It’s summer already, and video games have come alive during this long, hot and tumultuous summer.  Whereas most people have gone vacationing on beaches, enjoying the bright sun, some gamers have chosen to stay inside to enjoy the guilty pleasure of video games.  Here are 10 top games for the summer to enjoy  — while the last bit of summer remains.

1. Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Although this is a movie tie-in and prequel, this game is still pretty good nonetheless.  The single-player campaign is a bit short, and the multi-player could use some work.  However, it is a solid Transformers game and ignore the critics that wanted Transformers: War for Cybertron 2 instead. 
2. Catherine.  The much-awaited Japanese game that’s slightly less difficult than the Japanese version of said game and coming to the shores to the United States.  It has platforming, puzzle-solving, sexual innuendos and anime all wrapped into one.  However, the platforming is a bit on the touchy side.  It’s one of those games you either love or you hate…
3. Alice: Madness Returns. This is the sequel to the original Alice.  Although not ground-breaking, it is still a solid platforming and hack-and-slash.  The storytelling is still par and solid single-player experience although missing a bit at the end.
4. Trenched. A real-time tower defense and action-strategy hybrid with mechanized mobile trenches by Double Fine.  Great animations, lots of explosions and sufficient strategy for those into these kind of games.  I enjoy this game tremendously.
5. Toy Soldiers: Cold War.  This is the sequel to the original Toy Soldiers released last year.  The original Toy Soldiers was a combination of tower defense and real-time strategy-action game and was received with positive reception.  Toy Soldiers was a great game in my opinion, and this sequel should be no different.  This game is part of XBox Live’s Summer of Arcade.
6. Ms. Splosion Man.  With improvement in graphics and same fluidity in controls, this sequel to the original Splosion Man in XBox Live Arcade is far more difficult.  However, it is enjoyable as the first and just as addictive.  It will aggravate you at times with the difficulty scale, but upon defeating the level, you will feel rewarded.  The original Splosion Man was far easier than this game, if frustration gets to you early.
7. Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet. Interesting blend of exploration and combat, a little UFO is taken to explore different lands in an artistic world.  Although the game is extremely short, it is very good for entertainment.  This game was much like Limbo or the Portal series in that there is little to no narrative as to what exactly is going on.  This game is part of XBox Live’s Summer of Arcade.
8. Deus Ex: Human Revolution.  The much-anticipated game will debut in later this month. It will feature both first and third-person views in a shooter-role-playing-hybrid.  The original Deus Ex spawned successors in Borderlands and other shooter-role-playing-hybrids today.
9. From Dust. This game is from a god-like perspective to assist a nomadic tribe in a turbulent land.  This game is part of XBox Live’s Summer of Arcade.
10. Madden NFL 12. Although not groundbreaking as some of the other games listed above, this is among one of the most popular sports games.  Again, it should rack handsome sales numbers, particularly since the NFL lockout has been over for the past few weeks.