Shatter is the rare game that takes a concept that's been around nearly as long as gaming itself and completely revolutionizes it. Simply put, Shatter is the new standard that all other block-breaking games will have to meet.

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories may be considered one of the last significant games to come out for the PS2, but it is also one of the better ones. Everything about it, from the graphics to the sounds to the controls, ranges from very good to exceptional and shows that developers can still squeeze out a good gaming experience from such an old system

European Assault will not take you by the hand and lead you to the finish. You'll have to fight for every inch of ground that you gain, and you'll meet your untimely demise more than a few times. Along the way, you'll experience a gritty, raw, and realistic combat experience that will give you a greater appreciation for what veterans of World War II went through.

Order of Ecclesia is a top-notch Castlevania game. It has a few problems with linearity and length, but the flaws are few and far between. The gameplay is incredibly fun, the animations are lovely, and the overall enemy design is some of the best we've seen from recent Castlevania titles.

Exceptionally entertaining.

Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled on the Switch is my favorite kart racer, even managing to outshine Mario Kart. The focus on tight and challenging gameplay that requires skill over luck was a nice change of pace. Add to that the great presentation and amount of content, and there's not much else that you could wish for. At this point, the only real complaints are the long loading screens, the microtransactions that Activision is rolling out, and the sometimes-broken multiplayer component. It's enough to make it anything but a perfect game, but it's a good title, especially for the $40 price tag.

Far and away, the best feature of the PS2 version of NFSU is its online ability. Being able to play this game against my friends is not only superb but puts it at a whole new level.

It's pretty darned fun once you get used to the quirks.

While none of the changes on their own amounted to much, overall, they all made for a much smoother and more authentic baseball title.

I would recommend Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order to anyone who's even remotely familiar with the universe. There are plenty of Easter eggs and geek-out stuff for the fans (you can build a custom lightsaber!), and the gameplay is less about reinvention and more about refining pieces to fit the experience, which is what a lot of great art is built upon. If anything, this game made me feel like I did back in the 1990s, when I truly felt the Force in the game space for the first time. It's a special feeling, and I look forward to seeing where this path goes.

While Observer is highly enjoyable in handheld mode, not being able to fully enjoy it when docked eliminates half of the Switch's format. If a Switch is all you own, then absolutely look into Observer. For those with other consoles, I'd recommend grabbing the game on PC, PlayStation 4 or Xbox One first. Overall, Observer still manages to shine through as an excellent addition to the horror genre.

Droplitz is one of those under-the-radar games that, in spite of how good it is, has gotten lost in the commotion and hoopla of the summer games season.

There are some issues within WRC 8, and they're not small, but the game is otherwise so good that it's easy to overlook them. For all the times your engine switches to stealth mode or a fence post sends you into low Earth orbit, there are hundreds of times when you are blissfully guiding your car into a drift around a dusty apex in Argentina, or masterfully twisting through a series of highly technical corners during heavy rain. The vehicle handling is so good — and that is so important for a rally game — that even with its flaws, WRC 8 is likely the high bar that other rally games should aspire to.

Condemned 2: Bloodshot will stand well against the competition in action, horror and even most shooter games, just on the merit of being a sequel improving on the original, rather than slipping beneath its foundation like so much land-filled garbage.

A gorgeous, well-made technical racer that will test your braking and turning abilities just as much as your ability to jam on the gas and hold on tight. If that sounds like your idea of fun, then buckle up and get yourself to the starting line.

If you're new to Peggle, there's no reason why you can't start with this, and if you want some more levels to set off a new bout of addiction, then Peggle Nights is definitely for you.

Even though Pistol Whip has a small musical offering at the moment, it's one of the best VR experiences I have played on PSVR and in general. It's easy to pick up, great to play, and tough to put down, and ultimately, that's all it's about. It isn't rich in features yet, but with a content roadmap in place, this potentially looks like "the next big thing," although it's marginally held back by a lack of content and song variety for now.

If you can get over the fact that there was quite a bit of content removed from the North American version of the game, you'll find that Yakuza 3 is a very high-quality title.

From start to finish, It Takes Two is a great co-op experience. The gameplay is fun and varied throughout the entire run, and it frequently manages to surprise you. It's simply a fun trip to share with a friend, and it's a game that looks like it was as fun to conceptualize as it is to play. That said, the game frequently gets in the way of itself with mediocre and ineffective writing that I found to be fairly forgettable. It's a great game that stops just short of being a masterpiece of co-op gaming. I simply cannot wait to see what Josef Fares comes up with next.

Blends strategy and action in a gladiatorial arena to stimulate both your mind and your thirst for violence.

I had a lot of fun with The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners. The combat is fun and downright brutal at times. The story falters at the end, but it's an enjoyable ride that carries you through the 10-20 hour journey. VR desperately needed a longer experience like this, and Skybound and Skydance have delivered with great success. This isn't a four-hour, story-driven, escape room-style game. It's not a shooter on rails or an arena shooter. This is a full-fledged game, and it's great. This is not quite the "killer app" that VR needed, but it's one massive step in the right direction for VR. Any owner of a dedicated PC VR headset owes it to themselves to buy and play this game. Saints & Sinners sparks hope in me that VR still has a bright future ahead — even if that future is a dark, damp New Orleans.

Droplitz is one of those under-the-radar games that, in spite of how good it is, has gotten lost in the commotion and hoopla of the summer games season.

It gives some of us a chance to release a lot of the pent-up energy from having to chill in the shadows for years, and any time you get to let the beast out and stop hiding, it feels good.

A terrific game. The gameplay is simple, fun and forever addictive, and it's coupled with chunky, colorful graphics and a multiplayer system which has served as the de facto model for many other titles.

Days Gone is a long and slow burn that is well worth it. It tells a relatable story that feels grounded, and the later stages have some truly memorable moments, both in terms of story and gameplay. With all previous DLC included, some nice improvements for PC gamers, and the capability to run at high frame rates, the PC iteration of Days Gone is the definitive version to play.

As a fan of the movies and a fan of creative approaches to games, I've had my eye on John Wick Hex since the day it was announced. Its bizarre approach works satisfyingly well in the context of how John Wick would think in the same situations: risk versus reward, careful observation and planning, plays and counter-plays. It is a simple game to understand yet rewarding to attempt to master. It also makes a compelling case of how great movie-inspired games can be if developers really think outside of the box.

For the price, the TW:EE pack has a tremendous amount of value and the sort of extras usually only found in a Collector's Edition.

Crysis has long been touted as the new standard-bearer among visually compelling shooters, and in that regard, Crysis does not disappoint. When you throw in a nanosuit, nonlinear freedom of movement and an exciting story, Crysis is as good a reason as any to upgrade your computer.