I have a serious problem.

I want to buy a game. This is a pretty common state for me – odds are there’s always something new and shiny or something old and revered missing from my gaming knowledge, and the hole where it should be creates a burning need that can only be sated by adding it to the shelves in my game room at home. Working in games, being constantly surrounded by talk, news, and the making of the things, has turned my obsessive-compulsive need to acquire in to an occupational hazard on the level of those guys who drive enormous trucks across frozen water. Now it’s not just a matter of wanting something new to play, but the head bits in charge of making shit up professionally are constantly calling out for new grist for the mill. I know, I know: it’s a hard life. But I manage.

The problem today is one of choice: There are two games I’m currently interested in, and I can only afford one. Both are unexpected for entirely different reasons, and both will probably have some of you shaking your heads in shame at the apparent demise of my common sense and taste (also for very different reasons). The first, Naruto: Rise of a Ninja for the 360, demands something of a confession: I really, really like the original Japanese cartoon. When designing Star Students for Cartoon Network, I had fan-subbed versions of the episodes playing almost constantly one of my monitors. By the time the project was over I was eighty-odd episodes in and completely hooked. It’s a much deeper coming-of-age story (with ninjas) than the squeaky-voiced, catchphrase-filled version shown in the US, offering some genuinely dark moments and the sort of character development and storytelling you rarely if ever see in other cartoons. I wasn’t really interested in the game before, particularly because all the voice work was done by the same bunch that made the English version of the show unwatchable, but a couple of things have made me change my mind: First, Ubisoft have released a patch that lets you play the game with subtitles on and all spoken dialogue rerecorded by the original Japanese actors. This is a pretty brilliant move, as the Naruto fan base in this country was already approaching cult-like numbers long before Cartoon Network picked up the translated version and there’s nothing hardcore fans like more than their obsession in it’s original form. It also means that, unlike the genuinely solid Naruto fighters for the GameCube, I can play this with the sound on. Secondly, after scanning through some of the reviews on Metacritic, it appears that Rise of a Ninja is a solid, surprisingly deep RPG with stunning graphics and a wide world to explore in whatever way your little ninja heart desires. Even the 70-80 range of scores seem to come more from reviewers knocking a point or two off for the game’s twin sins of being licensed and aimed at a less-than-hardcore audience. That fights in the game are actual fights is another point in its favor – more than anything else, Rise of a Ninja seems to be an well-conceived game that blends a number of different mechanics with surprising results. And I can totally get on board for that.

The other game? Burnout Paradise. Look, I know what I said, but it’s important to note that those were concerns. Concerns based on early reports, Alex Ward’s somewhat jackass attitude towards criticism, and a poor a confusing demo, but concerns none the less. The game was released last week, and since then a number of the trusted voices that contributed to my doubts over the game have come around to the feeling that hey, this is Burnout after all. Aside from people on forums and in real life finding themselves won over, three pieces in particular are fanning the spark of hope in the part of my heart that wants only to Go Very Fast: this point/counter-point between Level Up’s N’Gai Croal and MTV News’ Stephen Totilo (part 2 of which is just now up, apparently), and Edge Magazine’s preview and final review of the game. From the sound of it, other than the lack of a restart option for events and the changes made to the once-perfect Crash Mode, most of my hang ups are non-issues. This doesn’t mean the remaining problems won’t be deal breakers, of course, or that there aren’t all new hang-ups out there waiting for me. But it is enough to make me want to try the full game, and isn’t that enough?

I’m honestly not sure what to do. On one hand, Naruto: Rise of a Ninja sounds like a diamond in the rough, the sort of thing that has no business being played but turns out to be a surprisingly good (but not great) game. On the other, Burnout Paradise sounds like it could be all I’ve ever wanted from a racing game or an even greater disappointment than I already fear. What ever should I do?

Filed under: talk about games