I’m sure everyone can agree that with the PlayStation 3 only seeing a very limited amount of releases, May has been a slow month for gaming in general causing gamers to seek refuge in past month’s titles. Fortunately anticipated titles such as SingStar and Haze were released, thus some of us were saved from complete boredom. While the games may have been lacking this month, it was definitely a solid four weeks for gaming news.
We were treated to new Soul Calibur characters, new gaming movie info, Madden/NCAA information, a decent amount of PlayStation Network updates for not only North America but for Europe as well and some interesting comments from that over-the-top producer, Itagaki. He even went as far as insulting his own subordinates and claiming that games such as Devil May Cry are shallow.
However, now we can look forward to June and the slew of promising titles to be released. Everyone has to be anticipating Metal Gear Solid 4 and I’m sure enough that some of us are also excited for GRID, The Bourne Conspiracy and even LEGO: Indiana Jones.
So let us officially wrap up the month of May by asking our readers and forum members a couple of questions in order to get their views of the past and present of this month in gaming.
What did you think about the GRID GameTrailer debacle?
“I think it was an unfortunate situation that was bad for GT no matter how you slice it. Either it was a conspiratorial snipe aimed at the PS3 that was uncovered due to an incompetent mistake or it was just an incompetent mistake that occurred due to laziness. In both cases, regardless of why it happened, it’s something that should never have happened on a site that deals in video game information and makes GT look foolish.” – Alpha2
Outside of Metal Gear Solid 4, what games are you looking forward to in June and why?
“I’d have to say I’m most anticipating Civilization: Revolutions or Battlefield: Bad Company.
I’m quite excited about Civilization if only for the fact that it’s a (turn based) RTS making its way onto the PS3, which is a first to my knowledge. Of course, I’ve always loved the Civilization series, so I’m hoping this will be no exception.
Finally, the fact that Sid Meier has expressed interest and has praised the PS3’s design is also encouraging. I’m crossing my fingers that it will be a quality port.
As for Battlefield: Bad Company, well I need an action title, and I’ve heard wonderful things about that series. Though I’ve never played it — Pretty sad, I know.” – Vulgotha
What were your favorite releases last year during the month of May? (Odin Sphere, Dawn of Mana, Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End (PS3/2), Legend of the Dragon, Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam or Dot Hack G.U Vol. 2)
“Odin Sphere. The work that Vanillaware put into this game was amazing. Such beautiful artwork really stands out from every other bland generic "3D" RPG out there. One of the few productions labeled "Games as Art" and I fully agree.
I wish more companies would do Hand-Drawn 2D games… it’s one of the things I expected out of the PS3… Anime-Quality character animations and artwork… hopefully other Devs will take things from Odin Sphere and build off that in our "Current-Gen" consoles.” – SomaXD
What are some of the games you’d like to finally finish over summer break and why?
“First, I’d like to finish Resistance: Fall of Man since I never really got into the single player. It was the only game that I had for 5 months after getting my PS3, and I played at least an hour every day once I got home online, but I’d really like to finish it when I get some extra time.
Finally, I want to completely finish Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. I know, it’s been a LONG time since it was first released, but for some reason all I usually do while playing is go on murderous rampages.” – ShadowFyre
Which game did you enjoy most this month and what made it stand out?
“In order to prepare for the release of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, I purchased the Metal Gear Solid: Essential Collection. I truly enjoyed the games, but my favorite out of the three would have to be the most recent installment, Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence. I was a little irked at the fact that I didn’t have the radar to rely on in this game as I did with the others. However, what it lacked in radar, it made up in Close Quarters Combat. Having so many options when grabbing an opposing soldier, made infiltrating an enemy stronghold that much more fun. In addition to this, I found the boss battle with The End to be incredibly exhilarating.
I also found the Codec conversations in this game to be especially hilarious. At times, I would just call members of the support team repeatedly just to hear what they had to say about Snake being naked or about him hiding in a cardboard box. With that being said and after playing through these games, I find myself primed to play Metal Gear Solid 4.” – Miamiman
This month in gaming History: It was 26 years ago in May that Trip Hawkins, founder of Electronic Arts, left Apple Computers and invested roughly $200,000 of his own money into the gaming powerhouse that is EA. This would eventually turn out to be one of the smartest investments in gaming history. Though gamers have begun to paint the company as the black plague of gaming, EA has been one of the most consistent companies in supplying the industry with quality titles. EA has recently popped up on the negative side of things with their latest attempt at a hostile takeover of Take-Two Interactive.