Beatles Rock Band. Halo 3: ODST. Batman: Arkham Asylum. These are just a few of the names that likely already have a home in your collection.  Now that this dust has settled, you might be thinking that the gaming gods would grant you a period of respite to enjoy said games. But we already know such peace does not exist in the fourth quarter of the video game industry. October 13th is just a few weeks away (or Rocktober, depending on who holds the trademark). That’s when Uncharted 2 and Brutal Legend hit the shelves, as does every one’s favorite Mad Max video game adaptation, Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition. I for one will be picking up Uncharted 2 and Fallout 3. However, before I will be able to thoroughly enjoy the adrenaline-fueled thrill ride that Uncharted 2 is sure to offer or touch Fallout 3′s 60+ hours of gameplay, another big show hits on Nov- 10th: Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare 2.

While Q4 is usually a great time for A-list games, I am always frustrated at the overcrowding of these months. Granted, this year the publishers have somewhat wised up to this trend by delaying several big titles until after the first of the year. Yet I feel like I buy up a year’s worth of titles in a few weeks, then am left high and dry until the next fall rolls around. I pity the B-list fall release lineup. While these games may sell, they will be cast aside and forgotten within weeks–especially once Call of Duty hits stores. I understand the strategy of stuffing Q4 with titles that essentially print money for publishers, but how about some sympathy for the gamer here?? I argue not from a financial burden standpoint–god knows I have no sense of budget when it comes to electronics. I argue instead the fact that there are simply not enough hours in the day to play all these games in a reasonable amount of time! I see no end to this madness, because either the developers would have to stop making so many great games, or publishers would have to be willing to  spread those end-of-year profits over a larger time-frame. Unfortunately neither of these seem feasible.

For Q4 gaming, you actually CAN have too much of a good thing…as I am starting to realize.