Since I didn’t want to have any lingering urges to play any unreachable games while in China, I decided to hold off on non-portable game purchases until I came back. Now that I’m back, I’ve come to realize that I’m facing both a backlog of yesterday’s titles along with a deluge of new ones. This post again serves mostly as a reminder to myself regarding which games I need to get my hands on in the near future. Unfortunately, what with purchasing my parents’ home recently and needing to buy some roller hockey equipment in time for the next season of my company’s roller hockey league, I find myself strapped for cash.
- Deadspace (Xbox 360 / Oct. 13): Bioshock got me with its atmospheric setting. I’m hoping Deadspace will be similarly effective in that regard.
- Fable 2 (Xbox 360 / Oct. 21): Critics seem to agree that Molyneaux finally has a good game on his hands after all of these years. I never played the original, so I imagine the entire thing will be a fresh RPG experience for me. This one is on the way to my doorstep at this very moment.
- LittleBigPlanet (PS3 / Oct. 27): I listed this one last time. So sue me.
- Fallout 3 (Xbox 360 / Oct. 28): I loved the original Fallout. I sorta liked Oblivion. Putting the former into the hands of the developer of the latter causes me to hesitate. But there seems to be general acclaim for the title, so it looks like I’m going to have to pick this one up, too. Eventually.
- Red Alert 3 (PC / Oct. 28): The original Red Alert was my introduction to the wonders of RTS. I decided to return to my roots this time around. I picked this up shortly after returning from my trip. I can’t turn my back on a friend. And it’s got attack bears you can shoot out of man-cannons.
- Gears of War 2 (Xbox 360 / Nov. 7): The sequel to the acclaimed Gears of War. I hated the original’s multiplayer, but its campaign was decent. I expect roughly the same this time around. It’s no work of art, but I’ve got a friend who wants to co-op this at some point. It’s not high on my to-buy list, but I’ll probably have it in my possession eventually.
- Mirror’s Edge (Xbox 360 / Nov. 11): This is the revolutionary first-person something-or-other that you’ve probably already seen the previews for. A parkour game? Count me in! I picked this title up at the same time as Red Alert 3. I’m currently on my second (hard-mode) playthrough, and I’ve made qualifying times on all of the time trials. I love this game. I’m hoping to write a more detailed response to it later.
- Left 4 Dead (PC / Nov. 17): I’m not sure I’m willing to cough up $50 for this multiplayer-centric title. But it reminds me a lot of the Arkham Horror board game – trying to cooperatively survive untold horrors against insane odds. Everyone’s raving about it. It’s even got coworkers in nearby cubes bellowing with delight (to the detriment of my officemate’s productivity).
That’s about all I can take. I’m hoping the industry will give my wallet a break for a bit – at least until next year.
