What Did I Miss?

Rather than simply being late to the party it seems that I’ve completely missed it for some key titles that people freaked out over in 2010.

Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood is one game that’s definitely on my radar, though. Don’t worry, Ezio, I’m coming back to stealth around terribly. After being late to the Assassin’s Creed 2 party, it was particularly nice to hear of this release being just around the corner at the time, but I don’t know… the price seems a little steep for my wallet at the moment, never seems to get any cheaper when I check it and it’s particularly painful after getting the Game of the Year edition of Assassin’s Creed 2 for such a good price. You cheapskate, I hear you cry, would you let mere money get in the way of your gaming experience, your chance to command a whole crew of assassins to funky hip hop music if the trailer is to be believed? Why yes, yes I would. Don’t worry though… Once that baby drops in price, it’s mine. All mine. Cross my heart, no trade-ins.

Call of Duty: Black Ops is completely off my radar. Not being a first-person shooter fanatic has a lot to do with this, as well as just generally being bored with the formula. It’s nothing against whoever developed it, but I had my fill with the release of Modern Warfare 2, and I’m unlikely to go back to this series of games in the future.

As a Disney fanatic though, I’m rather ashamed to say that I completely forgot about Epic Mickey. I’ve totally remembered it now, along with the lovely-looking themed Wiimote charge station and paintbrush nunchuck. The thought of running through classic Disney settings, with darker twists here and then is really appealing, both cute and creepy, but with a classic happy ending. I hope, anyway.

Everything being dark and scary in Limbo, it’s something that I’ve stayed away from. I don’t cope with scary very well, and even though this was highly recommended by just about everyone, I don’t really think it’s for me. The demo and the first terrifying spider, the horrible death that ensued and my subsequent screaming just about proves that.

I’ve also missed out on Red Dead Redemption. It’s mostly because it’s a Rockstar game, and I didn’t really enjoy the shootout mechanics of Grand Theft Auto 4, finding them as frustrating as hell. The thought of a good story is quite attractive though, but not so much the idea of wandering around in a western wasteland not really knowing what to do with myself. Maybe after I’ve peeled myself away from Fallout: New Vegas. So that’ll be in the next two years, then…

After having a brief go on Rock Band 3 at Eurogamer and loving the formula as always as well as the inclusion of one of my favourite bands, I never rushed out to buy it. I suppose because what I really want to get out of this game are the pro modes, and those are instruments that I can’t really afford to have doubles of in my household since the regular types are taking up so much space already. Well, I could just get the keyboard, which is truly what I’m the most interested in… The jury’s out on this one (unless someone buys me a full keyboard, and allows me to fulfil my current fancy of being a classical pianist).

The jury’s still out on everything Kinect, also. Being mostly a solitary gamer, the party games on Kinect don’t really appeal to me. I didn’t enjoy Dance Central, but I think that was probably more to do with being forced into doing a song that was far too difficult for my hand-eye co-ordination and rhythm level. The only Kinect game I’m really interested in is Dance Evolution, since it a more arcade-like experience, not so much a party piece as the borderline between showmanship and skill that you frequently see in the rhythm action and dance section at the Trocadero. This will be interesting if/when it hits the arcades. Thinking of dancing to Kimono Princess, for example, makes me very happy! There’s even some Parapara in there, for old time’s sake. Still, one game is not enough to justify such a purchase, especially if I’m not even sure there’s enough space in my house to play it successfully.

Really, I suppose it’s a mixture of taste and opportunity. Some games I’m just not going to pick up despite their glowing reviews and multiple recommendations simply because they’re not my thing. Other games that I’ve missed out on last year are ones that I plan to get at a later date. Just let me continue plodding on through Halo: Reach, Fallout: New Vegas and all of the other great titles that I did pick up last year after all.