I can't remember the last time I booted up The Witcher 2. What I can remember is starting Chapter 2, and soon after, quitting during a large battle which didn't really make any sense to why it was happening anyway. I quit because at that point, I could no longer keep my eyes open, eyelids heavier beyond my control. I was so bored and The Witcher 2 was putting me to sleep. After maybe 10 or so hours of time invested, which in reality felt considerably longer than that, I haven't gone back since. If it wasn't for the critical acclaim and positive reception that it received since launch, I would never have made it that far. For a game that was often mentioned during game of the year discussions, nothing that I've seen so far - besides the presentation - reflects that at all.

It's fairly easy, as someone who had never played a game developed by Team Ico, to make fun of The Last Guardian's enigmatic development cycle with each year it fails to release. What exactly Team Ico has been doing since their last game in 2005 is very strange indeed. Sure they might have been working on The Last Guardian, but 7 years of development time is not at all ideal.

I speak of Team Ico and The Last Guardian because I understand now; I understand why there has been a constant outcry for information and reassurance with the fate of The Last Guardian. After first being shown at E3 in 2009 then later at Tokyo Game Show, a holiday 2011 release date was touted, though it never happened. So I wondered why people cared so much, was it really such a big deal that this quietly lurking Japanese studio didn't release their game? It is a big deal and you would only understand the demand if you have played both Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, Team Ico's two previous PS2 titles.

This is the game Mass Effect fans have been waiting for. All of the time spent reading the codex and following Commander Shepard's story of the battle against the Reapers, comes to a close. What makes this trilogy different from others is the personal involvement each player has; the moral decisions they have made and the ramifications that follow. We carry over our story and character from game to game, to see how events correlate and if the decisions we have made led to the desired results. But for a new player, they don't have that connection and won't quite understand why Mass Effect 3 is such a big deal to fans. If you are part of that group that has no desire to play Mass Effect at all, there is nothing that the third instalment in the franchise will provide to change your mind.