Instead of the weekend updates I decided to move to a monthly update so it's not so repetitive and this allows for more content on a monthly basis. Since I've updated throughout August this one will be a bit shorter than future ones may be but sit back and relish in this roundup of gaming goodness.

August was a pivotal month for me playing catch up like a fiend. I caught up on Dragon Age, beating Awakening and I caught up on Bioshock after completing Bioshock 2 so now I can sit back and wait for Dragon Age 2 and Bioshock Infinite. It's also worth mentioning Bioshock 2 was the last Xbox 360 game I wanted to complete before Halo Reach comes out next month.

I just started up Super Mario Galaxy 2 and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Pripyat, both games I've had for a awhile but haven't gotten around to yet so I'm excited to start those as well. I know Galaxy 2 is much improved from the first one and I love the atmosphere and alone feeling you get from S.T.A.L.K.E.R. walking around in the wasteland so I can already guess I'm going to have a good time with both those games.

August was an awesome month but I forsee an even bigger month in September with some DLC I'm looking forward too for Mass Effect and Dragon Age plus that little game I mentioned earlier some may have heard of called Halo Reach.

This was an exciting weekend for me, I finally got around to some DLC I've been neglecting. I started out with Mass Effect 2 Overlord DLC. In short, it was amazing. An excellent and very emotional story involving a computer that's gone haywire and has taken control of the Geth. If you haven't picked this one up yet I strongly recommend that you do.

Staying with Bioware I also downloaded Leliana's Song for Dragon Age. Bioware is 2/2 because this one is definitely excellent as well. The story follows Leliana before she meets your character in Origins. It's an excellent story with some bonuses that can be transferred to your Origins and Awakening storyline so that was a nice incentive to include. Leliana is pretty much a badass.

Finally, I managed to scrounge up some more MS points and get the Splinter Cell Insurgency map pack. I didn't play through all the maps yet but so far I've been impressed with the ones I did play. San Francisco and Portland if I remember correctly. Very large maps with a lot of opportunity will keep you and your coop friend happy.

There was a time when I was excited to play the Medal of Honor beta but after getting my hands dirty I don't think I would have missed much. I came into the beta with the mindset of Medal of Honor possibly being a Call of Duty killer and also that it looked a lot like Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Well, one of those are correct.

Let it be clear that I'm not writing this as a Call of Duty "fanboy," I've always liked the Call of Duty multiplayer but if I actually enjoyed Medal of Honor I would definitely play it. There are 3 c.lasses to choose from: Rifleman, Special Forces or Sniper. Each c.lass has their own upgrades and weapons to unlock by playing and doing well in a match. Hopefully there are more weapons to choose from when the full game is released because even though the different c.lasses provide separate unlocks I feel it will become a lot like Battlefield in the sense that the majority of players will unlock the last weapon and use it the most since theoretically, it will be the best.

A major problem I saw was spawning. It's a cool idea to be able to spawn on someone directly in the fight but there were moments I was able to shoot at one guy and get a triple kill just from others spawning on this player. I've also been on the other end of this so many times I found myself spawning back at the main base all the time.

It's also pretty easy to get triple kills when the weapons don't really have recoil. I don't care how badass you are, it's impossible to keep an M16 steady while going full auto. It would be ok if Medal of Honor was going for the arcade approach but this doesn't seem to be the case to anyone that's seen the trailers.

Medal of Honor has some potential if it would fix some of the problems that were encountered in the beta but that's why it is a beta. I just hope it's not too late to fix the problems. In a nutshell, if feels way to much like Battlefield which was expected since it was done by DICE, I was just expecting something new and exciting.

A light, relaxing weekend of games but fun nonetheless. My girlfriend is pretty obsessed with Castle Crashers and it's very fun to play cooperatively. We've beaten the game once but when you unlock new characters there's no choice but to want to play it again and again and of course, get new weapons.

I finally completed LIMBO, which I've said before, is very enjoyable. It was pretty challenging near the end but after a few mind bending moments I was able to get through it. Now it's time for some achievement hunting. I think there was one about completing it in one sitting and only dieing five times? Believe me, I'm going for that one.

Another great weekend for games. I hacked away on games I currently own playing catch up before some big titles drop this Fall. I played a big chunk of Dragon Age: Origins Awakening which turns out to be a longer game than I had imagined but I guess this is an expansion not just some DLC. I definitely like the continuing story and the new characters. This only makes me much more excited for Dragon Age 2.

Last weekend I played the Limbo trial; this weekend I bought the full version and played it immensely. The seemingly innocent protagonist and environment is quickly put away when you first spot a giant spider out to eat you, bear traps that will sever you and creepy locals out to hunt you. Mix all those enemies with some great puzzle moments and you got yourself a very enjoyable game.

Another game I've been enjoying to get my Halo fix before Reach comes out is Halo Wars. Obviously most real time strategy games don't work on the console but it works well in Halo Wars making for a fun experience. Loaded with many units to choose from within each playable race the game boats variety but of course you're not going to have the large scale battles you would have on PC run RTS's but it's still very fun. The campaign is challenging and skirmish lets me hone my skills. Still not ready for Live multiplayer though. Always much harder playing against a human.

This weekend was a particularly exciting one with a demo, beta and freebie.

All the hype surrounding the Limbo got me excited to give it a try before I went with the commitment of purchasing the full game. Within 3 minutes into the demo I was immediately hooked and it's definitely going to be a buy from me later. The awe inspiring art st.yle and the creepiness of your surroundings make this a must try for anyone that's a fan of indie platformers.

In an e-mail on Friday I was invited to the Medal of Honor beta on the Xbox 360. I was stoked to see this and immediately downloaded the multiplayer beta. I've been following this game for quite some time now, it's been looking really good and with DICE doing the multiplayer I knew it would be a good one. Well, unexpectedly I've been a little disappointed with it. Given, it is a beta but I do hope they make the necessary changes to the game. The weapons didn't have a recoil so nothing was too balanced. Respawn areas can get some people an easy triple kill since spawning "at the front" means spawning on a teammate close to the action and so much action they may be catching fire by the time you spawn on them so you get to be a bulletproof vest for them. It feels very Battlefield Bad Company 2-ish but needs some improvements.

The free game I've been playing endlessly is the new game from Valve, Alien Swarm. Anything from Valve is usually a must try/buy for me, they seem to make some quality games every time and this one is no exception. A top-down shooter that's best played with 4 of your friends (Left 4 Dead s.tyle) each filling a specific role within the squad. Sargent, Special Weapons, Medic and Technician are the c.lass you can fill each with different abilities and weapon unlocks. It's funny to see the Medi-gun from Team Fortress 2 appear to help the Medic heal his allies. Any fan of cooperative based shooters like Left 4 Dead need to check this one out especially because it's free.

Excellent weekend of games, what did you play?

Moonbase Alpha is my new obsession. Go try it out for free on Steam and get your NASA on. It's pretty addicting but pretty hilarious in the sense that it's trying really hard to be badass and intense. Grab your astronaut buddies and save the day by repairing your Moonbase that has been damaged by a meteor. Though it only boasts this one scenario NASA promises more in the future. What do you have to lose? It's free.

I'll be away for a couple weeks but be sure to continue your education by playing more video games.

Sometimes I like to dive deep into the world of Indie games and play some weird ones but most of the time those are the good ones. I recommend them to someone and they usually look at me with the strangest look. Should have seen it coming but check these cool indie titles out.

Super Laser Racer

When you look at the picture there really isn't a better way to describe it; lasers are racing and it looks pretty super. The racers are just various light shapes driving around on a lightened path with techno beats to blast your speakers. Each racer has different stats from acceleration, top speed, steering and shield. Shield is pretty important with the array of weapons you can use on the track against your foes to slow them down or completely blow them up. Each track has a recharge strip that is very reminiscent of anyone that's play F-Zero. Don't be surprised if you lose an hour or two entranced in this game.

Auditorium

I was recommended this game by a friend and played it on the internet over at playauditorium.com but it is also available on the iPhone. Bending sound waves to the appropriate areas to create a mini song with objects that only bend the wave a certain direction. It takes some thinking and planning but it's very satisfactory when you get the song going. A nice relaxing game to pick up and play.

GET TO THA CHOPPA!!1

I ran across this gem scanning through the indie games on the Xbox Live marketplace and decided to give the demo a try. It's definitely a guilty pleasure game with a total of three buttons to push. Jump over mines, shoot enemies in front of you and slide to avoid the missiles shooting the zombie horde behind you. It's pretty simple but it gets pretty intense as the game progresses and with an art s.tyle that looks like it was drawn on notebook paper during c.lass it's definitely a must see even if it's just one time.

Other indie games I've recommended before that you should get your grubby mitts on:

-Machinarium

-Braid

-Osmos

-Eufloria

-Heavy Weapon Deluxe

-Altitude

This was a good weekend. I finally bore down on my PC and beat Mass Effect 2. It was such an enjoyable game, now I just need to catch up on some DLCs and I'll be ready for Mass Effect 3. Bioware you amaze me once more with your epic RPGs. That's one less huge game I caught up on and just in time too after soaking in all those sweet games seen at E3 this year.

I was also excited this weekend that I got to pop in Borderlands quite a bit on the Xbox and play coop with my friend Andy. My first playthrough the game was strictly singleplayer but playing through it again (even if I am at a higher level) cooperatively is much more enjoyable. We kicked through a lot of areas gathering as much loot as we could and breaking some bandit skulls.

Even though I managed to slip some Modern Warfare 2 into the mix I probably played a little more Battlefield: Bad Company 2 this weekend. I haven't played it in awhile and I definitely was sucking it up but it's an enjoyable game nonetheless.

It was a good weekend of vegging out and playing some games, especially beating Mass Effect 2, what were you up to this weekend?