Games never played

Regrets are something I don't linger on. My general feeling is that even you could change the past, minor changes in your past history could have drastic changes where you are in the here and now. Wanting to undo past regrets indicate a desire to completely screw up your life. There's not much point lingering on things in your life that didn't happen.

That being said, the current upcoming lineup of video games leaves me wanting. Spore and The Force Unleashed were complete duds, and the only title I'm looking forward to is merely an expansion to a game I've spent way too much time playing. This has left me pining for games past that I've never had the chance to play. I find myself regretting not having played some games so long ago. Fortunately, the current lull in quality titles has opened up an opportunity to catch up on titles I've missed.

One of those titles was Diablo II. A friend recently lent me a copy of this title, so I finally I had a chance to try it, 8-9 years after it's release. This gave me a sense of optimism because I hated it. The interface deficencies were too great, and the gameplay was pretty mindless. If this is what I've been missing, then I'm not missing much.

Another title was Full Spectrum Warrior. The heritage of this game being developed as an Army training tool then later built into a game always appealed to me. And to be fair, I did attempt it to play this game when it came out, but never got to finish it. THQ recently made this a freely available download, so I grabbed it and am now working my way through it. I am enjoying it, but it's game mechanic is pretty shallow and repetitive. It does have a unique feel: I don't think I've ever played a game quite like it. And, there is a greater sense of realism than I get with other similar titles, like Ghost Recon. All around, I think this is a title people shouldn't miss, especially since it's now free.

The door is opened for me to consider other titles I haven't played. And, unless the lineup of upcoming releases improves, I may try catching up on titles I've missed. Below is a list of the top 5 titles I never got to play and wish I had.

1. Jade Empire: Jade Empire was Bioware's followup to Knights of the Old Republic. so, I always made the connection that it was somehow a successor or extension to KotoR. Also, the Far East medieval setting has always been fascinating to me. I find it much more compelling than a traditional medieval setting. This game came near the end of the original Xbox's life, at the time when I was growing tired of the platform. When it hit PC's, I was experience video game burn out on WoW, so I never got around to it. It's now a bargain bin PC title, and also available on OSX, so this is a title I may actually get a chance to play.
2. Beyond Good and Evil: This was a sleeper title that got lots of critical praise but not a lot of gamer attention. I think it broke away from the Lara Croft female protagonist stereotype and introduced what appears to be a fresh take on female leads in games with Jade. It has alien invasion conspiracies and a non-violent approach to the gameplay mechanic. Instead of shooting bad guys with guns, you do so with a camera. The artwork seemed more artistic and unique than typical titles. This was introduced in the original Xbox/PS2 era. I've never seen it for the Mac, and haven't seen a PC copy for a while, so chances I'll ever get around to this one are slim.
3. Black and White: I did actually start to play this game. My wife picked this title up at a used book sale, but my infant son snapped the disc in half about an hour or two after starting a game. so, I didn't get very far. What I remember was that it was unique. You played god, controller a beast that the town folk looked on as an effigy to their god. In an era where all games are becoming derivative, this stood out as unique. I also remember it being very finicky about the OS it supported and I most likely don't use whatever OS is was built for. So, unless some anniversary edition comes out, and I wouldn't put it past Molyneux's ego to do this, I won't be able to play this one.
4. I Love Bees: As part of the marketing hype leading up the launch of Halo 2, M$ was showing commercials of the game in movie theaters. At the end of the trailer, they flashed a cryptic url "www.ilovebees.com". This was the launching point to an alternate reality game (ARG) as part of viral marketing for the game. The ARG had people hunting down pay phones all across the country to get sound bytes that either reveal pieces of a story or more clues to other aspects of the game, such as more pay phone messages or other websites. I remember watching forum feeds as people were playing this one and it seemed so cool and robust. Obviously, ARG's have limited life spans and are one shots and it's not really possible to play them after their conclusion. But, there'll always be another one, so I may be able to get involved in another ARG at some point.
5. Portal: This was a component of Valve's Orange Box. I was a platform/puzzle game with personality. It seemed like one of those crossover titles, but the crossover was between hardcore and casual gaming. This game also had a non violent game mechanic, and violence in video games is getting tired, so this is refreshing. Portal is still available at retail and as a download via Steam, so I have an opportunity to play this one.

I guess if I would have some honorable mentions they'd be:

1. A quality AO (Adult Only) rated title: I'd love to see someone take artistic expression to whatever uninhibited limits creativity can provide, but do it in the context of a game actually worth playing. I've never played one because they've never existed. This does make sense though, since it doesn't make sense to alienate the retailers for a title with a significant investment. I won't hold my breath waiting for this one.
2. America's Army: I love the real life tie of this game. I have played it before, but was short lived, I shot the drill sergeant on the firing range in the tutorial. At this point, my game is over as I spend the rest of the game in a jail cell. True Story. I know the Army is still pimping this one, so I may create another account and give it a go.