Rage Racer (PlayStation)

It's a real toss up for me as to which Ridge Racer game I like the best.  My opinion tends to seesaw between Rage Racer and R4.  As polished as the latter is, and as fantastic of a soundtrack as it may have, I still find myself playing the former more.  Between the track designs, and the cars, it has an appeal that is hard to quantify.

G. Darius (PlayStation)

Okay, so today we'll be transitioning from a shoot 'em up featuring dragons to a shoot 'em up featuring fish.  The Darius series has always been one of the core franchises in the world of shmups in no small part because of all the fish in it, but there are also some other neat elements to them, not the least of which is the branching paths players can take after each level.  It just adds so much replay value to the game, and G. Darius is no exception to this.  It's also got some nice polygonal visuals, a decent soundtrack, and you can take control of enemy ships and use their weapons as your own.  Good times. =)

The Misadventures of Tron Bonne (PlayStation)

This has to be one of the most charming video games that I've ever played.  Between the art, the Saturday morning cartoon vibe, the servebots, and some fun missions, there's a lot to like about The Misadventures of Tron Bonne.  I actually like the game a bit more than Mega Man Legends.  Scandalous?  Perhaps.  Unfortunately it's extremely hard to track down a copy of the game these days.  I don't see it up on eBay very often, and it's usually going for a fair bit when one does go up for auction.  Still, one of Capcom's greatest games ever as far as I'm concerned.