Nintendo Wii Fanboy

You may have noticed in your dealings with retail establishments: things are expensive. This is especially true in the category of things we deal with (video games). Sometimes it is very difficult to get enough cans recycled, change rolled, or lawns mowed to be able to keep up with the latest Wii releases-- despite the money we saved on hardware relative to others.

There is a solution! There are places out there that let you pay a little money and play a game for a little while. Some of them even deliver the games right to you. Rentals can be a lifesaver for those of us who are strapped for cash. But they don't really let you take your time with a game, and they definitely do nothing for the collector instinct.

Do you ever take advantage of rentals? Or do you find the idea of playing scratched discs that have been who knows where too distasteful to consider?

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 ....