I’m not the first person to say that this Christmas is going to be a very exciting one for gamers. With a treasure trove of quality games released, this year might not be the year of the PS3, but this is certainly the year of the videogame. To that end, I thought I would share which games I was planning on getting between now and the end of the year, in the hope of being able to justify why I want to spend so much money!
For me, this great season of videogames began with BioShock in mid-October. I’ll admit that I was a little bitter about this being a 360 exclusive, and so I was thrilled when it was announced for PS3, and I bought it on launch day. Far from being another cloned FPS, this game has enough originality to deserve a purchase. Despite being a relatively linear game, it has enough exploration and surprises to keep you going for hours (although I did complete it twice in the first week).
Next came that little-known game, LittleBigPlanet at the beginning of this month, which to be honest has been discussed so much on this site that it hardly needs mentioning here. However, it is important to remember that this is Media Molecule’s first game, and is completely awesome, so just think what they could give us in future games.
Unless I want my next bank statement to be in the red, that’s all the games I can justify getting at the moment, but there’s plenty more I want in the weeks leading up to Christmas, starting with Fallout 3. For a game that has a lot of glitches to still get good reviews is saying something. However, with so many other games, I’ll wait for them to be fixed before I buy this one. The future trophy patch is another reason for me to hold on for now too.
Then Friday saw the release of both Mirror’s Edge and Call of Duty: World at War, two games which I’d be a fool for not looking into. As I’m not normally a fan of FPSs, for the majority of games I’m mentioning here to be from that very genre is something of a turn-around. It’s a testament to developers nowadays, constantly striving to breathe fresh life into this tried and tested genre.
Also, in previous posts, I’ve made it clear I’m a big fan of the Guitar Hero series, and so it will come as no surprise to learn that one of the games I definitely want is Guitar Hero: World Tour. Despite rather mediocre reviews, I just love the series and as a drummer myself, I’m really looking forward to seeing how they’ve incorporated it into the game (because I didn’t get the drums for Rock Band).
Finally, the end of November will see the release of Resistance 2, which I’ll be getting simply because I liked the first one. As aforementioned, I’m not a huge fan of FPSs, so it took me over a year to finally persuade myself to bother completing Resistance: Fall of Man, but when I did, I found myself enjoying it and wanting to know what happens next. I hear the sequel is more of the same on a much bigger scale, so I’m really looking forward to slaughtering a new batch of Chimera.
So now I’ve had my say, what are you spending your money on in the next couple of months? There are far too many games to mention here, with the likes Tomb Raider: Underworld, MotorStorm: Pacific Rift and Quantum of Solace all getting decent reviews, so I just hope Father Christmas has a big enough sleigh.
November 16th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
What a lovely post
Its been a hectic couple of months for games,
Personally I brought LBP, then 2 days later Motorstorm, was mainly on LBP for a week or so, with a little time spent on Motorstorm,
Then Friday comes (14th) and i get 2 more games added to my list Mirrors edge and COD:WaW, so now i have 4 games to go on.
AND THEN to top it off, this Friday (21st) sees me back at game for NFS:U.
So then ill have 5 games to play through.
All in all is good, it makes me feel like a casual gamer, who just plays as he feels, rather then the normal play through the one game then a couple of weeks later play through a new one.
Jas-n Says:
November 16th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
Forgot to mention, i throw in a game of warhawk at least every monday
.
stefhutch20 Says:
November 16th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
That’s the first time one of my posts has been described as lovely… so cheers. lol
Jas-n Says:
November 16th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
no problem
November 16th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
Totally agree!
I have bought 6 games over the past 3 weeks!
Bioshock, Saints Row 2, Quantum Of Solace, Midnight Club LA, Little Big Planet and COD:WAW!
it has been an expensive few weeks and still there is more to come man!!
November 16th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
FPS is my genre!
The PS3 was lacking tbh but now its all gravy!
Recently I’ve bought, BioShock (and will get DLC), Far Cry 2, COD:WAW and looking forward to R2 as well!
I really want to try Dead Space and will, but its going to have to wait and with RE5 and KZ2 next year I just hope I get time to play all these games!!!
November 16th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
i sadly cant buy any games before christmas. im gunna see what deals i can get in the january sales. the games that im after are:
Star Wars force unleashed (loved the demo and im a BIG star wars fan)
Far Cry 2 (borrowed off a mate and thought it was brilliant)
Resistance 2 (loved the first one)
Mirrors Edge (its something completely different to the others games on the market, and the demo was gud)
i personally dont see what all the fuss is about with bioshock. played it on a mates xbox and found it boring. playing the demo on ps3 didnt sway me either so im gunna give this a miss. im not a fan of survival horror genre but Dead Space looks fantastic! so ive gotta try it out, shames theres no demo.
if i cant get any of those, im just gunna wait until Killzone 2 arrives! the reason i bought a ps3 if im honest.
stefhutch20 Says:
November 16th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
Have you not tried LBP?
RocketSOL Says:
November 16th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
nope. no one i know has the game either. i noticed i left a few games off my previous list. so yea i might dabble in LBP to see what all the fuss is about as well as Motorstorm PR, i loved the demo.
djhsecondnature Says:
November 16th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
You MUST do more than dabble with LBP. If you don’t like it then fine, but you MUST play it. If I would recommend just one game to anyone this Christmas it would be LBP.
RocketSOL Says:
November 16th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
fair play. i’ll see if my conman skills are up to scratch when i try to bribe the parents before christmas haha
ADAM_EMM_1 Says:
November 16th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
had the resistanse 2 beta
much better than the 1st one!
November 16th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
Due to the past several weeks my wallet now cries tears in the corner. After buying Bioshock on release date, followed by Dead Space and Far Cry 2 about a week later, then LittleBigPlanet and now Mirrors Edge (also rented Call of Duty:World at War). I am just glad that my housemate bought Guitar Hero:World Tour so I don’t have to (for now).
stefhutch20 Says:
November 16th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
Sounds about right. lol
November 16th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
Bought so far: Bioshock, LBP
Preordered: Resistance 2
Want: Motorstorm PR, Dead Space
Tempted: Prince of Persia, Tomb Raider
Leave for next year: Mirror’s Edge, Fallout 3
November 16th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
I still haven’t got around to buying Burnout yet.
Mirror’s Edge and Dead Space are my only two planned but haven’t got games that are out.
Tomb Raider maybe in the new year.
I got CoD5, Far Cry 2, LBP and Saints Row 2 and I don’t have time to fit them all in at the minute.
It’s a good time of year to be a gamer.
And Stef, your article was lovely.
stefhutch20 Says:
November 16th, 2008 at 5:39 pm
Twice in one post. That has to be a record.
November 16th, 2008 at 6:16 pm
I heard a little girl in a shop yesterday say that it was ok because Santa Clause isn’t affected by the credit crunch.
This is great news
Now I can get ALL the games I want!
(Her statement amused me for two reasons.
First of all, she was only about 8 and she knew what the credit crunch was!
And secondly, I just had to laugh at her stupidity. The credit crunch is a WROLDWIDE thing. Last time I checked, the North Pole was in the world.)
RocketSOL Says:
November 16th, 2008 at 6:39 pm
if transport wasnt a problem, i’d go work for him. im sure he needs staff all year round.
November 16th, 2008 at 8:42 pm
What? Nobody is running out for the new Mortal Kombat tomorrow for a TSA review?
Sackboy is fun and all but I wouldn’t mind whooping Batman’s ass as Sub-zero this holiday season. Beats slapping Sack People…
colossalblue Says:
November 16th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
I am interested in the MK Vs. DC game but it isn’t high on my list to actually spend money on right now, there’s just too much else out there.
I suppose I’ll wait and see if it gets a TSA review before I let it on my radar!
November 16th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
I’ve been like a kid in a sweetshop for the past few weeks. I’ve brought most of the stuff wanted but there is a few more still to come. And the only thing stopping me is I’m not giving the games I’ve brought the attention they need.
I’ve brought:
Saints Row 2
Dead Space (My fave: GOTY)
LBP
Far Cry 2
Fallout 3 (sold it after 2 days)
Fifa 09
Burnout: Paradise City
I may have brought more, I can’t remember.
Whilst buying these games I’ve also gone through my second month of owning Warhawk, which is still taking the majority of my PS3 time
I also really want;
Tomb Raider: Underworld
Guitar Hero World Tour
MK Vs DC
Singstar 3 (for my mrs)
Disney: Sing It (for my daughter)
Civilisation Revolution
Supersonic Rocket Powered Battle Cars (If it ever comes out)
Starship Troopers errm Savage Moon
Age Of Booty
Soldner X
Gran Turismo 5 Prologue
I think Sony shouldn’t bother developing a PS4 and instead find a way to get more gaming hours into a day
Oh and it is a lovely post
cc_star Says:
November 16th, 2008 at 9:19 pm
I forgot to add Valkyria Chronicles, Mirrors Edge & Shaun White, although as the reviews aren’t currently great I might have to dig out my copy of SSX3
stefhutch20 Says:
November 16th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
Now your just taking the piss. lol
November 16th, 2008 at 10:38 pm
The new spiderman is awesome. Does whatever a spider does indeed…
Though its not a game to keep. I enjoyed it, gonna play it a second time to get the different ending, but then I’m selling it. Its repetitive and there is no online mode.
You get 2 different upgrade paths though.
The money from spiderman is probably gonna go to the new MK which may be a keeper.
Not to sure about the new shooters.. I got Bad Company here collecting dust since i got Warhawk.
The only upcoming stuff in 2008 I might fancy is the new Tomb Raider. I haven’t played one of those on the PS3. That and maybe some more psn fodder.
November 16th, 2008 at 10:51 pm
You are not getting Dead Space?! Shame on you.
Vayner Says:
November 17th, 2008 at 11:36 am
Its just another FPS. I still got the Orange Box for that stuff.
Eldave0 Says:
November 17th, 2008 at 11:56 am
dead space aint an fps
and for the record its much better than valves sloppy efforts with the orange box in my opinion 
fredrikpedersen Says:
November 17th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Game of the year so far with me.
Eldave0 Says:
November 17th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
seconded
cc_star Says:
November 18th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Dead Space is my Game Of The Year, it is an awesome effort. I don’t like shooters, but I love this, in fact I’ve never seen anybody who owns it say any different.
You will shit yourself more than in any other game ever especially if you have surround sound.
If you don’t have surround sound you are missing out on a key part of next-gen gaming as it as much a part of it as HD graphics are
You can’t call yourself a gamer until you have Dead Space in your collection. sorry.
Eldave0 Says:
November 18th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
*seconds this comment as well*
Vayner Says:
November 17th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
Looks like a zombie shooter to me.
I personally don’t get how the same basic game (different story, different models) can keep getting good reviews.
But then again, the greatest game ever according to me was the original Myst.
These shooters would be much more appealing if you could use mouse and keyboard. You can shoot 5 people with a mouse in the time it takes to aim one shot with a controller.
That being said, I’m looking forward to Resident Evil. Its also a zombie shooter, but at least it has a good story and engaging puzzles. Dead space may have that too, but I’m not seeing it. Looks like Doom 3 to me.
fredrikpedersen Says:
November 17th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
You need to play it. Period.
Eldave0 Says:
November 17th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
seconded….again heh. that game is ALOT more than a typical “zombie shooter”. Has to be played to be believed
November 17th, 2008 at 10:55 am
*Newsflash*
You don’t HAVE to buy all the games at once people!
November 17th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
I got Fallout and LBP. I was enjoying Fallout and I can appreciate it is a good game, but since I got LBP I can’t really get excited to play it. The problem is that after the nuclear apocalypse things won’t be very colourful, there are no trophies (yet) and life will feel joyless when I can’t dress up as a pirate-ninja and slap people into spikes. I’m considering trading.
cc_star Says:
November 18th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
By Fallout I presume you mean that “walking simulator” ?
November 17th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
I got Far Cry 2 and LBP last week.. I was going to get Fallout3, but after hearing PS3 was the weakest of the 3 versions, I got the PC version instead.. Great game tho, just wish it had had more dev love on PS3. I’ll prolly trade FC2 for Mirrors Edge, but also want Midnight Club:LA and maybe GH:World Tour as well.
November 18th, 2008 at 12:33 am
I got COD5, Far Cry 2, and Mirrors Edge…
All very, very good games (and no…. no buts to this one)
This may seem a bit much, but this is maybe the best year for the PS3. I mean trophies, COD5, LBP, Far Cry 2…
All terrific games, just waiting for Killzone 2
November 18th, 2008 at 1:10 am
well my list will be
MOTORSTORM.2.PACIFIC RIFT
MIDNIGHT CLUB.LA
NEED FOR SPEED UNDERCOVER
RESISTANCE.2
thats hope that will keep me going tell february
come on GT5 were r ya
November 18th, 2008 at 11:59 am
a little off topic so I appologise (then again most topics here seem to end up a wee bit off topic by the end so I dont feel too bad) but my decision Im trying to make at the moment is whether to get brothers in arms: hells highway or not. I dont know if anyone else watched that hidden bunker documentary on channel 4 a week or so ago but ever since watching it i’ve wanted my ww2 game fix and that game is looking tempting.
Anyone have it and can let me know what its like?
cc_star Says:
November 18th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
I don’t know what it’s like, but it IS the most traded in game in my store, we have loads and loads of them across all formats
that should tell you it’s perhaps a rental
Eldave0 Says:
November 18th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
ahhh ok, thanks heh.
then again ive just looked and its only 20 quid from amazon and play at the moment so may just go for it so i can take my time playing through it.
stefhutch20 Says:
November 18th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
There’s a reason.
November 19th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
ok here is my xmas line up. Little Big Planet -> motorstorm pr -> 007: QOS -> Wipeout Hd