On one hand, I'm stupidly loyal to series that are long past their expiration date. I've been that guy that's chugging down a gallon of curdled Final Fantasy releases for quite a while now, to the point where it's easier to beg them to stop that it is me.
On the other, I'm also pretty good at reading the tea leaves, and knowing when a game is going to be shit. See: Aliens - Colonial Marines. I've been at this long enough now that I can typically get a good feel based on not only what the publisher let's us see in advance, but also what they won't let us see in advance.
Sadly, though, #2 never overrides #1. Maybe we can change that this year.
Fable: Anniversary (Xbox 360)
I really enjoyed the first two Fable games, even if they fell well short of Molyneux's promises that they were going to be full life-simulators and that real children were going to literally burst forth from the original Xbox (it was about big enough to gestate a human embryo.)
I enjoyed them, and then finished them, and never envisioned a world in which I would ever go back and play them. Yes, this looks neat, and it has ACHIEVEMENTS, and yes, as I said, I really did enjoy the original game.
However, it has two strikes right out of the gate. One, I've already played this. Two, I can't play it on my Xbox One. Yes, my 360 is still hooked up in another room, but I don't like playing consoles, especially retired consoles, and while this looks kinda interesting, between my backlog and the crush of new releases this year, I'm leaning toward 'no.'
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy: XIII: 3: Lightning Again (Xbox 360)
This whole Final Fantasy XIII franchising thing has always had me scratching my head. My two least-favorite non-MMO numerical Final Fantasy games (X and XIII) both got the sequel treatment, and I've never understood this.
I don't think either is outright offensive, nor a bad game, per se, but there are much better Final Fantasy titles out there with which to build franchises.
Rather, there are better Final Fantasy titles out there with which to make true JRPG sequels, and not horrible third-person shooters that make children and cute animals cry tears of anguished blood.
Either way, Lightning is apparently Returning, and it looks like they've revamped the combat to be more action-oriented after 25 years of success with a more menu-heavy system. Why, you ask, would they do this? Well, it's obviously, uh, hmm, I, uh, well, it's obviously the next step in further alienating a once-tremendous fanbase. And we'll all still buy this shit, so there ya go.
But, it might be great. After the horrid story & characters (but awesome combat) that was Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy X-2 was a pleasant surprise.
Honestly, I'll probably end up being a sucker bitch and buying it, but my logical Vulcan mind says that's a potentially stupid decision.
South Park: The Stick of Truth (PC)
This is one that should be on the 'Curious,' or even 'MUST HAVE' list, given it's blend of pedigrees.
Here's why it's not. Too many delays + change in publisher. Sometimes, when something's allowed to have too many hands changing core concepts over a period of time, the game can end up having a ton of cool features, none of which is particularly polished. This isn't to say it's doomed. It might be great, but I have to wait and see.
Also, it's Ubisoft, so the PC version might get delayed until god knows when.
BUT, it is being developed by Obsidian, which is usually a great thing, and a lot of the marketing has suggested that Matt Stone and Trey Parker are heavily involved.
I actually have a better feeling about this than I do my next game ...
THIEF (PC)
Yeah, it's not really an RPG, but DXHR came close, so I'm counting it.
This game is supposed to be great. It's the same studio, Eidos Montreal, that made Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and you'd think this game would be right up their alley. But ... the tea leaves have me worried. Between the lukewarm previews citing very specific issues with the game, and the studio GM bailing last year because of irreconcilable differences with Squenix ... ya gotta wonder ... it's too bad, because I wanna buy this game and love it. I loved DXHR. I like the Thief series quite a bit, too.
At the same time, some of the issues presented in the previews sounds pretty fucking nitpicky, so it may be alright. We'll find out in less than a month.
Final Fantasy XIV - new content (PC)
My paid time is running out in Eorzea, and as much as I didn't hate my experience there, I'm not sure my subscription to this game is going to survive my summer purge of MMOs, in which only sub will be left standing.
I don't like the lack of voice acting, and while the game itself is actually pretty decent, I'm guessing that its lack of narrative hook will end up dooming it for me.
We'll see, though. A substantial story-based release for the game could keep me in. Anything they can do to make it more a true 'Final Fantasy' game, but online, will make it very hard for me to dump. I'd love nothing more than to immerse myself in a real Final Fantasy world, and this game already comes pretty close, but ESO and SWTOR already have made stronger cases for my $15/month.
In closing ...
I don't want to be a negative Nancy, but these are games I want to want, and something about them makes me cautious, or has diminished my interest.
It is worth noting, too, that these games are all coming out soon, away from the releases in which publishers typically have more confidence. If something hits about this time of year, it indicates either a just-missed holiday release, or it's being dumped, to avoid competing with better games. Bigger releases typically crank up from April to June and then September to November. Games released outside of those windows, due to observed publisher habits, typically bear a little more scrutiny.
These could all be fine games, but have all, for various reasons, incurred a 'wait and see' attitude from me.
What say you? What are your thoughts on these games? You gonna take a chance on them, wait and see, or just avoid them altogether? Let me know!
Tomorrow, I'll be back with my 'Curious' games, the games that I'm very curious about, and am somewhat inclined on which to take a chance.
Thanks for reading!
-Blaine
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