Anyone who follows the video game industry fairly closely has been in the following situation: you're surfing the Net and you discover the release date for one of the upcoming games you've been looking forward to. Other web sites seem to confirm this. As the months before the release date roll by, you start to get excited. "Hey, maybe it will come out on such-and-such a date." Yah, you know what comes next... something to the effect of this statement: In order to ensure the highest quality product, the release date of 'insert product name' will be moved to 'insert shocking new date'.

WHY THE...
I just don't know why they do it. For spite? I doubt it. The last thing they want to do is peeve potential customers. Miscalculation? I doubt that too. Some companies don't seem to learn and are notorious for delaying video games (see bottom). Pressure from consumers and retailers to reveal release dates? Possibly. All I know is that if a game is going to be delayed, it had better be worth it. Daikatana anyone?

NOW WHAT...
All you can really do is wait. Of course, that's the worst part; convincing yourself that a game will be released one day and then kicking yourself when they change it. You'd think that by now, gamers would be desensitized to this sort of thing. To a certain degree, I've learned to hold back excitement with a dull void of uncertainty, ready to burst. Unfortunately, I still get caught now and again. And every time I do, my words become more and more colorful...

The Usual Suspects
Here are some of the companies known for egregious delays:

Blizzard Entertainment - Blizzard is known for two things: developing amazing games, and delaying every single one. Part of the problem is Blizzard's; they release too much information even while a game is in its infancy. If they didn't spend as much time promoting screen shots and web sites, maybe the game could be released a little bit sooner?

3D Realms - Duke Nukem Forever. Should be changed to Duke Nukem 'is taking' Forever.