Game of the Month: May 2014 - Transistor

Would you believe us if we told you that our staff vote to determine May's Game of the Month ended in a three-way tie before the final decision was made? For the first time in Push Square history, the race was so close that we had no choice but to determine a winner based on review score, and that's why the rather good looking Transistor walks away with last month's coveted prize.

Frequent user of lavish language Kell Andersen gave Supergiant Games' latest a brilliant score of 9/10, calling it an "absolute triumph" and "a stunning sensory experience that buoys its lofty ambitions on a rock solid strategic core". Adding yet more praise, our reviewer from down under went on to say that "the visuals and music display an almost superhuman level of polish". Simply put, it sounds like this gorgeous downloadable release was well deserving of its place at the top of May's pile.

Of course, this means that Ubisoft's incredibly popular open world adventure missed out on victory. It goes without saying that Watch Dogs was one of the three titles vying for supremacy, but ultimately, its great score of 8/10 wasn't quite enough to overthrow all of its competitors. "Watch Dogs isn't a hack job, but it isn't the next-gen revolution that many were expecting either," this associate editor concluded, before adding that "it's a game largely made up of mediocre bits and pieces, but is elevated far beyond the sum of its parts by its brilliantly dynamic sandbox and often gripping mission design". Aiden Pearce's quest for revenge may not have hacked directly into our hearts, but it's certainly one of the most entertaining games on the PlayStation 4 right now.

Our third combatant in this intense clash of great games was Wolfenstein: The New Order, a title that reviewer Alex Stinton dubbed "a surprisingly strong shooter that aspires to be more than its premise should allow". Holding its score of 8/10 high above its head, our review pointed out that the release's "inspired but disturbing world, excellent roster of characters, and exhilarating action" all come together to create an FPS that's "very easy to recommend". After all, who can possibly resist some good old fashioned virtual Nazi slaughter?

Missing out on glory, but not by much, was Soul Sacrifice Delta. The Vita slay-'em-up proved to be a solid improvement on the original game, and according to reviewer Edwin Garcia, "for those that haven’t had a chance to experience this series yet, this makes a great starting point". The game returned to the darkness clutching yet another 8/10. Elsewhere, other action RPGs didn't quite make it out of the critical process in the same good shape, with Drakengard 3 and Bound by Flame slumping away with a 5/10 and 6/10 respectively.

But enough about our revolutionary reviews – we want to hear what your favourite game of May was. Did you resist Watch Dogs' hype? Were you enchanted by Transistor? Refresh your memory by perusing the handy list of reviews that we've compiled, vote for your pick in our poll, and state your case in the comments section below.

Star Wars Pinball: Heroes Within (8/10)
Yu-Gi-Oh! Millennium Duels (6/10)
Daylight (2/10)
EA Sports 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil (7/10)
Starlight Inception (2/10)
Muramasa Rebirth (9/10)
Titan Attacks (8/10)
No Heroes Allowed: No Puzzles Either! (8/10)
Outlast: Whistleblower (8/10)
Demon Gaze (6/10)
SoulCalibur: Lost Swords (2/10)
Sportsfriends (7/10)
Pure Chess (6/10)
Bound by Flame (6/10)
Hakuoki: Stories of the Shinsengumi (7/10)
Cabela's Big Game Hunter Pro Hunts (5/10)
Sparkle 2 (8/10)
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (5/10)
The Walking Dead: Season 2, Episode 3 - In Harm's Way (9/10)
Cel Damage HD (5/10)
God of War Collection (7/10)
Transistor (9/10)
Mugen Souls Z (5/10)
Soul Sacrifice Delta (8/10)
Drakengard 3 (5/10)
Wolfenstein: The New Order (8/10)
Lemmings Touch (6/10)
Worms Battlegrounds (6/10)
Puddle (7/10)
Watch Dogs (8/10)