Game (Community) Development

I keep tossing these ideas back and forth through the cobwebbed recesses of my brain. That is, I had been tossing them back and forth, until recently when I reached an impasse with myself. To break the tie, I sent the questions out into the wider virtual world to ferment and grow and change until I could get a handle on them again. Roger R over at The InGame Asylum was kind enough to mould them back into a form I feel I can contend with and this is the very rant-y result of my latest round of mental pong.

The questions are simple. What do we, as gamers, as a community want in multiplayer games – in any games really? What kinds of things need to happen to take gaming to the next level? What does that even mean….the next level? What does that look like?  Unfortunately for my hyper obsessive brain simple answers usually have complex bloody answers.

Before we can really think about what we want, we have to take a good long look at where we’re at. Unfortunately with the exception of a handful of engaging properties, most games now rely on fancier graphics or bigger guns to capture the players’ attention.  Novelty is an important factor but it fades so quickly. It’s a great way to lure people in but what happens after that? Player loyalty and game depth go hand in hand but depth can be costly. Our expectations in terms of graphics have been exponentially increased over the years - impacting game file size, production costs and development time. And as much as I complain about load screens and the increasing cost of games I am not willing to give an inch when it comes to how my games look.  I’m probably not alone in that - but MUDs had zippo in terms of graphics and they were beloved. The novelty of interacting and competing with other human brains was a big part of that but I think it was the long term possibilities inherent in that process that kept people coming back.

We have a basic human need to socialize – to interact with the world and be accepted. To be praised. We want to prove ourselves. MUDs let kids all over the world do that. (Well…a lot of the world anyway, but I digress.) As they played with and against one another they learned, adopted and shared new strategies and developed relationships that were meaningful to them – they developed communities.

Now, the thing about communities is that they can be such fragile things.

But if you have interests in common and enough common goals, and a little bit of commitment, they can also be really strong – powerful even. On the flip side, if they become rigid and too bogged down in tradition they often break. And that’s what I see happening here and now. We have too many rules about how things should be, a template that developers are loathe to stray too far from and a gaming community with too many divergent interests to be satisfied easily.

Video games, like comics and pen and paper RPGs, was once considered the exclusive domain of “nerds” - a group largely composed of teenage boys and young men who were social outcasts either by choice or by necessity – sometimes both I suppose.   They were, on the surface at least, a largely homogenous group and social scientists out there have probably written reams of papers on the reasons for this. (If they haven’t, they should.) But whatever the reasons, whatever the process involved in the development of these communities, because of this homogeneity they were easily satisfied as a group. I suppose the fact that the media was new and therefore interesting and lacking strict expectations was part of that.

Things have changed. These days when you log into an online game or a check out a nerdly forum you can make no reasonable assumptions about the real live person you are interacting with. The release of the feature film X-men in 2000 made it clear that the realm of geek was being invaded. The worldwide gross of the film according to one source was over 296 million. That’s…..a lot. Whole swathes of regular folks went to see that movie - and the movie wasn’t even that good. It’s not just comics being absorbed into popular culture, in the last decade it seems more movies are based on video games than not – Resident Evil, Lara Croft, Silent Hill, Hitman, Max Payne – they’re all video game properties.

And all blockbuster hits. 

Nerds are the new cool. Signs of the changing size and composition of gaming communities are everywhere. Bioware has recently announced a change in their marketing strategy for the soon to be released Mass Effect 3. After a rabid fan base made their desires clear, the company will include “FemShep” in the ME3 packaging and advertising scheme because all those female gamers out there want to feel included, they want to be engaged. Family gaming is a concept tossed around regularly. Families play video games together. Many of the folks I’ve met in PUGs are middle aged men and women but some are barely teenagers. As it turns out, anyone could be the brains behind that next mysterious avatar with whom you interact. We simply can’t assume anything anymore. So why, when our community demographic has changed so much, are games stagnating so badly? Why are we not making use of the wider audience to create more opportunities for increased input, brainstorming and collaboration? Why aren’t we making better games? Where’s the progress?

Oh there are hints of brilliance here and a smattering of innovation there. But the reality is that now that the gaming industry has gotten tangled up in the heady thrill of pop culture it’s no longer about the community. It’s no longer about a passion for games or art or story. It’s about profit, which is a common theme in a lot of facets of modern life. Games are largely made with the lowest common denominator in mind, appealing to the largest chunk of gamers so that the highest profits possible can be achieved. Grab an old game change some textures, add a new ‘advanced’ weapon, change the HUD and voila…we have a marketable $70 product.

Okay, it’s not exactly that simple, some companies genuinely try to create something new. They try to make something new and interesting. But they usually fail. And there are lots of excuses for that failure. We’ve all heard them. Maybe, as gamers, we need to reclaim our community. Maybe if we had a better handle on who we are as a group and what we collectively need we could somehow convey that to game developers. Maybe they would even listen. Hell we can develop our own games if it comes right down to it. This is the age of the internet. Everyone can learn anything with enough patience and a home computer. If a comparably small group of social outcasts playing text based games over the ARPAnet several decades ago could lead to the modern day paradigm of gaming who knows what we could accomplish as a broader, better connected, more informed community of gamers.

Just a thought.

The Old Republic: Speculation the First: Holocrons

I (like 1.5 million other folks apparently) signed up to beta Star Wars: The Old Republic about a year ago. But I am impatient. And obsessive. And in my obsessive impatience I may or may not have signed up four or five times since then just in case it didn’t work the first time, or in case they didn’t get my registration. Just in case they didn’t understand how much I wanted it….

My partner also signed up for beta and he got an invite to test all long weekend. So in obsessive behavior typical of me, I checked my email every thirty seconds for a few days willing my invite to materialize. It didn’t. The weekend has come and gone and my invitation never showed up. Apparently my love of Bioware is unreciprocated.  Or at least a little unbalanced.

In any case before I was informed of my partner’s great luck I had decided to do something SWTOR related to help alleviate the building tension caused by my impatience for the game release. And since someone somewhere had once mentioned the possibility that holocrons hidden around the worlds would contain mystical secrets (stat bonuses and the like) I decided to start there. Here then, is a speculative list of holocrons in SWTOR compiled by an obsessive Bioware fangirl who just happens to have a replica lightsaber on her fireplace mantle. Here goes:

Dark Side:

Most of the following Sith holocrons would have been on Korriban originally but following the Jedi Civil War many Sith Artifacts were sought out and destroyed. And remember that according to KOTOR 2, Jedi Master Atris collected several Sith holocrons and brought them to her Academy on Telos. So I guess there could be random holocrons scattered throughout a (hopefully) reconstructed Telos.

1.       The Dark Holocron was recovered from Naga Sadow’s fleet after his defeat at the Battle of Koros Major while retreating to Yavin 4. Many accounts suggest that it is the first Sith holocron to be captured by the Jedi – so, you know, canonically relevant. It was kept in the Holocron Chamber of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant.

2.       Adas’s Holocron was created by a King of Korriban during the reign of the Sith (species). Adas was a master of Sith magic and united several warring nations into an empire under his rule. King Adas was aided in the creation of his holocron by Rakata from the Infinite Empire (c. 27,700 BBY) before killing them for plotting against his people. His holocron was lost during the Great Hyperspace War on Ashas Ree where Freedon Nadd found it and used its knowledge to conquer Onderon. Following the defeat of the Onderon Naddists the Jedi stored the holocron on the planet Kodai.

3.       The Telos IV Holocron was crafted by the Sith sometime before the Golden Age and was traditionally held by Sith Lords. Each owner generally added their knowledge to the Holocron and as a result, several notable Star Wars universe characters including Ajunta Pall, Naga Sadow, Darth Bane, Darth Revan and Darth Sidious have made contributions. Not only notable because of its prominence in Lore, several quest related characters from KOTOR/KOTOR II had a hand in this holocron’s maintenance and it would make sense to include it in SWTOR.

4.       Revan’s Holocron was constructed during the Jedi Civil War in order to pass on what he believed to be information vital to fully developing Dark Side talents. Following Revan’s redemption after the Jedi Civil War, the holocron was left hidden in the Temple of the Ancients on Rakata Prime. Again, no idea if, where or how you would find it in game.

5.       Darth Nihilus’s Holocron has little history attached to it and there is nothing particularly notable about this holocron except that it was created by one of the villains of KOTOR II. No idea where it might be though.

6.       Darth Andeddu’s Holocron was found by Freedon Nadd on Korriban shortly after he fell to the dark side. His tomb was originally on Onderon but Arca Jeth moved it to a nearby moon, Dxun to prevent the dark energies from effecting the population of Onderon. Exar Kun and Revan both breeched the tomb on Dxun so the holocrons could be anywhere now.

7.       Dathka Graush's Holocron was created by a Sith Lord of the same name who was skilled in the use of Sith Alchemy and ruled most of Korriban approximately 7000 BBY. He was entombed there and his holocron, sword and amulet remain at his side.

8.       Freedon Nadd's Holocron was created by Freedon Nadd, Dark Lord of the Sith and first king of Onderon sometime after he conquered the Onderonians, this holocron was in Nadd’s tomb for some time but it may have found its way off of Dxun after Exar Kun and Revan breached the tomb’s defenses. According to canon however, it stayed in a locked room inside the tomb until Darth Bane removed it in 1000 BBY.  

9.       Tulak Hord's Holocron was a Sith holocron that Dark Lord Tulak Hord created to pass on his technique of lightsaber combat. In KOTOR there is a quest line that involves seeking out the holocron in order to advance Revan’s infiltration of the Sith Academy.  Whether this quest is completed or not shouldn’t change the fact that this holocron would end up in the hands of the Academy’s headmaster and kept somewhere prominent in the Sith Academy on Korriban.

10.    XoXaan's Holocron was created by the Sith Lord XoXaan. XoXaan was one of the Dark Jedi exiled from the Republic after their defeat in the Hundred-Year Darkness. Her holocron was lost in the Tombs of Korriban.

Light Side:

There seemed to be significantly less Light Side Holocrons of note. This doesn’t concern me as many of the Sith holocrons would have been taken by the Jedi during the Sith Artifact purge or possibly created by redeemed Sith turned Jedi – so they would be accessible to Republic players. Many if not most Jedi holocrons were housed in the Temple on Coruscant. Prior to the sacking of Coruscant the local temple had a ‘Holocron Chamber’ in one of the towers – specifically the Tower of First Knowledge - where ancient holocrons protecting coveted secrets were housed and studied. There are also many possibilities for unknown/previously unheard of holocrons on Tython, the original, ancient seat of the council. Some known holocrons would have been abandoned on Tython when the first Jedi Council left the planet.

1.       Arca Jeth’s Holocron was created by Ood Bnar and passed down Jedi to Jedi until it came into the possession of Arca Jeth. This holocron was lost on Arkania and not recovered until the New Republic era. The web comics released in anticipation of the release of SWTOR involve Jeth and his apprentices so it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to find this holocron included - somewhere.

2.       Sar Agorn’s Holocron is one of the older holocrons in the galaxy. Sar Agorn was an early sentient non-humanoid Jedi Master whose personality was preserved in his holocron so that his knowledge and understanding of Jedi traditions and history could be passed on.  One of the only surviving artifacts of this era, Sar Agorn’s holocron contained much information about the earliest Jedi on Tython, which is the starting planet in SWTOR if you play a Jedi.

3.       The Tedryn Holocron is also known as Vodo-Siosk Baas’s Holocron or the Jedi Holocron. Little is known about this object other than the fact that it was created over 4000 years before the Battle of Yevin by the Jedi Master Tedryn. It is known that the histories of Freedon Nadd, Exar Kun, Ulic-Qel Droma and Naga Sadow are included on the holocron as well as information about the Great Hyperspace War. Vodo-Siosk Baas held the holocron around 3997 BBY and he spent most of his time between Ossus and Dantooine, which as far as I know aren’t playable environments in SWTOR as things stand – but you never know.

4.       The Great Holocron contains one of the most extensive collections of Force related instruction in the known universe.  Amidst this incredible amount of information are lessons from numerous Masters throughout Galactic history including Sar Argorn, Arca Jeth, Obi Wan Kenobi and Yoda as well as Vima Sunrider’s tale of Ulic-Qel Droma’s redemption and Deesra Luur Jada’s observations of Revan.

So that’s it. Like I said, far more Dark Side holocrons of note for the time period. And this list could be all sound and fury. I write this with no actual, confirmed or in any way official information from the devs. I don’t know if these specific holocrons are going to be included.  I don’t even know if stat boosting holocrons are in the final version of the game. This is all speculation folks.But at a minimum it was a nice foray into the long and convoluted history of the Star Wars Universe. Hopefully it will be the first of several SWTOR posts between now and launch.

“We live in an era of revolution, the revolution of rising expectations”.*

Having had some time to consider how my expectations may have affected my Fable 2 experience (look at me being all self-aware and introspective) I decided to give Fable 3 a try. (It helped that I had absolutely reached rock bottom in terms of games I was interested in playing, the lack of interesting releases in the last year is astounding.) So, in the name of second chances I made my way through the Xbox marketplace, found the demo and began downloading.

Skip forward a few hours to the next day and now I’m getting ready, TV’s on, Xbox is signing me in to my Live account….I’m ready for this. I have an open mind and agile fingers. Let the button mashing begin!

Except it doesn’t. Because the demo stopped about 15% into the download. Turns out I had completely filled my hard drive with arcade games, DLC, and yes, with more saves than would be considered rational by most people. In order to continue I had to head to the system settings menu of my Xbox where I deleted 1.5 G of (mostly) saves so I could continue the download.

Having played through the demo I felt like it was a game worth playing through. After a couple of misfires, I managed to find and buy a copy. When I popped it in I was pleasantly surprised to find that the Fable 3 demo creates a save upon completion that allows you to continue the game from that point forward while getting any and all achievements and items that you earned in demo play; a small bonus but convenient and it almost makes up for the fact that you can only play the demo once per gamertag.

Now, having played through Fable 3 in its entirety (I’m actually about 1/3 of the way through a second playthrough on the hunt for more achievements) I can comfortably say that I liked it.

 For starters, my female character is NOT entirely unattractive and in no way mannish. It is obvious that she is not an afterthought in the game design. And while her vocals are still very much full of Fable’s typical satirical drawl, the acting isn’t horribly bad.

I consider it an added bonus that I am not immediately annoyed by any of the NPCs though in typical Fable fashion the NPCs are all incredibly unattractive (excluding some of the unique ones with whom you can’t have unscripted interactions anyway - with one exception). They look like a bunch of caricatures of stodgy dolls that walk and talk like real people. I know that they have a branded image to maintain but do ALL of the NPCs have to be unappealing? Do all of their clothes have to be fashion nightmares…not to mention the hair? 50 years of game time has passed since Fable 2, surely that’s enough time to allow for a graceful phasing out of the heretofore icky but popular fashions. And you’re supposed to love/want to protect these people, potentially marry them? Fortunately, the random villager/worker NPCs are also not all that annoying and generally stay out of your way unless you actively choose to interact with them.

 On the upside, unique NPCs like Jasper, Elliot/Elise and Walter are quickly introduced, and to my surprise they are passable, even amusing at times. (Which is good because if you continue playing through the game you’ll be seeing them a lot.)

 Combat, while incredibly overpowered – particularly magic - is enjoyable and look incredibly cool. The quests are engaging. The graphics are well executed for the most part, and the overarching story is interesting and well paced (with the exception for that end bit which felt contrived and rushed).

Having said all of that there are some petty issues that I feel NEED to be mentioned.

1.    The interaction mechanic is as annoying as ever, time consuming and bugged. For instance hand holding either forces you to slow down in your travels or to drag your companion behind you. Assuming you don’t just lose them when they get stuck behind a tree or another person or a rock or a gust of wind forcing you to back track to find out where you lost them and then button mash the interaction buttons in the hopes of making them follow you again. The “follow’ mechanic of previous games worked better and they shouldn’t have changed it.

Other interpersonal interactions (which actually give you XP in this installment of the series) take up far too much time and frankly the 500^th time I’ve danced with a random villager is the 499^th time I’ve considered throwing the controller through the television screen. Especially since each such interaction is generally only worth ONE seal….one unit of XP! ONE! End game each unlockable ability is between 40 and 100 seals.  I spent 2 hours hunting down villagers to dance with so I could get the XP I needed to open the final chest. That is REDICULOUS! Compounding this torture is the fact that for the most part you can’t skip cut scenes or animations in the game. So you have to sit though the entire interaction animation, and then exit out of interaction mode each and every time you want to get ONE XP seal. (This also makes multiple playthroughs a bit of a pain, I simply don’t want to re-watch cut scenes today when I just saw them 2 days ago. If game developers make only one change to improve their games, they should make the bloody cut scenes skippable.)

2.     Has anyone ever heard of a HUD? Or a mini-map? You know those interfaces that let you know where you are in the game/battle/quest? I don’t so much mind the phasing out of Player Character Health bars in favor of the screen darkening mechanic. I understand the desire to keep your screen as clean and uncluttered as possible. I don’t even mind the fact that the pause menu has been removed from the game (now when you press the start button you are teleported to your hero hideout – the Sanctuary - where you can change your appearance and weapons, view trophies, interact with other Fable 3 gamers, pick up presents left for you, manage your real estate and teleport to other locations). None of this particularly bothers me.

But it makes me completely crazy that I never have any idea where the hell I am in an area and that I have no convenient way of figuring it out. There is NO useable mini-map. If I want to view a map I have to press ‘start’, be transported to the ‘Sanctuary’, walk ahead a few feet, interact with the map table, select the general location, zoom and make a best guess as to where I am, then exit the sanctuary and hope I remember some useful detail from the incredibly undetailed map. But in the end I may as well try to divine my location by the stars – because NO WHERE does the map indicate where I am actually standing within the area! There is no ‘me’ icon on my map. This probably makes perfect sense since I am no longer technically in that area at any time when I can view said device, I am in the bloody Sanctuary. How a game which relies this heavily on exploration ever got released without a useable mini-map I will never comprehend. It is apparently one of the great mysteries of our age.

In terms of health bars, for as much as uncluttered screens are aesthetically pleasing, it is incredibly helpful - for boss fights in particular- that you know how much damage you’ve done and how much more you need to do. It helps with potion and item management and general strategic planning of fights. Of course, Lionhead decided to challenge us by removing functional enemy health bars in favor of aesthetics. Now we have no idea how much longer a fight will last and no reasonable way to determine when using resources (like potions) is necessary and when it is a waste. I can deal with that though, if you give me back my bloody mini-map. I want a mini-map update.

3.    In internet communities everywhere gamers complained en masse about the fact that their families would disappear. Money would still be paid for upkeep and you were still technically married with kids but you could never actually find their avatars. So your family would get more and more depressed and eventually your spouse would ask for a divorce (if you didn’t already do that). But divorce costs you  half of your money and your children - whom you will never see again. I think it also costs you morality points but don’t quote me on that.

In Fable 3 this problem is mostly fixed (unless you settle your family in Bowerstone Old Quarter. I believe there are some issues in that case). However there is a bug that pops up from time to time that prevents you from interacting with your children – who become understandably upset. I managed to wait it out and it reset itself though others haven’t been so lucky if forums are to be believed. The bigger issue for me came when I settled my family in Millfields, the most exclusive neighborhood in the game (barring the palace). It turns out that it is also the most dangerous neighborhood. On returning home to my husband, Eliot the unique NPC, one sunny afternoon, a message popped onto my beautifully uncluttered screen. My husband had been murdered and my children were taken to the orphanage because apparently Princess Hero that I am, I am also an unfit mother. Revolted by this chain of events I tried to load an earlier save – but there is only one. Every new save DELETES previous saves. Also stupid. And annoying. My current save game was post spousal death, so I had no recourse other than vengeance. After dispatching bandits who dared attack my family (under the not so watchful eye of the guards who were both plentiful and in the immediate area) off I went to the orphanage to reclaim my children. But since there was no obvious way of hiring the nanny I had heard so much about, I returned to the sanctuary to check my game history. When I returned my children had disappeared. Let’s just say that I did a lot of random killing in game for a few hours after that  to relieve the stress and Albion’s underworld suffered greatly.

In the end Fable 3 is not a game I feel deserves rave reviews, there are too many elements of the game (largely the ‘innovations’) that feel choppy, incomplete or that are otherwise inconvenient or annoying. But it is a game entirely worth renting or picking up on the cheap somewhere for a play through or two. I feel much more satisfied with this game than with the second installment and my expectations for the series are rising again.

I wonder how that will affect my view of the upcoming Fable incarnation.

*The title quote is not mine but it well suits my purposes so I stole it (from a guy named Adlai Stevenson).

Video game suggestions amidst a whole lot of rambling

From celtic music we go to social networking and video games. Yay video games! Ok so here will go...

I signed up for an account with Empire Avenue. For those of you who aren't familiar with the site, it is self desribed as 'the social stock market', which is to say that it is facebook with strangers becoming 'friends' for rep points and fake money. And while I am skeptical of the value added to my life by the program - I'm kind of addicted. Even though my profile isn't very well run and I'm not exactly a hot commodity I log on every day - compulsively. I buy shares in people I don't know based on 'trending', or because I am returning the favour or because I have money and need to spend it. I seek out new investment opportunities in the noobs so I can take advantage of their inevitable early surge in value. I wonder if this virtual stock market will lead to poor circulatory and mental health? I sense an interesting social experiment in there somewhere. I just have to figure out what it looks like...

Off track already! Let's try this again. I was on Empire Avenue, in one of the community forums - Video games specifically - and someone had left a post that they've gotten a new xbox and were looking for game suggestions. Woo Hoo! Their life is about to change and not necessarily for the better. Bioshock came with the console and apparently our poster believes the game and/or the system (I wasn't sure which was being referred to) is a great way to unwind after a stressful day. Hallelujah! Might we have a dedicated up and coming gamer.

To be honest, I never finished Bioshock. I know, there goes some of my nerdy cred straight sown the drain never to be recovered - but there's something to be said for honesty, or so I hear. Despite the interesting story, moody atmosphere and well defined game mechanics, I never managed to get more than half way through in any of the 5 or 6 times I started the game. It was just so flipping hard! And Big Daddy's are terrifying killing machines. Which, of course, you need to kill to get better as a character. Problem is, even in virtual worlds I could never be characterized as brave. I'm no coward either - more pragmatic with a strong interest in bet hedging and self-preservation. So maybe they did too good a job developing the atmosphere. Maybe if it was less creepy and dangerous down there, there would be less sweaty palms and controller fumbling, maybe my breathing would remain regular and the panic would never have a chance to set in; which might actually allow me to finish the game. Or maybe not.

The point is - despite my unusal (and perhaps a little hyper-exagerated) reaction to Bioshock, it is nonetheless a good solid first game for a newly acquired system. A great game in fact, for anyone less nervous than me - which is to say most people.

As for the anonymous poster's question - because there was a question asked, and I hope I actually remembered to mention it somewhere up there in my rambling ("What are some awesome games that are coming out now?"), here's my best answer:

It really depends on what kind of game you're looking for, what you like and what you're likely to do. What kind of gamer are you? (For instance Bioshock seemed like it hit all the right buttons for me, but I just can't finish it! Maybe someday....maybe.) There are a tonne of different genres offering a variety of options for game play including action based games (which include the various first and third person shooters, fighting games and hack and slash button smashers), action adventure games which are a hybrid of action and puzzles/interactive fiction, RPG style games, where the emphasis is on character development, as well as your simulation (SIMs) and strategy based games. There are a few others but they are largely niche markets. Keep in mind that while it is a good idea to consider the type of game you want to play when planning purchases, you never know what you might enjoy so don't exclude games you might like because they are in a genre you don't have experience in. They are just games after all and you can always get games on the cheap second hand or by buying 'platinum hits' which are severely price reduced.

Another factor in creating a gaming collection is who you like to pllay with. Do you intend to fly solo (mainly offline) or do you want some kind of multiplayer experience (primarily online). Most xbox 360 games are single player. There are a rare few that allow offline multiplayer action but they are very rare, and frankly most of the offline multiplayer games I have played in the last couple of years are not very well thought out or implemented. However, if you get an xbox Live Gold account many more options for multiplayer become available. Some Gold experiences are mission based 'quests' and others allow you and your friends to play through the whole game together cooperatively. There are also competitions, time trials and other random experiences and scenarios to experience via a Gold account (which for those of you who don't know - costs money in the form of a monthly subscription). The options available depend entirely on the game itself so if, for example, you are primarily interested in cooperative play with your friends, you should research the online options for a game before you buy it to see if it's online experience will provide that for you.  Personally I don't love shooters unless I'm playing multiplayer and I therefore tend to go for story development - RPGs are my thing. But I do dabble in other genres regularly.

Having said all of that, here are some game suggestions:

The Mass Effect trilogy is an action adventure RPG series and I love it. The series will be coming to a close in Q1 2012 so you might want to pick up the first two and playthrough so you can import saves when 3 comes out.

Bioware also just put out Dragon Age 2, which has had mixed reviews so far. if you're looking for character development and the moral choices Bioware has become so popular for it's worth buying.

38 Studios is making a game with RA Salvatore of Neverwinter Nights fame, Todd McFarlane and Ken Rolston lead designer of some of the Elder Scroll's games - it looks pretty sweet, has some interesting innovations and did I mention Todd McFarlane as art director? It's called Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning and is due out in February. 

Since Bioshock was mentioned, the sequels are not a bad idea if you're trying to expand your collection. Bioshock 2 got decent reviews although I haven't played it so I can't give it a personal thumbs up. It is on my list of games to play, I just figure I should suck it up and playthrough the first game before I pick it up.

Speaking of series wherein I failed to finish the first game...Assassin's Creed is a great series with a new game coming in November according to the developers. Assassin's Creed itself had a lot of promise but by the end of the game I felt it was all pretty repetative and too linear with not enough stuff to do outside of the main storyline. But Assassin's Creed 2 and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood are brilliant. Storyline, graphics, shear number of options in game, game mechanics...all great. Even the voice acting is pretty phenomenal - which is a small issue I know - but one that matters to me. Most reviewers agree that these are the games that Assassin's Creed should have been. (Side note: I am a big fan of the online play with this series.)

LA Noire is a sandbox mystery/detective game doing well right now. Rockstar really outdid themselves with this one.

A third Saint's Row is being released in November, I'll be getting that when it comes out. I think the Saint's Row series is better than GTA (go ahead gamers, tell me I'm wrong). The first game is good but Saint's Row 2 is awesome (hood surfing is where it's at)..and I would suggest getting it.

Oh and Batman: Arkham Asylum is well done for a superhero based game (superheros kind of bore me now - consider my bias outed), so feel free to pick that up if you are a fan of the Dark Knight. It's sequel, Batman: Arkham City will be released in October.

There you have my long-winded novella type, hopefully comprehensible answer to a relatively simple question. Hope it helps.