For many, the summertime is a spectacular few months, bringing with it relaxation, vacations, and plenty of outdoor fun. While gamers certainly enjoy those aspects of summer, traditionally, the summer marks a drought of high quality video game software new releases.

This makes summer a good time to chip away at one's backlog, but that doesn't mean that the summer season is completely devoid of major game releases. In fact, one of the most critically-acclaimed games of all time, The Last of Us, was a summer game.

Still, the summer gaming drought means that even though there are high quality releases sometimes available, they are few and far between. These 5 games represent the most exciting games coming out this summer, but most of them are coming out at the tail-end of the summer season (June 21 - September 22).

5. Godzilla (July 14th)

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The vast majority of licensed games turn out to be duds, but Godzilla, coming to PS3 and PS4, has far more potential than most. Created as a love letter of sorts to fans of the kaiju genre, the game features multiple modes and the most iconic beasts from the history of Godzilla. PS4 owners in particular should keep an eye on this one, as the PS4 version of the game features an exclusive online multiplayer component not found in the PS3 version.

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Page 2: The Road Warrior

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4. Mighty No. 9 (September 15th)

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Just recently, spiritual successors to Banjo-Kazooie and the 2D Castlevania games (Yooka-Laylee and Bloodstained, respectively) blew away their funding goals on Kickstarter. However, it's hard to say if the developers of those games would've had the courage to test out the crowdfunding waters if it weren't for Keiji Inafune paving the way with Mighty No. 9.

With Capcom practically outright refusing to do anything involving the Mega Man franchise, series creator Inafune decided to take matters into his own hands. He gave outspoken Capcom critics the chance to put their money where their mouths were by starting a Kickstarter for a Mega Man spiritual successor, Mighty No. 9. The game's scope has expanded greatly since its initial Kickstarter funding period, and now is even receiving a full retail release when it launches at the end of the summer.

3. Mad Max (September 1st)

Mad Max: Fury Road is currently dominating movie theaters around the world, enjoying unprecedented critical success for the franchise and delighting moviegoers everywhere. The grim, dystopian setting of the Mad Max series is ripe for video game exploration, and fans of the franchise will soon be able to step into Max's boots themselves.

The simply titled Mad Max is on the way in just a few months, and promises to be one of the better licensed games ever released. Its brilliant gameplay trailer wowed most everyone, combining elements of open world craziness with a boat load of polish to send hype levels through the proverbial roof.

Max drives a car named the Magnum Opus in the game, and the Mad Max video game has the potential to be the magnum opus of developer Avalanche Studios when it releases this summer.

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Page 3: Two Great Series Conclude

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2. Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain (September 1st)

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Metal Gear Solid 5 publisher Konami is currently shrouded in controversy. They've apparently fired Hideo Kojima, Silent Hills has been cancelled, P.T. has been unceremoniously ripped from the PlayStation Store, and they've also recently announced plans to focus their attention on mobile game development.

Basically, Konami has seemingly disappointed virtually all of their existing fans. With a mobile-focused future for Konami, Metal Gear Solid 5 could very well be the last hoo-rah for the storied series. Konami promises that more Metal Gear Solid games are on the way, but without series creator Hideo Kojima at the helm, it's hard to believe that they will be able to live up to the legacy of their predecessors.

In any case, Metal Gear Solid 5 looks incredible, and it will be special in that it will be the final MGS directed by Kojima.

1. Batman: Arkham Knight (June 23rd)

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The most exciting game of summer 2015 is thankfully just a little over a month away. Batman: Arkham Knight looks absolutely stunning, with gorgeous visuals, an innovative new dual play mode, and potential to be the greatest Batman video game made to date.

The folks at Rocksteady have been hard at work polishing Arkham Knight into Game of the Year potential, even delaying the game on a couple of occasions in order to fully realize their creative vision. Boasting an incredible voice cast and taking full advantage of the eighth gen hardware, Batman: Arkham Knight tops the list of many's most anticipated games of the year for good reason.

Those are not all of the games releasing this summer, but they are without question some of the biggest. Which games are you looking forward to this summer? Sound off in the comments!