It's the first Friday of the month, so it's time to unbox the latest Humble Monthly bundle (well, virtually unbox it, but you get the idea)! And it looks like these unboxings here may not have gone unnoticed, seeing as how on the page there for this month's bundle, two of the games are prominently carrying a seal of approval from Hardcore Gamer. Those would be the stylish, atmospheric sci-fi puzzle-platformer Planet of the Eyes, and the labyrinthine, roguelike twin-stick shooter Starward Rogue. So with those games alone earning our praise, you have our word that this month's offerings were worth it (and if you aren't a Humble Monthly subscriber, Starward Rogue is half off on Steam until August 8, so you can get in on the action for cheap as well).

Of course, the other games included in August's selections certainly draw our interest as well. The Jackbox Party Pack 2 immediately stands out due to its status as the sequel to a party game phenomenon, featuring five crowd-pleasing multiplayer games such as Fibbage 2 and Quiplash XL. Then there's The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing: Final Cut, which combines the gothic-noir action-RPG franchise's previous games together into one lengthy single adventure. On the Early Access front, we get Poi, a throwback to '90s-era 3D platformers with an emphasis on exploration, neon-coated first-person arena shooter Random Access Murder as the latest Humble Monthly Debut, and Disc Room as the newest Humble Original, an old-school top-down dodge-'em-up from Kitty Calis, Jan Willem Nijman, and Doseone.

Surprisingly, the black sheep this month is Call of Duty: Black Ops III...or rather, the Call of Duty: Black Ops III Multiplayer Starter Pack. Yes, as questioned last month, it's the multiplayer-only version of the most recent entry in the first-person shooter series. In place of the full package, subscribers get this and a coupon good for two-thirds off of the price of the upgrade to the full game in the Humble Store, good until August 12. But looking at the discounted price of the upgrade, why they didn't just go the distance and offer up the full game anyway is a bit of a mystery (issues with Activision, maybe?). And for those of you who missed this as well, the Multiplayer Starter Pack is free on Steam now for the weekend, along with discounts on the game and its content until August 8.

It seems like the Humble folks may be feeling the pressure to advertise Humble Monthly with more high-profile games, which is understandable, though this month's Black Ops III inclusion just feels iffy (unless you're down with only the multiplayer parts). Still, this was a good roundup indeed, containing a good chunk of hidden gems. Next month, it looks like we're getting SOMA, and those who subscribe now or pay early get to begin playing it immediately, as usual. Will Hardcore Gamer's tastes influence some of the picks next time as well? Who knows, though I will say that we wouldn't mind exploring some Dungeons that are the Darkest, performing Heists on Worlds of Steam, or swinging a Shovel around and pretending we're a Knight, wink wink wink.

...Okay, I'll hang my head in shame now.