June in Gaming

June 2, 2013

Try not to let E3 2013 distract you. Despite June’s focus directed towards Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo, along with every third party under the sun, and their wealth of unannounced, unreleased games, there’s actual real games to play as the month progresses.

  • 04/06 – Eve Online: Odyssey (PC)
  • 04/06 – Marvel Heroes (PC)
  • 06/06 – Remember Me (PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)
  • 06/06 – The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Legendary Edition (PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)
  • 07/06 – MotoGP 13 (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)
  • 13/06 – Rugby Challenge 2 (PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)
  • 14/06 – The Last of Us (PS3)
  • 14/06 – Dark (PC, Xbox 360)
  • 14/06 – Wonderbook: Diggs Nightcrawler (PlayStation 3)
  • 15/06 – Animal Crossing: New Leaf (Nintendo 3DS)
  • 19/06 – Jak and Daxter Trilogy (PlayStation Vita)
  • 21/06 – Ashes Cricket 2013 (Wii U, PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)
  • 25/06 – Company of Heroes 2 (PC)
  • 26/06 – Deadpool (PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)
  • 26/06 – Shadowrun Returns (PC)
  • 27/06 – The Sims 3: Island Paradise (PC)
  • 29/06 – Game & Wario (Wii U)

Bev Chen

June is arguably the craziest time of year for gamers and the industry alike, with the infamous E3 rearing its head for yet another year. But the month of June will also see a number of high-profile releases, which will no doubt get gamers opening their wallets. One of my picks for the month is The Last of Us, a tale of survival from Naughty Dog, the acclaimed studio behind the Jak and Daxter and Uncharted series. The various trailers and gameplay videos I’ve seen look promising and as a result, I’ve got high expectations for this one.

Of course, this is assuming I’ll be able to tear myself away from the new Animal Crossing. The other games in the series (especially Wild World) were massive time sinks for me as I made friends with the villagers, did Tom Nook’s money grinding quests and obsessively landscaped the town. I’m looking forward to that and much more this time around.

Cody Giunta

Going into June things are a little quiet, though since E3 is getting ever closer it’s probably not a coincidence. Out of all the titles that are to be released, the one that has captured my attention the most is Remember Me. Having spent some time with it myself awhile back, I can safely say that it’s something fresh and will hopefully manifest itself into a quality full game. It’s taking a lot of gambles in terms of story and gameplay, and I hope that it meets with some success and many others enjoy flitting around the streets of Neo-Paris.

Adam Shurey

June is shaping up to be a great month for gaming. E3 promises to bring us all sorts of news, announcements, and reveals, and there’s also a couple of game releases that I’m really looking forward to. Remember Me, Capcom’s new IP, is looking very good. I find the combination of the futuristic sci-fi setting, female protagonist, and customisable combo system (reminiscent of God Hand) to be fresh and appealing. The protagonist, Nilin, is a memory hunter. She’s skilled in traditional forms of combat, but she also has unique talents. Utilising the game’s ‘memory remxing’ system, you’ll be able to make use of her abilities to hack into the minds of your opponents and affect them in various ways.

My other must-have release is Naughty Dog’s new game, The Last of Us. Taking a well earned break from their successful Uncharted series, they’ve come up with a new IP that has managed to draw a lot of attention. Set in a post-apocalyptic world, the game’s story focuses on two survivors, Ellie and Joel. With gameplay that looks like a mix between Uncharted and a survival horror game, The Last of Us looks as though it will offer a tense, engaging experience, as the two characters fight their way through some beautiful environments. Naughty Dog have really pushed the PlayStation 3 to its limits this time, and the game should serve as a fitting finish for their work on the console, now that the PlayStation 4’s release is drawing ever nearer.

Tim Norman

I’m looking forward to The Last of Us this month. The game is looking to be one of those great late-generation titles that shows just how far the medium has come in the past few years. Aside from that, there’s also the Legendary Edition of Skyrim, which, if you haven’t already picked up this classic game, is your best excuse for doing so. Even if you have, buy it and gift it to a friend who is yet to experience Bethesda’s RPG classic. I’m secretly hoping the Deadpool game delivers on the potential of one of my favourite comic book characters, and it’s always nice to see a new Wii U game, especially one in the spirit of WarioWare.

Anthony Capone

The apex development team of the PlayStation stable, Naughty Dog, break from the shackles of the iconic Uncharted franchise to deliver The Last of Us – arguably June’s largest title, and possibly even the final blockbuster before the impending next-gen season. A world ravaged by a zombie-like infection and two human survivors with scant chance of living to the next day are the ingredients of this story-driven adventure, which also features Naughty Dog’s trademark visual splendour. With the promise of a twelve-hour plus journey and an orchestral score that has already left a impact on my ears, The Last of Us feels like the a final prize at an award ceremony. It has taken some time to get here, but the pay-off could be the most rewarding experience to date on PlayStation 3.

Jarrod Mawson

Another month, another fairly relaxed schedule of games. Probably a good thing, as the end of the year heats up something chronic. I’ve got my eyes on Remember Me, from that French lot at DontNod. The action adventure premise sounds pretty cool, Cody’s preview was great stuff, and their rendition of Neo-Paris has incredible artistic flair. But it’s currently in my “maybe” pile as I’m just not sure how good it will be. Company of Heroes 2 is similarly categorised. I really enjoyed the first Company of Heroes, and Relic’s more than well experienced at strategy games, but I’m not sure I’m in the mood for a World War II RTS right now. Time may change that. Shadowrun Returns, if it actually makes the end of this month, is already bought, as I pledged to the Kickstarter. I guess that one will be worth watching if just to see if the Kickstarter fad was worth the investment. Ultimately, I think like many others my June pick is The Last of Us. I like Uncharted, but I’m hoping this is Naughty Dog breaking out into something a little deeper. Either way, it look suitably intense and horrifying, and that means I’ll be there day one.