Situations like this happen a little more than ’sometimes’ — where a AAA title is just, at this point, days away from release, and the only games that are coming out are, well, nothing to really write about (I will like them, however. But that’s purely for your reading pleasure).

In fact, the only decent console release came out in the middle of March. Sure, some releases have dropped on portables (Crisis Core and The World Ends With You) since then, but largely, the biggest console title recently out was…Rainbow Six Vegas 2. Sure, the PC has seen its fair share of ports, Assassin’s Creed, Turok and Vegas 2, but those aren’t originals.

So, what’s a gamer to do in, what I like to call ‘the calm before the storm?’ I do my best to drudge up games I unfortunately passed when they came out and give them the time they deserve. Since I’ve lost my copies of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, I decided to dust off Beyond Good & Evil and Dreamfall: The Longest Journey. Granted, there’s going to be little chance in hell of actually finishing these games before Midnight on Tuesday AM, but there’s enough there to occupy my time. At some point, I’m going to play Psychonauts and beat that…I’ve been telling myself that for a few years now since I got it.

Some day it’ll come true.

What do you, my faithful readers, do to occupy your time before a big-name release? Sometimes this phenomenon happens with movies as well as games…any advice you can pass on to others? Myself? What about some low-key titles that I should look into when I get bored? I’m always looking for a great game to play.