The Simpsons Hit & Run (a GTA clone that recognizes its own lack of intelligence

Try and get this image out of your head.

My family has a few traditions that we’re quite proud of. Beer at five o’clock, frequent extended Lord of the Rings marathons, and a love of cutting remarks and sarcasm that stems from our British roots. I know, we’re soooo cool. But one of our great obsessions is with that of the Simpsons. From the gatherings to watch the two re-runs played at five and six (with our beers during the five o’clock showing of course), to the comics I have stashed away in my closet, to the endless repetition of our favorite quotes, our #1 being “everything’s comin’ up Milhouse!” This infatuation of mine is a big reason I’ve decided to dust off the old Gamecube and stick in The Simpsons: Hit and Run. But surprisingly, this is a game that can resonate with gamers who haven’t even seen an episode of The Simpsons. Sure, some of the lines and references will go over your head, but the game is still over-the-top in all the right ways, and is vital to the game library of someone who enjoys reckless driving and destruction. And if you haven’t seen an episode of the show, since apparently you’re living in a cave with an inexplicable source of wi-fi, I place a curse on you until you ‘ve seen at least three seasons. You know what, go watch the whole series right now. I’ll wait.

Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 (And why it’s above your expectations)

Your Destruction Tour team captains

Activision has done pretty well for itself in the past few years. Franchises like Call of Duty, Spyro, Guitar Hero, and Prototype have propelled the company to soaring heights. And when Activision joined with Blizzard and it’s triple-threat juggernaut of the Warcraft, Starcraft, and Diablo series, the newly formed, and unoriginally named Activision Blizzard struck fear into the hearts of all the other publishers. But Activision doesn’t have a perfect record. A few genres have slipped through their grasp, one of them being skateboarding. EA’s Skate series, with its emphasis on realism and the highly praised “trick-stick” control scheme, has knocked the former king Tony Hawk off his throne. But if Tony Hawk is the Michael Jordan of the board, with American Wasteland, Project 8, and Proving Ground being his days with the Wizards, (and Ride being his recent horrible season as GM of the Charlotte Bobcats), then Underground 2 would be his last days with the Chicago Bulls.