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Game of the Year Countdown: August 2010

Finally the summer comes to a close with another so-so month. August wasn’t the worst month of the year, but it won’t be in contender for the best either. Most of the strong showings were arcade titles. As always though, let’s head on over to the big screen to get the word!

Castlevania: Harmony of Despair (XBLA) 7.0

An interesting take on the Castlevania franchise, I believe first time the series has had co-op, but it pretty much did always with any real type of progression, as levels weren’t connected in any real fashion. Also ditched most of the RPG elements instead focusing on item pick-ups. Solid game though.

Madden 11 (PS3/360/Wii/PS2/PSP/DS) 8.5

Its Madden, it has been Madden for some time. Everyone has their opinion on the franchise by now, and while they are solid probably will never be GoTY contenders.

Scott Pilgrim vs the World (PSN/XBLA) 7.9

Wasn’t the biggest fan of this game even though a huge beat’em up fan, this game just seemed off. And not offering online co-op was a huge blunder.

Monday Night Combat (XBLA) 8.2

A fantastic take on the class-based, team shooters, this is a fun and original Arcade title that is worth 15 bucks. And now there is more added content with new arenas, its an even better buy.

Kane & Lynch 2 (PS3/360) 6.5

Good to see that Eidos hasn’t given up on the franchise while the rest of the world seems to be paying it no mind. A so-so follow-up to a so-so game.

Lara Croft and The Guardian of Light (XBLA/PSN) 8.5

Probably the best Lara Croft game in years, and a fantastic arcade title. While some were bummed about the lack of online co-op at release, the game was pretty damn smart with converting it into a single player experience, and makes it a joy to replay with the now added co-op mode. Worth checking out if you haven’t already.

And Yet it Moves (WiiWare) 8. 4

An unique puzzle/platforming game. Where you don’t have direct control over your character but move the environment around him to navigate him to the end. Rather interesting and worth checking out.

Shank (PSN/XBLA) 7.5

A twisted, but fun take on the beat’em up/action genre. Fairly robust and to some degrees interesting arsenal of moves.

Ivy the Kiwi (Wii/DS) 7.4

From the mind of the creator of Sonic the Hedgehog, comes this very unique platformer (I’ve said unique a lot this month) in which you guide a Kiwi through the stages drawing various routes for him to take. It works and its different, not for everyone though.

Mafia 2 (PS3/360) 7.9

A fun addition to the sandbox genre which was a bit more linear than your standard one.

Metroid: Other M (Wii) 7.8

Never has a game divided a fanbase quite like this one. It made some bold, and to others stupid, mistakes/decisions along the way, which wasn’t for everyone. Because of the variety of opinions, the only way to really judge this game is to play it yourself.

August turned out to be a better month than I remembered, but it still leaned heavily on downloadable titles like Monday Night Combat, Shank and Lara Croft. That said, the Game of the Month is :

People will make what they make of the story, how Samus is presented, even some of the decisions made in crucial moments of the game. And they are allowed to, but removed from the story, the game is solid. Yeah, it could have used an option with the analog stick, but other than that minor setback, its a well-paced game, awesome combat, and for a game being set in one location offers a variety of locales. I would recommend anyone checking it out and making their own opinion.

Earl Rufus

The owner of this little chunk of the internet. Enjoys having a good time and being rather snarky!

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