Game of the month, June 2012

Winner: Gravity Rush

Read the Spelunky review.

As the initial wave of PlayStation Vita launch titles came to a crawl, two eagerly anticipated games dropped in June. Metal Gear Solid HD Collection revisits not only the PS2 classics, but somewhat functions as a companion to the PS3 game more than its own standalone experience. That leaves Gravity Rush as the unequivocally best PlayStation Vita game that’s out there.

As heroine Kat, you’ll be thrust into a gravity-defying fight against the Nevi, creatures that wants to colonize the burg of Hekseville. With a unique approach to not only gameplay, but methods of interacting with the PlayStation Vita hardware. As you get used to utilizing Kat’s powers to the max, Gravity Rush empowers you with an arsenal of incredible moves that never cease to thrill along the way.

If you’ve been on the fence about buying a PlayStation Vita, Gravity Rush is a great reason to finally make the leap.

Runner-up: Quantum Conundrum

Read the Quantum Conundrum review.

It’s no small feat to follow up one of the finest games of the last decade, but Kim Swift and the team at Airtight Games have concocted another excellent puzzle title. With Quantum Conundrum, that familiar thread of logic and spatial puzzles colliding with platforming elements arises again. It’s not fair to constantly judge QC under the lens of Valve’s title, since its its own entity. If you dive in and try to tackle its brain-teasers, you’ll love the process of discovering how many ways you can skin a cat. Well, not literally. That’s messy. And kinda cruel.