Not buying modern games or consoles until later...

[AJ_Radio]

As a trophy hunter for the past three years and a guy who has been playing video games on a consistent basis since 1993, I would like to express something that has been concerning me for quite some time. Maybe some of you can relate.

 

Part of the reason I wanted to make this topic is because today is the first day that E3 2018 has showcased itself. Today EA has revealed some of their games that they're planning to release in the near future. Among those games is Unravel 2, a new co-op adventure starring Yarnie and a new friend, released today for everyone to buy and download.

 

Here's the thing though. I generally DO NOT PLAY or even BUY newly released games until a year or two after they come out. By that point, something else comes along that's newer, and the masses jump on that because it's seen as hip, trendy or whatever.

 

Because a lot of new games get updates and DLC, I find it a lot more cost effective by waiting until there is a Game of the Year Edition, or simply waiting until a price drop. I picked up a copy of The Order: 1886 several months after it was released, at around $20. Ended up really enjoying the game at that price point. These days I just find the preordering, the hype and the popularity surrounding a lot of new games to just be utter bullshit.

 

God of War was a rare exception because I bought that within a couple days of release, and I played and dicked around for a while until I earned my first trophy. Very rarely do I ever buy a AAA game around release day or the week it was released, I generally wait a couple months or so for any price decrease before I buy it. I broke my own standards and general way of doing things by not only buying Assassins Creed Origins, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus and Middle Earth: Shadow of War, I also paid for all the DLC along with the initial price fee ($59.99). So for those three games I ended up spending over $200 on them all, including DLC. A mistake I won't make again.

 

Waiting for prices to drop and reviews to come out also applies to consoles. I don't see midrelease consoles as a big priority unless your initial console breaks and you have to buy a new one. A couple people don't understand why I don't care much for the Pro and that's because I just don't see the price tag being worth the effort. If I truly wanted to go full 4K, I would buy a flatscreen TV that supports true 4K definition. And those aren't cheap. That along with a Pro is going to set me back over $1000. Maybe I can save money by buying at a specific retailer or whomever I can find that offers both for a discount. But $1000 or so is generally what I see from most retailers both off and on the internet, including Amazon.

 

Plus, I bought a $1200 laptop that can do every modern function expect play modern computer games. My computer isn't a gaming computer. So I can't afford a Pro or a 4K TV anyway.

 

I have a vanilla PS4, a second model slim PS3 and the second model Vita. All three consoles are hooked up next to each other and I don't really see a problem with that. I don't play the PS4 exclusively as many people do these days. I can technically play PS3 games via Playstation Now, but I just see that as a poor substitute to playing the games in the first place, and I have to pay a monthly fee for it. So I keep a PS3 around.

 

I'm still on the hunt for some PS3 and Vita games I've wanted to get. This includes games from 2007 - 2010.

 

Personally I haven't felt anything to be excited about for E3 2018. E3 is all about showing off modern games to the masses, but I just feel it's so over redundant I don't really care at all once the events and presentations are over. I guess in a way I'm a little bit behind the curve since I typically don't get around to finishing, let alone playing a lot of games until long after the hype and marketing has died down.

 

In a way I feel we have too much.

 

What do you guys think? Do you wait until a Game of the Year Edition for most games, do you buy later on to save money?

[Pavani_]

I only buy games on release date if i'm at least 90% sure that it'll make me satisfied and suits my tastes (examples: Nier Automata, Souls series).

[Beyondthegrave07]

I buy pretty much all my games around holiday season or with gift cards I got during holiday season to save money. It's been a while since I've bought a game on it's release date and it's always for Pokemon games. Other than that, I don't think I ever bought a game on release date or paid $60 for a game. I never cared for DLC so I just buy the regular version at a discounted price normally. I also don't go through games very fast so I never really feel the need to get a game right when it's released because I can just buy it at a lesser price when I am done with other games that I also bought at a lesser price. 

 

I'm almost always lagging a year behind on new games. I probably won't get the new God of War until Christmas and who knows when I'll get around to playing it. I still have Fallout 4, Horizon Zero Dawn, Uncharted Lost Legacy, Far Cry 3, etc. sitting on my shelf from last year that I haven't even touched.

Edited June 10, 2018 by Beyondthegrave07

[Dreakon13]

The week following launch is a critical sales period that can make or break a game, a franchise and even a development studio.  As fun as it is for some to kick around people who pre-order games or buy them day one, they're performing a vital service for the industry whether they realize it or not.  IMO.

 

Obviously, people can spend their money as they see fit, but I do try and purchase games new as frequently as I can afford to.  Especially if they're from developers that I respect or franchises that I love.  I have no real hang ups in doing so, but I'm also much much less cynical with games and towards developers/publishers than many it seems.

 

Games that I have less interest in, I'll wait on... and after a certain point, I think my purchase has a minimal impact on their bottom line, so I just go whatever route is the cheapest (getting a physical copy of the game that is, I have no interest in digital).

 

EDIT: Also, I only recently started following E3 to the extent of watching the conferences each year... but I love it.  Love seeing new announcements live, love getting more info and views on upcoming games, etc.  It's basically one big advertisement, but I love the games, so I don't see the problem.

Edited June 10, 2018 by Dreakon13

[BG_painter]

Cheer up my friend
I am excited!
Fallout 76, Rumor: Alien Isolation 2 and 3 From software games, The ghost of tsushima, now Unravel 2 that was a very nice surprise. Only Alien Isolation 2 and Bloodborne 2 would be a day one purchase for me (IF it is real), the rest i'll wait for the sales hollidays.Anyways, if i have one or 2 new games to enjoy, that is enough for me I don't expect much

[Guest]

For games I really want, mainly my favorite franchise/series I enjoy I probably wouldn't wait a few months. I don't care or follow hype or trend that much but just what I like, what I want. I'm old enough to decide for myself, don't need those kiddy hype trains... Now also If i had work full time and make enough money I could care a lot lesser than waiting a few months for games I somewhat want and just get on release. What if it sucks? well....get rid of it quick. Resale value still pretty high a couple weeks after release. Time is money. Also, gaming is a lot more expensive when you try to stack games for plats.?

[RevengeancePrime]

I can understand not being excited by announcements if you don't plan on purchasing anything until months or years after release. I've started to feel the same since I decided to hold off on buying most of the games I want until Black Friday. I've wasted thousands in the past couple years buying games and dlcs a lot of which I've barely played or haven't played at all for full price just to see them drop in price within weeks sometimes.

[NaseemJohn]

I buy almost every game I’m interested in day one. The price never bothers me as long as the game is good and it’s not 5 hours long.

[ERICVOLTAGE]

Financially speaking, I can't treat  myself to $60 games all the time.

 

So depending on how much I want it, $30 is my top dollar, most of the time. 

 

Just the way it go, ya' know. 

[PooPooBlast]

I always buy games strategically to save lots of money. By that I mean the following:

 

1) wait for a goty or complete edition to release if there are dlcs. 

 

2) never pre-ordered in my life. Me personally, while I may get excited about a game, I can still wait. I even did that Mirror's Edge Catalyst! Grabbed it when it reached $20 CAD

 

3) I can wait because I've games to finish now and by the time I'm done with them, the newly released game is all of a sudden cheap. 

 

4) repeat the above steps on a continuous cycle. 

 

Oh and as a final mention, I always buy  digital games on sale with no exception or a used physical copy if it's cheaper than new. 

 

BUTTT at the end of the day, it's your money and you do what feels worth it . 

Edited June 10, 2018 by PooPooBlast

[DaivRules]

I disagree that “we” have too much. *You* have too much. Perhaps you’re underestimating the video gaming demographic for 2018. It’s never been bigger, which means it can support more options than it ever has. Especially all the things you choose not to support. And because it’s so big, you reap the benefits of being able to choose to do what you do. Everyone else makes what you want to do possible. If too many people were like you, games would never make it to Complete or Game of the Year Editions. DLC is a thing because the market supports it. That same market that makes price drops possible because the distributor knows there still a segment to tap after all its pre-orders and launch sales come in. The same market that pulls new people in by offering new and different stuff that possibly never appealed before but now exists.

In a way, you’re thanking people for not being like you. 

[GoldenShaka]

Last time I preorder a game was Bioshock infinite, dropped 20 in about a month, no more preorder for me.

But I always try to get it new, and avoid third or fourth handed, just new cheaper.

[Raine_Evenstar]

I generally buy it day one or within a couple of weeks of release date. But that's because I like to get limited/special editions so getting it later might actually be more expensive and hard to find. It actually depends on the game as well. If it's a game that I've been anticipating for a while, then I get it almost asap. For others that I'm interested in, but not in a hurry to play, I wait for the Game of the Year editions (especially if it looks like there will be lots of DLC followups).

Edited June 10, 2018 by Raine_Evenstar

[Cassylvania]

I have four general rules when it comes to buying new or used games. These aren't strict, by any means, but they are guidelines I try to follow.

1.  I only buy games that I think I'll enjoy. This allows me to eliminate the majority of new releases. (Of the things shown today at the EA press conference, only Unravel 2 looks like something I'd touch.)
2. I believe that every $1 I spend on a game should warrant at least 1 hour of playtime. This is the rule I'm the most lax on, but I'm always leery about spending $20 on a game that I will finish in under 5 hours. I don't care how "good" it is -- that's not usually a good investment. (There are obvious exceptions to this.)
3. I don't spend more than $30 on a game unless I KNOW I'm going to love it. This usually means pre-orders are out, unless it's a remaster, and it means I'll usually wait on new games until they drop in price.
4. All other factors equal, I buy physical over digital. To me, the box art is part of the game. When somebody comes over, I want them to see my collection on a shelf -- not a bunch of boxes on a monitor.

I don't think I've ever bought a Collector's Edition in my life, but I might just do that this year when Valkyria Chronicle 4 comes out. That tank and artbook look sweet.

[Pumpkin Head Cthulhu]

i will only pre-order or buy early on if i know there will not be any "dlc" otherwise i wait a year myself for a Gold/GotY/Ultimate edition. I waited 2 years (almost 3) before even buying a PS4. I understand where you are coming from completely. The only games i will probably get day this year are Vampyr (the said no "dlc" except pre-order), Dragon Quest XI (also stated to have no "dlc") and Darksiders 3 (but this depends on if they announce any kind of "dlc").

 

i also seem to prefer non-AAA games and i am not a fan of digital only.

Edited June 10, 2018 by DarkHarmonixer

[YTPerfectParadox]

I really dont understand the appeal of buying a game at launch. You just wait a couple months and you can buy your game for a fifth of the price, not only that but the game is actually functional from post-launch patches, theres trophy guides, walkthroughs etc yet people just have to be playing whatever is current for some reason. Back when i was younger it was common sense to wait for a game to depreciate and the people who bought on launch were either huge suckers, buying a gift, or truly passionate about the game. Then suddenly it shifted and people seem to scoff at the recommendation of any game thats more than a few months old as if im mad.

 

I just dont get it

[wafflestomper810]

I am I'm the same kind of boat.  I usually don't buy games until much later and also have just a vanilla ps4, ps3 in a different room, and gen 1 vita.  I wait until I can find decent sales for most games and usually get a lot for Christmas or my birthday.  Most I don't touch for a long time.  It is sad that I can't, but I don't always find the time to play.  Even when I do sometimes I don't feel like playing them once I turn the console on.  I kind of feel like I do have too much and am losing the patience to stick with those 60+ hour games.  The announcements I usually don't find out about until much later.  I typically don't follow E3 or the industry that closely.

[Valyrious]

4 minutes ago, Cassylvania said:

I have four general rules when it comes to buying new or used games. These aren't strict, by any means, but they are guidelines I try to follow.

1.  I only buy games that I think I'll enjoy. This allows me to eliminate the majority of new releases. (Of the things shown today at the EA press conference, only Unravel 2 looks like something I'd touch.)
2. I believe that every $1 I spend on a game should warrant at least 1 hour of playtime. This is the rule I'm the most lax on, but I'm always leery about spending $20 on a game that I will finish in under 5 hours. I don't care how "good" it is -- that's not usually a good investment. (There are obvious exceptions to this.)
3. I don't spend more than $30 on a game unless I KNOW I'm going to love it. This usually means pre-orders are out, unless it's a remaster, and it means I'll usually wait on new games until they drop in price.
4. All other factors equal, I buy physical over digital. To me, the box art is part of the game. When somebody comes over, I want them to see my collection on a shelf -- not a bunch of boxes on a monitor.

I don't think I've ever bought a Collector's Edition in my life, but I might just do that this year when Valkyria Chronicle 4 comes out. That tank and artbook look sweet.

But would you spend $10-$15 (whatever the cost may be) to go and see a two and a half hour film in the theatres?

I hear about people that put this huge emphasis on length in a game, as if a game repeating itself and giving you boring fetch quests solely to extend the play time gives the game some sort of extra value. To some people, I guess it does. But it certainly isn't a factor for me.

That said, I wouldn't pay $80 (the standard price for a game in my country) for a 5 hour game.

3 minutes ago, Terarded said:

I really dont understand the appeal of buying a game at launch. You just wait a couple months and you can buy your game for a fifth of the price, not only that but the game is actually functional from post-launch patches, theres trophy guides, walkthroughs etc yet people just have to be playing whatever is current for some reason. Back when i was younger it was common sense to wait for a game to depreciate and the people who bought on launch were either huge suckers, buying a gift, or truly passionate about the game. Then suddenly it shifted and people seem to scoff at the recommendation of any game thats more than a few months old as if im mad.

 

I just dont get it

It's about supporting your favourite developers. You know, so they will know that you enjoy the game and want more of it. Why are they going to risk going in financial ruin to make a sequel for you if you're only going to give them $20 instead of $60? If you were in their position, would you want to make a sequel for that kind of player?

People can be excited about games at launch. Not everybody is concerned about how much a game costs.

Sorry if my post comes across like I'm attacking you. It's more like I'm giving you insight on the thought process of someone that does buy games at launch fairly often.

[Tekyumeeee]

I'm cheap. I rarely spend more than $30 on any game. I'm playing games that were released 6-12+ months ago. I got my PS4 a year after it released and I felt that was a good time. But then the PS4 Pro happened and I ended up replacing my PS4 with it. So now I don't feel compelled to get a new console anytime soon, even if one releases in the next few years.

[Dreakon13]

15 minutes ago, Terarded said:

I really dont understand the appeal of buying a game at launch. You just wait a couple months and you can buy your game for a fifth of the price, not only that but the game is actually functional from post-launch patches, theres trophy guides, walkthroughs etc yet people just have to be playing whatever is current for some reason. Back when i was younger it was common sense to wait for a game to depreciate and the people who bought on launch were either huge suckers, buying a gift, or truly passionate about the game. Then suddenly it shifted and people seem to scoff at the recommendation of any game thats more than a few months old as if im mad.

 

I just dont get it

 

To support the industry and developers you like.  Games aren't cheap to make, and even if some smaller ones are, good developers deserve to be adequately compensated for their efforts.  And not months or years after the fact.

 

Also, if no one bought games at launch, there likely wouldn't be games for you to get at "a fifth of the price".  Those developers/franchises would probably go under.

Edited June 10, 2018 by Dreakon13

[ArsGoetia]

I like to support my favorite developers if I'm able to, or if its a multiplayer focused game that I wanna play with friends or stuff... I usually get those day 1 most of the time..

[Cassylvania]

36 minutes ago, Valyrious said:

But would you spend $10-$15 (whatever the cost may be) to go and see a two and a half hour film in the theatres?

I hear about people that put this huge emphasis on length in a game, as if a game repeating itself and giving you boring fetch quests solely to extend the play time gives the game some sort of extra value. To some people, I guess it does. But it certainly isn't a factor for me.

That said, I wouldn't pay $80 (the standard price for a game in my country) for a 5 hour game.

 

Fair enough. I probably should have clarified what I meant. A game that is artificially long (due to boring fetch quests, for example) is NOT something I enjoy, and would thus not fulfill my first piece of criteria. The Swords of Ditto, a game I recently spent $20 on -- and have spent more than 20 hours grinding out these stupid history logs across NINE PLAYTHROUGHS -- is not something I would consider a good investment. There isn't enough quality playtime to warrant a $19.99 price tag.

 

I realize not everybody cares about game length, but I do think the playtime-to-price ratio is worth considering, especially when you're short on cash. If I'm down to my last $30, I'm going to be looking for a Skyrim or an XCOM 2 -- right after I pick up a pizza and a 2-liter of Coke.

Edited June 10, 2018 by Cassylvania

[Killbomb]

9 minutes ago, Dreakon13 said:

 

To support the industry and developers you like.  Games aren't cheap to make, and even if some smaller ones are, good developers deserve to be adequately compensated for their efforts.  And not months or years after the fact.

 

Also, if no one bought games at launch, there likely wouldn't be games for you to get at "a fifth of the price".  Those developers/franchises would probably go under.

 

Glad somebody else feels the way I do. I especially don't want gaming to devolve into multiplayer-only so I make sure to support single-player games at launch as much as I can.

[Masamune]

There are very few games I'll pre-order, honestly the only series I can think of is Disgaea (currently have Disgaea 1 Special Edition on order), other than that, I'll get most of my games used after they drop to around $30 or under. Most games released nowadays just aren't worth $60+. ?

 

Final Fantasy used to be on my pre-order list, but that was removed (thanks, XV). ?

Edited June 10, 2018 by Masamune

[audiopile]

I have more games than free cash so i wait for deals and ps+.  I can’t understand preorders and people who wait in line for games.