Next week one game is coming out that I want, and have pre-ordered. Sims 2: Nightlife. Scrolling through the releases that are coming up, though, the week after next we'll see the following:
- Dragonshard
- Fable: The Lost Chapters
- Indigo Prophecy
- Other titles that I'm sure will sell well, but don't interest me.
Now, as some of you know - I'm a PC gamer. That's it, that's all. So I don't even want to consider if I were buying for several platforms. So here's my question, to the game industry at large:
"Mr. Publisher,
Do you really expect me to spend $200 in two weeks on games? If so, when do you expect me to play these games?"
(
Grrr. What will wind up happening is that these three games that I might have gotten will probably not be purchased by me. It would overstretch my gaming money budget, and also my time budget. By the time I get to buy a new game, something else will be out that I'm more interested in (Elder Scrolls, Oblivion, maybe?), or it'll be next year and I'll pick the game up in the bargain bin.
One would argue "Arki, why are you griping?", and I suppose the short answer would be because I don't have enough resources to enjoy all the games that I'd like to. That would require me being independantly wealthy, nay - filthy rich, even and probably that I foreswear any and all relationships.
And it also makes me sad for the game companies. Sure, they'll enjoy sales. But not as much as if they'd planned their release a bit better. Take Indigo Prophecy: an adventure game that is definitely an adult game in the level of darkness in the story and looks to be real good. But it's by a small company, and there's not a whole lot of buzz about it. And when are they releasing? The same week as Myst V: End of Ages? You got it. Somebody needs to be slapped on that one.
Anyway, enough of my griping. Here's hoping in the future they'll give me a month or two between hot releases.
PS: I would have linked you for Myst V, but the url contains http://www.gamespot.com/pc/adventure/mystvendoF-A-Ges/index.html?q=myst, which is against TOS for me to post. Anybody want to take a guess at just how irate I am right this particular minute? And I swear, if I get modded for censor bypassing in this postscript, I'll be cancelling my GS complete account due to horsecrap.
Comments
I do see your point about the industry swamping hardcore gamers, but... it works, doesn't it? You still buy the titles you want, no matter what. Statistics show that games sell better in the holiday season window regardless of their hype or quality. It's an unfortunate truth of the current industry, and it's not going to change for a long time. Why don't you do your part? Don't buy them if you can't play them all instantly. Wait for the price drop. Gluttonous spending at the holidays only encourages this production binge.
"Grrr. What will wind up happening is that these three games that I might have gotten will probably not be purchased by me. It would overstretch my gaming money budget, and also my time budget. By the time I get to buy a new game, something else will be out that I'm more interested in (Elder Scrolls, Oblivion, maybe?), or it'll be next year and I'll pick the game up in the bargain bin."
Translation: I won't buy them all. I will buy The Sims: Nightlife. I had planned on buying Fable, and I was interested in Dragonshard. Fable will wait until Christmas. And by Christmas, Oblivion is supposed to be out. Soooo - that means my Christmas game will probably be Oblivion and the odds of me getting Fable will have decreased exponentially.
Most likely, I will not buy Fable, Dragonshard, or Indigo Prophecy, and if I do, it will probably be about mid-next year (well after there's been a price drop). And, again - by mid-next year I'm sure there will be other games out that I'd rather have. The odds of me getting those three games are about 10%.
Dkittels
That's not to say you've got nothing to whine about.. more to say I empathise. But there's not much of a clue for the game industry to catch, considering that the closer their releases are to the holiday season, the more likely they are to still have shelf space when Black Friday comes around, thus guaranteeing sales. A sad but true.