June is going to be one of the best months of gaming this year. There, I said it. I know I said it before for April (Month of GTA4) but June really is amazing. So amazing, in fact, that it receives the GameOnYou UK seal of approval! There are so many good games coming out this month, including a number of big names. Follow us as we explore why June is going to be a gamer’s paradise…

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- The Incredible Hulk - Wii, PC, DS, Xbox 360, PSP, PS3, PS2 - 1st June -

The Incredible Hulk… The official game of the rehash of a rubbish film. It may not sound appealing thus far but you do have to take into consideration that the film stars (and was co-written by) Edward Norton (of Fight Club fame). We have no knowledge regarding his involvement in the game sadly but if it’s anything like other recent super-hero games (bar Iron Man) then this should be a fun game. I’m waiting for a demo before I make any decisions though, although as this is a free-roaming sandbox game (like Spiderman 2) it’s not likely that there will be a demo. Looks like it’ll be worth a rental though.

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- Dracula: Origin - PC - 6th June -

Oh no what’s this? An Old-Skool adventure game? That pretty much sums up my interest in this upcoming point-and-click game. It’s a 90s style point-and-click adventure game (complete with pre-rendered backgrounds) revolving around - guess who? That’s right, it’s everybody’s favourite haemophiliac - Dracula! It might end up being rubbish, but hopefully it’ll follow in the trend of Overclocked and be surprisingly entertaining (with an enthralling plot). Some people have given it flak over it’s pre-rendered environments but I’m pretty interested in the outcome of the game and after all, take heed the motto of the Wii - “Graphics aren’t everything”. While graphics aren’t the be all and end all of video-game traits they certainly do help, which is why it’s fortunate that Dracula looks pretty nice, with some well-detailed character models. At the initial price of £19.99 it’d wait a few months before picking this one up.

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- Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit - Xbox 360, PS3 - 1st June -

OK, I have no bloody idea what Dragon Ball Z is about. There you go. I played Psychic Force on the old Playstation and I enjoyed that. Judging by the trailer for Burst Limit, it looks as if it has some very similar gameplay mechanics, except with the added branding us 21st centurions live, love and breathe. This game looks like it will be quite a fun versus fighter although I’m not looking forward to the inevitably tedious storyline based on the original manga (damned spell check wanted me to say Mango). The demo is already available on Xbox Live and PSN so if this sounds like your cup of tea then why not give it a try? In fact, give it a try anyway if you have Hard-Disk space to spare… It is free after all!

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- Lego Indiana Jones - The Original Adventures - Wii, PC, DS, Xbox 360, PSP, PS3, PS2 - 6th June -

Lego Indiana Jones, successor to the Lego Star Wars series - cunningly released to coincide with the release of the latest film, The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull in an attempt to latch onto the building Indiana Mania which is sure to sweep the world now the film is released (and while ITV replay the digitally remastered versions of the original trilogy). I know I’m certainly buying into the hype… a thing I don’t like to do often (especially not after the disappointment of Assassin’s Creed) as I’m looking forward to seeing the new film soon and I also want to play the new game. I never played either of the Lego Star Wars games (although I will be picking up The Original Trilogy soon for my PSP) but i’ve read the reviews which have lauded them for their playability, replayability and general “fun” factor. I’ve also realised from the trailer for Lego Indiana that they possess a playful humour which is pure fan-service, referencing the events of the films and painting them in a new light. I won’t be picking this one up on release but I would had I sufficient funds so I recommend this one to you guys… though maybe you should wait a while and save your money for some of the bigger hits first.

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- Mass Effect - PC - 6th June -

Mass Effect is a fantastic game. Beautiful Graphics - check. Enthralling Storyline - Check. Fantastic Combat - er… It’s pretty good, but fantastic would be an overstatement. Distracting Texture Pop-In - Unfortunately So. Multiplatform Release? There is now. Mass Effect for the PC was originally planned for release on 28th May but unfortunately has been pushed back till June the 6th. Fortunately, 6th June is only a few weeks away. Even more fortunately, Mass Effect for the PC has been improved and optimised from the original 360 release just for the PC. This means no more texture pop-in! Yay! It also means better graphics with higher resolution textures and higher overall resolution (better than HD, yay!), optimised controls and a revamp of the HUD (bringing better control schemes for changing weapons and abilities). If you missed this first time round on the 360 and you have a good, speedy computer than I strongly recommend that you pick this up. If you don’t think your computer will run this smoothly and you own an Xbox 360 then you should pick it up for that, as it’ll be cheaper and it’ll look nicer.

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- Ninja Gaiden 2 - PC - 6th June -

Following in the trend of it’s predecessors, Ninja Gaiden 2 looks pretty, gory and pretty gory to boot. The original is yet another game which I never got round to playing (please believe me - I am a gamer, honest!) and the sequel looks amazing! I am considering buying the original off eBay to play with the 360s backwards compatibility abilities. It looks like it will incorporate the arcadey gameplay of Devil May Cry, but with a deeper combat system (though I must admit, Devil May Cry 4 was pretty deep but unlike Ninja Gaiden it didn’t have any customisation options, be it with costumes or moves). I will at least play the upcoming demo and I advise you to, especially if you’re a fan of the genre. Also, another thing to note is that the game is only £34.99 at Game.co.uk inc p&p with special exclusive costumes.

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- Sins of a Solar Empire - PC - 6th June -

If you’re a big fan of Real Time Strategies then keep reading… If not you’ll want to skip this entry as it’s gonna be a hardcore RTS… in space. As an RTS gamer I’m already making comparisons to the Homeworld series though with the diplomatic features it may be more comparable to a Space-Age Total War (without the campaign map… which is actually my favourite feature of Total War games) so if you love space, Homeworld or the combat in Total War then you should definitely look further into this… If we’ve garnered your interest, here is a demo for the game. Enjoy.

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- Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots - Playstation 3 - 12th June -

Quite possibly the biggest game of June. Snake is getting older and it sounds as if Hayter’s been smoking more cigarettes to reflect that. MGS4 looks like it’s going to be big. Boasting impressive graphics and 90-minute cutscenes, it’s going to provide a lot of game for your money and a lot of fan-service to the dedicated. I was a big fan of MGS2, but I thought the third was rubbish. Too hard and silly to the extent that it was hard to take the storyline (represented in mediocre cutscenes) seriously. Buy with caution, if you’re sure you’ll enjoy it then go ahead and pick it up as it’ll be worth your money, but if you prefer your cutscenes short and your gunplay in the truckload then look elsewhere.

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- Don King Presents: Prizefighter - Xbox 360 (also Wii and DS later in the year)- 13th June -

I’m a big fan of fighting games and stemming from that, a fan of the Fight Night series of video-games. What attracts me most to these boxing games is the sheer brutality of the KOs, watching another slain opponent fall, unconscious, to the ground. Hopefully Prizefighter will follow in that fashion and sate my hunger for in-ring acts against humanity until Fight Night Round 4 cruises in alongside Mike Tyson (who has medically been proven to not be human). Unfortunately I’m not feeling much of an impact from the trailer… none of the punches really feel like they connect. What I really want to see is boxing with Euphoria and a Wii-style motion control, flailing your arms and seeing your boxer do the same on-screen… then you’d really feel the punches. Wait for a demo or some reviews before considering a purchase… I’ll be renting this one.

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- Sid Meier’s Civilisation Revolution- Xbox 360, Playstation 3, DS - 13th June -

Who’da thunk it ey? A dumbing down of Civilisation, what was originally a quasi-complex strategy game with a focus on management. Strangely, a dumbing down of the series is what Meier, in his own words “always wanted to make”. Is that a rephrasing of him wanting to take a year off and get paid? I’m sure we’ll never really find out. It’ll be interesting to find out how the Civilisation series will fare on the console market, hardcore fans may feel alienated while hardcore console games aren’t likely to show much interest in a strategy game focused on diplomacy and general management of the populace. Maybe I’ll be proven wrong though. If they release a demo on Live and PSN then they’ll secure the interest that may shift copies. I myself am wary of whether I should make a purchase… On the one hand it’s a great series. On the other hand it’s a dumbing down, and dumbing down a strategy game would be like giving you a water pistol in Unreal Tournament - it’s taking out what defines the game. On one foot, this may create a fun pick up and play iteration of the series; on the other (slightly losing my balance) I don’t play Civilisation much anyway. Looks fun, though i wish they had pulled their finger out and made a PSP version.

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- Alone in the Dark - Xbox 360, PC, Wii, PS2, (Also PS3 in Autumn) - 20th June -

They left me alone… in the dark……. in the rain. Alone in the Dark (this being the fifth in the series) is somewhat a reboot of the series, keeping the themes which make the series what it is, while erasing what was told in the previous chapters. Starting afresh with a new generation of consoles and trying to stay as far from the Uwe Boll film as possible. There is a lot of potential for this, even more so if they take on board the improvements made to the genre by Resident Evil 4. Alone in the Dark looks set to feature creepiness on a scale which compares to Silent Hill, in the type of setting which they have chosen though the difference here is that AITD is set in the real life location of Manhattan island… around Central Park to be precise. Funnily enough the cover art reminds me of Alan Wake… not sure why, but this is probably the closest we’re going to get to Alan for quite a while. The good news is that the game is coming to the Wii, an often neglected format in multi-platform current-gen games, the bad news is that they’re creating a PS2 version as well, meaning that the Wii game will likely be a port of the PS2 one but with tacked on waggle.

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- Echochrome - PSP - 20th June -

You may or may not have played Echochrome already. It has been available digitally for about a month and our overseas friends have been able to get their hands on hard copies already. The game is only just coming out in the shops over here and you can only pick it up for PSP (If you want the PS3 version you’ll have to log onto PSN). I’ve got the Japanese version of the game at the moment and it’s great, mind-boggling fun (much in the same respects as C.R.U.S.H.), using perspective to your advantage in M.C. Escher styled levels - moving your little mannequin towards pre-designated objective points. If you’re into this kindof game, I’d recommend C.R.U.S.H. over it any day. Echochrome is great but £19.99 is a little steep for a game with little replayability and no personality. Also you’d be able to pick up C.R.U.S.H. cheap, second hand now as well.

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- Top Spin 3 - Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, DS - 20th June -

YAAAAAAAY!!!! TENNIS!!!!1 How original, a tennis game… not like anyone’s done that before. Year after year. Yeah.

I don’t know whether you guess but I’m not really looking forward to Top Spin 3. Firstly because because it’s going to be the same as last year’s iterations but with a fresh new price tag , secondly because I prefer Virtua Tennis, thirdly because I prefer real tennis to both of those and finally, because I don’t like tennis. Well, I like it sometimes - but as with all sports games I have to be in the mood and I’m never in the mood to pay £40 on a sports game. £10 max. If you’re a real tennis nut then I’m not going to stop you buying this. In fact, if you’re a real tennis nut you can afford to buy it every year anyway. *Yawn* I think I used up all my energy on the first sentence as I’m tired and bored as hell now.

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- Battlefield: Bad Company - Xbox 360, PS3 - 27th June -

Well, here’s a game which has had a hard time, with DLC controversy and all. Not that i’m bothered, I played the beta and didn’t like the game anyway - Even if EA did withdraw their sinister pricing scheme. Then again, I’ve been spoilt by CoD4’s eternal awesomeness… also, is it just me or does the black commander guy from Bad Company look suspiciously like the black commander guy from Crysis (Except maybe a bit younger and less ‘rough’)? Not really now i’m actually comparing them. Anyway, Bad Company promises destructible environments, which is new to the series (and multiplayer genre as a whole). Unfortunately after playing the Beta, their idea of destructible environments is being able to destroy walls of buildings… while this may sound enticing at first, it’s not very impressive in motion as it looks the same every time, with an identical shaped hole being made in walls all the time. If you think you can play another shooter after CoD then pick it up - though the controls will disappoint in comparison. Give me more Mirrors Edge DICE, Please!

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- Guitar Hero Aerosmith - Xbox 360, PS3 - 27th June -

It seems that Activision hasn’t made enough money already in their war against EA (Skate vs Tony Hawk - Rock band vs Guitar Hero… More probably) so they’re squeezing this out of the franchise… a tie-in from a band that probably wouldn’t have looked twice during the series’ beginnings. While there are nice character models and animations, the band only really have 2 or 3 songs worth putting into a game (a DLC pack’s worth I guess). This is depressing stuff… Great news though if you’re a fan of both Aerosmith and wasting your money. Nice guitar bundled too.

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- Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword - Nintendo DS - 27th June -

Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword is the DS incarnation of the popular franchise, featuring gore, demons and swords. Dragon Sword is roughly 6 hours long, features pretty (well… pretty for the DS) graphics and makes use of the DS’s touch screen for intuitive swordplay. This looks as if it’s going to be DS’s counterpart to the PSP’s God of War, providing a similar gameplay experience. Good News for those who own neither a PSP nor a 360 but what I want to see is a DS reworking of Okami (bar the IGN watermark if possible).

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- The Bourne Conspiracy - PS3, Xbox 360 - 27th June -

After playing the demo for Bourne Conspiracy I was very impressed. It has a similar appeal which The Matrix: Path of Neo had, except a lot more polished (and with a less complex hand-to-hand system which some may be pleased about but it’s something which I only find acceptable due to the inclusion of Takedowns). It promises about 12 hours of gameplay which make it a perfect rental-only game for the summer.

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3 Comments

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  By Dave Barlow, 3 June, 2008 @ 11:02 pm

  Sweeeeeet. nice work, Dan.

  Have a gold star. And a wowwipop.
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  By Sean Millar, 4 June, 2008 @ 2:51 pm

  Singstar Vol. 2 is out aswell, It may sound gay but i bought the first a couple of weeks ago and its pretty awesome:D
  GH:aerosmith, MGS4 and singstar vol 2 are all on my must buy list this month…

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1. VoozIT.com — 3 June, 2008 @ 9:32 pm

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