It’s all systems go as the games industry enters yet another lucrative fall/holiday season, though this year is particularly significant due to the arrival of Sony and Microsoft’s next-generation consoles, the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, respectively. Still, there’s plenty of life left in current machines, and we’ve still got a couple of months to go until the new hardware arrives — an ideal opportunity to snap up some of the blockbuster titles currently competing for your hard-earned cash on PS3 and PS Vita.
September proved to be a gargantuan month on the back of Grand Theft Auto V alone, with Rockstar’s crime caper generating a whopping $800 million in its first 24 hours on sale. With three playable characters, new gameplay additions, the biggest game world in Rockstar history and a full multiplayer companion to boot, GTA V really needs little introduction. It’s GTA, and it’s bigger, badder and more violent than ever.
You’d be forgiven for overlooking some of the other games on offer during the past 30 days though, so we should probably remind you just in case. For starters, PS Vita received what is probably its most defining experience yet in Guerrilla Cambridge’s Killzone: Mercenary, delivering a console-quality shooter in the palm of your hand. Meanwhile, retro-flavoured platformer Castle of Illusion: Starring Micky Mouse resurrected one of the most beloved Genesis titles with a HD makeover.
Over on the sports front, the annual kick-about between Pro Evolution Soccer and FIFA continued with the latest installments in Konami and EA’s yearly footie titles, with both games offering their own unique spin on The Beautiful Game. This time however, it seems that Konami may actually be on the path to supplanting the EA juggernaut after years of playing the underdog.
SCE Studio Japan also had a double dose of helpings in the form of quirky titles Puppeteer and Rain, while Square Enix polished off the long-awaited Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX, proving that the ravages of time has no effect on a JRPG classic — and Kingdom Hearts continues to endure after more than a decade.
Turn the page to see what game we picked for September’s Game of the Month award.
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So, all in all, a superb line-up of games and things only look set to improve as we enter October. For now though, we come to the task of slapping our Game of the Month accolade on a worthy title. And, while the quality of games on offer was sky high, there was one game that wowed us more than any other.
THE WINNER: GRAND THEFT AUTO V
We could extol the virtues of GTA V all day, but we’ll just let the review do the talking. Here’s a quote:
“Indeed, Grand Theft Auto V is a stunning triumph in just about everything it attempts. Marrying gameplay brilliance to compelling characters and a world matched only in size by the number of things you can do in it, Rockstar’s magnum opus gives this console generation the send-off it deserves. Hundreds of hours of incredible fun, thought-provoking commentary, and storytelling excellence await, but you should play Grand Theft Auto V for another reason. It is a masterpiece–one of the greatest games ever made.”
Do you agree or disagree with our choice for September’s Game of the Month recipient? Let us know in the comments section below.