The Q1 to beat all Q1s
Krish Raghav -
Sunday, August 09, 2009 11:27 AM
Remember that little list of games you were planning to finally play sometime this year? Games like Starcraft II, or Splinter Cell: Conviction,
which have been in development since the Paleolithic, and have seen a
veritable blitzkrieg of trailers, promos and PR since e3?
Well, fiddlesticks.
The vagaries of annual results and the deadening thud of recession on an apparently recession-proof industry
is taking its toll on companies, who are now tightening their release
calendars and saving their aces by removing them from the ‘crowded’
2009 to the imagined verdant empty expanse of the first quarter of next
year.
The trouble is, almost EVERY game scheduled for later this year has
been pushed back to Q1 2010: making it one of the most
blockbuster-filled crowded release windows in recent gaming history.
Surely not what each company desired, but who’s complaining? Here’s a
sneak peek at what you can expect to play by March next year:
Splinter Cell: Conviction
Looking sharp, terrific and
refreshing: the much-awaited action title's slip into 2010 probably
hurt the most among the delays. developers Ubisioft say its for further
polish, and tweaking. What's a few more months, eh?
Starcraft II
Blizzard's RTS Magnum Opus
unsurprisingly slipped into 2010, but a steady drip feed of movies and
screenshots and gameplay trailers just might tide us over till then.
Just.
Bayonetta
Heavy Rain
We'll have to wait till next year to play Quantic Dream's ambitious, experimental and intriguing title for the PS3
Bioshock 2
Alan Wake
The
new game from Max Payne developers Remedy has been in development limbo
for quite a while. Here's to hoping it keeps its 2010 appointment.
Mass Effect 2
