Written by Morbid Optimist | 28 September 2010

A 9.5 rating from IGN.com for any video game is pretty spectacular, that's what makes my decision so difficult to stick to. Even my wife keeps hinting at the fact that I should go out and pick up Halo: Reach for myself.

Alas, I will not. Which is even more insane because my wife never green lights picking up new video games.

Allow me to explain my reasoning for this decision. I am no longer going to shell out $60 for the same feel of a game. I like video games for allowing me to do something I can't experience in real life. I like the escape. I like visiting new places and shooting a new alien species in the face. I like seeing stuff I would not have been able to imagine myself. Most of all, I like the way different games feel and make me react to new situations.

After playing Halo 1, 2, 3, and ODST, I feel like I no longer have anything to look forward to in Reach. I've seen the screenshots. I've read all the reviews. I've seen videos... That is why it's especially painful to not pick up such a critically acclaimed game, but at the same time those all the reasons why I refuse to purchase Reach.

At this point, I would say Bungie, as a company, is completely out of fresh ideas. This sentiment isn't new within the gaming community, but it's glaringly obvious that Bungie hit a cash cow I can't blame them for riding it. Bungie, please release a new game that proves innovation can still come from your company. Or just keep Reaching (get it!?) from the same platform.

Also, for all these reasons I will not be getting CoD: Black Ops either.

(All paragraphs in this article start with the letter A... weird.)