Is It Possible To Have Too Many Great Games At Once?
Dead SpaceIt's a great question to ask, because an entirely negative answer doesn't really exist. However, it's always worth talking about, primarily because everyone seems to have a wide variety of opinions on the matter.
Perhaps you hadn't noticed, but between October and November, it's not necessarily about the number of games, but more specifically, about the number of quality games in the hopper. Most of you are well aware of the usual suspects, but just as a reminder- Bioshock, Dead Space, LittleBigPlanet (review coming very soon!), Saints Row 2 (ditto!), Fable II, MotorStorm: Pacific Rift, Fallout 3, Legendary, Gears of War 2, Call of Duty: World at War, Rock Band 2, Guitar Hero: World Tour, Resistance 2, SOCOM: Confrontation, etc, etc, etc. Now, I'm certain I missed several, but that's exactly the point- is there such a thing as too many great games in too short a time? I believe there are two sides to this argument. Here's the first side:
Yes, it is: The reason is interesting. Given all these great games, it's a guarantee that a few will be so fantastic as to stand out from the rest. But as most people can't afford to purchase a half-dozen games every time they visit GameStop, it's also a guarantee that they'll have to prioritize. Most everyone will have to pick a few, and that means only the best of the best get to go home with the individual. On the flip side, this logically means that many "great" games have to take a backseat to the "amazing" titles, thereby turning them into the "instantly under-appreciated." For example, what happens if Legendary turns out to be excellent, but not quite as awesome as Resistance 2 or Far Cry 2? Yep, a truly worthwhile game goes widely ignored, and it's just no good when this happens.
No, it's not: This is as straightforward as it gets: regardless of when they come out, the industry and gamers will always benefit from more great games. While it's true that some deserving titles will be overlooked, this doesn't mean we won't get around to them at some point. There are droughts during the year, and it's always fun to have games on the back burner. Not only will you always have something to play, but those aforementioned under-appreciated titles may be cheaper by the time you get to them. Furthermore, with such a goodly array of games out there, just about everyone should be able to find something that interests them. Even if you're not a FPS fan, you've still got LittleBigPlanet. Even if you're not an action/adventure fan, you've still got MotorStorm: Pacific Rift and Fallout 3. It's just win-win everywhere you look.
So the question is, which side are you on? ;)
10/19/2008 Ben Dutka
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Comments (48 posts)
caliblue15
Sunday, October 19, 2008 @ 10:39:28 PM
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Joema
Sunday, October 19, 2008 @ 11:23:54 PM
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GoldenShadow
Sunday, October 19, 2008 @ 10:45:06 PM
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I have pre-ordered fallout 3, eternal sonata, little big planet, resistance 2, and valkyria chronicles. I am looking forward to playing them all and discussing them with my friends. However due to the close spacing of the release dates I will not be able to focus on one in particular.
In regards to little big planet I was planning spending a good 2-3 hours (at least) a day on it, I had the same plan for Fallout 3. But I cant very well spend 6 hours a day gaming, unfortunately. So I find my self prioritizing, and having to put a great game like Fallout 3 on the back-burner so I can be up to date with LBP. This is quite frustrating to me, and I know that once Resistance 2 comes out, not long after Fallout 3 and LBP, I will start playing it immediately.
In summary, I am very happy with the fact that these games are coming out, but I can't help myself: I need to play them all, but I can't.
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Advent Child
Sunday, October 19, 2008 @ 10:50:21 PM
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Rock Band 2 - Today
Midnight Club L.A. - 10/20
Far Cry 2 - 10/21
Star Ocean: First Departure - 10/21
Fable 2 - 10/21
Eternal Sonata - 10/21
Bioshock - 10/21
Guitar Hero: World Tour - 10/26
C
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Advent Child
Sunday, October 19, 2008 @ 10:50:49 PM
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BigBoss4ever
Sunday, October 19, 2008 @ 11:36:10 PM
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My time comes when WKC, The Last Remnant, Star Ocean 4, FF13, FFv13, Agito 13, ICO III, Chrono Break (day dreaming for this one if u know wut i am talking about lol) are released, then I will be in total heaven. lol ( I certainly do understand the equal greatness other genre of games have achieved.) But me only love grand JRPG games.
Last edited by BigBoss4ever on 10/19/2008 11:39:47 PM
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The_Vandelizer
Sunday, October 19, 2008 @ 11:51:18 PM
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recks1jtp
Monday, October 20, 2008 @ 12:02:06 AM
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Reccaman18
Monday, October 20, 2008 @ 9:13:09 AM
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Daedusian
Monday, October 20, 2008 @ 12:35:21 AM
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Legendary I think (actually I know, lol) will be a flop. It only took me one glimpse of the giant collosal in NYC (you know the one that's made up of 18 wheelers/cars/street signs/pavement/etc./etc.) to say that the game is going to suck... badly. Lol sry I have no confidence in it but I will be surprised if it gets anywhere near an A rating.
But yeah, I get your point about all of the games coming out... eeeexcept for that one lol.
Last edited by Daedusian on 10/20/2008 12:36:28 AM
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Dealnightfire
Monday, October 20, 2008 @ 1:01:37 AM
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Ultimadream
Monday, October 20, 2008 @ 2:59:59 AM
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btw My text keeps getting cut-off when i post, ever since the 2.5 PS update, this took me 5 edits!
Last edited by Ultimadream on 10/20/2008 3:09:09 AM
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caliblue15
Monday, October 20, 2008 @ 6:17:44 AM
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MirrorSoul
Monday, October 20, 2008 @ 6:33:22 AM
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SpinningBeat
Monday, October 20, 2008 @ 9:39:51 AM
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LunaticFringe
Monday, October 20, 2008 @ 9:22:47 AM
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you would think the studios would have a system in place to strategically release games, when they know there isn't any real competition. I remember when spiderman the movie came out, I saw it 3 times (with different friends) only because there wasn't anything else really playing at the time. It was a perfect release.
It's almost as if when they finish a game, it's a mad rush to just get it into the hands of gamers. maybe that has something to do with technologies expiration date, I don't know.
you could probably argue, that that rush to get games into the stores is a double edged sword. we get our games sooner,( sometimes at the cost of quality of game) But the gamemakers are forced to compete against alot of other games all at one time (which could hurt them financially).
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DeadReaper
Monday, October 20, 2008 @ 9:28:13 AM
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LunaticFringe
Monday, October 20, 2008 @ 9:42:58 AM
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I would love to wake up and say " what $10 game do I want to buy this month..oh wait I'll buy them all."
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LunaticFringe
Monday, October 20, 2008 @ 9:49:26 AM
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Every so often i take a gamble on a big title..but you guys are investment advisors
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BlinkBoy
Monday, October 20, 2008 @ 10:12:22 AM
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Think I got more PS3 games than PS2 games already.
Some flops but mostly good games. I have ordered, LBP, Bioshock, LEGO:Batman, Golden Axe and Valkyria Chronicles.
I am actually considering Resistance 2, but I haven't played the first game yet so need to buy it cheap from platinum stack. I am not just big on FPS games, but R2s co-op sounds interesting.
Last edited by BlinkBoy on 10/20/2008 10:14:07 AM
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LunaticFringe
Monday, October 20, 2008 @ 10:15:24 AM
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Joe_III
Monday, October 20, 2008 @ 11:11:39 AM
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Games have been pushed forward/back in the past so that they could directly compete or avoid competition with other games (anyone remember Halo2/GTA?). So the problem isn't actual dev cycles or anything like that.
The main problem is that most publishers feel a need to make the holiday push, because that's supposed to be a big sales boost. (I kinda doubt that there is an actual boost, but I dunno)
Big games are going to sell well despite the season. I don't recall anyone lamenting GTA4 not having sold that well.
If two good games come out at the same time, yeah the better game is going to be bought initially, but most of those same people will be buying the second one in a month or so, because lets face it: There are probably only 6 decent games per console every year, and almost everyone who owns those consoles will have played each of them.
The only problem with that however is that low monthly sales for a number of months doesn't look as good as really high initial sales to publishers for reasons unbeknownst to me.
The only games that do not fit this model are games with an artificially inflated worth (ahem! Kane and Lynch). Those depend on initial sales because they know they cant keep the fact that they're game sucks donkey balls hidden forever (ahem! marvel ultimate alliance).
More good games are never a bad thing. The problem is the same as in every other market: dumb consumers. Relatives of gamers and retarded gamers who consistently buy shitty games because they're too cheap and it was recently discounted, or because they believed ign that the game's rating was 5 stars, or because they just didn't care, it was a gift.
Dumb consumers is why we cant have nice things, and for every good product out there, there are about 50 that shoudl have their creators executed in the streets.
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Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Monday, October 20, 2008 @ 12:15:27 PM
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Arvis
Monday, October 20, 2008 @ 1:14:15 PM
Fortunately, that statement isn't ALWAYS true. While it is a TRAVESTY that City of Ember is a box-office bomb and Beverly Hills Freakin Chihuahua is raking it in, the "LOTR"s and "Iron Man"s of this world still draw crowds. So let's take some comfort from that...
-Arvis
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Joe_III
Monday, October 20, 2008 @ 1:31:14 PM
And we must remember, that minors account for at least half of the console market. Which means that at least half of the game sales yearly come from uninformed consumers.
Great products will always sell well because business is a meritocracy. But no product -- be it game, console, or toasters -- sells as well (or as poorly) as it deserves because there are people out there who will buy something just because it's either in there price range or because they can't be troubled making an informed decision.
Part of the problem (especially nowadays) is the online review system. At first it was great, then people realized that you can use it for other purposes. Spore got hosed on amazon because a bunch of pirates gave it a 1 star rating because of DRM. Then there's other products that have 5 star ratings because they realized that EVERY EMPLOYEE IN THE COMPANY can give their craptacular product a good review. Goddamn I hate retarded capitalism.
But I digress...
My point is that if you don't believe in the base stupidity of the US population as a whole (not going to generalize yet), we wouldn't have had Bush for 4 years, much less 8.
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Jed
Monday, October 20, 2008 @ 5:34:56 PM
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dbyzforce
Monday, October 20, 2008 @ 11:18:11 AM
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shindelion
Monday, October 20, 2008 @ 1:30:08 PM
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shindelion
Monday, October 20, 2008 @ 1:28:38 PM
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Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Monday, October 20, 2008 @ 2:40:16 PM
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Joe: You too have a point, and I will be the very first to assault the declining intelligence of our population, especially when it comes to entertainment. But I really do believe the gaming industry sets itself apart in this regard. While your relatives and other uneducated people will give you crappy games, those who PLAY games know what's good, and they typically give deserving developers their just due. Very rarely does a great game go overlooked, and quality seems to be rewarded more often in this industry than in any other entertainment venue.
I see this as a testament to the gamers, who I still believe to be the most intelligent and most savvy when it comes to what they actually purchase in regards to their chosen hobby.
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Jed
Monday, October 20, 2008 @ 5:40:06 PM
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Joe_III
Monday, October 20, 2008 @ 7:11:02 PM
Yeah, the gaming industry is a somewhat different beast than general, but a number of things are similar, and the specifics I mention are the ones that hurt the hardcore the most. I agree, very rarely does a great game go overlooked, but a lot of games sell more than they should.
Some Examples:
Halo 3. It sold heaps not only because it was a trilogy, but because it was getting 9's and 10's when it deserved 7's and 8's.
Heavenly Sword. Massive advertising blitzes across all mediums. This was a game that my dad called me up about because he saw an ad for on TV. Sold in great numbers despite the mediocre reviews it got.
Marvel Ultimate Alliance. If anyone who worked for me put a game like that out I would summarily dismiss them. Poor graphics, poor controls, poor plot, I cannot think of a single redeeming aspect. Yet it scored pretty good reviews.
Madden. Madden has always oversold because they've been the big kids on the block, and the whole exclusivity has NOT helped things out any.
There are a few diamonds in the rough out there, but with as many gaming websites and as much marketing as there is, that is more the exception than the rule.
All I'm saying is that if you believe in such a thing as too many great games at once, you might be better off with a Wii. You won't have to worry about that there.
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SplendidBlended
Monday, October 20, 2008 @ 3:47:50 PM
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But I guess this is a good thing...?
In some ways the release delay for LBP has helped me, because by then I'll have my next paycheck.
But for the most part I'm happy, because up until now there really haven't been many games out that looked good enough to buy. Maybe this has something to do with me being one of the rare few girls who own a PS3...I still wish they would make more games that appeal to female gamers, but this probably isn't going to happen any time soon.
Last edited by SplendidBlended on 10/20/2008 3:50:05 PM
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LightShow
Monday, October 20, 2008 @ 4:47:51 PM
Not that it's a problem for me ^_^ if your a racing fan pick up Wipeout HD. It's wort 3x as much as they charge.
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LightShow
Monday, October 20, 2008 @ 4:33:51 PM
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most can't afford to buy 6 games at once. Thats $360! People will prioritize, but it doesnt mean they wont be making the purchase of the other games eventually
As far as Dead Space and Bioshock go, eh, whatever. I'm what most would call a "conservative" gamer. Shock value (beyond Jak being Mar!) is not my thing. I'm the guy who's never picked up Resident Evil to play. I cringe when some mutilated entity rears its ugly head. I'm not the guy, however, who gets all depressed and yells "how on earth could such demonic games be so popular?!" into the night ^_^
Platformers, jRpgs, and the occasional FPS is my thing. Survival horror? Not my thing. If your going to buy it, however, i hope you have fun. $60 is a lot of cash to waste =D
Last edited by LightShow on 10/20/2008 4:44:05 PM
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WorldEndsWithMe
Monday, October 20, 2008 @ 4:43:34 PM
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tlpn99
Monday, October 20, 2008 @ 5:04:39 PM
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Hey its holidays maybe some of them could be gotten as gifts. Although the last time a relative got me a computer game was back on my commodore 64 and it was on cassette tape and it cost £10 lol. Think it was Shinobi or Out Run.
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Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Monday, October 20, 2008 @ 6:30:41 PM
Heh...then you'll have a lot to play for many, many months. ;)
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Jed
Monday, October 20, 2008 @ 5:46:11 PM
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Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Monday, October 20, 2008 @ 7:52:54 PM
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Joe_III
Tuesday, October 21, 2008 @ 12:54:12 AM
I'll have to agree to disagree I guess. I just hate watching movies while watching the screen for buttons to mash.
Other examples could be Kane and Lynch, Army of 2, Prince of persia part 2, Assassin's creed.
All reviewed way higher than they deserved, and all with huge advertising blitzes...
Last edited by Joe_III on 10/21/2008 12:55:07 AM
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Arvis
Tuesday, October 21, 2008 @ 12:44:26 PM
-Arvis
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Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Tuesday, October 21, 2008 @ 10:27:29 AM
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And as for those games there, they didn't sell well, except Assassin's Creed, which deserved to. It was fantastic.
Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 10/21/2008 10:27:50 AM
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Draguss
Tuesday, October 21, 2008 @ 5:48:26 PM
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Minishmaru
Tuesday, October 21, 2008 @ 5:59:46 PM
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Minishmaru
Tuesday, October 21, 2008 @ 5:59:52 PM
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aV muse
Wednesday, October 29, 2008 @ 5:38:45 AM
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But there are diffently to many games coming out during october-december to buy, a rentfest is about to begin!
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Joema
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Sunday, October 19, 2008 @ 10:34:50 PM