Some really great games could come out this week, and we wouldn’t even notice… or care.

Why?

Not to rub it in, but we just got sent “Super Smash Bros. Brawl,” a game that many of us have been waiting to get for months, even years.

So any game, no matter how great, must wait. For us, that includes “God of War: Chains of Olympus,” “Army of Two” and “Bully.” But let’s get to the real issue at hand here. Are there too many pony games on the market?

TraceyJohn: But seriously… can the market have TOO MANY pony games?
TraceyJohn: They’re almost as abundant as war shooters.
JasonCipriano: maybe we need to create a crossover genre
JasonCipriano: “Pony Shooterz”
TraceyJohn: PETA will call.
JasonCipriano: It’s virtual
TraceyJohn: Unless the horses are the ones with guns

TraceyJohn: Let’s jump into this week’s “What We’re NOT Playing.”
TraceyJohn: “Let’s Ride: Friends Forever.”
TraceyJohn: ‘Cause that’s what we are. Friends Forever.
JasonCipriano: Only if we ride
JasonCipriano: Where are we even going?
TraceyJohn: I don’t know. To the land of pony DS games.
TraceyJohn: That also happens to be the name of the newest pony-themed game for the DS.
JasonCipriano: That’s a pony game?
TraceyJohn: Yes, it is.
TraceyJohn: Because when I think “Let’s Ride: Friends Forever,” I think of us riding ponies. Forever.
JasonCipriano: Well I mean … drop the first part … and only call it “Friends Forever” and what do you think it is?
JasonCipriano: Pony game .. OF COURSE!
TraceyJohn: Silly me. I don’t have horses on the brain. Even though I should because I’m a girl.
TraceyJohn: But seriously… can the market have TOO MANY pony games?
TraceyJohn: They’re almost as abundant as war shooters.
JasonCipriano: maybe we need to create a crossover genre
JasonCipriano: “Pony Shooterz”
TraceyJohn: PETA will call.
JasonCipriano: It’s virtual
TraceyJohn: Unless the horses are the ones with guns
JasonCipriano: Wow … maybe the horses are the guns … like Lazer Cats
TraceyJohn: Ok, now we’re really getting off on a tangent
JasonCipriano: Lazer Cats are awesome though
TraceyJohn: true.
TraceyJohn: So what are you not playing this week?
JasonCipriano: I’m not pretending to be a Ninja this week
JasonCipriano: So, “Ninja Reflex” is out
TraceyJohn: Because you were over pretending to be a ninja when you were like, five?
JasonCipriano: No… It’s more a last-week-of-the-month thing, not a first-week-of-the-month thing
TraceyJohn: Totilo thinks he’s a ninja. He’s got a black belt.
JasonCipriano: He actually is a Ninja
JasonCipriano: He moves only under cover of night
TraceyJohn: True. He could kick my ass. But really, why don’t you want to be pretend to be a ninja?
JasonCipriano: “Ninja Reflex” just seems like another mini game-infested Wii title
JasonCipriano: and more importantly
JasonCipriano: there are tons of other really great ninja games on the market
TraceyJohn: “Ninjabread Man”?
JasonCipriano: maybe not that exactly
JasonCipriano: but spending the $15 to download the NES “Ninja Gaiden” trilogy is worth way more than spending the $50 to pick up “Ninja Reflex”
JasonCipriano: and then there’s “Ninja Gaiden Sigma”
JasonCipriano: and “Ninja Gaiden Dark Sword” and most recently “N+”
TraceyJohn: But EA obviously feels there’s a market for it. Maybe to them, ninjas are like ponies
JasonCipriano: I mean … I’m sure there is - as you alluded to earlier - five year-old boys love to pretend to be ninjas
JasonCipriano: From what I understand, it is the “Cooking Mama” of ninja games
TraceyJohn: Let me play devil’s advocate here. “Smash Bros.” is out, or going to be out this weekend. Won’t that be all you’ll be playing?
TraceyJohn: vs. other big releases, like “Army of Two” and “God of War” on the PSP?
TraceyJohn: “Bully” on Wii/360?
JasonCipriano: “Army of Two” hasn’t really caught my attention for any reason at all.
TraceyJohn: Why?
JasonCipriano: I don’t really know that much about it, and games like that are starting to fall into a “Gears of War“-like structure that’s really just blending together in my head.
JasonCipriano: “God of War” is worth a look - I just haven’t gotten around to it
JasonCipriano: I put off playing “Bully” when it came out on the PS2 to play it on a newer gen system - so it looks like the time is up on that - and I’ll get around to it, just maybe not this week
JasonCipriano: What about you? That is quite a good list of games this week … will you be passing on them all?
TraceyJohn: Same here. I’ll admit that those games will go on the backburner with “SSBB” out this week. Besides the fact that “Army of Two” and “God of War” didn’t come in the mail for me yet… I obviously would like to play “God of War,” but I’m still playing “Patapon” (I’m trying to stick to my new year’s resolution). And “Army of Two,” I actually wanted to try since my boyfriend and I have been wanting to play a shooty co-op game (we haven’t played one together since “Halo 3“)
TraceyJohn: Actually, scratch that. We tried “Kane & Lynch,” but stopped.
JasonCipriano: with good reason, I’m sure
TraceyJohn: *cough*
TraceyJohn: still sick from GDC…
JasonCipriano: Maybe you guys should be ninjas together?
TraceyJohn: Nah. So how long do you think you will you play “SSBB” and ignore other games?
TraceyJohn: Like do you think you’ll be playing it non-stop for a while?
JasonCipriano: I think theres a good chance of that, but there is a threshhold
JasonCipriano: and there are just too many other games to ignore
JasonCipriano: I’ve been doing that too much for my Achievement quest
JasonCipriano: so many Wii and PS3 games that I still need to get to
TraceyJohn: and don’t forget DS — “Let’s Ride: Friends Forever”
JasonCipriano: Well … DS is easier since I can take that on the subway in the morning. I made a decent dent in “Professor Layton” … something I can be proud of
JasonCipriano: and there were others
JasonCipriano: I finished “Contra 4”
JasonCipriano: I believe “Picross” came out while I was whoring achievement points
JasonCipriano: there’s a bunch — the DS got ignored the least
JasonCipriano: So … let’s summarize
TraceyJohn: Aside from pretty obvious and more casual titles such as “Ninja Reflex” and “Let’s Ride: Friends Forever,” we’re actually gonna hold on “Army of Two,” “God of War: Chains of Olympus” (gasp!) because of a little game called “Super Smash Bros. Brawl”
JasonCipriano: Don’t forget “Homie Rollerz”
TraceyJohn: the one with Crecente on the cover?
JasonCipriano: yeah, and I’m crossing my fingers and hoping for a pony shooter game sometime in the future
JasonCipriano: It’ll be a blockbuster
TraceyJohn: our first foray into game design. watch out, world