Summer is going through its dog days period right now which means that college folk are realizing school isn't that far around the corner, baseball pennant races are heating up, football training camp is in session, and the fall and holiday video game releases are coming. While I'm currently plowing through a bunch of titles I didn't get around to earlier this year (now including Left 4 Dead) I can't help but think of the games on the horizon that I'm getting all giddy over. However along with those certain titles that make me smile like a kid again, there are some titles coming that I really just can't generate enough interest in to pre-order them or simply keep an eye on. While these titles are not going to be by any stretch of the imagination bad games, don't expect me to be waiting for these on day one. Thus, in the spirit of blogging, I decided to put together a list of the top five games I really can't wait for and five games I just kind of shrug my shoulders at. To freshen things up from my normal format of Top ___'s in my blogs, I'll alternate between games I'm excited for and not excited for.

Honorable Mention: Splinter Cell Conviction

This game would definitely be in the realm of excitement had it not been for a delay until 2010, which sucks. I've been a fan of the Splinter Cell games since the start and I've really enjoyed the direction the series has been going in (and I personally thought Double Agent had the best single player story of the four existing titles). Splinter Cell has always been the go-to game for people craving a more realistic experience then what Metal Gear Solid provides, and it's already been far too long since Sam Fisher's graced a console.

Not Excited #5 The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

I'm not excited about Spirit Tracks mainly because this game seems to represent everything I dislike about some of the recent Zelda games; reliance on just one new gimmick in the game, Toon Link, and if the trend of previous Zelda games keeps up then it will probably be super easy too. Basically this game seems to have everything I don't want in a Zelda title in it. I'll explain my details of my dislikes about the franchise in a later blog. So, unless this title magically cures cancer upon being inserted in my DS, don't expect me to pick up this title any time soon after its release.

Excited #5 Final Fantasy Dissidia

I've been begging for a Final Fantasy mash-up fighter since before Smash Brothers made mash-up fighters cool to the masses. Yes, there was Ehrgeiz, but I wanted something good to play. Perhaps my desire for a Final Fantasy crossover was fueled by SquareEnix creating all these nice characters from game to game and then pretty much shelving them after there one respective title was up. But alas, we have Final Fantasy Dissidia on the way and it gives me everything I've wanted plus more. I can have Advent Children-esk battles with all of the main characters from the first ten games, I can also jump into the fray with some of the coolest villains in the franchise (and Jecht), and I can hopefully play as Sephiroth and pound the holy piss out of the waste of a villain that is Kefka.

Not Excited #4 Brutal Legend

I've already blogged about my disliking of Brutal Legend so my stance on it is pretty clear; the over the top clamoring about this games creators has over dosed me to the point where I cant stand the words Brutal Legend anymore, toss in the legal drama over the game and it's created a perfect storm of dislike for me. Why is Brutal Legend not higher on my list you say? Well, believe it or not my distaste for this game has actually lessened since I initially blogged about it to the point where I can mildly tolerate this.

Excited #4 Halo ODST

My excitement for ODST balances on two things; the games story and the potentially great survival mode it offers. Since ODST does not feature a full blown multiplayer mode like its Halo cousins this game actually seems to put a direct focus on single player and story, a major issue people have voiced regarding the recent Halo sequels. Considering I'm a huge fan of the Halo Expanded Universe I really hope ODST is a worthy addition to the canon and shushes up the idiots who put too much hate on the Halo games for its story. Plus, what's not awesome of playing a Halo version of Nazi Zombies while playing as the most badass Sergeant in the Haloverse?

Not Excited #3 Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2

There are only three reasons I'm not excited for Modern Warfare 2. One, I played way too much COD4 and W@W. Two, the current COD multiplayer engine has gotten old fast for me. I really don't want to simply grind through another 55-65 levels again earning the same perks. Three, I think the success of COD4's single player campaign was partially fueled by how “new” the game ways. In other words, COD4's campaign was Call of Duty in a totally different light we had never seen the franchise in before and, even though it was without a doubt an amazing campaign, it will be extremely hard to recreate the awesomeness that was COD4.

Excited #3 Bayonetta

Hot babe with sexy librarian glasses who gets almost totally naked while doing over the top attacks? Sounds like my kinda game. Wait, it comes from the guy who gave birth to the Devil May Cry franchise? Fuck yeah, count me in! While my pal Trev says that Bayonetta is what Devil May Cry would be without Capcom sticking their nose into things, I politely disagree and say that's a crock of bullcrap. But that doesn't stop me from me from getting totally worked up about Bayonetta? No. Does it look perhaps a little too much like a Devil May Cry clone? Yeah, probably. But I eat Devil May Cry titles for breakfast and I'll gladly buy a re-skinned DMC if it comes from the same lineage.

UPDATE: The internet has informed me that the North America release for Bayonetta got pushed to January of 2010. Well, goddammit the internet just broke my whole combo here. But considering January 2010 is pretty damn close to 2009, and I'm a lazy bastard who doesn't want to update all of this, it's staying here!

Not Excited #2 New Super Mario Bros. Wii

In my opinion, the “New” at the start of this title means it's geared for a new audience of Super Mario fans. A.K.A. people who've never touched a Mario game before. I'm happy that the Koopa Kids are finally back because they were some of the best additions to the Mario franchise ever, but as a veteran of the franchise who grinded through the old school Mario games back on the NES I just can't bring myself to play a much easier game bearing the same title as the original classic.

Excited #2 Batman Arkham Asylum

From everything I've seen and played in regards to this game, Arkham Asylum really looks like it's doing everything as right as it can be. Batman fights exactly like he should fight, like a kick ass ninja, and has all of the proper stealth elements that make Batman everything Sam Fisher wishes he was. Throw in Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill from Batman: The Animated Series (the best comic-to-cartoon ever) and this game really makes me happy to be a video gamer.

And for random fun here's a video of Kevin Conroy's Bruce Wayne voice guest appearing on Matlock.


Not Excited #1 Final Fantasy XIII

Ironic that I'm excited about one Final Fantasy but another Final Fantasy tops the list of games I'm not excited for, isn't it? I was excited about this title, tried to stay excited about this title, and now I'm ultimately not excited about FF13 at all. Perhaps it's the fact that the game's been in development for way too long, perhaps it's my stubborn fanboy pouting and wishing they'd let some of their crew go free and remake FF7 (you'd think FF7 selling like hotcake on PSN would finally give them the idea), or perhaps I just am not keen on the idea of this installment having more then one game come out at the same time. I, personally, am also not very giddy about SquareEnix seemingly trying to plug this game as literally “The Next Final Fantasy 7” to the point where one of the developers literally called one of the Versus XIII characters a darker silver haired Cloud Strife. Or who knows, maybe I'm just not that into the Final Fantasy series that much anymore.

Excited #1 Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

In my opinion Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is the best game of this console generation. I will argue it's better then Fallout 3, Grand Theft Auto 4, and any other GOTY candidate of the last few years. Now Uncharted 2 looks better, which I find somehow impossible to believe and even has multiplayer where I can run and gun as Sully, the most awesome guy with a mustache ever (sorry Old Snake). There isn't much from the Uncharted formula that needs to be tweaked at all and from everything I've seen it really doesn't look like they've messed with anything that worked. Count me on board for a day one purchase of Among Thieves.