June was two things in Korea: hot and sticky. And judging from today — people’s glasses were fogging up the minute they’d step out of their cars — July should be even better! Not always the best weather for playing games, but oh well. Read on to find out what kept us busy during the summer month that was, and let us know what you spent it playing, too.

Nick Luckett:

This month I got bit by the gaming bug hard. Things slowed down a little bit at work and all of a sudden I found myself playing games almost every free moment. It doesn’t hurt that we finally got a Wii at work, in addition to all the PS3s and 360s.

Because of the UEFA Euro 08 and the escalating MLS season, I have been in full soccer mode. Been playing a bit of Fifa 08 on the 360, but putting even more time into Winning Eleven 08 for the Wii. Winning Eleven is so unlike any soccer game that I have ever played that it has taken me awhile to get into it, but it is totally worth it. The game, because of the awesome way you interact with it and control players, feels like a mix between a traditional soccer game and a strategic managerial game. It rules. Get it. Best sports game on the Wii built for the Wii.

I’ve also put a bit of time into Assassin’s Creed finally and am really enjoying it. The storytelling is mature, dynamic and beautiful and has really drawn me in.

Lastly, I’ve picked up some old Wii games and started them again. I always get scared that I’m going to pick up a game and be totally lost and then have to start over, but I had a pretty seamless pickup of both Super Paper Mario and Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. Surprising, I know. But for some reason I was able to get right back into both of them and am loving both.

Edgar:

Like every month, I was playing Lord of the Ring Online on the PC. On the DS side (bathroom gaming), I`ve been busy grinding my way through Etrian Odyssey 2 and Rocking out to Guitar Hero: On Tour. GH:OT got me by surprise, I wasn’t expecting much, but it plays really well and the selection of tunes in the game is pretty good. Expect my review of both the single and multiplayer experience in July.

Evan:

My brothers and I started playing Timesplitters: Future Perfect a lot recently and got a little nostalgic for Perfect Dark. Since I hooked up our Nintendo 64, we haven’t played anything else. I consider Perfect Dark to be the best multiplayer game of all time, the best FPS of all time, and one of the best games of all time. There are so many cool options, weapons, levels, etc, and I don’t have to deal with the horrid dual-analog control scheme.

Jody:

Just got an Xbox 360 (Gamertag: JodyAnthony), so I have been poking around with a lot of stuff on that. Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey, Gears of War, and Bioshock, as well as some Xbox Live Arcade games (Tetris Splash, Uno). A great console. I have also been making my way through the amazingly awesome Metal Gear Solid 4 on PS3. So freaking good. Best game in the series in my opinion. On the Nintendo side, I have been playing The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX for Gameboy Color. Fantastic game. Now I am off to worship my wife for letting me buy all of the current gen consoles for the first time in my life. Love you, Amber!

Greg:

I was out of town for most of May, so I spent this past month catching up on Grand Theft Auto IV. I’ve finished up the story mode, and I’m now really getting into some of the side missions. I have to admit, I had to actually ponder some of the moral decisions towards the end of the game. Vivendi sent over a copy of The Bourne Conspiracy, which is actually a pretty decent game. I’ve been satisfying my puzzle game itch with Roogoo on 360 and Dr. Mario: Online RX on Wii. Both are pretty great. I’ve also started playing Lost Winds, which is utterly fantastic.

Michael Tucker:

Oh videogames, it’s been a while since they and I have made nice, but this month has shown us a happy reunion. I’ve been enjoying some Golden Sun: The Lost Age, which I like to play at my favorite local coffeeshop on my Gameboy Micro after long bike rides. It was a slow start on this one, but after ten or twelve hours of on and off gameplay it’s starting to pick up. Next up is the Spore Creature Creator. I usually don’t pay for demos; I mean, what a yucky premise that is, but this little toy is totally worth it and stands on its own whether or not you have plans to purchase the full game. Here’s my Spore page for those who wanna take a gander. Lastly, I just started a game of Ninja Gaiden 2. For many, many years the original series was my favorite group of games ever, and the Xbox iteration was tons of fun as well. Having beaten that one three times over, I feel confident in thinking that this sequel will get at least as many playthroughs.

June:

This month, I got a new laptop that can actually run games! After hauling a breathing, sluggish beast around all through college, it’s really nice to have a machine that, well, works! I played an old favourite, Ragnarok Online, then got around to downloading the client for Lord of the Rings Online (Edgar swears by this game). It was fun! I enjoy how the game is very story and quest-oriented, something that Ragnarok avoids by making quest NPCs difficult to find without a walkthrough. Unfortunately, my 9-day trial of stumbling-around-aimlessly led me to exploring large maps with bland mobs, such as wolves, squirrels, bears and boars. It wasn’t very engaging for what you would imagine to be the classic fantasy experience. I will be giving it another shot, with a different race next time.

I also downloaded Dream of Mirror Online, a free-to-play MMORPG. I’ve been wanting to try it since the Beta, and my new system presented the perfect opportunity. And I enjoy it! ‘DOMO’ is very much like a 3D Ragnarok Online with a very friendly community. For someone who’s new to the game, it was ridiculously easy to join a group. You can also switch jobs at any time, meaning that you can keep the same character for every class you play.

Lastly, I was handed a copy of Summon Night: Twin Ages for my birthday. It’s great! Unlike the other Summon Nights released in North America, the DS version doesn’t offer 2D fighter-style combat. Surprisingly, it plays like a point-and-click RPG. You can choose which skills to level up and form parties with NPCs, so to warn you guys, it’s like sneaking crack on the go. Definitely recommended if you’re willing to take that risk.

Shaun:

How is it that Excite Truck, a game whose announcement I laughed at, has captured my interest more than any other console game this month? Easy - the Wii Wheel. I’ve just about given up on Mario Kart Wii and have found that the Wii Wheel makes Excite Truck’s already fun racing even better. And on top of that, racing to Electric Six’s album Fire just adds to the fun. I’ve also been playing a lot of Weewar.com while at the office (don’t tell!). If you haven’t checked it out yet and you love Advance Wars, you really should.

Also, I got my hands on that Cooking Guide game. Holy shit is it EVER AWESOME. Now all I need is a little energon, and a lot of …. wait no… all I need is a DS stand of some sort.

Vinnk:

As you can see from my lack of posting lately I have been very busy. I have been working to improve my online store and recently switched to teaching at a different school. Still I managed to sneak some games in here and there.

Mostly I have been playing retro games. For my store I have to test all the Famicom games we get in to make sure they work. And more often than not if the game is good I will do a lot more than just se if it works. The gems I have found recently are Twinbee and Front Line.

My “game at bedtime” has been The World Ends With You. The fashion accessorizing thing is a bit too complicated for my brain when playing late at night, but I am really enjoying the story and unique combat system in the game.

My friend came over last weekend and we bought House of the Dead 2 and 3. It brings back so many Dreamcast memories. Those games are great. The graphics are a bit dated, but they are still super fun.

Nick Rumas:

I didn’t have a whole lot of time to play games in June, but just like in May, it was mostly Mario Kart Wii and Super Mario Bros. 3 on the VC for me. I’m obsessively trying to get a star ranking in every single race/class in the former, and I’m at world 8 in SMB. Which is killing me, so I’m very grateful I can just pick up where I left off thanks to the save state feature. One time, though, I accidentally powered off in-game…meaning I had to start at the beginning again. I’ve become so spoiled.