I am but one man, with one set of thumbs. My days, like yours, are only 24 hours long.
Thus, every year there are worthy video games that I just don’t get around to reviewing in these pages. It’s never a deliberate snub of a particular game, it’s more a matter of when they happen to come out and what else I might happen to have on my plate on that week.
The good news is that the month of December plus the first few months of any given new year tend to be an utter dead zone for new game releases (although early 2010 will be a bit of an exception to that rule – we’ll talk more about that next time.) Combine that with a nice break over the holidays, and it’s a great time to get caught up on the games that slipped through the cracks.
Here are the stack of games that will be on my must-play list over the coming weeks. You’ll probably have a few of these in your own “play me” pile, too.
Dragon Age: Origins(Xbox 360, PC)
It pains me that I didn’t find the time to play Edmonton-based BioWare Corp.’s latest fantasy epic, but this a game that requires dozens upon dozens of hours to sink into its meaty storyline, expansive game world and complex characters. I just hope I can get to it before BioWare’s own Mass Effect 2 comes out on Jan. 26.
Forza Motorsport 3(Xbox 360)
Although it was acclaimed as the best racing game of the year, I didn’t take Forza 3 for a spin at the time because I’m not a huge fan of these hardcore, simulation-style racing games. But word is Forza 3 is reasonably accessible to newbies as well, so it might be time to see what all the fuss is about.
God of War Collection(PS3)
Spartan warrior Kratos – the second angriest bald man after yours truly – gets the high-def treatment in this remastered re-release of the PS2 classics God of War and God of War II for the PlayStation 3. I want to relive them in their visually upgraded gory glory before God of War III drops in March.
The Saboteur(Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
The final (and some say, best) game by the recently shut down Pandemic Studios, The Saboteur casts players as a resistance fighter in Second World War Paris, who must return colour to the drab, grey city by sabotaging German strongholds and taking the fight to those damn, dirty Nazis.
Borderlands (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
It nearly breaks my heart that I couldn’t find time to get to this post-apocalyptic role-playing game, which has been described as a melding of Fallout and Diablo, done in a cel-shaded animation style. It even features four-player co-op, in case you have other buddies looking to kill some time during the game release doldrums.
Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
I was a huge fan of the original Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis back in 2001, so I’m stoked to finally play this sequel, an antidote to Hollywood-style run-and-gunners like Modern Warfare 2. This realistic military shooter game requires careful planning and execution, which in turn requires lots of free time.
Left 4 Dead 2 (Xbox 360, PC)
I know, I know... how could I miss what’s been acclaimed as one of the best shooters of the year? Truth is, Left 4 Dead 2 is a game that demands to be played with three like-minded (and reasonably skilled) cohorts, and I couldn’t round up a cadre of other players on short notice. But now? It’s game on, zombie hordes.
