It’s damn hot out there! Why not stay indoors, adjust that thermostat accordingly and pick any of these fine gaming options for the month of June.

inFAMOUS 2 (7th on PS3)

Jrow’s Take: To think it’s been almost exactly a year since inFAMOUS 2 was revealed at E3 2010. Come to think of it, I think we might’ve not made any mention of it on Episode 44, our E3 podcast from 2010. I was not too keen on Cole’s look at the time (a younger-looking Cole), and apparently enough people felt similar to have Cole looking more familiar to how he was in 1. I’ve played a small bit at a GameStop kiosk, and the graphics look fun and the controls feeling maybe a touch better than the first game. My interest is piqued now, especially considering the PSN’s appreciation program.

Amuro’s Take: What’s left to say that hasn’t already been said. I’m looking forward to this game like crazy. As I write this, I’m downloading the demo for inFamous 2 from the reborn PS Store which came back up on June 1. The welcome back program has yet to kick off, so you won’t be able to play the first inFamous for free yet, but the next best thing is getting an early shot at the sequel. This is my game of the month for sure.

*Note: When the PSN Store comes back up, inFAMOUS 1 will be available for free download. Check our impressions of the game here.

Red Faction: Armageddon (7th on 360, PS3 & PC)

Jrow’s Take: Pushed back one week (and thus falling out of May’s Outlook), Armageddon actually looks like a fun 3rd-person action game. Red Faction is one of the earlier games to have an engine for destructible environments, and this game also has an ability to reconstruct certain damaged items; think making custom cover shields, etc. The game rids of Guerilla’s open-world in lieu of a more linear level structure and has a lot of great weapons and a pretty intriguing destruction mode all about destroying huge structures. Volition did alright with Guerilla, but it looks like they might’ve 1-upped themselves with Armageddon.

Amuro’s Take: So this was pushed back, eh? I didn’t care much for it in the May Outlook, and I’m still not too interested. I do have to say I appreciate that it’s a 3rd person shooter rather than the over saturated 1st person genre.

*Note: SyFy (its game division a co-publisher) will air a TV special on June 7th that bridges the gap between Guerilla and Armageddon.

Child of Eden (14th on 360 & PS3)

Jrow’s Take: The mind behind Rez (Tetsuya Mizuguchi) and the development team behind Lumines (Q Entertainment) are giving me a reason to hook my Kinect back up to my 360 and play this sequel to a game that came out almost 10 years ago on Dreamcast and PS2. Rez was a game that stuck with a lot of people for its unique visual appeal and and use of electronic musical themes, and Child of Eden looks to be the next-gen predecessor to that, now with HD graphic quality and motion controls that should make you feel more a part of the game than if you held a standard controller.

Amuro’s Take: Child of Eden has gotten lots of attention on the 360 and Kinect prior to its launch, but it’s actually a multiplatform game. Coming to the PS3 as well, its said to utilize the PS Move. While the PS Move has mostly been ignored since its launch, serving mostly as an alternative control scheme in big name shooters like SOCOM and Killzone, Child of Eden seems like the perfect game to use Move. I’m looking forward to this new title by Mizuguchi and it might be enough to make me finally purchase that move controller I’ve been avoiding all this time.

*Note: Listen to episode 34 as Crimson talks with us about Rez’s Trance Vibrator being used for self-pleasure.

Alice: Madness Returns (14th on 360, PS3 & PC)

Jrow’s Take: When you think Alice, you might think of the Johnny Depp movie or the Disney character. But this sequel to American McGhee’s Alice is filled with goth and violence and is an action-adventure game. The graphics aren’t too shabby and the settings might appeal to some gamers, so if you’re needing a fill of a dark and twisted adventure, I think this might be worth taking a look at.

Amuro’s Take: Never played the original Alice games, don’t see much of a reason to hop on now. It is certainly nice to see a darker version of the Alice world though, and not the kid friendly fare you’d see from Disney.

Duke Nukem Forever (14th on 360, PS3 & PC)

Jrow’s Take: The Chinese Democracy of video games, this game is 14 years in the waiting for those that wanted more after Duke Nukem 3D. I’ve never given myself an opportunity to even try a Duke Nukem game. I heard they added some nice replay stuff in the release of the 3D game on the 360 Live Arcade, but I’m just more excited for this hooplah about Gearbox finally putting to bed a game that’s been in a horrendously long development cycle. Duke Nukem is surely one of the more lude and crude FPS games out there, but let’s see if Duke Nukem is still relevant within the gaming community.

Amuro’s Take: Unless you’re 14 years old or younger, you have played a Duke Nukem game. What that also means is that for 14 years Duke Nukem Forever has been held in legendary status for being that one game that would NEVER come out. Well, this month it’s coming out finally and…I don’t see how anyone cares. Who really cares about Duke Nukem beyond the running joke that it had become, the ultimate vapor-ware. You take that away, and what are we left with? Oh, right, that one game that took forever to come out and didn’t live up to the impossible expectations that come from 14 years of development. Oh well, I almost want to play it just to say that I played it.

Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (19th on 3DS)

Jrow’s Take: One of video games’ greatest ever gets its first true upgrade in the form of Ocarina of Time 3D. The stereoscopic 3D visuals will make OoT 3D feel like a new experiencing of such a legendary game (honestly… pun not intended). The 3DS’ gyroscope will allow players to look around with Link and aim his bow and the touch screen allows for an additional item slot, so it’s quite awesome that the game is not only getting graphical, but also gameplay enhancements. This’ll be very much like how Metal Gear Solid was enhanced for the Gamecube with Twin Snakes.

Amuro’s Take: I love the Zelda franchise. From the old school NES/SNES games, to the handheld games, to the more modern games. However, my experience with Ocarina of Time is a bit different from most. I didn’t own an N64 so I missed out on that entire generation of Nintendo games. It wasn’t until I had a Gamecube and after I played and adored Wind Waker that I went back and played Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask. Perhaps it’s because of that I don’t hold OoT in as high regard as most. It’s a great game, but not the best Zelda game, or at least not my favorite, by a long shot. That said, as a prospective 3DS owner, until Megaman Legends 3 comes out, OoT 3D is looking like the premier title on the system. OoT most certainly deserves the graphical overhaul it’s receiving, and the new gameplay elements seem interesting if not a bit superfluous. If you already own a 3DS, there’s little to no reason NOT to own this game upon its release.

Dungeon Siege III (21st on 360, PS3 & PC)

Jrow’s Take: The developers of the recent Fallout: New Vegas (Obsidian) bring us another isometric-view RPG action game. Graphics and textures look nice, but I’ll admit my interest in this game is at a minimum.

Amuro’s Take: Oh look, Generic Swords and Sorcery Dungeon Crawler III. Pass.

Shadow of the Damned (21st on 360 & PS3)

Jrow’s Take: Take the guy behind No More Heroes (Goichi Suda), put him in a room with the Resident Evil guy (Shinji Mikami), and out comes an over-the-top punk rock-esque action game in SotD. I think back at TGS last year, I wasn’t really into SotD and thought it looked weird, but if the combat formula can work well as Bayonetta and Vanquish are held in generally positive regard for, perhaps I’ll go to Hell to save the one Garcia loves.

Amuro’s Take: So lemme get this straight. Suda 51 and Shinji Mikami making an action game? Sign me the fuck up.

F.E.A.R. 3 (21st on 360, PS3 & PC)

Jrow’s Take: More F.E.A.R. I played the first one and really liked it. I had little interest in 2 after the demo, but with a return to the main characters from the first game (Point Man and Paxton Fettel), the series might be going back to what made the series noticeable back when the first game came out; good action and more scares.

Amuro’s Take: I suppose that this will appeal to those that played the first two games, but me not being one of those people, and not a big fan of FPS games to boot, I’m not particularly interested. Though, an FPS that tries to be action heavy AND scary is pretty unique.

Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 3 (28th on 360 & PS3)

Jrow’s Take: It’s a Dynasty Warriors Game. It’s a Gundam game. Amuro will tell you to buy it right away, and actually… I might recommend it myself. Fucking King of Hearts, Jesus Yamato and OMG Unicorn! I’ve seen screens of this for about a year now and am really a fan of the art direction; it looks really solid and is something I’m sure Gundam fans have been wanting to see in a Gundam game. It’s a shame it’s tied down to the DW franchise, but mecha fans check this one out.

Amuro’s Take: It’s a Dynasty Warriors Game. It’s a Gundam game. Buy it right away. In all seriousness though, only fans need apply here. If you don’t care for Dynasty Warriors games, the Gundam version probably won’t win you over, but if you don’t mind that style of gameplay AND you’re a Gundam fan, this is a winning combo. The third installment brings with it a plethora of new characters and machines to play as, a brand new art style that looks fantastic, and my personal favorite addition, online co-op. I’ve been saying that DW is more fun when you’re playing with someone cooperatively, and that the addition of online mp but no online co-op in DWG2 was a huge mistake. I’m certainly looking forward to this one.

Resident Evil: The Mercenaries (28th on 3DS)

Jrow’s Take: Mercenaries was a really fun mode in RE’s 4 & 5, and that’s what this 3D game is all about. The game features the ability to move and shoot (just not aim), and with a great collection of characters from the series’ past like Rebecca Chambers, Claire Redfield and more, this’ll make two 3DS purchases for me in June.

Amuro’s Take: Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed RE 4 and 5, but the Mercenaries mode always seemed as extra fluff tacked on to the game. The fact it’s getting turned into a full game for 3DS is a bit shocking to me, but perhaps this will tide RE fans until a real RE game comes to the system.

Also in June:
Operation Flashpoint (7th on 360 & PS3)
Wii Play Motion (13th on Wii)
Record of Agarest War Zero (14th on PS3)
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (14th on 360, Wii)
Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition (28th on 360 & PS3)