Brick-breaking games have been around since the beginning of videogames. The most notable efforts in the genre include the original, simple Breakout and then Arkanoid, which added power-ups and a loose story line. It took more than 20 years, but the next revolution in the genre has arrived. Shatter might be the best brick-breaking game ever made. It takes the original premise of using a paddle to knock a ball against brick walls and runs with it into brave new territory. Players can now use force to push and pull the ball, giving them a greater ability to manipulate the playing field. Levels are no longer restricted to the square presentation with your paddle at the bottom of the screen -- Shatter turns the game on its side and introduces circular levels. Add in beautiful visuals and sound and you've got one of the most impressive PlayStation Network games of the year.

You, the paddle, are a slave to the machine overlords, until one day you break free from your confines and must battle your way back home. There are ten worlds to journey through, each guarded by a large, robotic dominator (some of which provide quite the challenge). A stage is cleared when all bricks are shattered -- and there are a handful of ways Shatter has improved on that formula. Typically, with these games, nailing that last block can be quite irritating, as getting your ball to go where you want it to isn't very easy. Here, the ability to push and pull (or blow and suck, if you like) gives you much more control over the ball.



Watch the Video Review for Shatter.

Even more useful for hitting a lone straggler: your balls act as your lives (or chances) and can be dispensed at any time. At the start of a game you have three balls and you can throw them all into play if you like. The moment when you launch a ball is when you have the greatest control over its trajectory, meaning you can almost always hit the final brick if you have at least one extra ball.Levels are inventive and are always throwing new ideas at the player. At the beginning of the game, bricks will patiently wait to be shattered, but variations are slowly added to the mix. Some float freely in gravity and will encroach on your personal space -- if you're hit by a brick you'll be knocked out of play for a moment and may miss your volley. Shattered bricks release shards that can be collected and spent on either a shield or a devastating "shard storm" laser attack. Players are constantly posed with the conundrum of what to spend those valuable shards on. They can be sucked in with your pull technique, but loose bricks may also come crashing towards you and your ball will be bent with the pull of gravity. There's a lot to consider in this game.Shatter is a bit limited in that, once the story is completed, there isn't a whole lot to return to. You'll unlock a boss rush mode and can play a bonus game where you try to keep three balls in play for as long as possible, but that's about it. Some sort of multiplayer made would have been nice. But, this is an arcade game and there's always that high score to shoot for and leaderboard glory.Accompanying you on your journey is some of the best videogame electronica I've heard in a long time. Composer Jeremiah Ross did a great job creating energetic, catchy techno that perfectly suits the game's robotic aesthetic.Trophy hunters will be happy to hear that Shatter offers many easy medals. Beating each of the worlds results in a bronze and completing story mode wins you a silver.