As many of you hardened veterans know, Summer is usually the time when we are left to our own devices and must hobble together what entertainment we can get to hold us over until the games start coming out again. However, I found an oasis to keep me nice and hydrated. I've been diving into my pockets and have come back to find some games actually worth playing to keep me busy over summer.

Final Fantasy XII

Sure it's old and I beat it once before on a rental, but to see it for only $10 was a steal, plus I still had business to take care of. I played this game over again and enjoyed myself for awhile (I'm seemingly the only one on Earth who actually liked this game). I had some unfinished business to take care of with Omega MK XII and Yiazmat, the latter of which took about a week to defeat, but it was enjoyable all the same and very rewarding to finally put these bastards to rest.

BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger

It's been awhile since I got my last fighting game, but this one stole my heart as soon as I watched my first video of it, so I just had to pick it up. Hell, I even have some of the music from this game on my iPod. It rekindled my love of the fighting genre with it's awesome characters and music, and damn, it even has an interesting story to boot. Every fighting game that is sold at $60 should be as polished and packed with content as this game. I'm still playing it even now, so it should help loads with the Summer drought.

Battlefield 1943

It's $15, it's Battlefield, what more could you ask for? The multiplayer is a blast, it keeps me busy and entertained, and the large maps are perfect for doing what I do best: Sniping. This one will keep me occupied for some time.

Infamous

Sure I beat it on the good side, but now it's time to fry some ass with red lightning. This game is a blast and currently my main squeeze, so it should keep me nurished with a steady supply of awesome. If you have a PS3, be sure to at least try this out before the winter starts clotting up the stores with big name titles.

So, I'm going to stay inside and avoid sun burns. I've got some great games, air conditioning, and some friends to enjoy them with. Yeah, I love the summer time. Batman: Arkham Asylum is right around the corner too.