The Flow of Consciousness

Within two or three months’ time, there have been so many good game releases that even the most hardcore gamers find their wallets uncomfortably light, or entirely weightless.

BioShock, August 21: $50.
Medal of Honor Airborne, September 4: $42
World In Conflict, September 18: $50
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, October 2: $50
The Orange Box, October 9: $45
Hellgate: London, October 30: $50
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, November 5: $50
Crysis, November 13: $50
Unreal Tournament III, November 19: $50

On top of those, there are a few expansions to major games:

Company Of Heroes: Opposing Fronts, September 24: $40
Neverwinter Nights 2 Expansion Pack: Mask of the Betrayer, October 9: $30

I want almost all of these games. However, I’ve got tops $50 to spend. I played the ETQW and Crysis demos, and I’m sure that UT3 will be good simply because UT2k4 was awesome.

There are too many nearly simultaneous releases. Gamers aren’t going to be ready to go pick up another game—they’re too busy playing a game that just cost them a day’s worth of work.

More than likely, I’m just going to wait until Black Friday to buy any of them. Last year, I got BF2142 and NWN2 for $25 each. I’d like to buy them through Steam, but Steam rarely has price reductions or sales unless the game’s been out for a few months.