Game of the Month: April 2013 - Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen

Where’s the fun in honesty? We could be transparent and reveal that we totally forgot to push the publish button on our latest Game of the Month article, but let’s run with a more ambitious narrative instead. So, in actual fact, the whole Push Square team has spent the past eleven days locked in an underground basement, dramatically debating which title deserves April’s gong.

Alright, that’s fabricated nonsense, but there’s a sliver of truth hidden somewhere inside our admittedly silly story. The reality is that April was an uncharacteristically good month for games, and we did find it difficult to pick a winner. After some deliberation, though, we’ve elected to blow a lungful of fiery air over Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen, which scored highly in our review.

“Dragon’s Dogma isn't for everyone,” wrote a candid Robert Ramsey. “It’s a time consuming and often brutal title, and its original flaws still remain – but the inclusion of Dark Arisen is just enough to push Capcom’s grand RPG up there with the best that the genre has to offer. You’ll be hard pressed to find a more rewarding, dynamic, and atmospheric adventure on the PlayStation 3.”

The scaly epic was by no means a runaway winner, though. Honourable mentions go out to Ubisoft’s excellent eighties homage Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon and superhero brawler Injustice: Gods Among Us. Other noteworthy releases included Soul Sacrifice, Guacamelee!, and Thomas Was Alone. There was even a case to be made for the divisive Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut.

Of course, we’d love to know your Game of the Month for April. Were you bowled over by the scope of Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen, or did Injustice: Gods Among Us find you wearing your underpants on the outside? Let us know in the comments section and poll below, and feel free to leave your predictions for next month’s vote while you’re there.