How often/do you pay full price for a retail game?

[ssssss]

How often do you pay full price for a game? CAG often hits with deals a couple months after official release, so why pay full price when you can save $20? What I'm essentially asking is, has CAG made you even cheaper?

[Paco]

Depends on which games. I bought Valkyria Chronicles day one to support sega. Though most releases can wait a bit before I get em.

[mang9432]

Probably once or twice a year. Last year I bought GTA 4 and Gears of War 2 at full price. Really only stuff that I "need" day one.

[neocisco]

Pay full price for a game? How quaint.

[cochesecochese]

Never, after finding CAG. Sometimes I will buy D1 if Amazon is having a special or I can get a gift card.

[Trenchalicious]

Once every couple of years. Buying early and paying more provides me no benefit. I rather have more games and spend less money.

[epobirs]

Never. Since 1978, I've paid full price for less than two dozen games. Most of those during a period of depression when I didn't care if I spent all of my money on games and starved.

I was a CAG before CAG existed. Back in the 90s I would frequently find stores blowing out stock cheap enough that I could sell several copies at a profit that let me keep a copy for myself at no cost. Other times I sold so many I made a substantial profit after adding to my library, which in turn financed more indulgences for my gaming hobby.

The MSRP of games I've had in my library is easily over $100,000. (This isn't counting games bought solely for resale.) My actual cost for those has been well under $10,000. I think that's pretty good across thirty years of gaming.

[Dr Mario Kart]

Whenever a small developer puts out something worth supporting, or a when a big 3rd party tries something new.

Its important to the industry to buy new as often as one can tolerate, despite that others will leech.

[neocisco]

Just because we're not paying full price doesn't mean we're not buying new. I rarely buy used games.

[linkpwns]

Well, I paid full price for Gears 2 LE because I was getting a Tank with it. Otherwise I woulda gotten 10 bucks off...
SO I guess that doesn't count.

But I normally have no problem paying full price for a game if that full price is under 50 dollars.
For example, I bought Persona 3 FES and Persona 4 at "full price", but they cost $30 and $40, respectively.

And I'll probably pay full price for Chrono Trigger on the DS sometime throughout the week.

[YoshiFan1]

Never, the only time I every pay full price is if it's credit from flipping games so I didn't actually pay full price out of pocket.

Otherwise, I wait until a game goes on clearance before I buy it.

I haven't bought a game for full price with money out of pocket in almost 10 years.

[SL4IN]

Usually depends on the game. $30 full price is much easier to take than $60, hence I'll be picking up the Genesis Ultimate Collection on day 1. That's also the main reason my DS collection is MUCH bigger than any of the my other game collections.

[emg28]

Never again (since 2003). When I first started building credit at GS/BBV, I would buy new release games at MSRP using store credit. Now I don't even do that. I usually buy used/mint copies a couple of days after the game's release.

If I want to support a developer, I will buy at MSRP using credit. I'm buying Fire Emblem DS at release. I bought Disgaea DS on release day and now GS sells it for $19.99 new but I don't mind because I wanted to support Nippon Ichi.

[Hostile]

I might do it once a year if we're talking about straight up cash or credit for the full amount and without the help of gift cards or equivalent. CAG did not make me cheaper but it helped me out. I was at the point where I find nearly every game I purchased to be overpriced or not worth the money. Even the games I loved or really enjoyed were not forgiven for being so pricey. I found eBay to be a great source of saving money and I haven't felt the need to buy a game within a week of release too much so it's better now.

[Radioactive_Man]

Whenever I feel that the game deserves my $60. So far this year it's been...

DMC 4 CE (PS3 & X360)
NG 2
MGS 4 LE
GTA 4 LE
MK vs DC
RB 2
GH: WT Band Kit
Too Human
GoW 2 LE
Fable 2 LE
Mirror's Edge
Dead Space ULE

all those were cash/credit card, kinda wish I bought Banjo N&B and PoP for full retail. Both those are worth it to me. Also I rarely buy used games, haven't since March 08.

[tangytangerine]

I usually never pay full price for a game. Last time I've paid full price for a game was WWE Smackdown: Here Comes the Pain(PS2) about 5 years ago. I usually buy used since it saves money for other things(like gas & food).

[lordwow]

A couple of times a year.

I bought GTA IV at full retail this year. I also "bought" Fallout 3 at launch for full price, but I used a GC.

[dmaul1114]

Seldom. Maybe once or twice a year for an absolute must play. This year it was just Gears 2, but even that I got the $10 amazon GC for pre-ordering.

Mainly I just wait and get most games off of Goozex, and occasionally pick up one new in a $40 sale at Target or something. I also only pick up around 7-10 games a year anymore. Just get them cheap/or on goozex and mostly send them back out on goozex after beating them.

[depascal22]

Very rarely. I got Gears 2 for full price. The last time I got a game at full price was Jeanne d'Arc over a year ago.

It's not that many of these games aren't worth $60. It's just easier to wait for a price drop or get it off of Goozex instead.

[crowbb]

I'd say about half the time. If it's a new release I really want I am too impatient to wait for a deal. If it's something I'm on the fence about I will wait until I see a good price.

[PenguinMaster]

Never, and not because of CAG. I haven't paid full price for a game since 2001 (Grand Theft Auto III). I joined CAG in 2004.

[integralsmatic]

i havent paid full price for a game in 4 years after i joined this site but SF IV Collectors edition will be my first full price purchase in awhile. Im really excited for that.

[SNAKE EYES EX]

Amazon typically has deals on pre-orders. I have paid full price for a few games here and there though...no worries.

[ViolentLee]

Only counting games I bought with NO store credit or freebie online points, I'd say about 8 games. I kind of got suckered by a few of 'em, I'll admit, but I was happy to support the industry. Braid, Castle Crashers, Mirror's Edge, Left4Dead, Fallout 3 and Rock Band 2 come to mind.

Of course, I haven't actually played L4D or ME yet because A) Fallout 3 has dominated game time, and B) my Elite red-ringed...

[Apushmataha]

I bought Valkyria Chronicles recently at full price when it came out, but I try to make a point to wait for sales on console titles. I honestly can't remember the last time I paid full price for a PC game. Until recently I haven't been buying anything at all, actually. Goozex has kept me from spending money on games, too.

[CheepGamez]

Very rarely. The only time I pay full price is if the game is part of a franchise that I have come to trust over the years as being a quality product. Even then a clinker or two still manage to slip through, but it is rare. Anything I consider risky I will wait until either the used price falls to a level where I am willing to take a chance, or the new price is on deep discount somewhere. I like to keep my games for a long time, not rush through them and trade them back in as soon as possible like some other gamers do, so I need to be sure that the games I buy will have good replay value for the money.

[VipFREAK]

Rarely, VERY Rarely.

[escapekey]

In the last five years, I have purchased exactly one game at full price.
That game was Super Mario Galaxy.

I used to pay full price for games, but there's no reason to anymore, especially with sites like CAG around. I have always been a bargain bin hunter, but I used to pay full price for a game and then let it sit on my shelf while the retail price dropped to less than half (I have a large backlog). I figured, why am I paying for these when I could just wait for the price to drop?

[ssssss]

bump

[i_bent_my_wookie]

Almost never, thanks to this site and my GameFly membership. With as many games as I want to own, I would quickly go broke paying full price. I haven't paid full price in a few years.

[javeryh]

I buy games whenever I feel they are worth the asking price. It could be at $60 but often much less. I probably buy 3-4 games a year at full price.

[gr8asianman]

Now that CAG has inflated my backlog I don't find myself picking up much unless I simply can't wait, it's an LE I think will be difficult to find later, or if there is some swag I simply must have. I think the only thing tempting me in 2009 so far is the Street Fighter IV CE and X-Blades (if they have a CE comparable to the 'Royal Set' available in Europe.)

[pyoobez]

Very, very rarely. Last game I paid full retail for was No Mercy for the N64. I got it in late August for my b-day at K-Mart for $60. I was so happy playing the hell out of it... until December of that year when my mom took me Christmas shopping at the mall. There they were, sitting at Boscov's for $15. That just soured me.

Plus, I've become very frugal since then and have't even bought a current system. (I got two 360s now... but both were free and one I'm returning to my friend)

[kasumi_tendou]

I have paid full price for two games. Final Fantasy VII and Lunar Silver Star Story. I usually just wait for sales.

[mkg12]

I paid retail for MGS4 when it came out. Other than that, I cannot remember any retail priced purchases.

[Scorch]

Straight out $60? Not very often. Combined with trades and whatnot? All the time.

[rigo707]

Until i found Cheapassgamer.com

[Hostile]

The last time I purchased a game full price was when I bought my PS3, which was in DEC '07. I picked up a copy of Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. I'll probably never do so again. Unless you count gift cards that were completely free of cost for me plus some of my own money.

[worshipsf]

I generally don't pay full price for retail games... all of these were for my boyfriend :P

The Orange Box
Rock Band SE
Rock Band 2
GTA IV CE
Mass Effect CE
Picross

And a couple of XBLA & Wii Virtual Console games, though the points usually weren't purchased at retail. :P

[antlp89]

Never again. Last time was SSBB, but I've learned my lesson. I think from now on the only full price titles I will ever buy will be download only games (virtual console/xbla games). And even with those I think I'll find some way of getting a discount on points or something.

[torifile]

I guess we're not including downloadable games here? Retail copies of games - I don't know when the last time I paid full price was. Legend of Zelda:TP when I got the Wii on launch day so I'd have something to play after camping out all night. I think that was it.