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Reading this post on The Brainy Gamer made me realize that I’ve been doing the same thing: leaving new games unplayed.

I’m not entirely sure, but I think Batman: Arkham Asylum is still sitting in my 360 with less than an hour of playtime on it. My pre-ordered copy of Brutal Legend is still in the Amazon.com box that it came in, and of course I’ve held on to this copy of Wolverine: Origins from GameFly for far longer than fiscally reasonable.

I bought Batman and Brutal Legend because I was anxious to play them and anticipated their release. The hype surrounding helped the decision, but for once the hype was right. Yet I have no drive or desire to play them.

It isn’t because I’m not spending time gaming—I still manage upwards of 10 hours each week. That time is, however, almost entirely spent in either Left 4 Dead or Team Fortress 2, two fairly aged games, and with the same four to ten people every time. I enjoy playing video games as a social activity (let’s not forget that co-op gaming was the largest reason behind my Xbox 360 purchase), but it has been limiting the breadth of gameplay I am experiencing. (Though one could say that I am, *ahem*, “gaining experience” in these two primary games: becoming better at playing them and especially with these people, friends, and teammates.)

I really would like to get back into, and finish, Batman. Brutal Legend I hope to soon play and add to the collection of Tim Schaffer games I’ve fallen in love with. Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition, with its expansions, must still be played with the save file which I hope I backed up. And, despite all the recent exposure making it appear as something quite apart from its touted Baldur’s Gate heritage, I am still eagerly awaiting Dragon Age: Origins.

So, to all who keep inviting me to play L4D and TF2 every night: No offense, but I need a break to play some new games!!

Who am I kidding though…I’ll probably be back as Bill or a Demoman tomorrow night. See you then. Reminds me of this tale, let’s call it a testimony.