Welcome to the year of the future

With all of the great games that were released in the last few months, you might be thinking it's time for your wallet to have a well-earned rest. In the past few years, you would have been right. The New Year Holiday typically marks the end of major publishers release schedule as they go into cruise control well past spring.

2010 is not one of those years.

With such a cornacopia of games coming out this spring, it's hard not to make a double take to the calendar. Gamers as a whole have been clamoring for a wallet relief schedule and our cries have finally been answered. However, it's not as much of a blessing as it might seem.

There are still Triple-A titles being thrown at you in quick succession. You most likely won't have any more money to spend on them either. If you were lucky enough to recieve a Christmas bonus, it was probably spent on other people's gifts, and hours are probably not as plentiful as they were before the holiday. Face it, you need to make smart decisions. Being impulsive will most likely lead to disappointment and lost opportunities.

Making an informed decision isn't about following a score at the end of an article or television segment. As popular as Xplay is, in my opinion, it's a much better source of entertainment than information. I'm not saying avoid Xplay, but you need to be able to use the resources out there to the fullest. Laughing at a couple of jokes and listening for a number is not the way to make an informed decision. Sessler and Webb give out pros and cons for a game they review, most tend not to listen unless there is a joke.

It's time for you to do some actual research, look at a few different reviews for a game. What one person finds contrived, another may find brilliant. Games are similar to music, each person has a different taste. Your taste may be similar to others, like IGN or GamePro; there's nothing wrong with that. If you can rely on a source to find new games and valuable opinions on the ones you want, then you've hit the gaming Mecca.

For those still on your quest, I hope that I will be very servicable to your needs. I am one person, one mind, in a cloud of companies. To ammend a popular phrase, I work hard for my money, and I want it to work hard for me. And if myself and my money can put in a couple of miles for your needs, all the better.

I am Daniel Woodson, and this is The Next Level. I'm glad you could level up with me.