So, like, 2008 has sucked mightily for games so far, hasn't it?
Friday, July 11th, 2008 - 12:18pm
Is there a big release I missed or something? I haven't bothered to play anything besides Rock Band, TF2 and Mass Effect. And I think they're all 2007 games.
So what's the new big hit? Have you really enjoyed any new game this year? Or are you just "making do" with mediocre releases, or with last year's games?
I'd say I was looking forward to Diablo 3 and Starcraft 2 but they're surely at least a year away...
The man wears a bucket of KFC on his head. I wouldn't expect anything less. - Pred
I have the exact opposite impression. I would actually argue that Spring is almost always dead for games, so compared to previous years it's actually been much better than usual by a longshot. Political Machine, MGS4, Penny Arcade Adventures, GRID, Age of Conan, Professor Layton, Lost Odyssey, Condemned 2, Wii Fit, Vegas 2, and Boom Blox have kept me pretty occupied. So as a matter of fact, I usually use this period to catch up on 2007 games I missed, but this time around I'm getting severely behind. Also, to me, Mass Effect and Assassin's Creed are 2008 games since I played them on the PC. Not a big fan of GTAIV myself, but I'm in the minority for that obviously.
Combine that with the twenty or so titles I already have pre-ordered for the fall, and dare I say it, 2008 is looking to be a better year for gaming for me than 2007 was, and this is before any surprise announcements to occur in the meantime. Never thought I would feel that way in January, but it's true.
I would think the first rule of PR is to ignore forum people, because they vacillate between crazy and liar. - Elysium
I had to look over my collection again to see what 2008 games I had bought this year.
I guess I kind of agree I haven't bought a ton so far this year, mostly catching up on some 2007 stuff I missed like Rock Band and the like.
* Metal Gear Solid 4
* Grand Theft Auto 4
* Boom Blox
* Condemned 2
Those are the ones I absolutely love, and they completely validate the first half of the year for me. Between them and my backlog, I'm a very happy camper. Age of Conan would be up there to but I've taken time off until the bugs are hammered out - but overall I played enough and enjoyed it enough to give it an honorable mention.
The rest of the year looks pretty damn good. Too Human, Mercenaries 2, Star Wars Unleashed, Just Cause 2, Silent Hill Homecoming, Fable 2, Halo Wars, Far Cry 2, Little Big Planet, Fallout 3, Saints Row 2, Ghostbusters, Motorstorm 2, Left for Dead, Resistance 2, Gears of War 2, etc.
XBL/PSN/STEAM/WAR/SPORE/RAPTR
Yeah, GTA IV was a pretty big deal.
I've been enjoying that and BF: Bad Company.
The rest of the summer through Christmas is going to be ridiculous again this year, though.
A partial list of stuff that looks awesome:
Too Human
Mercenaries 2
Far Cry 2
Left 4 Dead
Gears of War 2
Spore
Colonial Marines
Call of Duty: World at War
Viva Pinata 2
Banjo Kazooie
Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway
Fallout 3
Saints Row 2
Fable 2
And that's not even counting the cool-looking indie stuff like Precursors.
Edit: Swat beat me to it!
Xbox Live: CrankyBaby
baggachipz: Who cares about Japan, let them have their silly pointless dog games and countless re-hashes of anime-based dragon princess super lucky crapitty crap.
Yeah Mex, got to argue with you here. Looking at the huge games that have already dropped and the ones slated for the holiday I think 2008's one of the best years in a long time. It's no 2007, but that was kind of historic.
NOTE: This is not a doodle bug.
Spore
keep in mind guy E3 is going to have some pretty awesome releases announced! Alhough i guess thats leaning toward more of a 2009 thing, although they are hinting at some before christmas stuff
I'm finding myself increasingly detached from gaming as the years go by. The games I like aren't being made and the few that are just do not entertain me as much as they used to. 2008 has been quite...meh.
STALKER Clear Sky and Left 4 Dead are the only two games really on my radar for this year. But then I tend to be very selective about which games I allow myself to get interested in. I tend to be a bargain bin shopper anyway and miss out on most of the big trends. Heck, I'm still waiting to see if Audiosurf drops in price.
Steam ID: biginjapan
I'm going with Kuddles. Comparing the first half of 2008 with the holiday season of 2007 is like comparing apples to goats. It's just silly. But there have been plenty of triple-A and mid-level titles coming out at a steady pace with a bunch of good stuff to look forward too.
Let 'holiday 2007' be, don't try to compare other times, it will only lead to disappointments.
I hate you soo much Phil Collins!
Pharacon wrote:
PSN = AmazingZoidberg
Oh yeah, I forgot Clear Sky! But I probably need to finish the first game before I pick that one up.
Xbox Live: CrankyBaby
baggachipz: Who cares about Japan, let them have their silly pointless dog games and countless re-hashes of anime-based dragon princess super lucky crapitty crap.
Those two games plus Dead Space, Bionic Commando, Spore, Crysis Warhead, Tiberium, Far Cry 2, Fable 2, Fallout 3, Valkyria Chronicles, Prince of Persia, King's Bounty, Project Origin, Mirror's Edge, World in Conflict: Soviet Assault, C&C: Red Alert 3, Rise of the Argonauts, Sacred 2, Cryostasis, Velvet Assassin, and Siren: Blood Curse are on my radar for this year.
I would think the first rule of PR is to ignore forum people, because they vacillate between crazy and liar. - Elysium
2008 has been a bit meh. The ones that stood out for me are MGS4, GTA IV, DMC4, Burnout Paradise, Ninja Gaiden 2
The handhelds are doing a great job at filling in most of the year for me
Damnit but I forgot Spore! I'm too lazy to stealth edit.. bah
XBL/PSN/STEAM/WAR/SPORE/RAPTR
That's because PC gaming is dead. Bwahahahahaha!!!!!
Come to the dark side. The consoles are waiting for you.
Xbox Live: JayhawkerGWJ
last.fm: JayhawkerGWJ
Are we only listing upcoming PC releases? If not, you're all forgetting about a big one. Rock Band 2... or am I a dirty skimmer?
LiquidMantis wrote:
One thing I found curious about this thread was that just yesterday Adam Sessler did entire segment with the editor at 1up and that Newsweek video game guy (I guess i should know their names) on whether publishers have changed tactics since so many strong games were released in the first half of this year. Are publishers no longer pushing everything to Christmas?
Of course, everyone's favorite gaming journalist, Bill Harris (I love him too!) just wrote about how there were zero games of note released in the 2nd quarter this year.
So who are we supposed to believe? It's interesting that that is such a wide gap in perspective on this.
Xbox Live: JayhawkerGWJ
last.fm: JayhawkerGWJ
Damn, I forgot about Project Origin.
And Mirror's Edge and new Prince of Persia both look stellar.
Xbox Live: CrankyBaby
baggachipz: Who cares about Japan, let them have their silly pointless dog games and countless re-hashes of anime-based dragon princess super lucky crapitty crap.
I guess it all depends how much you like the "fours"
For me, the fours, while still with their own flaws, have been hands down the most fun I've had with them out of their entire series.
XBL/PSN/STEAM/WAR/SPORE/RAPTR
Argh! And once again I remember why it is financial suicide for me to visit this site.
Steam ID: biginjapan
We are a bunch of dirty enablers. It's what we do!
XBL/PSN/STEAM/WAR/SPORE/RAPTR
Between 360 and PSP I've been very happy with the first half of the year. Here's my standouts:
GTA IV
GRID
Rez HD
N+
Condemned 2
Poker Smash
Lost Odyssey
God of War: Chains of Olympus
Wipeout Pulse
Space Invaders Extreme
Patapon
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2
Sure, the heavy-hitters like Fallout 3 and Gears 2 are hitting during the traditional gravy-train time of year for gamers, but I've been more than happy with what we've gotten so far.
Yeah I guess maybe Marketing is not reaching me enough =P
As you guys say, there's lots of cool games coming up (I'm interested in Gears of War 2 and Spore and Rock Band 2), but I still feel that the first half of 2008 left me pretty cold.
I'm not a fan of GTA4 tho, and I don't have a PS3 and never cared for MGS4...
Rez HD is super cool but that's really a 2001 game =P
See, other than the really big hitters, I have no idea what those new franchises are or if I'm supposed to be excited or what. Velvet Assassin? Isn't that a cleaning product name?
I guess I'm a bit out of the loop...
The man wears a bucket of KFC on his head. I wouldn't expect anything less. - Pred
That could have a lot to do with it.
For example, check out this trailer for Mirror's Edge:
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/33586.html
There's some fantastic stuff in the form of new IPs on the way this year. If you feel like it, look up Dead Space too, that one looks quite promising.
I wouldn't say that the 2008 has sucked, but it has produced relatively few standout games.
Other than the previously mentioned sequels (none of which are exactly genre-busting), there's been a flow of good-not-great originals like Battlefield: Bad Company, Dark Sector and Lost Odyssey. Plenty to enjoy, but nothing that's going to knock most peoples' socks off.
There's a lot more to look forward to in the last half. I dearly hope that King's Bounty: The Legend is the unofficial evolution of the HOMM series that it could be.
Everything can be debated, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's debatable.
--Chuck Klosterman, Fargo Rock City
I suppose I'm just partially sick of doing something that has no real value to me in life. Sure, it can be fun, but there are so many other forms of entertainment that are more beneficial that it just feels like I'm doing myself a disservice by playing a game. It doesn't help that I've been playing them since I was probably 4. I've seen all that can be seen with them.
All that time you waste dating and having sex could be better spent scouring the web for new game developer press releases.
Fedaykin98 wrote:
wordsmythe wrote:
On the downloadable front on XBox Live Arcade, Assault Heroes 2, Aces of the Galaxy, Soul Calibur, Ikaruga (I think Mex already has the last title); Mercenaries 2 and Saints Row 2 look good for the future, Burnout Paradise for the past. Little Big Planet on the PS3 looks very interesting.
I wouldn't say "out of the loop", however, you just have more, err, "exotic off-line pursuits" to keep you entertained?
MaxShrek .. Do it first, do it yourself, and keep on doing it.
Horror Vacui
But isn't that the case every year for the first half? 2007 gave us Forza 2 and Oblivion surrounded my a load of nothing. It wasn't until BioShock showed up in August that the big hitters started to arrive. 2006 was pretty similar. That's why I would say it's hard to claim 2008 has been a dud so far because if anything the releases have been better this time around, or at the very least around the same.
I would think the first rule of PR is to ignore forum people, because they vacillate between crazy and liar. - Elysium
Don't know what to tell you on that count. Maybe some DDR?
EDIT: To add something *constructive* to the thread, I have enjoyed:
Burnout Paradise
FFT2
Etrian Odyssey 2
Boom Blox
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
To name a few....
XBL: necrocinnabon
Tetnis wrote:
Yeah I can't say '08 has sucked for games at all. MGS4, Vegas 2, and Battlefield: Bad Company are all games I've picked up and had fun with so far, along with renting quite a few others. That's to say nothing of all the potentially great titles people have listed that are due out later this year.
XBLive: Thin J
PSN: Thin_J
I don't imagine master craftsmen leaping away from completed projects and shouting "Done, motherf*ckers! - 1Dgaf
Absolutely. I'd say that the average quality of games released in the first half has actually been very good compared to most years, when you could generally write off gaming until August-ish.
Without very little "OMG!" originality so far in 2008, though, it makes this year feel more barren than it really is. The fact that 2007 was such a banner year raises the standard even higher.
Everything can be debated, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's debatable.
--Chuck Klosterman, Fargo Rock City