Darkest Before the Dawn?

I went to Best Buy last night to pick up the Muppet Show Season 2 on DVD. Turns out they were out of stock. Apparently there was a rush on Kermit last week, but that's really for another time.

I had some time to kill so I headed for the PC gaming section of the store. I have been an avid PC gamer for as long as I have owned a computer. FPS, RTS, MMO, SIM, doesn't matter. I appreciate them all. When I have time I like to peruse the list of new titles to see if anything catches my eye. I was sorely disappointed. I have never seen a weaker selection in my life.

Now, every few years the "next generation" consoles come out and game publishers head that-a-way for year or so. In most years there are a handful of titles that remind game companies that there is a market space for PC games. Battlefield 1942 and America's Army in 2002, Call of Duty in 2003, World of Warcraft in 2004.

Right now? Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zero.

I'm serious.

It's all crap.

I read the trade pubs and run a pretty big gaming website so while I don't know everything that's going on it's not like I'm living under a rock. I could not find a single title I even recognized that wasn't more than a year old or only available in a "pre-sale please commit now so we can have your money when you forget where you put the box" version.

There may be hope. ET:Quake Wars and Team Fortress 2 are coming out in October. Warhammer Online is due around the end of the year. Starcraft 2 is in production. WoW has another expansion on the way, but I will save my assessment of that epic gerbil wheel for another day.

So for now I head back to EvE Online and wait for October to roll around.