Summer down time for gamers

It’s almost drought season again.

For gamers, that is.

As the chill goes away and people come outside for summer fun, the well of quality video games enjoyed during the school year usually dries up pretty quickly.

Most worthy games won’t be released until the juicy fall season, when game studios know they’ll get the biggest sales. Even guaranteed sellers like “Gears of War 2” and “Madden NFL 09” won’t arrive until mid-August.

Don’t get me wrong — I love the summer and look forward to lots of biking, swimming and fishing in the next few months. Maybe I should accept it as a blessing that developers’ release schedules force pale young men such as myself outside once in a while.

Still, it saddens me to look at my cold and unused game console during these dry months.

There are a few exceptions, though, that should keep gamers happy when the fireworks and charcoal briquettes have died down at the end of the day.

The biggest one, of course, is “Metal Gear Solid 4,” scheduled for release July 12. “MGS4” is one of the most hotly anticipated games, not just of this year, but of this entire console generation. Sadly, I do not own a Playstation 3, so I’ll probably have to wait a year or so for the inevitable Xbox 360 version.

In early June, “Ninja Gaiden 2” will land on the 360. If you’re a glutton for punishment, you’ll love this sword-slinging adventure, which promises to be just as brutally difficult as its predecessor. The first game didn’t include a difficulty setting that could reasonably be called “easy,” so I can only hope the developers will be more merciful this time around.

This Wednesday, ludicrously-titled “Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode One,” based on the popular Web comic, will arrive. Early reports indicate it’s a pretty solid and amusing RPG-adventure hybrid. It’ll be available for the PC and Xbox 360, as well as providing a rare treat for Mac and Linux users.

The release of the long-awaited fourth installment in the “Soul Calibur” series will be a welcome arrival on July 29, around the peak of the dry season. It’ll be available for the Xbox 360 and PS3.

PC gamers will have an even drier summer, save for ports of console hits “Mass Effect” and “Devil May Cry 4,” arriving May 28 and June 2, respectively.

However, RPG-ers sick of Blizzard’s “World of Warcraft” might want to try the highly-anticipated “Age of Conan,” due for release Tuesday.

While video games will be sparse this summer, 2008 looks to have more blockbuster summer flicks than we’ve seen in quite a few years.

For gamers, that means loads of licensed schlock to avoid at the game store. Expect to see games this summer based on “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian,” “Kung Fu Panda” and “The Incredible Hulk,” among others.

Don’t expect any of those to be good.

One exception would be “Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures,” which combines the toy bricks’ aesthetics with “Indiana Jones” franchise. If the previous Lego games — which used the “Star Wars” motif — are any indication, this games will be more mindless fun, especially when playing with a friend.

Another exception is “Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Conspiracy” due out June 3 on the Xbox 360 and PS3.

Although it’s not based on any of the novels or films, it looks to be a promising action game in line with Matt Damon’s audience-pleasing stunts.

Despite the drought, keen gamers can find more than a couple gems to keep them occupied while they retreat from the summer sun. This certainly isn’t gaming season, but you don’t have to put away your console until fall, either.