Ones to Watch: PC Titles for July 2009

By Joe Haygood | July 7, 2009

Well, after taking last month off due to the hectic schedule at E3, we are back for another episode of Ones to Watch on the PC in July.  However, there is one issue that is causing a problem for the month and that is the lack of actual game releases for the month of July.  Yes the month is dead, with a whopping three releases that are worthy of the Ones to Watch Label.  Of course that may mean nothing now, as I said Damnation was worth checking out in the May edition.

Also, our case mod picture this month comes from Geeks3D.com and shows off how I feel about this month’s lack of releases.  Also, make sure to check out our Ones to Watch for Sony Platforms,  Nintendo platforms and the Xbox 360.

Street Fighter IV – After lagging a bit behind its console counterparts, Street Fighter IV has finally come to PC gamers, and had added a few new features for those that have waited.  The biggest change comes in the form of higher resolutions, supporting 1920×1200 and higher.  Also, three new palette styles are here, allowing for PC gamers to change the look of the game.  If you have watched the PC trailer, you can see the watercolor and other themes used to good effect.  Add in full Games for Windows Live support, and you have a solid title at a $20 price break from the console version.  The downside is the control factor, and if you do not have a fight stick, or a gamepad at a minimum, you might lose out on some of the fun of this fighter.  Look for Street Fighter IV on July 7th, 2009.

Trine – Only recently, did Trine piqued my interest, as I did not know what it was about.  But once I heard comparisons to the classic Lost Vikings game, I had to pay attention to Trine.  Trine features 15 levels that play out in a standard platformer fashion.  You can play as one of three characters, each with their own distinct strengths and weaknesses.  Trine boasts some of the best looking platformer backgrounds I have seen in quite some time, as they are filled with numerous little details that add to the quality of the game.  The biggest downside is the price gouging that is happening on the PC side, as Trine is listing at $29.99 on Steam and other retailers, a full $10 more than the Playstation Store price.  Look for Trine on July 7th, 2009.

Tales of Monkey Island: Launch of the Screaming Narwhal – Telltale Games has completely cornered the market on episodic content and the new Monkey Island series looks to continue that trend.  Tales of Monkey Island continues the story of Guy Threepwood and the cast of characters from past titles.  It has a great adventure feel, using the same voice cast from previous Monkey Island titles, and some sharp puzzles.  I have yet to find much fault in any title that Telltale Games has put together, and the Tales of Monkey Island series just looks to add to their luster.  Tales of Monkey Island: Launch of the Screaming Narwhal hits Steam and Telltale’s website on July 7th, 2009.

And that is about it for the PC games you should be looking at for the month.  There are some other titles that are there like the Bioshock/Oblivion combo pack if you missed it, or G-Force, but the console is the better place to look for that title.  See you next month.