Preacher

You know the games I mean. It gets released and it sparks an interest. You walk into stores and look at it repeatedly. Game we should play (GWSP) still not chosen. Reviews are raving about it. It gets price dropped or is available second hand for a good price and you still do not buy it. And you look at it ... every ... single ... time ... you are in the store. And choose something else instead.

You try out for the Xbox games such as Armed and Dangerous or Soldier of Fortune instead. Games that fail on so many levels it is almost criminal. Okay, Armed could be funny but it had the depth of a wading pool with the graphics of a PS1. While SOF was more of the terrible choice. I actually had a grade "clank" when it hit the ground in the jungle. (Picture me reloading and checking this 3 times. Long, long pause. Going over to the machine ejecting the game. And putting it away to sell back. Than going to tell someone this story. )

So finally about 2 weeks ago I finally buy Prince of Persia. Take it home and still do not play it for a week and a half. 2 nights ago in it goes. Great game. Just a gorgeous and well crafted piece of work. All those little details. That invisible referee making all the best calls and not getting noticed. Camera changes are so smooth.

Why is it that some games have to have you tazered and tranquilized before you will finally buy and play them? GWSP now is Beyond Good and Evil now.

darkside

I did finally get Beyond Good and Evil, but still haven't picked up Prince of Persia. Instead I bought Simpson's Hit and Run which was one of the worst games I've ever played.

I've made some bad gaming choices like that lately. I passed on Fable and got Pikmin 2 and ended up hating every aspect of the game once I started the underground levels. Now I'm wondering if I should have put down that order on Fable instead.

So I guess Prince of Persia and Fable are two games on that GWSP list for me right now.

Preacher

How was Beyond Good & Evil? It has gotten some stellar reviews and just like Prince of Persia I kept passing it up. Repeatedly.

cheapskate

BG&E sat the longest on my shelf - I picked it up when it was $9.99 at Circuit City just a few weeks after release...

It's a fun game! Reminds me a bit of the original Jak & Daxter, with the colorful world exploration and graphics being pretty similar. Taking pictures of animals and items doesn't really sound fun - but it is! The characters are memorable - the story so far is interesting and easy to follow. I like the way the controls change based on the situation your characters is in; for example - she will pull out a weapon if an enemy is approaching - kinda neat.

Not as brilliant as most people seem to describe it - but then again I've only played into it a couple of hours. The game just feels right though, comfortable to play - pretty forgiving so far - worth a purchase no doubt, especially at the current bargain price!

Prince of Persia and Viewtiful Joe are my current GWSP's...(cute)... I know they're going to be good - but for some reason I'm just not inspired to buy them just yet. I've never had any enthusiasm for a lot of the Nintendo first party games either (Metroid Prime, Zelda) because they just don't interest me. But I probably should play them.

Naaaahh... I'll open some crap like kill.switch instead...

Preacher

It seems that games a little outside of the normal style can interest us, but still arrest us from buying them. Viewtiful Joe is a very good example of another one that has been tempting me for quite some time. Again, it received a few trusting rave reviews and yet it sits on the store shelf. Hopefully it or BG&E is next.

And I do want to play Killswitch. And probably first.

DaBargainHunta

Add Viewtiful Joe to my list too. I've been wanting to buy it for the longest while, but I've never actually gone out and gotten it. The recent PS2 release of the game hasn't helped matters either. Now I don't know which version to get.

I suppose Wind Waker also counts. I actually own that one, but it's been sitting on a shelf - shrinkwrapped - for the past two years. Even worse, I preordered it to get the bonus disc, which I now have absolutely no interest in playing because OOT is also on the Zelda Collection disc. Yeah, I know the Wind Waker bonus disc has the Master Quest, but I really don't care.

Speaking of Kill.Switch, I bought that a year ago for full price because the demo had me hyped for the real thing, but they altered the cool gritty atmosphere of the demo that attracted me to the game in the first place, so now it sits on my shelf barely played. It really is a lot of fun though.

TOPDAWG

Ebay that extra disc you got with WW man on ebay you can get at least $15 for it. I sold mine I to pre ordered WW cause I wanted that extra disc and was sure I was getting a GC one day. I then changed my mind about owning a GC.

Also Armed and Dangerous and a damn fine game. You're out of your damn mind. That game is great mindless fun.

Preacher

The damn game was fine. Inventive and funny. The sharkgun alone got me to play an extra hour. But the graphics were subpar and gun distribution made areas harder than needed and I stopped playing in the section with the blimp and no decent gun. Some very funny cut scenes though.

And when I play with companions I want to keep them alive. Since they do not appear to get newer guns they are shrapnel and distractions very quickly. Drove me to die repeatedly trying to keep them alive. Strange, this game really seems to cause widely different opinions. Talked to 2 people I work with and they both loved it.

Liquid Death

I just started playing KOTOR last night - great game and I've had it for awhile (prob. six months). Previous to that, I played Deus Ex 2 ($10 at TRU a month ago) and loved it - then I played Deus Ex 1 (which I had for about a year and never played) and thought that was great as well. I also have Beyond Good & Evil, Prince of Persia, Fatal Frame, and quite a few others I have yet to play.

I did buy Armed & Dangerous when it had a price drop and while it was fun for a few hours, it got old fast. It really did seem like a PS1 game, like an enhanced version of MDK (it some aspects).

TOPDAWG

Use cheat codes makes the game allot funner. Yeah I agree some of the game looked to be unfinished the cut scenes look like hey are missing textures and are fizzy.

msdmoney

Definitely play some BG&E, I loved every minute of that game. Perfect example of how to tie in gameplay with a good story.

For me I still need to pick up Viewtiful Joe. And all my XBOX and PS2 games are mostly unplayed. I have been trying to just finish some of the cube games I have.

Preacher

You know this could have been the perfect kind of game to use the cheats. I have never used them. The game was fun and largely limited by what the creators chose for you to use. If my choices are to stop playing or to use the cheats to keep going on, than the cheats should be used.

I imagine that it may have been played right through, as this game does not really qualify for not using cheats like some others. Its most enjoyable aspects were in seeing what was coming and what new thing they might have the characters say and do.

spainlinx0

Viewtiful Joe is on my list right now. It's funny you should mention Prince of Persia because I finally bought it around 2 weeks ago, and didn't even unwrap it until yesterday. Now I'm 60% complete. A very fun game.

Beyond Good and Evil had a great story, and excellent controls. I only remember a few frustrating parts, but I have actually been meaning to go back and play it again.

SiberianLlama

I have all these amazing games that are just sitting on my shelf collecting dust. Sometimes I think I buy a game to enjoy thinking about playing it, rather than actually playing it. Anyway, here's my list:

Knights of the Old Republic
Metroid Prime
Tales of Symphonia
Dark Cloud 2
Deus Ex
Jedi Knight: Academy
Zelda: Wind Waker
Prince of Persia
Fallout Tactics
Freedom Force
Disgaea
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

fujishig

My thing is, I'm always drawn to the newest games. So I'll buy games without finishing any of my older games, and when I get a great game for a steal (like PoP or Beyond Good and Evil), I figure I've waited all this time to play them, I can wait a little longer while I play a new game. In particular, new sports games drain all my time because I can pick them up easily, instead of trying to remember controls and storyline. Argh.

Also, when there are insanely good sales (TRU Buy 2 get 1 free, TRU clearance, CC clearance, etc.) I tend to buy a ton of games and don't get around to playing all of them.

As soon as I opened and played PoP, I played for a whole week to finish the game. I just couldn't stop. Now, Beyond Good and Evil is beckoning me...

I still haven't completed:
Metroid Prime (on the last boss!)
Zelda Wind Waker
Ninja Gaiden
Viewtiful Joe
Dark Cloud 2 (last boss)
Suikoden III (last boss)
Xenosaga
Pikmin
F-Zero (gamecube)
Project Gotham Racing 2
Midnight Club 2
Mark of the Kri

I've barely played:
Super Mario Kart GP

Haven't even opened:
Kingdom Hearts!
Disgaea
La Pucille Tactics
.Hack//Sign v. 2 and above
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Final Fantasy X-2

I consider all of the above worth playing. Meanwhile, Katamari Damacy is taking all of my time, and I've yet to pick up NBA2K5, my favorite sports series... And I really want to pick up Jak 2 and Ratchet and Clank 2 now that they're both greatest hits, but I know I won't be able to play them anytime soon.

Just remembered... I still have an unopened Madden 2005 Special Edition. I bought it because I'm a sucker for special editions, but it's on the PS2 and I'm stuck playing ESPN NFL 2K5 on Xbox... I'm thinking of returning it and getting in on the buy 2 get 1 free deal that EA is doing. Now where's that receipt...

DonnachaOne

Soccer

DJ_Longfellow

I had a bunch of games that sat on my shelf from all the deals I got.

BG&E was a very fun game...def worth the $10 I got it for.

There were other though...that I wish I didn't open....but I bought them for around $5 or so

SWAT (XBOX) - booooring
Splashdown - decent, but boring
NFL Blitz Pro - not a good football game at all

Dead To Right - decent game...didn't finish though, now it just sits....debating whether to keep it or not.

There were a few others...all have been traded in at GameRush

DavePack

I picked up BG&E a couple months ago and absolutely loved it. Not too long, not too short, fun and engaging story and some really great puzzles. I would have been satisfied having paid $50 for that one.

I just cannot get myself to pull the trigger on Prince of Persia. I don't know why; I enjoyed the demo, and I can get a used copy from Blockbuster for 15 bucks. Just something about it...

But the biggest game I should play but keep not playing would be Halo. Yes, I'm a longtime Xbox owner that does not own Halo. Am I intrigued? Certainly. But to me, it looks like just another FPS. I've asked people, what is it about Halo, but responses like "It's just awesome" don't really convey to me what's so special about this game. If it drops to a Platinum Hit price with the launch of Halo 2, I might consider picking it up.

Abob Teff

I guess Enter the Matrix would fall into this category for me. Picked it up the day it came out and played a few levels. Got busy with life and, well, it still is just sitting there.

msdmoney

It is best to leave it sitting there.

NC-36

Turn in your DVDTalk Video Game Talk membership card, heretic. You have a copy of the finest 2D sidescroller ever made AND YOU HAVEN'T EVEN OPENED IT YET ? Shame on you, sir.



Oh, and I have BG&E sitting on my shelf, as well. I plan to start it as soon as I finish SC:Pandora Tomorrow.

Preacher

fujishig that is a staggering list of games. I'm 20% through Prince of Persia and it is getting damn hard in spots. I think part of the reason for not buying / playing certain games is the appearance that the games will be short, with a low replayability. Since I never finsh the ones I like very fast I should grow a learning curve and stop letting that idea stop me from plaing certain ones. Viewtiful Joe and BG&E are next prior to Halo2. That gives me a month.

sfsdfd

Excellent games I just can't bring myself to play:

X-Com
Pirates!
Final Fantasy Tactics
Starcraft
Age of Empires, etc.
CounterStrike
Fallout
Planescape Torment
Metroid Prime

- David Stein

sfsdfd

I thought so, too. I played through the first few levels and thought, "Neat, but too event-driven." And I put it aside.

Fortunately, I picked it up again and restarted. And I'm damn glad I did, because this has turned into one of my all-time favorites.

What can I tell you to get you to play this, without giving anything away? Well, I guess I should state the following:

• The game starts you off in the middle of a large-scale battle, and you think, "Wow, this is new." And it just keeps getting better.
  
  There's one battle about 1/3 of the way through the game involving you, a sniper rifle, about eight fellow Marines, a bunch of various kinds of aliens running around, some aliens in turrets that you can hijack, some aliens in hovercraft that you can hijack, and an artillery piece. You can take that battle about a half-dozen different ways, and it plays out very differently, every time. It's one of those set pieces that's so goddamned fun that you want to play it over again, even after you've beaten it.
  
  
• The story behind Halo is pretty neat. It makes you want to come back and play the next one. The main characters are fun and compelling.
  
  
• About halfway through, the game takes a radical shift, and now you're also facing a completely different enemy, with completely different tactics. This leads to truly memorably battles between several kinds of enemies, which are also battling each other.
  
  
• You get to revisit some levels you've seen before after this radical shift, and they are shockingly different. This causes many "whoa......" moments.
  
  
• The last two levels of this game have a style and feeling that are simply unforgettable.

This turns out to be just classic gameplay. Yes, you have to plow through some long, repetitive stretches to get there, and a few insanely difficult battles that will have you cursing up a storm. But I can give it the highest praise possible: When you reach the end, you'll be confident that it was worth it.

- David Stein

boredsilly

There are many great games that I just haven't gotten around to picking up yet. The time I spend gamind now is so little & on top of that it takes a while for me to actualy want to play a game, y'know?

Here are the main games that I have every intention of getting to in the near future:
KOTOR
Prince of Persia
Eternal Darkness
Metroid Prime

I just got Beyond Good and Evil at the TRU sale and love that game to death. I want to kick myself for waiting so long (but hug myself for getting it for only 10 bucks).