After lumbering through the wettest summer on record – at least over here in good old Blighty – it’s that time of year again when the games industry is suiting up for the four month, triple-A software onslaught that is the period September – December. Indeed, while there have been quite a few heavy casualties in regards to the number of games being delayed into next year, fall/winter 2012 is still shaping up to be a mighty fine place to be for any self-respecting videogames aficionado.
Before we get into that however, there’s the small matter of slapping our Game of the Month accolade on August’s standout title. While the month itself may have been as wet as, well, a typical British summer, the release schedule started to hot up considerably, with two massive games in the form of Darksiders II and Sleeping Dogs scrapping it out for your hard-earned cash. Both games are worthy contenders in their own right, with Darksiders II offering up another successful slice of brutal hack-‘n-slash combat mixed with plenty of loot gathering and exploration. Sure, it’s a little short on plot, but this is a minor shortcoming in the grand scheme of things.
Sleeping Dogs on the other hand, while not introducing anything particularly revolutionary in regards to open-world games, delivers one of the most compelling stories in recent memory and its core gameplay stacks up well against its contemporaries. Elsewhere, August also saw the release of Papo & Yo for PlayStation Network, one of the many quirky indie titles backed by Sony’s pub fund, as well as the much-anticipated Leviathan DLC for sci-fi epic Mass Effect 3. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive also showed up (unless unfortunately you’re a PAL gamer), as did Rock Band Blitz. So, all in all, a satisfying month that more than made up for July’s shortcomings, which as you probably noticed didn’t even feature in our monthly recap due to the fact there was hardly anything out.
As ever, there can only be one winner, and, after a quick chinwag on our staff forums, the PSU team decided to give the award to Sleeping Dogs. Those of you who need convincing as to why the game is worth your hard-earned cash would do well to check out our review by Adam Dolge here. For now though, here’s a quick snippet:
“Sleeping Dogs offers one of the strongest narratives in recent gaming and drags you through the gritty streets of Hong Kong’s mob underworld in the process. Its gameplay doesn’t offer many new ideas, but it delivers what it promises. Namely, an engaging story, fun combat, slick driving, and solid gameplay.”
What game do you think deserves the accolade for Game of the Month August 2012? Post your thoughts in the comments section below.