PS3 Game of the Month: September 2012

September’s come and gone, thus kicking off the inevitable landslide of triple-A titles that will continue to battle it out for the contents of your wallet until the New Year comes knocking. While the last remnants of summer provided a couple of gems in the shape of Sleeping Dogs and Darksiders II, September was chock full of some of the industry’s biggest releases of 2012, encompassing everything from fresh IP to blockbuster sequels. Hell, we even got a brand new PlayStation 3 model to round things off.

First off, two venerable beat-‘em-up series make their return in the shape of Dead or Alive 5 and Tekken Tag Tournament 2, from Tecmo Koei and Namco Bandai, respectively. Sports fans meanwhile were spoilt for choice with the launch of Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 from Konami and EA Sports’ FIFA 13; both games are considered the best in their respective series to date, and demand attention from fans of both camps. Digital-wise there were a couple of real highlights too with the quirky but thoroughly satisfying Tokyo Jungle and the high-definition revamp of Dreamcast classic, Jet Set Radio (or Jet Grind Radio for folk in the U.S.).

Perhaps the biggest release of the month however came in the form of Borderlands 2, delivering equal measures of loot, gunplay, and exploration. What’s more, the game smashed pre-order records for publisher 2K, proof enough that the franchise has lost none of its appeal since the original stormed shelves back in 2009. PS Vita software also shifted up a gear last month with the release of LittleBigPlanet PS Vita, the critically-acclaimed handheld entry in Media Molecule’s celebrated DIY platform franchise, though we'll save that for another article.

So, probably the toughest month in terms of choice for a while, but as per usual the PSU Staff have come together and picked the cream of the crop of the month’s offerings. After much debate, we ultimately plumped for Borderlands 2. Gearbox’s vibrant, loot-happy sequel delivers a compelling co-op experience – one of the best this generation, in fact – and an unforgettable cast of characters, not to mention top-notch writing. The combat is as solid as ever, and players will be able to squeeze over 30 hours out of the game to boot, giving you plenty of bang for your buck.

If that wasn’t enough to convince you to part with your cash, then be sure to check out PSU.com’s review here. First though, here’s a taste of what we had to say on the seminal shooter:

“Borderlands 2 is by far a giant leap ahead compared to its predecessor, but it's also one of the greatest games to finish off this generation of consoles. You'll get lost under enormous piles of loot, a good-enough story that's surpassed by side missions, and an absolutely hilarious cast of characters. This all comes together in a giant package of joy. Spend the next few weeks or months playing this game with friends and you'll likely wonder how you were able to live without it in your life. Borderlands 2 is a fantastic first-person shooter game with RPG tendencies, and for once, you should believe every bit of the hype surrounding this title. Now go hunt Pandora.”

Don’t agree with our choice? Then let us know what game you think deserves the award for September 2012 Game of the Month in the comments section below.