We'll take the best and forget the rest!

Here we go again!  Another month, another slew of titles up for consideration for Game of the Month honors.  And this month there are quite a few to consider.  Traditionally May is a month in which we see a good number quality games, primarily due to a little gathering called E3.  Now, of course, E3 is far more subdued than it has been in recent years, but April showers did indeed bring May flowers - although we had to wait until nearly the end of the month for these particular flora to realize full bloom.  This month we have perhaps the most anticipated racing game in years, one of the most anticipated FPS games in nearly as long, and - for the first time - two (count 'em) titles released specifically for Xbox Live Arcade.  Yes, they're that good.

Catan
Publisher: Microsoft
Developer: Big Huge Games
Platform: Xbox Live Arcade
Release: 05/02
ESRB: E

What do you get when you take a modern classic board game and turn it into a title for Xbox Live Arcade?  In the case of Catan (based on the immensely popular and critically acclaimed Settlers of Catan board game) you get a damn good game.  Catan is one of those games that can take literally minutes to learn but ages to master.  It also combines strategy, skill, luck, and diplomacy in such a way that it becomes one of the most addicting experiences you're likely to encounter on Xbox Live Arcade.  In a world where everyone seems to go online to riddle each other with bullets in games like Gears of War and Battlefield, it's nice to know that there's an outlet to allow you to overcome your opponents with brain power as well.

Resident Evil 4
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Capcom
Platform: PC
Release: 05/15
ESRB: M

Hey!  This game won game of the year!  When it was on the Nintendo Gamecube... like more than two years ago.  The truth is that this port of what may have been the best title in the Resident Evil series was done rather lazily, but the stellar gameplay and story shine through nonetheless.  Leon Kennedy faces not zombies and monsters but violently entranced religious fanatic villagers and monsters as he searches for the kidnapped daughter of the U.S. President.  It's unclear why Ubisoft chose to port Capcom's masterpiece at this time, so long after the game was originally released (it saw life on the PS2 about a year after it's initial Gamecube release as well) but it's worth noting here because the solely PC gaming audience now has a chance to experience this fine game, no matter how late it may be in arriving for the zombie party.