Eenie, meenie, miney...

Alright, I have a gaming problem and I'm going to put it out for all of you to chime in on. This is the first winter in a long time I can remember so many good games coming out. Due to financial strappings that have not been resolved (but I was hoping would be) I am going to be very limited in my purchasing ability and I don't have a ton of gaming time the way it is.

Before I list the games that I'm torn about let me tell you this, I have to get Smackdown vs. Raw 2008 next month because it's a family game for us (my wife, son, and I are big wrestling fans). Plus the demo was pretty damn fun and you should check it out if you haven't already. So I'm figuring I can get one more game before Christmas comes around.

Call of Duty 4

CoD2 was a great SP experience but I didn't like the online that much. I have little doubt that Infinity Ward will make another great, cinematic SP campaign and I was crazy for the MP beta that was released. The only problem is that I am loving H3 online so much that I'm not sure I'll want to play CoD4 online instead. The problem then becomes that I believe CoD4 will be a lot like Counter Strike in that there is going to be a steep learning curve for anyone late to the party. Not only that but since you get better equipment as you play new people are going to be even more behind the eight ball. I got the beta a couple weeks late and when I first started playing it was rough. People already knew the maps and had more effective weapons so it was tough going. The one thing that helped me was that the level cap at 16 made it easier to catch up. If everyone could have kept leveling and gaining stuff it would have been damn tough to stay in it. If I have to choose between H3 and CoD4 on the nights I get to game then my skills are going to suffer in the one I don't play.

Mass Effect

I'm a huge RPG fan. I grew up playing D&D, Shadowrun, the Marvel RPG, White Wolf games, and a bunch of others. It's in my blood and Mass Effect looks to be the mother of all console RPGs to date. BioWare is an incredible dev that realy knows what they are doing with RPGs and I really want to play this. Thing is, it's only a SP game. Now that's not a bad thing in my mind, in fact, it's quite the opposite. I really enjoy an engrossing SP experience that I don't have to worry about keeping up with someone else or finding someone to play with. BioShock was incredible and I played through it almost three times and with all the different character choices you can make in ME I know Iwould play through more than once. But because it's SP only I could get it anytime and have the same experience. I don't have to worry about my skill level, ranking up, or unlocking new weapons. Honestly I could wait a whole year to get the game and it would be the same experience as if I had gotten it on day one. Sure I might stumble across some spoilers in a podcast or forum but other than that there isn't going to be anything that would change the game for me if I wait.

The Orange Box

This is easily the greatest gaming value in console history. On top of that HL is my favorite FPS of all time and I have not played Ep.1 or Ep.2. Portal is intriguing and getting rave reviews and, other than lag issues, Team Fortress2 should be a blast. So if this is such a no-brainer why didn't I pick it up over the weekend? I almost did when I was walking by it in Best Buy but restrained myself. Of the five games (that's just awesome to say...5 games, wow) four of them are SP only experiences and I have already played one of them. So my Mass Effect argument is echoed here in that it doesn't matter when I play these games because, other than spoilers, the experience will be the same no matter when I play them. Team Fortress 2 does look like a ton of fun but I'm not sure they are going to be able to reduce the lag issue sufficiently and, again, I don't know if it could stand up to my H3 online obsession. I will be getting the Orange Box at some point but should it be now or can I afford to wait?

Guitar Hero III

I am a metal head. A pure headbanging rock-n-roller to the core. I still buy t-shirts of favorite bands (Iron Maiden is the greatest) and wear them when I go out even though it draws strange stares from the younger crowds. One thing you should know is that I have always loved the guitar and tried desperately to learn to play and failed each time. I had an instructor tell me that he would keep taking my money if I wanted but suggested that I do something better with it because I was just not ever going to be able to play the guitar. Harsh I know, but at least he gave it to me straight. Then, years later, I found out about GH and how awesome it was to feel like you are actually playing and knew I must have it. I bought GHII and loved it. I was never able to do expert or even the higher sets lists on hard but it was still a hell of a lot of fun. The new one seems as though it will be more of the same great game with a better, wireless guitar and boss battles. Since I have a GHII controller my wife or son and I could actually play together this time around. Again it's a matter of whether I would play this instead of H3.

So there's my issue. Thoughts, suggestions, ideas? What game would you get?