If I have one gaming resolution this year it is to finish (single player only, of course) more games. Or at least get the "to-play" pile into a more manageable state. January and February, the calm after the Christmas storm, are usually the perfect times to do this. Take last year for example. Dead Space and Mirror's Edge got swamped in the Christmas 2008 rush but were perfect for the early year lull. This year though things are very very different. Modern Warfare 2's November release scared everyone off, with Assassin's Creed 2 the only biggie to make the pre-Christmas cut. This means that January-March 2010 has become the Christmas rush that never was. Or, in other words, a bloody expensive 3 months.
So what can we expect over the next 12 weeks or so? First up are the must haves:
Mass Effect 2 (my most-wanted by a country mile)
Bioshock 2
Heavy Rain
God of War 3
Final Fantasy XIII
Ok, Final Fantasy is still slightly niche so you could possibly remove, but I'd argue it's at least a must-try. Those five alone would be enough. But then there are a ton of other very interesting releases too.
Splinter Cell Conviction (heck, this is probably a must-play too)
Bayonetta (and this)
Darksiders
Dante's Inferno
Army of Two
Star Trek Online
Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes
There's probably plenty more too – do let me know. But the point is how do publishers think we will find the time and money to play all of these. And that's before you think of all those gamers too busy playing Modern Warfare 2 online to even notice. Will hack n' slash fans want or even be able to afford Bayonetta, Darksiders and Dante's Inferno (albeit different takes on the genre) in Jan when we have the genre lead, God of War 3, coming so soon after?
What do you think then? Happy to see such a strong release list for the start of the year? Or wish that there was a bit more breathing space between such potentially exciting releases?
