Game of the Month - May 2014 - Super Time Force

Before we delve into the incredible experiences we were treated to in May, let's first award a trophy to something a little larger. Even though we've had a steady stream of excellent games demanding our attention since January, it wasn't until May that both the diversity and quality of releases made us squeal with joy. So the Month of the Year award goes to May, for giving us something marvelous every week.

So what games demanded our love, though didn't quite reach the heights of the month's winner? Well, things started with the competitive delights of Sportsfriends. Try not to laugh with befuddlement as you wildly contort your body in Super Pole Riders or succumb to the watery depths in BaraBariBall. And if you want something more cerebral, there's the beautiful Transistor, which houses one of the finest soundtracks around. Wolfenstein: The New Order provides another tonal shift, as Nazis meet their long-coming death, and Watch Dogs introduces you to a side of Chicago that's much creepier than reality.

Which leads us to our two finalists. The runner-up? Mario Kart 8. It was painful keeping Koopa Troopa and company from reaching the checkered flag. Mario Kart 8 is so blindingly fun that we'll be playing it for years to come, but it's still only second best.

The winner is Super Time Force. We know that you're surprised, and we certainly didn't expect Capybara's time-bending shooter to land in the top spot, either. But the more we talked about how crazy, inventive, and satisfying this game is, the more clear it became that it deserved to be number one.

At first, Super Time Force gets by on its ridiculous story and novel time mechanic. Being able to rewind your actions so you can fight alongside your past self is so darn intriguing that we were immediately sucked in. Super Time Force is so much more than one great idea, though. Although you can often use brute force to succeed, when you push yourself to be more proficient, a beautiful elegance emerges. Working in tandem with your previous characters creates a smart dynamic in which you must use completely different play styles simultaneously, maybe powering through with Jef Leppard while being a defensive rock as Shieldy Blockerson.

It was not until we vanquished the shocking end boss that Super Time Force really opened up, though. Once you unlock Super Hardcore mode, you see the full potential of this brilliant game. No longer can you use brute force to survive. Instead, every life matters, so you must play with patience and precision, even while the clock is ticking to your doom. It's this mode that pushes the initial concept farther than we thought possible, and that turned us completely to Super Time Force's side.

Like a flash of hope, May burst upon us with more amazing games than we could ever have imagined. We haven't even mentioned the likes of Kentucky Route Zero or The Wolf Among Us yet, which furthered their already mesmerizing stories. Who would have thought the month before E3 would make us care so much about the present rather than wonder what the future holds? But that's what May had in store for us, and Super Time Force was the best of the bunch.