Year of the RPG

      

OR

Verdict of the VGA’s this year? Awesome! Well, apart from the presence of Dane Cook and the most atrocious reading of a teleprompter ever attempted in the history of ever by Denise Richards. Who was upstaged by just about everyone, including professional nerd Todd Howard of Bethesda. Which, funnily enough, brings me to my next point: Skyrim. Just Skyrim though?

The next and fifth instalment of my personal favourite franchise in gaming The Elder ScrollsV: Skyrim is not only in development but it’s coming out in November of this year. If this game is going to be anything like the others then expect a huge gap in my posts from November this year till about 2012. With a whole new engine and the rich, enchanting world of the Elder Scrolls I fail to see how this game could disappoint.

However, in that very same award show something else captured my attention for a minute and a half, the trailer for the glorious conclusion to another of my favourite series’ Mass Effect 3. Few games have had a story that has so thrillingly gripped me. This places me in somewhat of a dilemma, as a diehard RPG fan I pride myself on doing EVERYTHING in these vast expansive worlds(or galaxies in this case) so my problem is not which should I play but WHAT DO in order to play them  both equally?

The most obvious solution would be to create some sort of time chamber where time progresses at the rate of year for every day that passes outside the chamber. In a style remarkably similar to one of the five thousand filler episodes from the greatest cartoon ever made Dragonball Z. The main problem with this however, is that I am a student and are therefore bankrupt (thanks a lot Clegg). And as I should know any plan focused around the concept of time manipulation is rather expensive.

Another option that springs to mind would be to deliberately delay one of the games with a delicately fiendish plot involving either Casey Hudson or Todd Howard and the ever useful invention of electromagnets. BUT problem number one with this plan is that I am about as subtle as a rhinoceros and equally as fiendish as a butterfly. Problem number two is that the backlash I would fall victim to from the community of either would most likely distract me from being able to fully appreciate either of these titles. RPG fans know what they want.

So there you have it my terribly irrational thoughts on the subject of how on earth I am going to find time for Mass Effect 3 AND Elder Scrolls V in an already thoroughly packed year for big releases. What? You think you can come up with a better plan? Well smart guy let me know in the comments if you can do better!

Regardless of what we do, I think we can all agree it’s going to be a very reclusive holiday season for RPG fans worldwide.