July Gaming Guide

Not the greatest month for gaming. That is unless you’re a mega fan of StarCraft. If so, July 2010 might be the best month of your life. Otherwise, July has only a few titles worth checking out and they are as follows...

Crackdown 2
System: Xbox 360
Release: 7/06/2010

Overview: “The sequel to the award-winning vertical-world adventure, Crackdown 2 is the ultimate open-ended world action experience, only available on Xbox 360. The game lets you be judge, jury, and executioner for a huge, fully explorable city. Crackdown 2 takes multiplayer gaming to unprecedented levels for the ultimate co-op and competitive multiplayer experience, providing you and your friends with the complete freedom to explore, destroy, and play your way as you restore justice and peace to Pacific City—by any means necessary.”

Features: Crackdown 2 has 4-player drop-in/drop-out cooperative play as well as a robust 16 player competitive multiplayer component.

Crave’s Call: We’re currently working our way through the title. While our review won’t be up till next week we can go on record saying that if you dug the original, Crackdown 2 will probably be to your liking.

NCAA Football 11
System: Xbox 360, PS3, PS2
Release: 7/13/2010

Overview: “Feel the emotion of authentic college football more than ever with NCAA Football 11. From running the ‘no-huddle’ spread offense to walking out of the tunnel locking arms, everything you do and see will be original to your favorite school. With an all-new locomotion engine and real assignment A.I., only NCAA Football 11 gives you 120 ways to win!”

Features: NCAA Football 11 features an all-new locomation system for authentic running mechanics. You’re now able to run the “no-huddle” spread, triple option, wishbone, wild hog, or pistol offenses. And finally, NCAA 11 has complete ESPN presentation integration with commentary from ESPN broadcasters Kirk Herbstreit and Brad Nessler.

Crave’s Call: This one is pretty easy, if you enjoyed previous NCAA Football titles then NCAA Football 11 should be a sure bet. The new additions, especially the inclusion of an ESPN presentation, will probably make this yearly update worth the price of admission.

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty
System: PC
Release: 7/27/2010

Overview: “StarCraft II continues the epic saga of the Protoss, Terran, and Zerg. These three distinct and powerful races will clash once again in the fast-paced real-time strategy sequel to the legendary original, StarCraft. Legions of veteran, upgraded, and brand-new unit types will do battle across the galaxy, as each faction struggles for survival. Featuring a unique single-player campaign that picks up where StarCraft: Brood War left off, StarCraft II will present a cast of new heroes and familiar faces in an edgy sci-fi story filled with adventure and intrigue. In addition, Blizzard will again offer unparalleled online play through Battle.net, the company's world-renowned gaming service, with several enhancements and new features to make StarCraft II the ultimate competitive real-time strategy game.”

Features: It’s the StarCraft you know and love with updated graphics, more units and a deeper multiplayer component thanks to Battle.net.

Crave’s Call: I don’t really think our opinion really matters here. If you’re a StarCraft fan then you’ve been waiting 12 years for this. If you have no prior experience with StarCraft, just know it’s made by Blizzard, a company known for making great video games. If you consider yourself a PC gamer then this is the title to buy.

BlazBlue: Continuum Shift
System: Xbox 360, PS3
Release: 7/27/2010

Overview: “The ground-breaking High Definition 2D fighter BlazBlue makes its triumphant return to home consoles! BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger was recently a top-4 finalist in the VGA Awards, and Aksys Games is proud to announce we will be bringing the arcade sequel to the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. BlazBlue: Continuum Shift inherits all the key features of its predecessor while adding a few twists of its own. Tsubaki, μ-12 and Hazama will join the ranks of the veterans, who will be reborn with additional moves added to their arsenals. With new modes like Beginner Mode and Tutorial Mode, even fighting game beginners can pull off combos like the pros and dive right into the action.”

Features: 3 new fighters, a beginner and tutorial mode to train BlazBlue novices, a challenge mode for skilled BlazBlue players and Legion mode have been added for this sequel.

Crave’s Call: The original BlazBlue, Calamity Trigger, was a huge success. Many websites and publications even placed it above Street Fighter IV. Therefore, a sequel is just more goodness. If you’re a fan of the BlazBlue series, or just a fan of 2-D fighters in general, BlazBlue: Continuum Shift will be a good way to spend your July.