Games that are really going to hurt my wallet

So, I'm supposed to be going back to my final year of university next month, and having spent the last year in full-time employment, I'm shocked to realise that I actually won't have a steady flow of money entering my bank account to allow for random iTunes downloads and that random t-shirt that I thought looked funny but I'll never wear. More problematic than this, for a first-world middle-class white male, is that there are some SWEET games coming out before Christmas this year, and being a Playstation fanboy, my experiencing these games is probably going to take president over say, my dissertation or final year exams.

In any case, I just wanted to go through some of the games that will be gracing our, or just my, screens before 2012 when the world absolutely doesn't end.

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

So it's been a good couple of years since Oblivion came out, and Bethesda has come a long way since then. The Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas were amazing open world games that distracted us for months on end, and now they're bringing out the next instalment in their Elder Scrolls series. The footage and information release so far has got me obsessively hyped for that 11-11-11 release date. Here are a few of the things I'm excited about:

- The looks - if you have a look on IGN or any other reputable gaming site, you'll probably find a few trailers and screenshots for Skyrim. The ten playable races look great, much better than the slightly freaky features of the Oblivion crowd, and the scenery is mesmerizing. As a gamer who enjoys the aspect of role-playing, I'm all for just walking around in the forest, admiring a peaceful family of deer before inevitably being mugged by orc bandits.

- The AI - the Fallout games in recent years have shown that the AI of Bethesda's games are good for those who just want something to watch. Again, as I like roleplaying, sometimes I would just sit my character around with a NPC and see what he/she did with their day, and sometimes they would just stand around, while other times they would actually venture out into the wasteland for something to do. I like that element of gameplay - the idea that even if you weren't around, the characters would be continuing on with their days. That seems to be the case in Skyrim, with NPC's having actual roles within the communities they inhabit. You can literally watch a character work on a mill for a whole day, and if you decide to meddle with his work, this will have real effects on the community. Now, when you decide to go on a random killing spree, there are going to be some real effects besides there being a warrant for your arrest. It'll add an interesting dynamic to the gameplay.

- Relationships - This is a bit of a side note, but you have the ability in Skyrim to marry characters in the world. Randomly, I came across a story that you can marry characters of the same sex as your own character, and I liked the response that was given, which you can find here http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/119/1190403p1.html

It pains me to think that people would be so homophobic that they would fault a game in which you can murder innocent civilians with an axe for allowing a same sex marriage between a lizardman and a catwoman. 

- The levelling system - I haven't got my head around this completely, but it seems the levelling of your character has been adjusted from the Oblivion style of assigning points to certain attributes. It looks like you can improve your character's skills by simply repeating those skills; for example, using a one handed weapon repeatedly will increase your ability in using one handed weapons. Makes sense to me. They also seem to have added in the popular perks style system from Fallout 3, which is great.

- Dragons - Holy shit dude, there are dragons! And they literally pop out anywhere, so that brisk walk through the forest that I was talking about could easily be interrupted by a pissed off and dangerous flying beast. I also like the idea that after a gruelling battle with said dragon, I could quite easily turn around with my sword held high to find another dragon perched a few yards from me, just waiting to take me out in my weakened state. The reps from Bethesda have also alluded to the fact that not all dragons are out to kill you, which should make for some interesting gameplay.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Yeah so I played the Battlefield games and I didn't really get into it, I don't know, I'm not really a die-hard shooter fan, but the Call of Duty games hit the spot for me. The story of Modern Warfare 2 was a bit on the short side, so hopefully there will be more to see in this upcoming title, and of course the big deal is the online multiplayer. I've enjoyed playing Black Ops for a while now, so I'm looking forward to this one.

Batman: Arkham City

Arkham Asylum was a great game, with satisfying stealth elements and some iconic badass Batman moments, not to mention a great voice cast with particular kudos to Mark Hamill as the Joker. Arkham City seems to be adding a wider world to explore, more baddies to bust up, and hopefully more gadgets to play with. There'll also be the addition of Catwoman, which looks like leathery fun, as well as Robin, who definitely looks more like a cage fighter than a camp boy-scout in this edition

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I'm looking forward to getting my hands on this, and let's be honest, Batman is probably the only DC superhero worth our time. I don't like Superman, and the Green Lantern doesn't do it for me either. But that's probably just me.

Star Wars: The Old Republic


I have to say, I have avoided subscription based MMORPG's like the plague since they started; and the connotations of overweight dudes stuck to their PC screens has always made me wary. But I love Star Wars, and I love Bioware. The Knights of the Old Republic games were worth shelling out for an X-box for, and this game looks awesome.

The gameplay footage I've seen looks pretty sweet, but the thing that is really drawing me in is the promise of keeping the same Bioware storytelling that has kept all of its games at the top of RPG endeavours at the forefront of the game, despite being a MMORPG. In conversations with NPC's, if you are playing with a group, who gets to answer any questions or make a speech is randomly decided, with every player having the opportunity to effect the storyline in some way. The things that are bugging me now? Having to decide what class to play as (do I go for the predictable first choice as a Jedi, or a wisecracking Smuggler, a tough as nails Trooper, or do I give in to the dark side and kick ass as a Sith Warrior or a ball-busting Bounty Hunter?), and the niggling feeling that I'm going to hate the subscription fee. But I will have this game, one way or another.

Other notable mentions


Lord of the Rings: The War in the North - I'm a LOTR fan as well, and I like the idea of another RPG, seeing as Lord of the Rings: The Third Age on the PS2 was pretty good
Dead Island - I've seen a lot of talk about this game, the previous instalments kind of passed me by, but might be worth a look
X-Men: Destiny - Another RPG with another popular franchise; will it be worth shelling out for? My wallet is already getting raped here
Uncharted 3 - Looks awesome and will likely continue epic platforming
Assassins Creed Revelations  - I'm interested to see how Ezio will manage, as he's meant to have aged considerably since his first outing.
Mass Effect 3 - Won't be coming out until March next year, but I cannot wait to jump in with the Normandy again and save Earth from the Reapers!

Happy gaming!