Typing this out before May starts piling up. AP exams and everything man. But on topic, it's May Games of the Month!
If I missed a game you really want coverage on then simply send your write up to me (via PM). If it's good enough and follows proper formatting I'll add it here with credit to you! Check the "Other Releases" section at the bottom to see what games I would want write ups for but am not all too qualified to do myself. You can also do write-ups for games I didn't even list. Sometimes things slip my eye.
Some rules and stuff.
- This is mainly North American releases, sorry. I'll, on occasion, do a European or Japanese release if it's big enough and not already out in America.
- If a game is already released in English and is being released again for another region, I won't bother adding it. Like say if Half Life 2: Episode 3 was out in America in April (it won't) and it came out in May in Europe, I won't list it for May. I'll also do the same if a game was released in English (aka Europe or America) and is being released in Japan.
- I get my dates from GameFaqs, Wikipedia, and IGN, so if a date is wrong don't blame me. You can, of course, point it out and ask me to fix it if you have the right date.
Platform: 3DS
Developed by: Camelot
Published by: Nintendo
Release date: May 20th (North America), May 24th (Japan, Australia), May 25th (Europe)
Genre: Sports
My Hype Level: I don't like the name
GBAtemp Hype Level: SPOOOOOORTS
First off, I don't like the name. Like I don't get it. Maybe it's a tennis term. But it's just "Open", like they forgot the second word of the subtitle. I was expecting like "Open Tour" or something. But whatever.
Anyway, Mario sports games have been in a rut for a while. Back in the GBA days they were highly regarded. I mean there was Mario Tennis GBA which people go nuts over, same with Mario Golf and other titles. But they just started going downhill, with the latest Mario sports game, Mario Sports Mix, just ending up being terrible, a shallow game with really no redeeming qualities. However, Mario Tennis Open looks promising for old fans. It's got Camelot, makers of Golden Sun and the original Mario Tennis games, behind it, plus good old Shiggy directing it. I'm not a fan of sports games as a whole, even Mario ones, but I won't rain on your parade this time.
Platform: Vita
Developed by: Nihilistic
Published by: SCE
Release date: May 29th (North America), May 31st (Australia)
Genre: FPS
My Hype Level: Looks solid but I'm not completely sold
GBAtemp Hype Level: I think p1ngy is getting it?
This is really the maiden voyage for whether a FPS can work on the Vita. I mean it's got everything you need. Two proper analog sticks, a touchscreen for additional button mapping, and gyro aiming is also pretty sexy. Gameplay wise it looks like a solid, fun FPS game. But I don't want just that. I've seen a lot of emphasis on multiplayer, which is a big "shake my head" moment. I've seen so many games emphasize on "3G multipalyer", like leaderboards, and a straight-up online multiplayer goes against that. I'm hoping there's a lot of single player content but it's doubtful. I'll probably buy it, I just don't know if I'll do so on launch. I'd rather save my $40 for a pre-order of Gravity Rush.
Platform: Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Developed by: Rockstar
Published by: Rockstar
Release date: May 15th (North America), May 18th (Europe, Australia)
Genre: TPS
My Hype Level: Never played the series
GBAtemp Hype Level: Will probably gather some interest
I really don't know a lot about Max Payne other than it had that terrible Mark Wahlberg movie based on it. I've heard a bit about this game though and how they're putting a lot of "attention to detail", such as animations and making shootouts more exciting. They're also apparently putting a lot into multiplayer, which Rockstar has really done some great jobs with in terms of GTA IV (which is rather popular in that respect) and Red Dead Redemption. Maybe one day I'll play the original two but for now I'll skip this.
Platform: Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Developed by: Ubisoft Paris
Published by: Ubisoft
Release date: May 22nd (North America), May 24th (Australia), May 25th (Europe)
Genre: TPS
My Hype Level: Eh, looks average
GBAtemp Hype Level: Meh
I remember seeing a demo for this at the Sony conference at E3 last year and it just didn't look interesting. Like a squad-based stealth TPS but in the not-so-distant future. I never really understood this craze with "near future" stuff. Like it adds none of the imagination of high sci-fi and brings not a whole lot new from modern shooters. Instead they just give you fancy looking GUIs and screens. Who gives a fuck. But yeah, this isn't really my thing and it doesn't look all that gripping, it's something I'll not care about. Plus I thought people would want a Rainbox Six Vegas 3 more than Ghost Recon.
Platform: Xbox 360, PS3
Developed by: Capcom
Published by: Capcom
Release date: May 22nd (North America), May 24th (Japan, Australia), May 25th (Europe)
Genre: ARPG
My Hype Level: Actually rather interested, something I'll buy when it's on sale
GBAtemp's Hype Level: Some minor interest
So it looks like Capcom's trying to take on the WRPG. Not that that's a bad thing, they've put some of their top guys on this game. I played the demo and it definitely has a lot of interesting elements. Combat feels a bit like Kingdoms of Amalur and Shadow of the Colossus and it apparently has an Elder Scrolls type of open world. Plus there's some social aspects akin to Dark Souls like leaving hints and giving people your companion builds. I did find some issues with controls though, as fitting all these aspects onto a standard controller is a bit cumbersome, but over time it seems worth mastering. I won't say it personally wins any points for art or voice acting but it's something to keep a look out for.
Platform: PS3
Developed by: LightBox Interactive
Published by: SCE
Release date: May 8th (North America), May 10th (Japan, Australia), May 11th (Europe)
Genre: TPS
My Hype Level: Looks interesting if I had a PS3
GBAtemp's Hype Level: Haven't heard much
I did a bit of research on Warhawk, its predecessor, and apparently it's some type of large-scale TPS multiplayer game with vehicles and all that stuff, which sounds pretty awesome. Like Halo but larger scale and, you know, not Halo. Starhawk appears to be its futuristic sequel, adding more futuristic stuff like mechs and whatever else the future has. I'm not sure how popular the original is but if it gathered a pretty large player base, I can see this becoming a hit as well.
Platform: PC
Developed by: Blizzard Entertainment
Published by: Blizzard Entertainment
Release date: May 15th (North America, Europe, Australia)
Genre: RPG
My Hype Level: Dungeon crawling returns!
GBAtemp's Hype Level: Will probably get some attention from the PC gamers here.
The long awaited sequel, and third entry to the highly popular Diablo series is finally making it's release this month. For those who don't know, Diablo is a series known for its dungeon crawling, hack and slash and loot collecting gameplay. Though hype was initially through the roof when the title was announced back in 2008, it's hard to say where it stands now due to Blizzard making a few questionable decisions such as implementing a cash run auction shop, no mods support, but more importantly requiring a constant internet connection to play. Nevertheless there is little doubt that Diablo III will be another highly polished game of the utmost quality from Blizzard, so we'll soon be able to see whether or not those earlier mentioned factors are enough to hold this mammoth title back.
Thanks to @akuchan for the write-up!
Platform: PS3, Xbox 360, PC, Android, iOS
Developed by: Sega
Published by: Sega
Release date: May 15th (May for iPhone, June for Android, July for Windows Phone)
Genre: Platformer
My Hype Level: Sonic!!!!
GBAtemp Hype Level: It’s another Sonic game
Classic Sonic returns with the followup to highly successful Episode I. Besides new levels, a major new addition is that of Tails as a co-op character. While Tails cannot be played by himself, he adds the addition of many combination moves, such as the new “super combo” in which Sonic and Tails join together in a ball that is able to break walls and other obstacles. Tails can also assist by carrying Sonic and helping in boss attacks.
Also of particular note is that owners of the previous game will be able to unlock Metal Sonic (from Sonic CD) as a playable character in both episodes as well as have access to four exclusive metal episodes, similar to Sonic and Knuckles “Lock on” technology.
Overall, I think this looks very promising, and should be a great followup to Episode I. While I can understand why there is not a Wii version (due to the absurdly low download limit), this game would seem perfect for 3DS and Vita, so hopefully those versions get released later, I would certainly prefer them over having to play a phone version.
Thanks to @mysticwaterfall for the writeup!
Most of these are titles I really don't know much about so write-ups are much appreciated
- Mortal Kombat Vita: 5/1 (North America), 5/4 (Europe)
- Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition: 5/9 (North America, Europe, Japan, Australia)
- Fable Heroes: 5/2 (North America, Europe, Australia)
- Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II: 5/16 (North America, Europe, Japan, Australia)
- Asura's Wrath: Lost Episode 1: 5/8 (North America, Europe)
- Asura's Wrath: Lost Episode 2: 5/15 (North America, Europe)
(it's awesome and a LOT better tham episode one in terms of physics and graphics)) and minecraft 360(finally, minecraft without lag!).
