses?  Harumph!  Dark chocolate?  Pshaw!  A gamer craves not these things — at least, not exclusively.  If your special someone is a serious player, or even just if they walk on the geeky side of the street from time to time, they'll appreciate these hand-picked Valentine's Day presents.

"Arrow in the Heart" T-shirt

An arrow in the heartOkay, admittedly the  "I took an arrow to the knee" meme from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has more than worn out its welcome.  Still, the sheer sweetness of this shirt's sentiment should make it a pleasant surprise for the Dovakhin in your life.

Edgeworld

Got a few minutes to kill?  Why not unwind with a free webgame?  For your gaming convenience, we've assembled the week's new releases on Yahoo! Games in this handy roundup.

Edgeworld

Social games like Farmville and Mafia Wars are all well and good, but sometimes you want a slick sci-fi scenario to sink your teeth into.  That's where Edgeworld comes in.  As the commander of a colony on the politically-fragmented planet of Cerulea IV, you must build up your defenses, negotiate alliances with other players, and assemble awe-inspiring armies of marines and war-machines.  The visual style recalls Starcraft, but the gameplay is a bit friendlier, easing you into the game mechanics with numerous starter quests.

Jedi wannabes will finally have a chance to join the Rebellion this spring.

Kinect Star Wars (LucasArts)After a series of delays, Kinect Star Wars will hit store shelves on April 3...and Microsoft is rolling out all the stops to promote it.

In addition to the game -- which lets players live out their Luke Skywalker fantasies through the Kinect motion capture peripheral -- Microsoft will begin selling a Kinect Star Wars Xbox 360 bundle for $449. The package will include an R2-D2 themed Xbox, a C-3PO gold controller, and an unlockable C-3PO for the game's, ahem, dance mode.