Best of August 2014: Top Albums, Games, Movies & TV
Highest-scoring albums this month
Includes albums with 7 or more reviews from critics. Reissues, live albums, EPs, and compilations are excluded. All scores on this page are from the morning of August 29, 2014.
Album/Artist Score Buy Album Stream Album
1Foundations of Burden
by Pallbearer88 Spotify
2LP1
by FKA Twigs87 Spotify
3Angels & Devils
by The Bug84 Spotify
4Cellardyke Recording and Wassailing Society
by James Yorkston82
5They Want My Soul
by Spoon81 Spotify
6Manipulator
by Ty Segall81
7When the Cellar Children See the Light of Day
by Mirel Wagner80 Spotify
8Bahamas Is Afie
by Bahamas79 Spotify
9Benjamin Booker
by Benjamin Booker79 Spotify
10Long in the Tooth
by Billy Joe Shaver79 Spotify
Highest-scoring movies this month
Includes films with 7 or more reviews from critics. Theatrical re-releases are excluded.
Best wide releases
Movie Genre Score Save
1Guardians of the Galaxy Action/Sci-fi76
2Get On Up Drama71
3What If Drama 59
4The Hundred-Foot Journey Drama 55
5The Giver Sci-Fi/Drama 46
Best limited releases
Movie Genre Score Save
1Love Is StrangeDrama84
2Starred UpDrama83
3The Strange Little Cat Foreign/Drama80
4Abuse of Weakness Foreign/Drama80
5Calvary Comedy/Drama77
Best DVD/Blu-ray releases
Movie Genre Score Buy/Rent/Watch
1ManakamanaDocumentary86
2Locke Thriller81
3The Empty Hours Foreign/Drama 81
4Only Lovers Left Alive Drama/Horror77
5Dancing in Jaffa Foreign/Documentary75
6The Dance of Reality Foreign/Drama/Fantasy75
7The Double Drama68
8OculusHorror61
9Muppets Most Wanted Family/Comedy61
10Breathe In Drama60
Highest-scoring TV premieres this month
All shows debuting this month with reviews from at least 4 critics are eligible.
Best new shows (including movies/miniseries)
Show Score Network Stream It
1Happy Valley80Netflix
2Nixon by Nixon: In His Own Words76HBO
3The Knick75Cinemax
4Garfunkel & Oates73IFC
5Black Jesus73Adult Swim
Outlander73Starz
Best returning shows *
Show Score Network Stream It
1Doctor Who Season 880 BBC America
2The Killing Season 453Netflix
* Among shows with reviews. Generally, only certain noteworthy shows are reviewed by critics after season 1.
Highest-scoring video games this month (by platform)
Includes games with 7 or more reviews from critics. Note that this month's best iOS games can be found here. (All "Buy" links below go to Amazon.com.)
1Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition90
2The Swapper84
3Madden NFL 1582
4Metro Redux81
5Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare78
1Metro Redux86
2Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition85
3Madden NFL 1580
4The Golf Club68
1Ultra Street Fighter IV84
2Tales of Xillia 273
3Sacred 360
4Akiba's Trip: Undead & Undressed60
1Ultra Street Fighter IV84
2World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition77
1Metro Redux84
2The Walking Dead: Season Two Episode 5 - No Going Back80
3MIND: Path to Thalamus75
4Road Not Taken74
5Shadowgate69
(nothing this month)
1Professor Layton VS Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney80
1Disgaea 4: A Promise Revisited83
2Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth172
3Metrico68
4Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment68
5Akiba's Trip: Undead & Undressed66
What did you like?
Do you have any recommendations from the past month? Let us know in the comments section below.
