Another 29 days, another few hundred game releases to sort through. February might have been a shorter month than most, but you probably wouldn’t think so if you kept track of the release calendar. But with so many games hitting digital shelves this month, how do you know which games were the very best and deserving of your hard earned dollars? Gamezebo reviewed plenty of games over the last four weeks, and these hand-picked winners are the best of the best.
Another 29 days, another few hundred game releases to sort through. February might have been a shorter month than most, but you probably wouldn’t think so if you kept track of the release calendar. But with so many games hitting digital shelves this month, how do you know which games were the very best and deserving of your hard earned dollars? Gamezebo reviewed plenty of games over the last four weeks, and these hand-picked winners are the best of the best.
Keep in mind, this weren’t the only great games to hit in February. Releases like Tetris Stars, Pixeljunk Eden, Blackwood & Bell Mysteries, Film Fatale, and more made this past month one to remember. But if you only have the time for one game, it should probably be one of the ones we’ve picked below;
Game of the Month – PC/Mac
Out There Somewhere (Winner)
Puzzle platformers have been seeing something of a resurgence lately, and this one certainly puts the emphasis on platforming. With a unique teleportation mechanic, this hidden gem took us completely by surprise. In fact, we were so wowed that our reviewer boldly proclaimed “I haven’t played a better game yet this year on any platform.” An early contender for our Best of 2012 lists to be sure.
Dear Esther (Runner Up)
While our February winner is a classic video gaming experience full of action and pixels, this month’s runner up couldn’t be more different. Really an “interactive experience” rather than a game, Dear Esther takes players on a self-guided journey around a gorgeous island as bits and pieces of story come together to form a whole. It’s not something that’s going to be for everyone, but those that can be won over by this unique experience will have a game they’ll be thinking about for years.
Game of the Month – Social and Online
Zynga Slingo (Winner)
Zynga’s never been one for licensed games, but all of that changed earlier this month with the release of Zynga Slingo. Taking classic Slingo elements and mixing in a social twist, Zynga Slingo isn’t just a good Facebook game – it might just be the best game of Slingo we’ve played yet.
Hidden Haunts (Runner Up)
While casino games might be the fastest growing genre on Facebook lately, hidden object games are a close second. Hidden Haunts takes this social spin on a popular genre and introduces photorealistic visuals and terrific story elements. Fans of the genre should definitely check this one out.
Games of the Month – Mobile
Beat Sneak Bandit (Winner)
Considering the music-loving iPod origins of the iPhone, I’m always astounded by how few great music games there are on the App Store. The developers behind Bumpy Road upped that number by one this month, with their terrific little rhythmic take on the stealth genre.
Reckless Racing 2 (Runner Up)
How do you take a great game like Reckless Racing and make it better? Add more of everything, and make it look good enough that it could show up on a home console without anybody batting an eyelash.
