October 6, 2008 - On October 21, no fewer than five headliner games drop into retail: Wii Music, Fable II, Far Cry 2, LittleBigPlanet, and Spider-Man: Web of Shadows. If this gamesplosion doesn't blow your mind (and your wallet), the preceding week is festooned with more big titles, like Dead Space, Saints Row 2, and SOCOM: Confrontation. And if you haven't already overturned your couch for loose change yet, consider the week following October 21 with Fallout 3 and Guitar Hero World Tour. Madness.
We asked IGN readers to vote for the October 21 game they planned to pick up first. Here's how you voted:
- Fable II: 44.9%
- LittleBigPlanet: 25.4%
- Far Cry 2: 18.6%
- Spider-Man: Web of Shadows: 7.5%
- Wii Music: 3.3%
Wii Music tanked in this poll, coming in behind Activision's Spider-Man franchise, which needs to recover ground following last year's questionable Friend or Foe. However, Wii Music is also targeted at mainstream or casual gamers that may or may not read IGN. If sales of Wii Fit are any indication (over 1.4 million in America as of August 2008) of Nintendo knowing this audience, Wii Music should do exceptional numbers.
Fable II, on the other hand, is enjoying tremendous buzz despite recent revelations that gameplay features have been delayed and the hyped special edition package is hemorrhaging content. Still, the original Fable was both a critical and commercial success, leaving general good will toward the series. Sony's LittleBigPlanet ranked high on the poll, too. Since its debut at the 2007 Game Developers Conference, the user-generated platform has been buoyed with massive anticipation within the PlayStation community. It doesn't hurt matters that the game is gorgeous.
Left in the middle of the pack is Far Cry 2, which debuts on the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 on the same day. Far Cry was a big hit on the PC in 2004, but this sequel comes to market without the original developer, Crytek Studios. Instead, the game is developed by Ubisoft's Montreal team. Plus, the brand was battered by Ubisoft's 2006 Wii port, which was less than flattering to the potential Far Cry legacy.
Hit the comments and tell us why you think Fable II topped this poll and Wii Music settled at the bottom. And if you didn't participate in the original poll, post which game you're zeroing in on and why.
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