September was a good time to be a PlayStation gamer. All told it was a rather stuffed month, with blockbusters sitting beside more niche titles -- and many of them reviewed especially well. That said, we bet you can already guess which game's won our coveted Game of the Month award. We could lie and tell you that the voting was close, but honesty is the best policy. Just pretend that you don't know and enjoy the article.
Bronze Trophy: FIFA 19
EA Sports has been on a roll for a while with FIFA, banging out great footie sim after great footie sim. FIFA 19 is definitely a case of refinement over innovation, but this is the best that FIFA has felt on the pitch in quite some time. Many subtle tweaks all add up, and it was enough to secure a strong score of 8/10. "More casual FIFA players may not see the difference immediately, but there's a deliberate intricacy to FIFA 19, and it's enough to keep the series in top form," reads our review.
Click here for our full FIFA 19 review
Silver Trophy: Valkyria Chronicles 4
Valkyria Chronicles is back to its old self, and we couldn't be happier. Building on what made the series so good in the first place, reviewer John Cal McCormick reckons Valkyria Chronicles 4 may well be the best entry yet. "This is the game Valkyria Chronicles fans have been waiting for, and one that newcomers to the series should be equally excited for," John wrote, awarding the top tier tactical title a tremendous 9/10.
Click here for our full Valkyria Chronicles 4 review
Gold Trophy: Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age
Straight up, Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age is the best traditional-style Japanese role-playing game on PS4. Heck, it's probably one of the best RPGs of the last few years. "The game's fit to burst with personality, wit, and charm, superbly localised and meticulously crafted," we wrote in our review, concluding: "It may not push the genre forward, but it's peak Dragon Quest, and it's absolutely one of the best RPGs on PS4." A well deserved 9/10.
Click here for our full Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age review
Platinum Trophy: Marvel's Spider-Man
Any other month and Dragon Quest XI probably would have nabbed the Platinum Trophy, but with Spidey's best ever outing hitting PS4 and proving to be just about the most popular exclusive of all time, it was hard for the team to to look past the world's favourite masked web-slinger.
Marvel's Spider-Man ran away with our staff vote, racing into first place before any of the other nominees got started. Guides Editor Glen Fox tackled this blockbuster, calling it "the (actually) amazing Spider-Man". Glen gave Spidey a stellar 9/10, writing, "Ultimately, Marvel's Spider-Man is a must-buy, because no matter how you feel about our webbed superhero, this is just an insanely fun game to play, and it's so well put together... Marvel's Spider-Man is one of the best games of 2018 so far, and every PS4 owner will feel proud to own it as part of their library." One again, a worthy Game of the Month winner.
Click here for our full Marvel's Spider-Man review
So yeah, September was pretty darn good for games, but what was your favourite? Vote for your own Game of the Month in our poll, and then give us your reasoning in the comments section below.
What was your PlayStation Game of the Month for September 2018? (74 votes)
- Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age
- FIFA 19
- Marvel's Spider-Man
- Valkyria Chronicles 4
- Other
Please login to vote in this poll.
How we decide our Game of the Month: At the end of each month, the editorial team put together a list of nominees. Nominees must have been released within the month, and they must have been reviewed by Push Square. We select nominees based on our own review scores.
The editorial team then presents this list of nominees to the rest of the Push Square staff. Staff are asked to vote for three games that they think deserve to be crowned Game of the Month. First choice gets 3 points, second choice gets 2 points, and third choice gets 1 point. When voting closes, we tally the results to determine the order of this article. The game with the most points is our Game of the Month.
Comments 40
Hands down Dragon Quest but those filthy casuals I call "associates" — some even "friends" — all voted Spider-Man.
I should have rigged it.
Hollow knight.
Vote “other” unless you want Lara Croft to put a pickaxe in your skull.
I've not bought it yet but Dragon Quest XI would get my vote.
What a month. I can name multiple games that In still looking forward playing that didn't make the cut.
Great list. ^^
Definitely Spidey, but I know I would've voted for Dragon Quest if I was playing it.
It's sitting on the shelf waiting for Spidey to be finished.
Playing VC4 now. Definitely wins this month for me with the amount of sighs of relief and "Oh crap what do I do" and "my plan WORKED" moments. Grabbing victory while staring down the barrel of an enemy's hyper-customized heavy tank.
Spidey is fun but it doesn't have that same feeling of tension and the relief of getting through really tough situations like VC does. In a way it feels like you're earning your legendary status among the opposing force's higher-ups because of your skill (or luck) of getting out of the situations the game puts you in and I appreciate that feeling more.
I've yet to play DQ XI but it's on my list of games to get.
Spider-Man was really the only right answer for GOTM.
Three excellent games right there. Fifa can go do one.
@LaNooch1978 We only scored Tomb Raider a 7. Unless there are outstanding circumstances, only games that we scored 8/10 and up are considered for Game of the Month.
DQ11 for me, but then I've only been playing that and Dirt 4 this month.
@ShogunRok Given your fondness for DQ11, I do wonder what you'd think of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (The best JRPG since FF9, in my opinion!). I know you'd never be caught dead with a Switch in your hand but any chance you might harbour a secret desire to give it a go..?
@kyleforrester87 Don't especially care for it. I see the appeal but personally I think it's hugely overrated.
@ShogunRok no I didn't say intercourse with a woman, I said Xenoblade Chronicles 2.
Spider-man is the only game I need
@kyleforrester87 Lol nice one.
Banned
Not bought Spider-Man yet, and I’m pretty sure that would of got my vote. So I chose ‘other’ for Transference.
@ShogunRok haha, I can honestly say I've never played a Dragon Quest game despite being a huge JRPG fan, I should check this out.
Having not played that or much at all on my PS4 for far too long, Spiderman is the game that has brought me back. I've never been a big Marvel fan (much more DC) but this game has really won me over, even @get2sammyb was right when I wrongly critisced it's use of towers as these have been a joy to discover and they fit in well with this world. Joy is a good word for this as that perfectly describes how it feels to move Spidey around the city, the combat is a level above anything in the Arkham games whilst the attention to detail and storytelling are the equal of anything in a Naughty Dog game. I can't recommend this highly enough.
@kyleforrester87 Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is a great game
@ShogunRok Can't you go back and rig it?no-one would ever know!Dragon Quest all the way!!
@kyleforrester87 Does Xenoblade Chronicles have an ending?I'm 125 hours in and still have tons to do!Best game on Switch!
@LaNooch1978 exactly what I was thinking. Fifa got a higher score yet but tomb raider is a lot better game overall. The maps are gigantic and it looks absoutely beutiful. Id give Tomb 3rd place even with the lower score just for what goes in to making a game of this calibur.
@Neolit Yesssssssssssssss
@ShogunRok Hahaha, Robert’s mafia lost this time and Spider-Man saved the day.
I will call you Evil Robert and Liverpool will lose in the Champions League.
Word up son.
@Neolit looks like we've got the same waiting list with RDR2 and DQ 11, now I just have to try to do some missions on Spiderman and stop just swinging around the city. Speaking of which, I noticed a fast travel system that's not open yet but was wondering why would I not just swing to my destination anyway 😁😁😁
@PS_Nation Anything but the Liverpool part. They don't deserve to suffer just because I'm a corrupt games journalist.
spiderman for the win.word up son
@Neolit Not sure the exact amount but I recalled seeing more than five types of subway transport loading scenes.
@Neolit I already uninstalled the game.haha Might re-install it, though if New Game+ offers something new to play.
@Wazeddie22 it does and it's GREAT.
@Etherwinter As per community rules
Do not use profanity; Use of unsavoury language including profanity and swearing is not acceptable, please remember that this website has users of all ages.
So let's watch the language please. Thanks for understanding
where the heck is shadow of tomb raider
NASCAR Heat 3 for me. I just feel that this game is made by people who are truly passionate about this motorsport and who listen to what the fans want. It finds a balance between arcade and sim that suits me really well.
September really was a great month and I agree with the list, but for me my number 1 was DQXI
@ShogunRok I love that first comment, glad to to see someone on Push Square with great taste in games
Vroom in the Nightsky.
I can understand Spider-Man making #1 but not including Shadow of the Tomb Raider at all let alone rightfully at #2 at the very least is criminal!
Spider no question! I’m trying to finish it as quickly as I can so I can move right into RDR2.
@BAMozzy
Agree. Spider-Man gets my vote, but Shadow of the Tomb Raider is a close second. It's a better game than it's being given credit for.
Really strong month.
Valkyria Chronicles 4 for me. The game is brilliant so far.
I'm not surprised Spider-Man won, best game of September for sure !
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