We all have at least one of those games in our past. You know the ones. The story sounds amazing. The early, "leaked" art is gorgeous. And nothing – repeat, nothing – is going to stand between you and your local game store when it opens, whether it's midnight or 10 a.m.
You get it home, play for a while, and... wonder how much you could get for it as a same-day trade-in. Or maybe eBay, if you can remember your login. You feel violated... sad... tricked. As you gaze at the game in your hands, you solemnly vow, with Roger Daltrey as your witness, that you will NOT be fooled again.
At which point you pick up that complimentary videogame magazine from your local videogame store, and see a six-page exclusive spread on another game that looks really, really cool...
Sigh.
This year has had some very solid titles to date, and the second half of the year promises to be stellar. By this time next year, we'll know which games lived up to the early hype, which fell short, and which ones will join Duke Nukem Forever in the release abyss. (Hey, did you hear it's REALLY coming out? I'll believe it when I actually see it.)
But all that's all in the future. Today, all I have to go on is early buzz, "leaked" stories, screenshots, developer track record and a game video or two. Based on these highly unscientific factors, I have chosen the following games that absolutely cannot suck.
In other words: Developers, don't screw these up!
Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4
Platforms: Nintendo DS, PC, PlayStation 3, PSP, Wii and Xbox 360
U.S. Street Date: June 29, 2010 (available now)
This game has two big things going for it: First, past Lego games have been very solid, despite annoying save schemes (30+ minutes to a save point? Utter fail when a 7-year-old only has 20 minutes to play before dinner, bath and bed!). Second, the Harry Potter IP is "highly revered," which roughly translates to, "the people who stand to make money off it keep a watchful eye on any and all projects bearing the HP logo to ensure they achieve a suitable quality bar." This particular venture promises to take players through the first four years at Hogwarts (through the Goblet of Fire challenges!), which means getting to some pretty freaky developments for younger HP fans.
For example: (SPOILER ALERT) The developers say they've used humor to lighten up some of the scarier moments. For example, Voldemort chases a unicorn with a knife and fork.
Reason I'm concerned: Did I mention that saving in Lego games has never been particularly easy? Thank goodness for the Nintendo DS version.
Dead Rising 2
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
U.S. Street date: September 28, 2010
The original Dead Rising dropped players in the middle of a huge, well-armed mall with teeming hordes of the infected and, worse, timed missions. If you could let go of the "the truth" (main mission), you could have a grand old time hacking and whacking and slashing. Hell, I didn't even mind the escort missions. (Some escorts may have become zombie food. That's life in the Willamette Mall!) Dead Rising 2 moves the action to Fortune City, a thinly-veiled Las Vegas knock-off. Early videos promise co-op, bizarre new murder weapons and tons more folks to kill a second time.
I'm also excited about an Xbox Live Arcade game called Dead Rising 2: Case Zero that will drop sometime this summer to let you level up Chuck (the new protagonist) and fill in some backstory that connects the dots between the two games.
Reason I'm concerned: The developers have said the "Japanese" feel of the original game alienated some western players... so they, uh, fixed that for us. What's not clear is, does that refer to the bizarre (fun) aspects of the game (oh look, a katana sword outside of Not-Starbucks!), or the suck-tastic timed missions. I'm hoping it's the latter.
Fallout: New Vegas
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
U.S. Street date: October 19, 2010
As the name implies, the next Fallout RPG takes place in an alternate-universe version of Las Vegas. The game takes place three years after Fallout 3 (set in Washington, D.C.), but with an all-new cast and storyline. Developers say old-school Fallout fans will see some familiar names (California Republic and Caesar's Legion) plus revamped versions of past enemies (Nightkin) returned from the archives to make your life more interesting... or a living hell. Pluses include twice as many weapons as Fallout 3 and a hardcore mode for super masochists.
Reason I'm concerned: Twice as many anything doesn't mean quality – just quantity. The game has a definite Western feel, which is not my thing. And finally, Fallout 3 has outlasted every other game in my gaming library. Many games have been bought and sold/given away in the time I've continued to play Fallout 3. The bar here is very, very, very high.
...And the Rest
Why wait until summer to have my dreams crushed? I'm looking forward to playing these games in the next days or weeks: Red Dead Redemption (Grand Theft Auto in the old West), Toy Story 3 (the licensed game that could, if the reviews are true), Alan Wake (hailed as a worthy successor to my all-time favorite game franchise, Silent Hill, though so far I've been underwhelmed) and Halo: Reach (because it's Halo, dammit!).
I can only hope.
I for one cannot WAIT for Fallout! I have a little concern as well that they might have changed the game TOO much, but it is still a game I'd wait out in the rain for.
I did like Dead Rising, but it was such a pain in the a** that it made killing zombies totally unfun. Having to get certain tasks done in a very small timeframe took the fun out of exploring and finding new ways to kill zombies. I will still probably get Dead Rising 2, but it's just not as exciting as Fallout.
And I already beat Alan Wake. It was good, but also annoying at parts. I'd buy the sequel, but probably as a used purchase....