I had to pull out my calendar yesterday to make sure that I wasn’t crazy. You see, I was under the impression that game developers and publishers saved their triple-A titles for the fall. After perusing a list of upcoming games, I assumed that it was September, not March.

According to Glen Schofield, general manager of “Dead Space” developer EA Redwood Shores, game makers have finally realized that quality titles can be sold throughout the year.

“Movies launch on Christmas day, they launch blockbusters during the summer, and we’re now learning that we could probably launch a game at any time, and if it’s a good game it will be well received,” he told GamesIndustry.biz in January. “I think that we traditionally thought that people only buy games at Christmas or around holiday time, and now we’re looking back and going, ‘You know what, GTA launched in May; Resident Evil comes out in March’.”

Of course, gamers have been trumpeting the same message for years. Each fall, companies ship an ungodly amount of software to stores, while the summer months are generally devoid of any significant releases. Granted, the situation seems to be improving.

The console versions of “Grand Theft Auto IV” released late last April, with “Metal Gear Solid 4″ following in June. Nintendo released “Mario Kart Wii,” “Super Smash Bros. Brawl” and “Wii Fit” in the first half of 2008, which left Wii owners with “Wii Music” and “Animal Crossing: City Folk” at the end of the year. Though, “Brawl” was originally supposed to launch in late 2007. Criterion Games’ “Burnout Paradise” launched for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in January 2008, while “Devil May Cry 4″ dropped in early February.

2009 is shaping up in a similar fashion, as Capcom and Sony have already shipped “Street Fighter IV” and “Killzone 2,” respectively. The latter, I must say, is a tremendous title. I won’t provide an in-depth review, but I will say that the game’s deep online multiplayer, sexy graphics and enjoyable solo campaign make it a benchmark exclusive for the PS3. Though, the campaign’s script leaves a lot to be desired. Why do writers rely so heavily upon curse words in certain shooters?

By the way, the next time you take down a Helghast soldier, be sure to watch his orange eyes slowly darken.

However, there are a number of spring titles that have yet to be released. Head over to page two to see what games I plan on picking up over the next few months.

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