Summer is traditionally a slow period for the games industry, and while we weren’t exactly spoilt for choice over the past few months, August certainly made up for things by acting as a sumptuous starter to this holiday season’s triple-A main course. For starters, we had a few sequels to some major franchises, chief among which includes the mad-as-a-hatter, super-charged sequel, Saints Row IV. A far cry from the humble beginnings of this tongue-in-cheek gangster romp, the Saints’ fourth outing eschews any trace of sense or sanity, replacing the gritty ghettos with aliens, superpowers, panda costumes and Dub-Step guns.
Nostalgia also played a big part in the proceedings, with Capcom’s DuckTales revamping the original NES 1989 classic into a high-definition platforming adventure packed with fan service and full voice acting. Meanwhile, oddball game creator Suda51 returned with his latest creation, the gory and voluptuous slasher, Killer is Dead, while Lost Planet 3 also hit stores, this time from western studio, Spark Unlimited.
RPG fans also had reason to celebrate, with both Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn and Tales of Xillia hitting Sony’s seven-year-old telly box. On the other side of the spectrum, Sam Fisher returns for another instalment in the sneaky Splinter Cell franchise with SC: Blacklist, which proved to be one of the better entries in this venerable stealth-action series. All in all, not the worst way to cap off a summer, and while there’s been some disappointments, we’ve been pleasantly surprised overall.
Overall, this month’s vote proved a three-way battle between FFIXV, Saints Row IV and Tales of Xillia. However, after chewing the fat, PSU Towers ultimately slapped our Game of the Month accolade on the JRPG juggernaut Tales of Xillia from Namco’s Tales Studio. Featuring a compelling story, unique levelling system and solid combat, Tales of Xillia is yet another gripping entry in this classic franchise, which began in 1995 on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Sure, there’s a couple of minor technical hiccups, but they’re inconsequential in the grand scheme of things.
Have a butcher’s at our full review here, and have a quick look at what PSU.com’s Tim Nunes had to say on the game below.
“Tales of Xillia gives JRPG fans an addictive experience that’s hard to ignore. Linked combat alongside clever leveling schemes and a narrative told in a big way will have players aching to play through as both Milla and Jude.”
Do you agree with Tales of Xillia bagging our August Game of the Month award? Perhaps you feel Saints Row IV deserved the accolade? Let us know in the comments section below.