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The month of August seemed to come and go with the force and momentum of a Bioshock Big Daddy, leaving a slew of gaming goodness in its wake. While the month saw the typical array of crap (Pet Luv Spa & Resort Tycoon, anyone? I'm not kidding - I couldn't make that up no matter how much I had to drink beforehand), average titles (Boogie), and downright disappointments (Two Worlds, Lair), the quality games were there in spades. The long awaited Bioshock delivers in ways rarely seen during a month without an "r" and a winter solstice-based holiday while long-running series like Madden, Shin Megami Tensei, and Metroid all have noteworthy additions as well. Only one of these gems will earn the coveted Game of the Month title, however, so let's get right into the best that gaming had to offer this month. Tomb Raider: Anniversary
Developer: Crystal Dynamics
Publisher: Eidos
Platform: PSP
Release: 8/9
ESRB: T Lara's back... again, but now she's portable! The Tomb Raider series, once considered the pinnacle of gaming beauty had fallen on some abysmally hard times until last year's release of Tomb Raider: Legend, developed by first time raiders Crystal Dynamics. Legend breathed new life into Lara and the Tomb Raider franchise and a follow up was definitely in order. When the announcement came that the follow up would be a new version of the original Tomb Raider game, however, fans everywhere were anxious and excited; fearful and hopeful; astounded and indifferent - all at the same time. 
Looks like something we've seen before... June's release of Anniversary on PS2 and PC, however (Xbox 360 and Wii versions are due in October and November, respectively), set everyone's minds at ease. It turns out that Legend was not a fluke; Crystal Dynamics actually has got this Tomb thing down and they know how to produce a good homage to boot. Rather than just updating the original game with new graphics and other eye candy, the developers achieved a perfect balance between the best that the first Tomb Raider had to offer and enough new content to make you believe that this is how it would be done were Tomb Raider being done for the first time this time. In bringing the title to the portable world of the PSP, Crystal Dynamics got it right again. Almost everything that should be here is and with only the most minor technical issues (a rather sporadic framerate and an inconsistent camera) to keep it from being a perfect port. If you're choosing between this and the PS2 version, the bigger disc is a no-brainer, but for taking Lara with you there is nothing wrong with the PSP version of Anniversary. Madden NFL '08
Developer: EA
Publisher: EA
Platform: Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, GC, MAC, PC, PSP, DS
Release: 8/14
ESRB: E What can you say about Madden? Every year it comes out. We buy it. We play it. We love it, even when it’s sub-par, because it's still good even when it’s not as good as it could be. This year's Madden does make up for a lot of the lackluster offerings the franchise has presented since making the jump to the new generation, but still leaves us wanting more in terms of online play and various minor features. And, for those who are cheap like me the new Madden is exciting because it means rock bottom prices on the previous one. Hey, it was good last year, right? You keep your updated rosters, new features, and leaderboard full of former jocks. I'll play Madden '07 while you play Madden '08. Next year when you're all diving into Madden '09, I'll see what all the fuss was about and I'll do it for a fraction of the cost. 
Big guys in tight pants jumping on each other. What's not to love? Does it really matter if I tell you Madden '08 is good? You're going to buy it anyway. I will tell you though; it's good. It's the best Madden in recent memory and, while that's not saying a lot, it is a game that the series' fans will be happy to play until about this time next year.
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