Consolation Prize

Once upon a time there was an annual event that took place, a dreadful event, so horrendous that gamers could only whisper of its impending arrival. As regular as clockwork the dark tendrils of the summer games drought would descend upon the land leaving children no option but to brave the great outdoors and adults facing the bleak summer months with their faces buried in a good book or catching up on the latest movies.

Yeah, fine, I know I’m embellishing the situation a little but it’s true I would dread the coming of summer. Slowly watching as the number of video game releases slowly dried to a trickle as publishers re-prioritised release schedules to suit the run up to Christmas. I longed for the day when quality games were released throughout the year, but you know what? I could really do with a games drought right about now.

Now that Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft are in full swing the number of quality titles available to the video gamer is just staggering. It’s not just brand spanking new releases jostling for your attention, but retro titles and re-releases from the last generation are making there presence known thanks to the rise in distributable medium services like Xbox Live, WiiWare, Virtual Console and Playstation Network.

The decision over which game was going to be the sole winner of my spare time used to be relatively quite easy. I’d decide upon game “x” and play that until game “y” came along, simply because the number of high quality titles always seemed to be well spaced out. Nowadays however I find myself in a quandary, do I play “x” or play “y” before “z” comes along? There isn’t time to play both “x” and “y” when they’re released in quick succession so one is certainly going to end up being the loser. I could dabble in playing a multitude of games, play an hour here and there, but unfortunately I like to immerse myself in one, maybe two game at most so I can fully appreciate the experience.

The problem is of course partly of my own making. I’ve stuck my thumb in all the pies and given myself too many options to choose from. There’s now a growing backlog of top class games which I’ve missed out on: Super Mario Galaxy, Metroid Prime Corruption, Locoroco, Patapon, Project Gotham Racing 4, Uncharted: Drakes Fortune, and Advance Wars: Dark Conflict, to name but a few. I intend to play them all one day, but who knows, by the time that happens they may be re-classified as “retro” titles themselves.

So I’ve reached saturation point. It’s the worst kind of torture for a gamer that’s passionate about his pastime and just wants to experience as many games as possible. Deciding which game to play and which sacrificial lamb is led to the slaughter is something I don’t take lightly and I know I’m going to have to be more discriminating about the games I play in the future.

I don’t decry the situation. It has been a long hard struggle for the video game industry to get to this point and I believe it’s going from strength-to-strength, but on a personal level a few months break without any major releases will certainly be welcomed.

What I’m interested in knowing, dear reader, is how you cope with the glut of great games out there? Do you just stick to one platform or genre? Do you only play games that are critically acclaimed and only achieve the highest marks? Whatever your thoughts feel free to let me know!

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