2010 is so last year. We played a few blockbusters and some stinkers along the way. We found hidden gems and landmines. Only one thing is for certain: we get to do it all again this year in 2011!
Looking back on 2010 I realize that I bought a lot of games last year, probably a few too many for a poor grad student who lives off of peanut butter and jelly. So, putting the 2011 releases to paper makes my stomach churn a bit. Below is a list of 40+ games that are supposed to hit store shelves for the remainder of 2011. This is not a comprehensive list by any stretch. Frankly, after I hit 30 titles I felt like it was enough to get my point across… At least that’s what I tell myself so that I can sleep at night.
Remaining 2011 Notable Releases:
1) Duke Nukem Forever (360/PS3/PC)
2) L.A. Noire (360/PS3)
3) Torchlight 2 (PC)
4) Batman: Arkham City (360/PS3)
5) Gears of War 3 (360)
6) Crysis 2 (360/PS3/PC)
7) Mass Effect 3 (360/PS3/PC/Mac)
8) Mortal Kombat (360/PS3)
9) SOCOM 4 (PS3)
10) Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii)
11) Forza Motorsport 4 (360)
12) Diablo III (PC/Mac)
13) Spec Ops: The Line (360/PS3/PC)
14) Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (360/PS3/PC)
15) Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception (PS3)
16) Metal Gear: Rising (360/PS3/PC)
17) Infamous 2 (PS3)
18) Star Wars: The Old Republic (PC)
19) Portal 2 (360/PS3/PC/Mac)
20) Deus Ex: Human Revolution (360/PS3/PC)
21) Dragon Age II (360/PS3/PC)
22) Resistance 3 (PS3)
23) Next Call of Duty game (you know it’s coming)
24) Last Guardian (PS3)
25) Homefront (360/PS3/PC)
26) The Conduit II (Wii)
27) Rage (360/PS3/PC)
28) Final Fantasy XIV (PS3/PC)
29) Red Faction: Armageddon (360/PS3)
30) Brink (360/PS3/PC)
31) Hunter: The Reckoning (360/PS3)
32) Ghost Recon: Future Soldier (360/PS3/PC)
33) F.E.A.R. 3 (360/PS3/PC)
34) Dungeon Siege III (360/PS3/PC)
35) Child of Eden (360-Kinet/PS3)
36) El Shaddia (360/PS3)
37) The Last Story (Wii)
38) Mario Kart (3DS)
39) Megaman Legend 3 (3DS)
40) Kid Icarus (3DS)
41) The Walking Dead (Unknown)
42) Madden 2012 (All)
43) Assassin’s Creed sequel (PS3, 360, PC)
44) Tomb Raider reboot (Ps3, 360, PC)
Is that enough, or should I go on?
Now, for the sake of argument and lack of pricing information, I’m going to assume an average game price of $40 U.S. for a few reasons. First, there will be deals and not everyone will pay full retail (~$60 U.S.) for these games. Second, Special Editions; I’ll tell you right now that if they release a $120 Mass Effect 3 Special Edition I’ll buy it.
Here is some quick math to blow your minds:
$40 x 44 games = $1760 to buy all the above games.
$1760 / 12 Months = $146.67 a month you’ll have to have at the ready.
Like I said, this is a conservative estimate. Your results will vary. I know mine will. If I play 30 games in 2011, I might need to drop out of school. So unless you have a trust fund set up in off shore accounts, you’re going to need some help getting your hands on these games. Legally that is. Thankfully, I have some ideas to help ease the burden off your wallet.
1) Wait. I know, this isn’t going to work all that well when all your friends are playing the hottest jams but hear me out. After a few months games tend to drop in price, usually around $40 at most major retailers. I have found this to work in my favor, by getting really good games at a much more palatable price. You do have to have the patients to make this work. Hey, I never said this was going to be easy.
2) Game Services. Like Netflix, services like GameFly and Goozex can help keep cash in your pocket. It makes sense if you plan on only playing a game once. I wouldn’t recommend this route if you play a lot of multiplayer games, or get sentimental and go back and play older games. The turnover means you don’t keep the games you play, although you can for a price.
3) Trade / Barter with Friends. Chances are you have friends with money and they might just buy a game that you don’t have. The same might be true from their perspective. I’m sure you remember how to do this. You give them Metal Gear and they give you Burger Time. Everybody wins! Another option is the barter system. Not everyone needs a game, so you might want to offer something else in return. Recently I struck a deal for Alan Wake. I received a copy of Alan Wake in exchange for Christmas Cookies. For those of you thinking that it was a raw deal, those cookies were damn good just like Alan Wake.
4) Gifts. Birthdays and holiday occasions are a nice way to get those titles that you may have missed. Again this requires some patients on your part. You also have to make sure you spell it out for people. The last thing you want is to get Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit for PS3, when all you have is a Xbox 360. Another downside is telling someone to get you a game and then having to wait until that day to actually get it, but it does make it sweeter in the end. The worst case scenario is telling someone to get you a game and then not getting it when you could have got it for yourself weeks ago.
5) Work the system. Amazon has a racket going with their Prime service. If you order enough in a year to warrant using Amazon Prime it’s wonderful. I live more than 60 miles from a Best Buy in a town where the biggest store is a Wal-mart. When you pre order certain games from Amazon you can get a $20 credit towards another game. I managed to work this into the next three games I bought. Basically, that fourth game was free and I didn’t have to stand in line.
However you choose to play these games is up to you. If you’re independently wealthy, good for you, go nuts and help support the cause. If you’re looked at the list and immediately tried to convince yourself that Ramen Noodles weren’t all that bad, then don’t feel alone. We’re all in this together and somehow, some way, we shall play those games. Money be damned!
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