A month to remember

October 2008 is a good time to be a gamer. I don't know if you've realized this but there are more triple-A titles coming out between October 14th and 24th than you could hope to get through in a year. What games are they, you ask? Try Rock Band 2, Midnight Club: Los Angeles, BioShock (for us Sonyites), Far Cry 2, Little Big Planet, Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, Guitar Hero World Tour, Fallout 3, MotorStorm: Pacific Rift, Dead Space, and Fable II. The hype for these titles has been snowballing for years, most notably in the case of Little Big Planet and Fable II.

The former promises to revolutionize the way we perceive gameplay by putting the game's creation tools into our hands from the outset. Media Molecule seems to be saying: forget about how you think the game should be played, instead make the game whatever you want it to be. Heck, even turn the process of making the game into the game iself! Their focus on user-created content is backed by an extensive online community where players can share the levels they have created and leave feedback on the levels they've played. This online portion of the game opens up a world of possibilities including contests, internet fame, and all kinds of socialization.

Fable II has had its share of hype as well, although Peter Molyneux's hopeless enthusiasm for his own games may be to blame. He has promised that Fable will grip your emotions by the proverbial balls and leave you a weeping husk should your beloved dog or child die. Yes, even your asshole friend can kill them in co-op, and no, you'll never see them again. Though always visionary on paper, we'll have to wait and see if Lionhead Studios' latest title really manages to tug on the ol' heartstrings.