November 7 -- Eleven, Eleven, Eleven

Section: 

If I had a calendar -- which I do not -- and I circled things on that calendar -- which I would not -- then I would have circled this week. If you want to know what is coming out this week, the easiest, most accurate answer is probably just everything.

It's easy for me not to get excited about Call of Duty games anymore. It's even easier now that most of my nights are ending with some solid Battlefield 3 action on the GWJ Kill Zone server. From an academic standpoint however, I'm fascinated to see whether the success of Battlefield 3 makes any kind of dent in the Activision juggernaut franchise. After watching the live action, vaguely entertaining advertisement with Jonah Hill and the dude from Avatar, and then listening to the story this morning on the radio about Jeep's Call of Duty branded vehicle, I realize just how very much money Activision plans to print this month.

Electronic Arts has been brewing its counter-attack against Activision for a few years now, ever since it coughed up the big-dog role in the industry to its brilliantly sinister nemesis. Over the next 2 months, the results of Battlefield vs Call of Duty and The Old Republic vs World of Warcraft will tell you much about the shape of the gaming industry over the next 2 or 3 years.

But, I don't care about any of that this week. All I care about is getting to glorious Friday and killing dragons in Skyrim. Truth be told, I've scheduled Friday off so I can probably sit and be disappointed at the PC version of Bethesda's mega-title, or at least that's what I'm guessing based on previous Bethesda PC game launches. Still, it's worth the risk.

And, if none of that floats your depressingly choosy boat, then there's always Super Mario 3D Land on the 3DS, L.A. Noire on the PC, the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection, the next LEGO Harry Potter game or even Chrono Cross on PSN. Seriously, is not our bounty grand this week?

PC
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
- Heavy Fire: Afghanistan
- L.A. Noire: The Complete Edition
- LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
- The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Xbox 360
- Big League Sports
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
- Deepak Chopra's Leela
- Happy Feet Two
- LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
- Let's Cheer
- Metal Gear Solid HD Collection
- Nickelodeon Dance
- Raving Rabbids: Alive & Kicking
- Rayman Origins
- Self-Defense Training Camp
- SpongeBob Surf and Skate Roadtrip
- The Black Eyed Peas Experience
- The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
- Winter Stars
- Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2012
- Fusion: Genesis (XBLA)

PS3
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
- Champion Jockey: G1 Jockey and Gallop Racer
- Happy Feet Two
- Heavy Fire: Afghanistan
- Heavy Rain Director's Cut
- LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
- Metal Gear Solid HD Collection
- Rayman Origins
- The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
- Winter Stars
- Chrono Cross (PSN)

Wii
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
- Champion Jockey: G1 Jockey and Gallop Racer
- Deepak Chopra's Leela
- Happy Feet Two
- Heavy Fire: Afghanistan
- LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
- Nickelodeon Dance
- Rayman Origins
- The Black Eyed Peas Experience
- The Kore Gang
- Winter Stars

Nintendo 3DS
- Cave Story 3D
- Happy Feet Two
- Heavy Fire: The Chosen Few
- LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
- Michael Jackson: The Experience
- Outdoors Unleashed: Africa
- Outdoors Unleashed: Alaska
- Pac-Man Party 3D
- Puppies 3D
- Super Mario 3D Land
- Bloons Tower Defense (eShop)
- Castle Conqueror: Heroes (eShop)
- Freakyforms: Your Creations, Alive! (eShop)

PSP
-Cars 2: The Video Game
- LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7

Nintendo DS
- Bakugan: Rise of the Resistance
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
- DaGeDar
- Happy Feet Two
- LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
- Wappy Dog
- Bloons Tower Defense (DSiWare)
- Castle Conqueror: Heroes (eShop)

Comments

Skyrim will completely take over my life.

Until Tuesday, when I get Saints Row 3, because it will be awesomer than the awesomest awesome ever. Awesomely so.

I was thinking about a Skyrim-induced sick day on Friday but reconsidered:-

- Friday release means probably wont unlock on Steam till mid-late afternoon my time
- Downloading...downloading...
- Screw around, get it looking nice, deciding what Im gonna play etc etc

More likely I'll be struck down with the lurgi on Monday if all goes well!

I'm so excited for Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7. So excited.

After opting for the release day delivery from Amazon, of course I'm going to be away this weekend. I may have some time on Sunday afternoon to crack the shrink wrap and install, but I'll probably not fire the game up until following Wednesday. Of course, with a weekend away, the following weekend is going to be filled with homework catch-up and pre-Thanksgiving cooking.

I may not get a good bash at it until Thanksgiving weekend. The upside is there may be a hotfix released by then

Still thinking along the lines of a mage/thief character. My RL interest in archery may have me toy with bows as well.

Goo wrote:

I was thinking about a Skyrim-induced sick day on Friday but reconsidered:-

- Friday release means probably wont unlock on Steam till mid-late afternoon my time
- Downloading...downloading...
- Screw around, get it looking nice, deciding what Im gonna play etc etc

More likely I'll be struck down with the lurgi on Monday if all goes well!

Skyrim will be preloading on Steam

Just saw that about an hour ago. Might have to rethink my fakery plans!

Nothing for me this week. Then again, there is no mention of Aquaria for the iPad, which is what I'll be spending time on (been putting in serious hours on Civ Rev for the iPad over Batman AC).

Maybe I'll tear away enough to finally unwrap Skylanders so the kids can play. Nah. Save that for Christmas.

Speaking as one cheapskate gamer to another, you really ought to get yourself an iPad, Rob. The amount of free and really, really cheap stuff on the platform rivals that of the PC, and the lower price tag these days amazingly doesn't always translate to a gimped or inferior experience. In fact, given its portability and ease of use, I use my iPad as an internet browser now, even when I'm at home. This is mainly because I can carry it into the bathroom, the living room, and the dining room. My daughter's starting to call me out on it (and with good reason).

I haven't started it yet, but all indicators are that Aquaria on the iPad is better than the same on the PC, because of the touch controls, and because you can take it anywhere.

Shadout wrote:

Skyrim seems awesome, but as I was immensely disappointed by Oblivion I'll hold out for a while and try to figure out if I might actually like it or not.

Nothing else this week.

Agreed--I'll wait for the Game of the Year Edition for $20 next November. Even if I am disappointed again, $20 is much easier to swallow than a full $60 game.

tanstaafl wrote:
Goo wrote:

I was thinking about a Skyrim-induced sick day on Friday but reconsidered:-

- Friday release means probably wont unlock on Steam till mid-late afternoon my time
- Downloading...downloading...
- Screw around, get it looking nice, deciding what Im gonna play etc etc

More likely I'll be struck down with the lurgi on Monday if all goes well!

Skyrim will be preloading on Steam

Goo wrote:

Just saw that about an hour ago. Might have to rethink my fakery plans!

You'll still be twiddling your thumbs waiting for the release and then waiting for it to decrypt. Unless there's official word that it unlocks at midnight I'd take Monday off instead.

And then installing the day one patch. Definitely better to take Monday off.

walterqchocobo wrote:
Shadout wrote:

Skyrim seems awesome, but as I was immensely disappointed by Oblivion I'll hold out for a while and try to figure out if I might actually like it or not.

Nothing else this week.

Agreed--I'll wait for the Game of the Year Edition for $20 next November. Even if I am disappointed again, $20 is much easier to swallow than a full $60 game.

Hmm, I remember holding off on FO3's GotY edition for that reason and not even buying the DLC (I had the regular edition of Fallout 3), and the GotY was out for a year before it even dropped down to $40, only like a couple of months before New Vegas. That how other people remember it?

I think it really depends on the publisher: Ubisoft seems to drop the AC games down to under $30 within a matter of months; Activision never seems to drop the price on the CoD games. I wonder where Bethesda fits in to this.

CheezePavilion wrote:
walterqchocobo wrote:
Shadout wrote:

Skyrim seems awesome, but as I was immensely disappointed by Oblivion I'll hold out for a while and try to figure out if I might actually like it or not.

Nothing else this week.

Agreed--I'll wait for the Game of the Year Edition for $20 next November. Even if I am disappointed again, $20 is much easier to swallow than a full $60 game.

Hmm, I remember holding off on FO3's GotY edition for that reason and not even buying the DLC (I had the regular edition of Fallout 3), and the GotY was out for a year before it even dropped down to $40, only like a couple of months before New Vegas. That how other people remember it?

I think it really depends on the publisher: Ubisoft seems to drop the AC games down to under $30 within a matter of months; Activision never seems to drop the price on the CoD games. I wonder where Bethesda fits in to this.

I'm pretty sure he was being partially facetious. It won't be that long before the game can be had for $20, it just won't be the GOTY edition.

garion333 wrote:
CheezePavilion wrote:
walterqchocobo wrote:
Shadout wrote:

Skyrim seems awesome, but as I was immensely disappointed by Oblivion I'll hold out for a while and try to figure out if I might actually like it or not.

Nothing else this week.

Agreed--I'll wait for the Game of the Year Edition for $20 next November. Even if I am disappointed again, $20 is much easier to swallow than a full $60 game.

Hmm, I remember holding off on FO3's GotY edition for that reason and not even buying the DLC (I had the regular edition of Fallout 3), and the GotY was out for a year before it even dropped down to $40, only like a couple of months before New Vegas. That how other people remember it?

I think it really depends on the publisher: Ubisoft seems to drop the AC games down to under $30 within a matter of months; Activision never seems to drop the price on the CoD games. I wonder where Bethesda fits in to this.

I'm pretty sure he was being partially facetious. It won't be that long before the game can be had for $20, it just won't be the GOTY edition.

True. But by then the GOTY edition *will* be out or right around the corner, and then they've got my completionist/irrational economist self all conflicted.

Skyrim, baby!

By happy coincidence, my wife and kid are flying interstate for a week.

So I have arranged for a week off work and a big bag o'weed.

By the time they get back, I should have just completed my character's appearance and skill choices.

Felix Threepaper wrote:

Skyrim, baby!

By happy coincidence, my wife and kid are flying interstate for a week.

So I have arranged for a week off work and a big bag o'Nirnroot.

By the time they get back, I should have just completed my character's appearance and skill choices.

Fixed that for ya!

heh, nice one.

I hope they keep that Nirnroot humming noise.

I still haven't started Oblivion (complete) that I got on Steam last Christmas... or this summer... heck, so many sales, I forget which.

If Mario Land had been a 3DS launch game, I'd have a 3DS. But now I'm waiting for the next remodel or the dual-analog or whatever... sorry Nintendo.

Zelda coming soon. Need to clear the pile as much as I can.

MeatMan wrote:
Truth be told, I've scheduled Friday off

As much as I'm looking forward to Skyrim, it is Saints Row: The Third that has captured my fascination and antipication. That's why I've also sheduled off work, but on the 15th.

In my house, we have both.

My wife is getting Skyrim for her birthday, and I'm getting SR3 for mine. Sunday through Thursday will be SR3 nights, since those are work nights and SR games lend themselves well to half-hour to hour long play sessions. Skyrim for Friday and Saturdays, since it's impossible to get anything out of a Bioware RPG in less than an hour.

Can't hardly wait.

I'm in the final push on Arkham City, then I'm ready to go for Zelda. Skyrim will have to wait until I have a bit more cash

Stele wrote:

If Mario Land had been a 3DS launch game, I'd have a 3DS. But now I'm waiting for the next remodel or the dual-analog or whatever... sorry Nintendo.

I wonder how many sales Nintendo has lost to the rumor of a dual analog redesign.

ClockworkHouse wrote:
Stele wrote:

If Mario Land had been a 3DS launch game, I'd have a 3DS. But now I'm waiting for the next remodel or the dual-analog or whatever... sorry Nintendo.

I wonder how many sales Nintendo has lost to the rumor of a dual analog redesign.

Well, if they hadn't gone and actually designed a second analog addon, then they wouldn't have this problem. Then again, sales were lower than they expected before then anyway, so ...

garion333 wrote:
ClockworkHouse wrote:
Stele wrote:

If Mario Land had been a 3DS launch game, I'd have a 3DS. But now I'm waiting for the next remodel or the dual-analog or whatever... sorry Nintendo.

I wonder how many sales Nintendo has lost to the rumor of a dual analog redesign.

Well, if they hadn't gone and actually designed a second analog addon, then they wouldn't have this problem. Then again, sales were lower than they expected before then anyway, so ...

Oh, I understand. I still think the Circle Pad Pro is analogous to the Classic Controller (Pro) for the Wii (i.e., just an add-on and always just an add-on), but its release hasn't damped those redesign rumors down at all. Nintendo's history of three DS revisions in six years hasn't helped things, either.

It's just interesting to me that people are passing on the hardware based on the speculation that it'll be changed soon, and I'd like to know how many. Rumors like that can kill a product. At the same time, I'm not sure what Nintendo can do about it, as even a straight-up denial that a redesign is in the works wouldn't dampen the rumors at this point.

It's a delicious coincidence that I get to take Skyrim launch day off and also celebrate Nigel Tufnel day.

Needless to say I'll be throwing the horns for every dragon slain.

Hypatian wrote:

11/11/11 is included? Don't forget Nitronic Rush

Apparently this is a free download. I just got it and after 30 minutes of pure joy, I went back to the site to find out how to throw money at the devs. They don't seem to have any method of paying/donating to them. Then I saw this on one of the pages:

Price Point

$0.00 (completely free, just download the installer from http://nitronic-rush.com)

I would happily pay them at least $5 for this somewhat small/short game. For anyone not already consumed by Skyrim, I strongly recommend giving Nitronic Rush a play. Excellent visuals, excellent controls, and most of all, the excellent cyberpunk music. I'm playing with a 360 controller and headphones. So good! I actually feel guilty having this much fun and not being able to pay for it.

Felix Threepaper wrote:

I hope they keep that Nirnroot humming noise.

They did.