Yeah, kind of a catch-all title, but I know that many people only ever play the types of games that I usually avoid: fighting games, driving games, and sports simulations. Those people spend a lot of money and therefore their gaming habits are very important to the game companies. Why, if it weren’t for them, the game companies might think that a quality game needed something more than brand recognition, marketing hype, and a celebrity or two.

Burnout Paradise — a driving game that even I can enjoy? Weird but true! Actually, I’ve been a fan of the Burnout series for some time…and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the crashes and explosions are the main reason. However, just under the glorious accidents are some impressive car physics and enough attention to real-world detail to satisfy even the most prosaic Gran Turismo fan (if not, go play Forza Motorsport 3. It looks perfect for people who want to drive incredibly realistic cars from their couch). Oh, and best of all, it’s almost nothing like Grand Theft Auto or Need for Speed.

Sports: yeah, sure. Madden and FIFA seem like probable winners. There’s probably about a million crappy sports games, too. Though from what I hear, the hockey game isn’t bad. You may want to ask someone who actually gives a rat’s ass about sports games, though.

Virtua Fighter 5 — yeah, they just keep making fighting games, don’t they? Choose who you want to be, and who you want to fight, and then keep hitting them for a while until one goes down. Nothing in the genre has inspired anything in me besides boredom since Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance (and even then, only for a day or two). Still, Virtua Fighter looks great and seems to deliver the goods. I’m sure you’ll also like Street Fighter IV and Soul Calibur IV, too. Oh, and UFC: Undisputed seems to be the perfect choice if you want to really get into the part of a bad actor that hits people (playing Russell Crowe or Vinnie Jones aren’t among your options, sadly).