Hard Times Equals Hard Choices

So this global credit crisis is really throwing a wrench into the works for me. It has put the temporary brakes on my job hunting campaign, narrowed my chances of getting a raise, put the boot to some of my investments and yes, it's making an already difficult winter game release season an even more arduous excercise in cost management.

Before the economy decided to keel over and take a prolonged No. 2 on my face, I pretty much had all my ducks lined up as follows:

Rock Band 2
Dead Space
NHL09
Fable 2
Fallout 3
Gears of War 2
Left 4 Dead

That list of goodies has now been decimated to:

Dead Space
Gears of War 2
Left 4 Dead

I suppose whenever you're forced to tighten the wallet, you begin to prioritize and soul search a bit more than usual. I've got Dead Space in my hot little hands and so far I do not regret this purchase at all. It's got a meaty enough campaign to tide me over until Gears of War 2 drops in November. I still very much want to grab Fallout 3 on day one, but I've now relegated that title to a "read Metacritic and forums first" status. My rationale is that it's a single-player game, so it's not like it's got a freshness timer on it like a lot of multiplayer-focused games do.

Keeping Gears 2 on the list was easy. Even though the hype had not sunk in until the last couple of weeks, I know that I am guaranteed my bang for the buck. Like the first game, Gears 2 is one of those rare "total packages" that comes around only once or twice a year: full-featured multiplayer, co-op and a full story mode to boot. If I'm going to bet on any sure-fire hit this winter, it's got to be Gears.

Rock Band 2 and NHL09 were both pretty easy to cut. For me, they represent known quantities, with one of them saddled with the disadvantage of being a sports game, which have always ranked very low on my list of buying priorities. Rock BAnd 2 has been getting some great buzz but... I can hold off. Rock Band 1 still keeps me entertained and it's not like I"ve been clamoring for the new set list or planned to purchase the new instruments right away. I've got enough plastic instruments cluttering my space, thank you. If push comes to shove, I will at least wait until the start of January to pick this up, seeing as a couple close friends will be in town and RB2 will be the perfect bonding activity for us.

Last but not least, we have Fable 2. How did I decide to cut that but keep Left 4 Dead on my list? Simple: I love zombies and I hate falling for Peter Molyneux's hyperbole. The latest Fable 2 article in Edge magazine has made me quite excited to see how this epic action-RPG has turne d out. Since I've never played the original Fable, however, I see the sequel as too much of a wildcard to gamble on until I've seen a bevy of positive, nay, outstanding reviews. I'm well aware of the poor reputation that Fable 1 has garnered over the years, so I'm sitting this one out as an interested observer for the time being!

So you see, in uncertain economic times even the hardest buying decisions like whether to stock up on instand ramen or Kraft, or Left 4 Dead or Fable 2 can be resolved with a little mental Pro/Con checklisting. Weighing out the pros and cons, plus asking yourself what truly gives you the greatest amount of joy, goes a long way to saving the wallet and your sanity.

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