Though June started fast with E3, it ended nice and slow, giving us all time to kick back and enjoy some games. Read on to hear what we played during the month that was, and be sure to chime in and share what kept you busy, too. Which I already know was Karnov.

Nick Luckett:

This month I discovered that the iPhone had suddenly become my primary gaming platform. While I finally activated my Xbox Live account, I find myself using it more for Netflix than anything else (although I did just download Psychonauts, so I’ll be putting some time into that very soon).

So, what have I been playing on the iPhone? Pretty much anything I can get my hands on. I’m truly amazed by the quality of the games on here. Some are so simple and only require a few seconds to play… perfect when standing in line somewhere. Others though, are surprisingly deep and I find myself propped up in bed at night playing them. I haven’t been this excited about portable gaming since the GBA.

Here are the ones you must get. Edge: an amazing game. Best game on the system I’d have to say. Like a new age Marble Madness. Ancient Frog: incredibly charming and clever puzzle game. Hard too. Eliss: people have been calling this the Tetris of the iPhone. A fantastic multitouch experience. Passage: a 99c… story. Not so much a game,
but a 5 minute interactive experience that is truly art.

I have over five pages of games on my iPhone, so I’ll start reviewing some of them on the site. But one last shoutout goes to Flashback. I played the game way back on the SNES and loved it. In fact, I was recently back visiting my Dad and brothers in Atlanta and we pulled this game out and started playing it. Imagine my surprise when I came upon it in the App Store. The controls take a little adjustment, but work surprisingly well. And the game is just as captivating as always.

Jody:

The beginning of the month I started playing through Majora’s Mask. Then after a while I started getting annoyed (I hate the Goron racetrack) so I moved to a replay of Twilight Princess. TP just might be my favorite 3D Zelda game (it and Wind Waker are neck-and-neck). On the DS front, I started playing through Final Fantasy IV. I never played it in the SNES days, and just never got around to giving it a shot until now. I’m really enjoying it. Also on DSi I play way too much Paper Airplane Chase. Lastly (as of just recently) I started playing Point Lookout for Fallout 3. Fallout 3 is one of the best games ever, and PL (not to be confused with Phantom Leap) is probably the best expansion yet. There is so much to do, and the environment is a welcome change to the Capital Wasteland. Plus the things the swampfolk say are just plain awesome. If you buy any Fallout 3 DLC, make it Point Lookout (but you should really buy all of them, because they are all fantastic.)

Edgar:

This Month, I played Lost Odyssey on the 360, and I’m still playing it now. The game is one of the most mature RPGs I’ve ever played. The story is great, and the battles are awesome. Although they are random, the developers didn’t go overboard with them. On the DS front, I’ve been playing Shiren: The Wanderer to get myself pumped for the Wii version coming soon.

Shaun:

I can’t believe the month is almost over, and at the same time, this one has felt very long. Who could forget the craziness that was this year’s E3? While many of us are looking forward to new, yet-to-be released titles, I found myself keeping more than busy with many existing ones.

I had a lot of fun playing Ninja Blade - a game that takes ninjas and pits them against infected people and other such zombie-ish monsters. It’s so crazy and over-the-top that it’s hilarious, and minor control issues aside, is an enjoyable experience for ninja enthusiasts.

Sacred 2: Fallen Angel is another game I’ve spent a good chuck of time with. Running around an oversaturated world while smacking around bad guys and evil animals is a great way to spend an afternoon. Admittedly, I have no idea what the overarching plot of the game is just yet but I’m having a lot of fun with the side quests.

Ghostbusters: The Video Game has finally arrived after a little concern that the game would never see a release date. Quite nicely, its release lined up closely with the 25th anniversary of the first film. Interesting little sidenote: The Canadian Blu-Ray release of the film has the title “S.O.S. Fantomes” plastered on the box in big lettering, just under “Ghostbusters” due to language laws in the country. I feel it makes the box look ugly (as do others). But what’s interesting here is that Ghostbusters: The Video Game doesn’t have “S.O.S. Fantomes” on its box. Instead, it says “Ghostbusters: The Video Game” with “Le Jeu Video” underneath it. So what I want to know is: How are these poor French people going to know this is the game for S.O.S. Fantomes?

Anyhow, I’ve been playing the Xbox 360 and Wii versions of the game, and they’re both a lot of fun. The Wii version is cool for the pointer controls and for its co-op story mode - plus it has some neat extras in it not found in the 360 version. The humor comes across a little better in it as the game cuts away to the different Ghostbusters during conversation to show their expressions. At the same time, the 360 version does have a lot more to it - so if you’re looking to me to tell you which one you should play, but my answer is “Both!”

Also on deck this month was Prototype, a game which I’ve seen a few cool kids pan, but is really freaking cool. Experience points are built up by destroying enemies, and they accumulate fast. In turn these can be used to unlock new powers. However, I’ve found the game very rewarding by choosing to only unlock certain powers when I felt I needed them. That is, until the game starts kicking me around too much, I wouldn’t spring for new powers. This way, I get to spend some time with each new power, adjusting to it, before unlocking another. Basically this is kind of like playing as Sylar from Heroes at times. It’s a lot of fun, but I can see how unlocking all the powers you can at once can really ruin the experience.

I’m a little late to the party with this one, but Punch-Out!! Wii is simply amazing. The game plays similarly to the original, but with the motion control option it really makes you feel like you’re wailing away on your enemies. It’s a great workout, too. Plus the music is awesome and it gets stuck in my head a lot.

On that note: On the DS, I’ve been tinkering with Korg DS-10 quite a bit and using it as a musical notepad to jot down the songs that I sometimes get stuck in my head and that I hum along to. I’ve also played too much Guitar Hero On Tour: Modern Hits but I did not enjoy any of it. But to make up for that, I’ve been enjoying The Legendary Starfy. I just started playing it yesterday, so I’m only a few stages in, but it is pure platforming fun - and, it’s cute! I’m also on my second play-through of Professor Layton and the Curious Village and hope to finish it before August 24, which is when Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box is released. I got to preview it last week, and it’s awesome.

Rumas:

I mainly played two games this month. The first was Majora’s Mask on the Virtual Console. What a game, but I’m still having trouble wrapping my head around it! Either I’m stupid or it’s truly disorienting, the whole time thing. The experience feels like a weird dream. Really loving every second of it, though.

I spent the most time this month playing Link’s Crossbow Training. I got gold medals on every challenge previously, but this months I went for the platinums. And now I’m going for scores over 150,000 on each! I LOVE THIS GAME. It has the Nintendo magic. You should most definitely seek it out if you haven’t. I play it without the Wii Zapper, and it works like a charm. Perhaps my favorite pick-up-and-play experience on Wii.