Games are recommended on a four-point scale like those "strongly agree/disagree" questions you get on surveys. This scale goes "Strongly", "If you like this kinda game", "Watch it online", and "Avoid at all costs" from best to worst. It's one part how likely I am to replay the game and one part how likely I am to recommend it to fans of that game's genre. I'm not in the business of objectivity, just what's fun to me. No reason to play a game if you're not having fun, yeah?

[#] Rage Racer (Namco, 1997)

Here's two things you should know about me: I like racing games and I suck at racing games. The first Ridge Racer is a PlayStation racing classic (how could it not be? It was the pack-in title for the whole system), but it's never been my favorite thanks to the bonkers, slip-and-slide car handling. Rage Racer, on the other hand, the third in the series, may just be my favorite racer on the entire system—I might even like it more than Gran Turismo 2.

Rage doesn't support the analog sticks, but it controls great, with tight turning and a really satisfying weight to the cars. There's still power sliding, but it feels more like a punishment and you'd best avoid it unless you're trying to stall out. You earn credits after each race you can use to very coarsely tune up your car, get a new paint job, or even put your name on the hood of your car, making this one of the first racing games to feature a garage and tune-up system.

While you only get one course, it is eye candy—waterfalls, gigantic cliffs, bridges and tunnels (your speedometer even glows when you're inside, nice touch), and a beautiful Mediterranean shoreline. These are genuinely some of the most appealing 3D graphics I've ever seen the PlayStation put out. A curious midpoint between the bumper cars of Ridge Racer and the sleep-inducing extreme detail of later racing games, Rage actually avoids the pitfalls of both to great success.