It doesn't surprise me that the video game industry is so far defying the consumer confidence crisis. On a cost-per-minute basis, games are one of the best entertainment values around. I've recently been playing the first Rainbow Six Vegas game with a friend, and when something happened to the disc with five levels left to go, I was reluctant to spend $12 on a used replacement copy... until I realized that we were talking about less than $2.50 per level. Not bad for an en evening of entertainment for two people (four, if you count how much fun our wives have rolling their eyes at us).

Still, I won't spend quite as freely on games as some people (which is I'm only playing RSV1 now, after it became widely available used). So I'm looking over the big draws for the holiday season and not feeling terribly confident about any of them.

Little Big Planet. Maybe I'm getting old, but I don't want to design my own games any more than I want to shoot my own movies. (I don't even particularly want to write my own books, but that's another story.) I get the appeal of LBP to other people, but I don't have hours to spend building levels (or vehicles, Banjo/Kazooie), and if I did, I wouldn't really get a kick out of sharing them with strangers.

Fallout 3. This is at the top of my list. I loved the earlier Fallout games (though this one isn't by the same folks) and I usually like big RPGs. Plus I'm a sucker for the post-apocalyptic in a way I'm not for swords and sorcery. The problem is, I got burned on Mass Effect, which turned out, despite the genuinely awesome new dialog interface, to be a tedious slog with impenetrable resource management. Games are only cost-effective if you actually spend 40-100 hours playing them. Positive reviews like this one worry me when they compare it to "a sightseeing trip." I don't mind a slowly-developed story, as long as it's interesting the whole way. And the problem with a game like this is that you can't rent it for a night to see if you like it, since it really takes at least a few days to know for sure (yeah, I know some people do weekend-long marathons. I don't). Of all the games out now, this is the one I'm most likely to take a gamble on.

Fable 2. I know people love the concept, but to me it has even greater potential for not being terribly fun as an actual game. Zero Punctuation's Yahtzee (about the only critic I trust since Charles Herold left the Times) stokes my fears.

Mirror's Edge. I played the demo last night and I totally get it. It reminds me of the first time I played Spider-Man 2 in the sense of providing the excitement of a completely new and remarkably compelling movement mechanic. Except that web-slinging was fast and fun. You felt like you were swinging through buildings. ME has clearly been intentionally designed to feel like hard work (right down to the heavy breathing). I suppose that's a better simulation of the parkour experience, I just personally want something a touch more superhuman. Also, I'm a bit worried about the learning curve, and the reviews saying that other than the novel travel style, it's not much of a game (much like Spider-Man 2).

Spider-Man: Web of Shadows. Because I did love S-M2 and this reportedly does have a solid game attached to it. But the reviews have been mixed. I'll need a demo or a rental.

Left4Dead. Another demo I played last night. Holy crap was it fun. It took the feel of my favorite FPS, Half-Life 2, stuck it in a present-day zombie infested city, and cranked up the adrenaline several notches. The problem is, it's designed from the ground-up for online multiplayer, and I just don't do that. I know, it's the future of gaming and everything, so maybe this is another generational thing. I would love to play L4D online with actual friends (as opposed to asshole teenagers) but I don't have many actual friends on XBL, so this game is, sadly, out.

Dead Space. Another game I've heard good things about. Charles Herold was even tentatively positive about it after a few levels. But what did Yahtzee say? What do you think? This is definitely one I'll rent first.

Gears of War 2. I didn't like the first one. Too much work, not enough brains.

End War. Downloaded the demo, but couldn't bring myself to play it. The very idea of talking to the game turned me off. I'll try it when I'm in a different frame of mind.

Soul Caliber IV. Again, I need something with more single-player appeal. Definitely when the price drops, though.

Portal: Still Alive. Argh. I hate the idea of paying for a game I already have. But then again, it's easily one of the best games I've ever played. And with 14 new levels that's just a little more than a dollar per level...

Anything I'm leaving out?

Posted by Daniel Radosh