Its Summer, the barren wasteland of gaming.  But, August is coming and it brings the yearly deluge of games for the Fall season with it.  I haven't cataloged all the games I am looking forward to this year for the same reason I fail to do it every year.  I am afraid.  I am afraid of the amount of money its going to cost me to get all the games I am waiting to play.  Too Human, Mercenaries 2, and SOCOM: Confrontation are the first three games to come to mind.  But, then there is Gears of War 2, Resistance 2, and Fable 2. 

In 30 seconds I just listed $240 worth of games at retail price.  No, that was not the full list, either.

Now, granted, I will likely reactivate my Gamefly account to deal with this flood of games.  But, this will only suffice for games where the single player portion is king.  Too Human, Mercenaries, and Fable 2 feel like short term titles that will do best as rentals.  I will play them to completion, and then return them from whence they came.  Its the first person shooters that present the greatest problems.  These games are driven more by their online experiences than their single player contributions.  Buying them is a risk.  What if my friends don't like it?  I will be left holding onto a game that has had most of its entertainment potential ripped from its guts.  We're coming on nine months since the games release, yet I'm still playing Call of Duty 4 on a regular, nearly daily basis.  This is largely because I have friends that still play it.

And, lets not forget the glut of rehashed sports games that I will be compelled to play.  These games are usually entertaining for the length of their respective sports seasons.  They can not really be rented, rather they must be purchased and then strategically used as trade bait towards a new game before their retail trade-in value plummets.

I love you Fall gaming season.  You are every bit as cruel and harsh as the Summer gaming season, yet I love you still.  BRING ON THE GAMES!!
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I'm a Troublemaker.