How do you guys buy your games?

[ShinRa]

Ok so the title question sounds stupid, but I'm not talking about what method you actually purchase your games, but how you actually plan to buy them?

For instance, I still have not purchased Skyrim. I'm waiting until exactly one year from its release. The reason being that I can get all the DLC at the same time, while getting the most up to date version of the game and hoping most of the bugs and glitches have been ironed out. I like to get the GOTY or "deluxe" editions of games so that it's all inclusive rather than getting bits and pieces. I do the same thing with TV shows. I won't watch a new season of Walking Dead or Homeland until the season ends and I can watch the entire thing straight through.

So am I an idiot or does anyone else do this? How do you guys make your game purchasing decisions?

 

[tomemozok]

Simple:ThePirateBay!
Just kidding,i usually use http://www.cheapassgamer.com/ for the best deals,but steam sales are awesome as well.As for the game,i usually wait like you do,with the exception of a few titles(Skyrim one of them,HL another,AssCreed and so on).

 

[Vegeta897]

This question seems kind of pointless. It's totally situational, depending on how badly one wants a game, and how much they're willing to spend on it. I don't think anyone can be a certain 'type'. This question is so off-target. This is like asking "Do you enjoy video games?" Well, if the game is good, yeah I enjoy it.

The only answer I can offer is this:
If a game isn't enticing enough for me to want to buy it asap, then I'm probably not going to buy it anyway since I have a library of unplayed or unfinished games.

 

[Remus]

I'm a "wait till the price goes down, or for a Steam sale" kind of guy myself. I never preorder or buy a tripple A game on release because I think the price of 50 euros or more is ridiculous.

 

[Vegeta897]

I'm a "wait till the price goes down, or for a Steam sale" kind of guy myself. I never preorder or buy a tripple A game on release because I think the price of 50 euros or more is ridiculous.

See, this is because the triple A games you refer to aren't enticing enough for you to want to buy it straight away and pay the full price. You're not that 'type' of person, you just aren't interested enough to need to have it immediately. If a triple A game did come along that was far above the others, that blew your mind, or perhaps you wanted to play it with everyone else who was getting it, I'm sure you'd pay full price. I mean, unless you were trying to make some sort of stance against 50+ euro games, which is another matter entirely that doesn't have much to do with the question. Which brings me back to why I think it's a dumb question :v

 

[ShinRa]

This question seems kind of pointless. It's totally situational, depending on how badly one wants a game, and how much they're willing to spend on it. I don't think anyone can be a certain 'type'. This question is so off-target. This is like asking "Do you enjoy video games?" Well, if the game is good, yeah I enjoy it.

The only answer I can offer is this:
If a game isn't enticing enough for me to want to buy it asap, then I'm probably not going to buy it anyway since I have a library of unplayed or unfinished games.

I get why you think it's a stupid question, and your answer was exactly what I expected. However, there are plenty of games I am dying to play since I hear about them, but I purposely wait knowing in a few months I'll have a better experience once it's patched and some DLC has come out, etc.

 

[Vegeta897]

I get why you think it's a stupid question, and your answer was exactly what I expected. However, there are plenty of games I am dying to play since I hear about them, but I purposely wait knowing in a few months I'll have a better experience once it's patched and some DLC has come out, etc.

I totally get the intention of the question, but I just thought the way you chose to spark the discussion you're looking for (waiting for sales, waiting for bug fixes, waiting for DLC) was potentially flawed by asking the question that you did.

I'm sure many people are going to jump down my throat for nit picking about it. I dunno, I'm just trying to help in a slightly dickish way.

 

[ShinRa]

I totally get the intention of the question, but I just thought the way you chose to spark the discussion you're looking for (waiting for sales, waiting for bug fixes, waiting for DLC) was potentially flawed by asking the question that you did.

I'm sure many people are going to jump down my throat for nit picking about it. I dunno, I'm just trying to help in a slightly dickish way.

And I appreciate it! I've known you long enough to know you mean no harm in your posts. If anything I hope people look at what you just said because that's EXACTLY what I was trying to convey. I must choose my words more carefully from now on.

 

[Vegeta897]

I've known you long enough to know you mean no harm in your posts.

You've actually brought a tear to my eye.
Bless you.

 

[Lobster]

It really depends on the game and how important it is to me. For example I quite enjoy Mass Effect but will wait until they get bored of making DLC and have a sale before picking up ME3. On the other hand I am not hugely into Borderlands but have enough friends and family who love it, to justify picking up the sequel in the first week. The same is true of a lot of multiplayer games.

At the other end of the spectrum there are some games that are really important to me as a fan of the genre, such as Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Dishonored, XCOM and FTL among others. For the same reason I am fairly comfortable donating to Kickstarters for games I would like to see made. There is always a risk with such investments but even if a preordered game turns out to be a bit crappy, it doesn't bother me that much because I am comfortable with the gamble.

People have different views on the value of games. Some believe that only a fool would pay any price higher than the absolute minimum. Some base the value on the game length or the replay value. The number of individual levels or the quality of the visuals, etc, etc.

Personally I tend to judge things on the enjoyment I get out of them. I wouldn't pay that much for a Call of Duty simply because -I- don't get much out of it. Though another person might put 3-400 hours into COD's multiplayer and would therefore make sense for them to pay full price. Where as I would probably pay a full 60 bucks for something like FTL or DayZ which have a lower price but entertain me a great deal more.

 

[Krynn72]

I buy games when I want to play them. I don't think I've ever waited around for a sale or anything. I've never been that kind of person. I'll buy games when they're on sale, sure. When the price gets right, usually I'll then want to play it, but usually those games I wasn't hugely interested in until they got real cheap. But if I think a games going to be worth full price, and I want to play it, I'll buy it for full price rather than wait around until I can save a few bucks. I don't really give a shit about my money, but I care about my time.

I earn enough to buy things I want when I want, and any time I can't afford something, I dont buy it. Even if its on sale, I probably wont buy it, because if I'm in a position where I can't buy a game at full price, then I've got bigger problems going on and spending ANY money on video games in that situation is not justifiable. So I'll save that money, work to earn more money, then when I can afford to spend money like that, I do.

And also I don't generally care about buggy games, as long as they're playable. Usually game breaking bugs get squashed in the first month, so the few times I run into such a situation its only very temporary.

 

[ríomhaire]

I think this is the entire list of games I've ever preordered:

• Portal 2
• Puzzle Agent 2
• The Orange Box
• Command & Conquer 3 (got a tshirt for that one)

Not very big on the whole preorder thing as you can see, nor any quick purchase. This is due to a combination of me noting having that much cash at any given instant and the fact that I'm very passive about getting new games anyway. I think Dishonoured looks really really good and I want to play it at some point, but I'm totally happy to not play it for another year or more. Since DLC has become a big thing I've found another reason to wait. I don't want my game fragmented and I don't want to have to come back a few months later just for an extra hour long mission or anything. I'd prefer to have it at once. So I wait for GOTY editions. Got Arkham City GOTY as soon as it was out on Steam and knew I was getting a complete package and wouldn't have to worry about extra shite.
As for where I buy: Steam, Humble Bundle and Gog. The last physical PC game I got for myself was Bioshock. For my Wii and DS I don't buy games that often but I'm not picky about where I get them. Gamestop, HMV, Amazon. Whatever's cheaper.

 

[Remus]

You're not that 'type' of person, you just aren't interested enough to need to have it immediately. If a triple A game did come along that was far above the others, that blew your mind, or perhaps you wanted to play it with everyone else who was getting it, I'm sure you'd pay full price. I mean, unless you were trying to make some sort of stance against 50+ euro games, which is another matter entirely that doesn't have much to do with the question.

Well actually yes, I am that kind of person. Even if a game came out that seemed like it would be the most awesome game EVER, I would still wait until it was cheaper. And it's not really about taking a "stance", it's all about saving money. Why should I buy a product at full price when I know it will go for -50% or less in a few months. Saving a buck matters more to me than to have "it" immediately, whatever "it" may be.

 

[Unfocused]

I'm a "wait till the price goes down, or for a Steam sale" kind of guy myself. I never preorder or buy a tripple A game on release because I think the price of 50 euros or more is ridiculous.

Can't you get those 50 euro games cheaper in retail in Romania, though? They usually are cheaper here - for example I bought Dishonored for the equivalent of ~30 euro in a store.

 

[Remus]

Can't you get those 50 euro games cheaper in retail in Romania, though? They usually are cheaper here - for example I bought Dishonored for the equivalent of ~30 euro in a store.

Here retail games are just as expensive as online game on release. You'd be better off looking for cheaper alternatives online.

 

[Vegeta897]

Well actually yes, I am that kind of person. Even if a game came out that seemed like it would be the most awesome game EVER, I would still wait until it was cheaper. And it's not really about taking a "stance", it's all about saving money. Why should I buy a product at full price when I know it will go for -50% or less in a few months. Saving a buck matters more to me than to have "it" immediately, whatever "it" may be.

Well, then I suppose that would mean you're not too passionate about videogames then. It doesn't really say anything about your purchase habits, which is what I meant when saying it's not about 'type'. It's not like you apply the same theory to everything, as if you never pay full price for any product. It's just that you don't feel videogames are worth buying as soon as they're available. And that's fine.

 

[ríomhaire]

You can be passionate without being impatient. The last Wheel of Time book is out in January. I'm pretty excited about this and am currently doing a re-read of the series. I still plan on waiting (possibly a year, unfortunately) for the paperback before I buy it.

 

[Vegeta897]

Well, books are a little different aren't they? It's not like you can play them multiplayer with your friends.

Spoiler

OR CAN YOU

 

[ríomhaire]

I can't (or don't) play most of the computer games I play with people online either.

 

[Krynn72]

Well, books are a little different aren't they? It's not like you can play them multiplayer with your friends.

Spoiler

OR CAN YOU

Take turns reading a chapter. Whoever finishes their chapters first wins.

 

[Remus]

LOL, multiplayer book reading.

 

[Dynasty]

There's this plastic rectangle thing in my wallet with like, numbers on it.

It's amazing. You hand over your card in a store, punch some 4 random numbers in, and you walk out with a product without the alarm going off and all the hassle of jail time etc etc.

Heh.

Nah but seriously, Piratebay.

...I mean Steam. For PC games.

For console games, 99% of the time Amazon, 1% walk into store when I cant wait for delivery.

 

[Vegeta897]

There's this plastic rectangle thing in my wallet with like, numbers on it.

It's amazing. You hand over your card in a store, punch some 4 random numbers in, and you walk out with a product without the alarm going off and all the hassle of jail time etc etc.

Heh.

Nah but seriously, Piratebay.

...I mean Steam. For PC games.

For console games, 99% of the time Amazon, 1% walk into store when I cant wait for delivery.

All this humor wasted on the fact that you didn't read the OP.

 

[Bad^Hat]

I spend as much on a game as it's worth to me at that particular moment in time. This might be influenced by any combination of how patient, hyped, or poor I am at the time. The only real tenet I try to practice with purchasing games is to avoid pre-orders, because I dislike them in principle and I dislike how much developers and publishers have come to depend upon them with things like pre-order bonuses. The last time I broke this rule was for Dark Souls, cause, like, come on.

DLC I'm not so fussed about. I never really wait for a complete edition of a game, I just assess new content on a case-by-case basis. If an extra mission or something comes out after I've finished a game and I no longer feel like playing it, then no great loss. I don't really get the mindset that games aren't "complete" unless they include all post-launch content, it seems like such an outdated way of thinking with the way games are produced now. Of course, that doesn't include content that absolutely should have been included with the launch game, but I guess that's a little subjective.

 

[ríomhaire]

Nah but seriously, Piratebay.

Yeah, it's probably not wise to make jokes like this considering the forum's strict no-piracy rules. Also what Vegeta said.

 

[Vegeta897]

I'm not sure the forum cares about making jokes about piracy in general, even namedropping sites that everybody knows about.

If you, however, post in a specific game's thread that you pirated it, that's another story.

 

[Dynasty]

Well, surely there's only, what, 3 answers?

Buy it new.
or
Buy it on sale/reduced price
or
Wait for the GOTY edition and get all the DLC bundled, patches etc.