In the video-game industry, publishers usually release all their top titles during the weeks preceding Christmas, leaving the rest of the release calendar a veritable digital desert.
Many game publishers delayed their biggest releases this cycle to early 2010.
Local gamer Jeremiah Pitner, a sales associate at Play-n-Trade on South Terrace, said companies wanted to avoid competing with the season's 800-pound gorilla.
"With 'Call of Duty (Modern Warfare 2),' they just couldn't do it," Mr. Pitner said. "I read online that they just didn't want to compete with them."
"Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" set a first-month sales record of more than 6 million copies last November, according to market research group NPD.
Here's what's ahead.
"Dark Void"
Release date: Jan. 19.
Summary: A pilot crash-lands in the Bermuda triangle and is transported to another universe, where he's called upon to overthrow an oppressive alien race known as The Watchers.
Why it's hot: The gameplay combines "Rocketeer"-inspired jetpack mobility, vertical-level design and "Gears of War"-style cover system for a third-person sci-fi shooter that literally approaches the genre from a new angle.
Age rating: Teen.
Price: $60 Xbox 360 and PS3; $40 PC.
"Mass Effect 2"
Release date: Jan. 26.
Summary: Taking place just after the events of the original, players resume control of Commander Shepard as he assembles a new team to investigate a series of abductions taking place on outlying human colonies.
Why it's hot: The original title was a runaway hit lauded for its fresh approach to dialogue, fleshed-out universe and stellar graphics. The sequel features more rewards for exploration, better animation and addresses complaints made about the original.
Age rating: Mature.
Price: $60 Xbox 360; $50 PC.
"Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All Stars"
Release date: Jan. 26.
Summary: Characters from the Japanese animation company Tatsunoko go head-to-head with characters from various Capcom games in this crossover fighter.
Why it's hot: It's rare for the Wii to get an exclusive title aimed at hard-core gamers. The super-stylized 2.5-D graphics pop, and the roster is rife with unlikely fighters from games like "Viewtiful Joe" and "Dead Rising" as well as Tatsunoko characters unfamiliar to many U.S. gamers.
Age rating: Teen.
Price: $50 Wii.
"Bioshock 2"
Release date: Feb. 9.
Summary: Set one decade after "Bioshock," players return to the sunken metropolis of Rapture, this time in the armored dive suit of a Big Daddy. Lest they feel too overpowered, this time, there's a Big Sister to be afraid of.
Why it's hot: The first game literally oozed ominous atmosphere and combined a compelling blend of first-person shooting, upgradeable abilities and a fascinating backstory. This time around, new factions have appeared and a multiplayer mode set before the events of the first game should add a whole new layer to the game.
Age rating: Mature.
Price: $60 Xbox 360 and PS3; $50 PC.
"Dante's Inferno"
Release date: Feb. 9.
Summary: This game, loosely based on events of the first part of Dante Alighieri's epic poem "The Divine Comedy," sends players on an action-packed romp through the nine circles of hell after their beloved, who has been seized by Lucifer.
Why it's hot: The visuals pop, and the "God of War"-style action has players slaying demons with everything from holy relics to an enormous bone scythe. They also can tame larger demons, which can be ridden to crush mobs of weaker enemies.
Age rating: Mature.
Price: $60 Xbox 360 and PS3; $40 PSP.
"Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction"
Release date: Feb. 23.
Summary: After discovering the truth about his daughter's death, black-ops agent Sam Fisher has gone rogue with his former allies in hot pursuit.
Why it's hot: Numerous gameplay tweaks, including a visual representations of Fisher's Jason Bourne-like sixth sense and combat abilities should freshen things for fans turned off by the staleness of mechanics reused through the series' first four games.
Age rating: Pending.
Price: $60 Xbox 360; $50 PC.
"Battlefield: Bad Company 2"
Release date: March 2.
Summary: This direct sequel to 2008's "Bad Company" finds players once again fighting alongside B Company, a shady group of soldiers more concerned with recovering caches of gold than grand strategy.
Why it's hot: Both the environmental destruction of the Frostbite game engine and the team-based multiplayer have been given major overhauls.
Age rating: Pending.
Price: $60 Xbox 360 and PS3; $50 PC.
"Final Fantasy XIII"
Release date: March 9.
Summary: Explore the world of Pulse, where most of humanity lives in a protected floating oasis above the wild world below and some people are marked (cursed?) with the destiny for fulfilling a greater purpose.
Why it's hot: This series is always good for an engrossing story, plus the incredible graphics and over-the-top fighting animation have had fans salivating since its announcement in 2006. This is also the series' first appearance on a Microsoft console.
Age rating: Teen.
Price: $60 Xbox 360 and PS3.
"God of War III"
Release date: April 1.
Summary: The fifth and final entry in the "God of War" saga follows tragic anti-hero Kratos as he takes his quest for revenge to the doorstep of Mount Olympus with the Titans at his side.
Why it's hot: This is the game's first appearance on a next-generation console, and the additional processing muscle has pushed the action to epic levels with more detailed graphics, more on-screen enemies and even more brutal ways to finish off foes.
Age rating: Mature.
Price: $60 PS3.
"Super Street Fighter IV"
Release date: April 6.
Summary: A package of new characters and gameplay tweaks showcase one of last year's most critically acclaimed fighting games offered at a budget price.
Why it's hot: In keeping with tradition, Capcom is pushing out a lightning-quick re-release of its flagship fighting franchise, but the addition of eight new fighters, multiplayer tweaks and refined balancing should make the reduced-price package a bargain to fans.
Age rating: Teen.
Price: $40 Xbox 360 and PS3.
"Red Dead Redemption"
Release date: April 27.
Summary: "Grand Theft Auto" developer Rockstar Games revisits its 2004 third-person Western shooter in this tale of revenge set in the open-world environs of the newly tamed Wild West at the turn of the 20th century.
Why it's hot: The wide-open environments on the American frontier are a relatively unexplored setting in most action games. The game also features the same animation, artificial intelligence and graphic engines from last year's "Grand Theft Auto IV."
Age rating: Pending.
Price: $60 Xbox 360 and PS3.