I have decided that I am only buying 3 games in the next 2 years. There is so much garbage out there right now I am going to give things a chance to even out. it used to be that i would always stay a year behind release schedule in order to sift out the good titles by games building a reputation amongst friends and on websites. I invested heavily in new tech in the last two years though so I have wanted to capitalize on this by buying newer games. This hasn't worked out well for me.

It seems to me that the studios are panicking. They are trying to keep a constant revenue stream by claiming to have "blockbusters" in constant supply. This is never true. I will tell you why for two reasons;

1) You can not write a blockbuster. A blockbuster is what happens if people latch on to your game and the community adopts it as a cherished title. it works the same with album sales. You don't start with success, you hope for it.

2) You can not get LOTS of people to LOVE a game. Niche titles are loved as they appeal to a narrow band of the population. As soon as you try to make a popular title then you decrease it's niche appeal -> Anyone else tired of the strong girls in tight clothing and the anti-hero. The more studios crowbar marketable features into a game, the greater it annyos the people who would love any original features that were there. Stop being so DESPERATE studios!!!!

No-one expects games to be made out of charity anymore. We are a long way from Homeworld, that was mostly coded above a garage. The sharks own gaming now and they think that it is possible to manipulate game consumers in the same way as film-makers try. This is not going to work for a one-word reason....

STORY.

Great games have a well defined reality that doesn't compromise in order to gain mass appeal.The roots of gaming all stem from adventure driven gaming, escapism and immersion. These make a game feel apart from reality and thus worth visiting. We don't need games that challenge traditional gender roles or explore hip-hop culture. Let movies do that. Gamers don't need to be preached at, they want to be offered an alternative to reality, not reality re-packaged in a space suit. By the way-

I might not be talking about ALL gamers here but certianly the gamers who would part with more than £30 for a title plus buy all the DLC.

Atnyway, this is becoming a rant and is frankly the substance that I should be writing in articles and getting paid for, not giving away for free. I started by saying 3 last games in 2 years and here they are....

FPS- Section 8
RTS - Starcraft 2 or Command and Conquer 4
3rd title - Well.... I'm still waiting to be impressed enough for that one.