I am not an outdoorsy person; my idea of getting fresh air is opening the window while playing World of Warcraft. Thus, you can imagine my infinite disappointment upon finding out that the video game industry-the provider of my favorite form of indoor entertainment-wasn't releasing any worthwhile games over the course of the summer. Instead, all games worth looking forward to are going to be on the market during Fall or Winter of 2008, when I have no free time whatsoever and will have no choice but to miss several classes in order to play them. Here are the games which, upon their release, will undoubtedly cause my grade point average to drop at least one point.

Title: Spore

Platform: PC

Estimated Time of Arrival: Sept. 7

The Deal: Will Wright is no slouch; this "idea man" behind the hit series SimCity and The Sims is seeking to add a third sensation to his resume; with the release of Spore. In this particular Maxis title, players are invited to create their own creature and guide it through five stages of development, beginning with the cell phase and culminating in the space period. The popularity of the "Spore Creature Creator" minigame indicates success for the forthcoming Spore, but the spawning of "sporn" (i.e., spore porn) could be the game's undoing. Sporn, which arose when players realized they could create suggestive creatures with the aforementioned minigame, was funny for about 15 minutes.

If sporn persists with the arrival of Spore and its peer-to-peer system, it could prove bothersome: Personally, after my planet is invaded for the fifth time by phallus-shaped aliens, I'll be ready to call it quits.

Title: Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility

Platform: Wii

Estimated Time of Arrival: Sept. 16

The Deal: I've been playing Natsume's Harvest Moon titles ever since the series first appeared on the Super Nintendo in 1997. After that initial virtual-farming experience, I've jumped at every opportunity Natsume has given me to plant radishes and impregnate my in-game wife.

Unfortunately, the last several Harvest Moon titles have been somewhat uneven; Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life (2004) for the GameCube removed several aspects of the series (such as festivals) which made the games more worthwhile, while Harvest Moon Dual?Screen (2006) proved to be comprised primarily of recycled material. HM: ToT, however, shows more promise than its predecessors did prior to being released; thus far, Natsume has announced that HM: ToT will allow players to raise exotic animals such as ostriches, work part-time jobs and play as their children if they so choose.

Title: LittleBigPlanet

Platform: PlayStation 3

Estimated Time of Arrival: Oct. 21

The Deal: Thus far, titles featured exclusively on the PlayStation 3 have proven moderately impressive at best. Certainly, Sony is hoping that the arrival of the innovative LittleBigPlanet will re-energize its declining system. A "platform adventure crossed with a huge social community" according to littlebigplanet.com, LittleBigPlanet takes players through unique levels by way of the game's hero, a customizable Sackboy or Sackgirl. By way of their Sackpeople, players will build levels and complete challenges. The newest entry in the sandbox genre, LittleBigPlanet is an adorable game that is limited only by the player's creativity.

Title: World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King

Platform: PC

Estimated Time of Arrival: Nov. 3

The Deal: Though it is an expansion pack rather than an entirely new game, World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King is undoubtedly grander in scope than most core titles. This expansion, which will bring the frozen tundra of Northrend to the World of Warcraft, will allow players to challenge Arthas, the traitorous son of Warcraft III and one of the most famed characters in Blizzard Entertainment's flagship series. In addition to adding an entirely new continent to explore, Blizzard has also included in the expansion pack a new playable class, Death Knight, an "achievements system" with in-game rewards; and a higher level cap. WoW: WotLK will also feature a raid content overhaul, with the arrival of the newest expansion, all higher-level dungeons will be open to both 10- and 25-man groups.

Title: Halo Wars

Platform: XBOX 360

Estimated Time of Arrival: First half of 2009

The Deal: So, although I've never played a Halo title and the game has been delayed to 2009, I felt obliged to include Halo Wars on this list on account of the fact that so many gamers are gamers solely because of the Halo series. However, Halo Wars is an entirely different sort of game than its predecessors. The title will not be a first-person shooter but instead a real-time action strategy game. In Halo Wars, players will direct vast human armies and engage in warfare with warthogs, scorpions tanks and other familiar units.