Every time I sit down at my console I'm faced with a choice. African dystopia, prismatic fantasy realm or post-apocalyptic wasteland. Not an easy choice by any means. Rarely have I been presented with such a vast wealth of awesome games to occupy what little free time I have left these days. As difficult a choice it may be, I'm certainly glad for it.
Obviously, there are a lot of really worthwhile games out there right now. Between Fable, Fallout and Far Cry I hardly have time for any other letters of the alphabet. With Mirrors Edge, End War and Left 4 Dead coming soon, I don't think I'll need another game until maybe this time next year.
We've certainly had quite the year so far. It's been said that 2007 was the greatest year for gaming but 2008 seems a more likely choice for the top of any arbitrary list. But are having so many good games so soon really that great?
Sure, on the surface, it's great. Then you realize that you bought the three largest games released in recent years. Each one capable of delivering at least 12 hours of gameplay, at least two of them capable of more than twenty. This is the conundrum I found myself in.
Having bought Fable 2 and been given Far Cry 2, I decided that because of my long history with the series and my unbridled passion for apocalyptic chaos, Fallout 3 would be the natural choice. Now I have three games here at the office that demand my attention for far longer periods than most other games I've played recently. I am doomed to spend long hours switching from game to game, never getting really comfortable in one world before I'm running around like an idiot in the next.
Do yourself a favor. If you plan on getting more than one game at a time, get at least one that has a finite play time. Don't do what I did and go straight for the open worlds. As great as they are, it'd be nice to know about how long it will take me to complete at least one of them. As it stands, I'm lost in all three of the games I have right now. There is so much for me to do, I feel overwhelmed. I guess you really can have too much of a good thing.
