• Posted March 9th, 2014 at 16:11 EDT by Michael Harradence

After an admittedly slow start to the year, February’s games line-up offered a much-welcome stress on our wallets, with several major releases hitting stores, plus a couple of indie hits sneaking in under the radar. Of course, last month was just the appetizer; March looks set to be one of the biggest months of recent memory, let alone for this year. For now though, let’s take a look back and see what games deserve your hard-earned cash.

First up, Square Enix rounded off the Final Fantasy XIII story arc with the much-anticipated Lightning Returns, bringing with it many welcome enhancements to the tired-and-tested FF formula. Telltale also had a big month with the release of episode 2 of The Wolf Among Us, continuing its knack for narrative-driven point-and-click adventures.

Speaking of narrative, The Last of Us also received its first (and only) chunk of single-player content in the shape of the brilliant Left Behind, while two big-name series also made a return to the public domain with Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 and Thief.

Rounding things off were Rayman Legends and the excellent retro revival Strider, the latter a PlayStation Network release masterminded by Capcom.

So, quite a few standout titles we think you’ll agree, but only one can walk away with our accolade for Game of the Month. Indeed, February’s diverse line-up of software is reflected in our staff votes, which covered a broad range of titles -- refreshingly, there wasn't a landslide victory for once.

Still, after much debate, we ultimately decided to give the award to the awkwardly-titled Danganropna: Trigger Happy Havoc. Ernest Lin extols the virtues of Spike Chunsoft's addictive thriller in his review, but before you check it out, read a snippet below.

"In Japan, the game garnered enough fans to spawn an anime, spin-off novels, and a sequel. Hopefully it can find at least niche success in the West and usher in more games of its type. Danganronpa is one of the best PS Vita games I have ever played thanks to its wildly suspenseful, addicting story and above-average interactivity for a visual novel. Its shortcomings combined cannot overrule the enjoyment I got from this fantastic murder mystery adventure."

What do you think deserves the award for February's Game of the Month? Let us know in the comments section below.

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