Games of the Month: May 2011

[Guild McCommunist]

There's some stuff here and there

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 and see the bolded games 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 not bolded or games I didn't even list. Sometimes things slip my eye.

Some rules and stuff.

Spoiler

- No flaming. If I list a game you don't like, too bad. If I don't, too bad.
- 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.

BlazBlue: Continuum Shift II Portable

Platform: PSP, 3DS
Developed by: ARC System Works
Published by: Aksys Games
Release date: May 31st (North America)
Genre: Fighting
My Hype Level: Not really seeing why fighting games are getting handheld ports
GBAtemp Hype Level: Some will probably want.

Boxart provided by Rockstar. Thanks

Meh, I don't really see the point of fighting games on handhelds nowadays. I mean, they seem really focused on multiplayer, and it's just a pain to organize multiplayer on hanhdelds. The online is worse, the local requires two systems (while you can just buy a Xbox 360/PS3 and the game for less than say 2 3DS sysetms), and the controls aren't any better than your regular controller or fight stick. I'm not a fan, but apparently the first BlazBlue Portable did well enough to justify a sequel.
[/p]

Dead or Alive: Dimensions

Platform: 3DS
Developed by: Team Ninja
Published by: Tecmo Koei
Release date: May 19th (Japan), May 20th (Europe), May 24th (North America), May 26th (Australia)
Genre: Fighting
My Hype Level: See rant above
GBAtemp Hype Level: OMG DOA DIMENSIONS

You can see my rant above on portable fighting games. As for DoA, I never really saw it as a big fighting game. It's there, but it ain't stuff I hear about having a big tournament scene. Maybe I'm wrong.
[/p]

Brink

Platform: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC
Developed by: Splash Damage
Published by: Bethesda Softworks
Release date: May 10th (North America), May 12th (Australia), May 13th (Europe), May 26th (Japan)
Genre: FPS
My Hype Level: I have my doubts
GBAtemp Hype Level: My friends are hyping the shit out of it.

My friends have been hyping this like all hell recently, but I have my doubts. First off, it just seems a game nutty about multiplayer. And as any online gamer may know (at least for the PS3/Xbox 360), online gaming is quite a boy's club. It's hard to get a stable online community. Sure, my friends say "OH WE'LL KEEP PLAYING IT THOUGH!" but that's what they said about Monday Night Combat. Which none of my friends play any more. I'm glad I skipped that one.
[/p]

MotorStorm Apocalypse

Platform: Playstation 3
Developed by: Evolution Studios
Published by: Sony Computer Entertainment
Release date: May 3rd (North America)
Genre: Racing
My Hype Level: Never tried MotorStorm
GBAtemp Hype Level: VROOM VROOM

I'm not a big racing fan and if I do play racing games, it better have some action. I was a huge Crash Team Racing fan on the PSX (I still say it's better than Mario Kart), a pretty consistent Mario Kart player on the Gamecube/Wii, and I do like my share of Burnout games. I like all those mainly because there's action in it. It's not just about slimming a few seconds off each lap, it's about shit blowing up and chaos. MotorStorm, although I haven't played it, looks a bit more action packed than, say, Gran Turismo (SNORE), and I guess I should be giving some of the PSP iterations a try soon.
[/p]

LA Noire

Platform: Xbox 360, Playstation 3
Developed by: Team Bondi
Published by: Rockstar Games
Release date: May 17th (America), May 20th (Australia, Europe)
Genre: Adventure
My Hype Level: I don't like mysteries
GBAtemp Hype Level: I don't know if a lot of fans will know what they're getting into.

I haven't really seen so much on it despite getting the shit hyped up about it. But if this is REALLY a detective game, I have a feeling a lot of people will be approaching it like it's just Grand Theft Auto: 1940's. For all I know it could be that (it's Rockstar, after all), but for all we know it could be more of a streamlined mystery solving game. I have a feeling it'll either reach great heights or just be a complete bust.
[/p]

No More Heroes: Paradise

Platform: Playstation 3
Developed by: Feel Plus/Grasshopper Manufacturers
Published by: Konami
Release date: May 19th (Australia), May 20th (Europe)
Genre: Action
My Hype Level: Will buy a PS3 for this game alone
GBAtemp Hype Level: Probably will stick to the Wii version

As you may or may not know, I'm a gigantic NMH nut. I loved the first game. It's fucking amazing. The second game... It kinda fell flat for me. But when I heard of the HD port of the original, I went giddy. Unfortunately, there's no Xbox 360 version (Japan got one but we didn't), so I may have to resort to buying a PS3/Move just for this game alone. When I have the money of course. And when it comes to America, of course.
[/p]

Red Faction: Armageddon

Platform: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC
Developed by: Volition
Published by: THQ, Syfy Games
Release date: May 31st (North America)
Genre: Third person action
My Hype Level: I can't wait. Guerrilla was awesome.
GBAtemp Hype Level: Probably meh

Thanks to Fudge for the write-up

This is gonna be epic. Red Faction: Guerrilla is insanely fun. The destruction in that game is so detailed. I spent hours just taking structures out. They made improvements to the engine and added new weaponry in Armageddon, so it should be even more fun. There is no competitive multiplayer this time around, although thats OK considering the MP in Guerrilla wasn't the greatest. I've been hyping this for awhile now and it looks very promising. Can't wait.[/p]

Other titles

- Dream Trigger 3D: 5/10 (North America)

Next month has Alice: Madness Returns (which I super want) and Duke Nukem Forever (which I don't care about). There's a few other things as well.

Stay classy GBAtemp!

 

[prowler]

I hope Blazblue gets a Europe release ):

 

[Zorua]

Looking forward to LA Noire and Brink.

 

[rockstar99]

Damn get blazblue on 3ds and get zelda/re mercenaries after few months(wont be able to save up so soon)
or Download blazblue on PSP and buy zelda/resident evil 3ds

 

[Guild McCommunist]

Damn get blazblue on 3ds and get zelda/re mercenaries after few months(wont be able to save up so soon)
or Download blazblue on PSP and buy zelda/resident evil 3ds

Mercs I'm pretty sure is still TBA but it comes out in Japan next month.

I guess if you're really into a BlazBlue purchase it just depends on what scheme you've liked more (PSP or 3DS). Odds are they'll be near identical versions (maybe the 3DS one might look a bit better and have some 3D, which makes little sense on a 2D (no 2.5D) fighting game), it's just if you like the PSP buttons or the 3DS buttons more. Although saving the cash and pirating the PSP version could make you like the PSP scheme even more

 

[rockstar99]

Damn get blazblue on 3ds and get zelda/re mercenaries after few months(wont be able to save up so soon)
or Download blazblue on PSP and buy zelda/resident evil 3ds

Mercs I'm pretty sure is still TBA but it comes out in Japan next month.

I guess if you're really into a BlazBlue purchase it just depends on what scheme you've liked more (PSP or 3DS). Odds are they'll be near identical versions (maybe the 3DS one might look a bit better and have some 3D, which makes little sense on a 2D (no 2.5D) fighting game), it's just if you like the PSP buttons or the 3DS buttons more. Although saving the cash and pirating the PSP version could make you like the PSP scheme even more

I saw some vids they are pretty identical and PSP is more comfortable for fighters imo, im leaning towards the download but will decide when i search for some more gameplay or see the 3D effect in teh game at a shop or something

 

[emigre]

Give me my L.A noire and No more heroes now plse.

 

[rockstar99]

 

[Hop2089]

NMH has another port for the PS3 for Japan only but it has softcore porn and an actual Z rating to boot.

 

[Hells Malice]

Your knowledge of handheld fighters is a bit lacking. The controls are a bit worse, but not much. Just takes some getting used to, and the online, at least for SSF4, is the exact same quality as the console. Lag or no lag depends solely on the two people connected, just like a console. and at least for now, there are tons of people playing. If not it's pretty easy to find people on here or another gaming forum to vs.

Very, very excited for No More Heroes: P

Skeptical of L.A. Noire. Looks cool, seems cool, but it's made by Rockstar and they have trouble producing a good story. I mean, their games have their moments. But overall nothing they've made has had an epic story. Closest they got was RDR, and even that was only about a 5/10. But basically unlike GTA or RDR, which are more geared towards free roaming and entertaining yourself using the world, L.A. Noire seems very story reliant, so yeah.

Brink seems very awesome, but i'll definitely be getting it for PC. Unless it's CoD or Halo, it's pointless to get a cross platform-multiplayer-focused game on a console. Since, yeah, the community tends to die. Unlike PC, where it lives for quite a while longer then its console counterpart.

 

[princefarzan]

Doesn't The Witcher 2 get released May 17?? Anyways I'm looking forward to L.A. Noire.

 

[Guild McCommunist]

Doesn't The Witcher 2 get released May 17?? Anyways I'm looking forward to L.A. Noire.

Sorry, I have a shit PC and haven't really bothered staying in-the-know in PC gaming. If anyway wants to do a write-up for it by all means, please do.

QUOTE(Hells Malice @ Apr 25 2011, 02:03 AM) Your knowledge of handheld fighters is a bit lacking. The controls are a bit worse, but not much. Just takes some getting used to, and the online, at least for SSF4, is the exact same quality as the console. Lag or no lag depends solely on the two people connected, just like a console. and at least for now, there are tons of people playing. If not it's pretty easy to find people on here or another gaming forum to vs.

It seems the only reason people play SSFIV 3D is that there's a lot of people who will only buy Nintendo consoles and this is the first and only time any version of SFIV will be on it. If you want to play multiplayer SSFIV, I think you'd go to your Xbox or PS3 before your 3DS.

 

[KingVamp]

Your aren't always going be around a console with that game. So it nice to have it as portable
as single player and muti-player like wise.

And why can't it be bought to be bought? How do you know this is the only one?

Plus fighting games are fun regardless of portable or not.

I played fighting games just fine on the psp excluding this one. Meaning I haven't played this yet.

 

[Windaga]

I own the original Street Fighter 4 for the 360, and SSFIV for the PS3. I can safely say that my favorite version is the 3DS one. From my personal experience, the online play for SSFIV for the PS3 and the 3DS are practically the same - I've gotten more lag on the PS3, to be honest. Though, that might be due to the fact that there's a lot of people who bought SSFIV3DE at launch and are currently playing it. Either way, I like the hand held version the best, which is what typically happens. I loved the hell out of SFA3 on the PSP - way more than the console versions.

Definitely looking forward to BlazBlue II. I'll probably wait for a little while, as I think I'll be getting Dimensions first, but it's something I'd like to try. Maybe Best Buy will have a kiosk set up like last time. Worse comes to worst, I could always get the PSP version, but I'd rather play it on my 3DS. Not really into anything else coming out this month, although I'm super stoked for June.

 

[Hells Malice]

It seems the only reason people play SSFIV 3D is that there's a lot of people who will only buy Nintendo consoles and this is the first and only time any version of SFIV will be on it. If you want to play multiplayer SSFIV, I think you'd go to your Xbox or PS3 before your 3DS.

My 360 isn't portable.

 

[Nathan Drake]

I would have gone with the PSP cover art for Continuum Shift 2 personally. It clearly has bigger breasts depicted on the cover. I'm surprised such a grievous error was made in your choice.

 

[Joe88]

how does brink get a nice little description but not red faction armageddon?

 

[Master Mo]

Cannot wait for LANoire. I always wanted a game in which you play a detective and go on investigating. I think it`s going to be great but also it might not be for everyone....

 

[Guild McCommunist]

how does brink get a nice little description but not red faction armageddon?

The only Red Faction game I've ever played is the original on the PS2 so I felt it would be better if someone with more experience in the series gave did a write-up.

And Fudge did one so it's all good

QUOTE(Nathan Drake @ Apr 25 2011, 06:11 AM) I would have gone with the PSP cover art for Continuum Shift 2 personally. It clearly has bigger breasts depicted on the cover. I'm surprised such a grievous error was made in your choice.

I'm not much of a boob guy. Plus the 3DS cover wasn't as large and people would probably bitch about "OH GUILD YOU'RE A 3DS HATER THAT'S WHY YOU PUT THE PSP COVER UP BLAH BLAH BLAH".

 

[8BitWalugi]

My 360 isn't portable.

Oh God don't resort to the portable argument.