Who wants to know a little secret? Ordinarily we run an internal poll for these Game of the Month posts, but on this occasion we didn’t bother. Anyone that dared to vote against Naughty Dog’s incredible opus The Last of Us was going to be forced to spend the week shamefully sat on the step outside of our big cheese’s office, so we’ve spared our staff members the embarrassment by automatically selecting Joel and Ellie’s depressing adventure for our coveted award.
In truth, while there were some surprisingly solid releases in June, nothing quite came close to Sony’s dreary cross-country adventure. The inaugural 10/10 of the year, the first-party favourite delivered in virtually every area, from groundbreaking cinematics to obsessive attention to detail. Not even a sex line scandal could deter this PlayStation 3 exclusive from sitting several rungs above its nearest peers.
“An assured, touching, and engrossing adventure, The Last of Us represents a watershed moment for the medium,” we wrote in our review. “The unlikely bond that blossoms between the title’s two lead characters is both heartrending and poignantly paced – but the release delivers much more than captivating cinematics. This is a meaty slice of survival action that masterfully depicts the horrors of life in a post-pandemic setting, and will consume you quicker than a cloud of contaminated spores.”
While the epic was this month’s runaway winner, there’s still room for a few honourable mentions. Classic arcade beat-‘em-up compilation Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara HD earned a fervent recommendation, netting a 9/10 in our comprehensive review. Remember Me is also best not forgotten; despite some flaws, we reckon that the adventure is worth a look. And who could ignore OMG HD Zombies? Laughing Jackal’s chain-reaction corpse culler may not be the most original outing in the world, but it still delivers a hearty helping of guts and gore.
Alas, what was your Game of the Month? Did The Last of Us grip you like a starved Clicker, or was Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara HD more your glass of grog? Perhaps you can’t forget your time with Remember Me, or are still otherwise engaged with Hotline Miami? Let us know your picks in the comments section below, and feel free to share your predictions for next month’s (presumably slender) poll in the process.
What was your favourite game in June? (23 votes)
- Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara HD 0%
- Hotline Miami
- OMG HD Zombies
- Remember Me
- The Last of Us
Please login to vote in this poll.
Comments 13
Game of the Year.
You can go ahead and say it.
I'm working on my 3rd playthrough as we speak. I can't wait for the SP DLC...
Incredible game.
None of those games were for me...what about Muramasa Rebirth? I quite like it, and see myself putting many, many hours into it.
That platinum...I want.
The Last Of Us - Stunning game. Played it on Hard to start with, then on Survivor, and am currently going through on Survivor+. Such is the quality and power of the work that I'm still watching every cutscene in full as well.
I did tear up at the end of the opening scene. That scene sets the tone for the whole game; it's grim yet compelling and it barely let's up the whole way through. The one place it does let up (you'll know it if you've played it) I sat and admired the view for a full ten minutes before moving on.
It's hard going, but in a good way. It's not perfect, there are a few issues, which you'll also know about I you've played it... but you'd have to be really petty and pedantic to claim that they in any way detract from the experience.
In general, I would have to say that I still prefer the Uncharted games for sheer spectacle and fun gameplay, but TLOU takes storytelling in games to another level yet again.
We PlayStation fans may not have an iconic character, but we've certainly got an iconic developer. If only others could be this good, this consistently. I can't wait to see what they do on PS4.
@neumaus We tend to plump up for European dates for these, as most of the staff are based in the UK. It does get a bit complicated, but that's why Muramasa is not included for this month. Hope that clears things up.
@get2sammyb Oh, I didn't know. That's very interesting! Thanks for the explanation
Yeah, this was no contest, The Last of Us is easily the best game so far this year and only GTA V and Beyond: Two Souls are games that I would say have a chance to top it.
A very well deserved Game of the Month winner, nothing could touch Naughty Dog's stunning creativity in June, there was no need for an internal poll on this one.
We are just over six months into the year and The Last of Us has now overtaken the brilliance of BioShock Infinite as my Game of the Year, so far.
A great comment by @Paranoimia above, too: "We PlayStation fans may not have an iconic character, but we've certainly got an iconic developer."
@Paranoimia
Completely agree about Naughty Dog, I'd actually go as far as to say they're the best in the business right now. I don't ever hesitate to pre-order a game from ND because I know at worst we're getting a great game, at best it will be one of the defining games of a console generation. Naughty Dog delivered two of them on PS3. Sony is very lucky to have this studio on its side.
yup best ps3 game for me,ND best developer for me...sony should buy QD now...that's another talented studio to add to sony first party
Masterpiece
@Paranoimia Well put, sir! Sadly I don't own a PS3, and missing out on Naughty Dogs games always "hurt" the most. So them is one of the biggest reasons I'm so looking forward to PS4...can't wait what those guys will pull of on that beast when their PS3 games are already the best looking games on current gen.
I'm nearing the end of my first playthrough and this game is without a doubt in my top favorite games of all time. Naughty Dog did an amazing job with this game just like they do with all their games. I actually didnt realize I'd been playing their games since the beginning, Crash Bandicoot was one of my favorite game series when I was little. I can't wait to see what they put out on the PS4
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