Console games, at fifty or even sixty dollars, represent a very significant purchase for many of us. And yet, many if not most gamers seem to have a tendency to pick up games on day one, without so much as a rental or demo to validate their purchase. They read the previews and look at composite scores, and then essentially gamble that they'll enjoy whatever title they've purchased.True, there are reviewers with whom people generally tend to agree. But how do you guys make your decisions, if not with a trial run first? Do you trust a specific company to deliver quality, or believe that a sequel to your favorite franchise will do justice to the series? Will you not purchase a game you were looking forward to if the game receives lower-than-expected ratings, such as the recent Sonic and the Secret Rings? Come one, come all, to the comments section! Right this way ....
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-23-2007 @ 9:19AM
Twinkie said...
1st comment!
gamespot lies to me about my Wii. thats why I add 1.0 to the score they origionally gave it.
Reply
2-23-2007 @ 9:44AM
Alexander said...
back in the sega 8-bit and c64 days i went for the coolest pictures of the box.
nowdays with my wii i go by trailers mostly. i bought madden nfl 07 because of the reviews. a buy i regret so that evidently doesn't work.
i have enough money nowdays to buy all the games i want but there really isn't that many so far that i'm interested in.
Reply
2-23-2007 @ 10:10AM
Chicago_Josh said...
It's really a mixed bag. I almost always tend to wait for reviews to come out first, but I make most of my decisions based around preview articles. When it comes to reviews, though, I tend to look at what criticisms they have and ask myself if it would interfere with my gameplay experience.
If a review says the main problems are graphics, difficulty, and camera control but everything else is fine, then I don't worry. If the buggy controls, a la Madden 07 kicking controls, are the main point of concern then I don't bother.
Sequels definitely have sway for me. You better believe I've already pre-ordered my copy of Super Paper Mario based on a few screenshots and a one-minute early build gameplay trailer.
Of course, some reviews leave things out. For instance, the fact that Sonic goes from 0-60 in FIVE FREAKING HOURS!
Reply
2-23-2007 @ 10:14AM
Daviner007 said...
It's definately a gamble. The problem is that if you rent first, what would have been a $50 purchase turns into a $60 purchase. I am not fond of Blockbuster.
For that reason I usually use trailors and reviews and then roll the dice.
....Next up: SSX Blur
Reply
2-23-2007 @ 10:28AM
Bishma said...
I rarely if ever buy a game at full retail without renting it first. You never know when a game might be a stinker or, in the cast of Raving Rabbits, great but far too short for $50.
Reply
2-23-2007 @ 11:14AM
Barry said...
6th comment! lol
I tend to rent before I buy unless I know its going to be a good title i.e. Legend of Zelda: TP :-D I bought that a few days after I got my wii.
Reply
2-23-2007 @ 11:33AM
Sloppywillis said...
I look for extraordinarily good reviews for a game. That will pique my interest. Otherwise, I generally trust Nintendo to put out great additions to all their franchises.
Reply
2-23-2007 @ 11:53AM
Neal Eaton said...
I do read and use Reviews to an extent...but I also go with my gut sometimes. I have piced upa a couple of stinkers, but not more than 3 over the last 6 years.
I use trailers and previews more for information...and to get an overall sense of what a game may be like.
I do think that for the most part, sequels are pretty much a no-briners as far as buying...if I liked the 1st game...chances are that I will like any sequel that comes along.
BUT...then there are 1st party Nintendo games...I usually just buy them (if I think they look interesting), because most of the games of theirs that I have picked up are quality in design and execution.
Reply
2-23-2007 @ 12:29PM
napalmlove said...
I'm a poor college kid, so there's a long process.
First, it has to catch my eye, be it a sequel or new game that I find interesting. Before it's release, I follow up on screenshots and impressions. Once released, I read reviews from at least three or so different sites, and look to members of the forum I go to, because there are like 10 Wiis among us and somebody will usually buy everything.
After that, if it's all positive and I have the cash, I go for it. Sonic and the Secret Rings did not pass that test, although I had high hopes for it. I'll probably end up renting it at some point.
Reply
2-23-2007 @ 2:23PM
(01) said...
Games I KNOW will be solid, and will pick up on day one: MP3, SSBB
Games that I think have high potential, but will have to wait for some reviews (remember how cool we all thought Red Steel would be) :Disaster: Day of Crisis, Project HAMMER
Games I'll take a chance on, but end up regretting it: Elebits
Reply
2-23-2007 @ 5:24PM
Chii said...
I usually pick up games on day one. If it looks interesting before release, I buy it. Review scores don't faze me... If the game's been out a while, I might check'em out... If they are low, I reconsider it... Read the meat of the review... Figure out what the reviewer didn't like. If it's not big to me, I'll get it.
Somehow or other, despite not having a job yet (Can't... age. Stupid labor laws), I've somehow managed to accumulate a mass of money working for my parents over the breaks I've had. If I don't have the cash - often I didn't last year- I got games based on how hard it would be to find them.
Reply
2-23-2007 @ 11:21PM
Ryan P. said...
First, i rarley buy new anymore, second hand games for $35 or $40 bucks is more than enough. I'll buy AAA titles new, that i have to have like Zelda, Metroid, Mario. I just picked FFXII for $40 by waiting. I'm surprised it's legal for major chains to sell second hand to be honest. Why wouldn't you take advantage?
But I ALWAYS read reviews. First IGN then Gamespot then i check meta-critic for a percentage. Anything under 80% i don't get.
Ryan
Reply
2-24-2007 @ 1:14PM
Abscissa said...
I hardly ever buy a game new. Usually I'll wait for a used price around $5-15.
Reviews: They can be helpful since you can get a lot of useful info about the game even if you don't share the reviewer's preferences. Not nearly as good as demos though.
Demos: This *would* be the perfect method, except that outside the 360 and PC it can be very difficult if not impossible (which is usually the case) to get a hold of a specific demo you want to try. The is a *huge* pet peeve of mine. These companies are REALLY screwing themselves by not doing demos. Oh, and I refuse to pay money (ie, buy a magazine) just to get a demo.
Screenshots: Only mildly helpful. Very very mildly.
Gameplay Movies: Fairly helpful, particularly if used in conjunction with reviews.
Trailers: Useless, since they rarely show more than a couple second of ACTUAL GAMEPLAY (if any).
Commercials and Print Ads: Useless.
Box: Obviously useless.
Traditional Brick-and-Mortal Rentals: These are a bad idea these days. Costs of rentals have gone way up ($8, typically), and with the introduction of the used games market (as long as you avoid Gamestop) and $20 "Greatest Hits" deals cost of buying has gone way down (I've seen used XBox games as low as $2.50).
Subscription Rentals: They're ok, but I don't like the slow turnaround (round-trip snail mail, yuk!), and you end up loosing money if you don't always have a lot of time to try a lot of games.
Play a friend's copy: The most effective, but only useful only if your friends actually have the game, and still live nearby (college and post-college, ie real-life, tend to make this proximity thing very difficult).
Reply