The "Should I show my support and buy this game at full price?" thread

StarKnightX

StarKnightX

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I'm going to say right off the bat that this thread may be considered kinda "controversial" , and because of that I'm open to thoughts and suggestions on making this thread better (including coming up with a better title :p ). Seeing the almost half-price drop for Little King's Story (after not even 2 months of release) helped spur me to make this thread , which I had already been thinking about for a few days now.

I know I'm probably not the only person here that on occasion feels kinda quilty of not buying a really good game when it originally comes out at full price to show my support for the game or company. Part of this problem though (for me) is knowing which games and companies most deserve getting this support. I know its obvious that the Maddens and Halos and Call of Duties don't really need that day 1 money , then there are the games that seem really obvious to need from fellow gamers , like our fellow CAG rolandx13 , and his game Real Heroes : Firefighter. Then there are the games that seem to be in the middle ground , like Mirrors Edge , which while made by huge company EA , are original titles and may not be big sellers.

Now I know that we are CAGs , but I'm pretty sure that most of us here buy at least 1 (if not many based off forum comments) full priced game a year. For me , I would much rather see my full priced game dollars going to a game that might need the help , rather than a game that's guaranteed the sales.

That being said , what I would like to try and do with this thread is make it a list and place of discussion for what games REALLY should be bought on day 1 , or in that all important first week of sales. Whether it be because the game is a original idea , an overlooked title , or most simply just a really great game.

Good idea? Bad Idea? How about lets just talk about what's important , the games.:)
 
I've never bought one out of wanting to support it--just out of wanting to play it right away.

Gears 2 was the only game I bought (period) last year, and Modern Warfare 2 will be the only one this year. Everything else has been from Goozex.
 
The last game I purchased day one... Fallout 3, just because I wanted to play it to see how Bethesda Softworks interpreted the world while using their Oblivion engine. Also, buying day one, you can kinda figure out the game along with other people. For me, if I wait to buy a game I want, I seem to already know how to play it, where to go, what the best strategies are or whatever just because I read how people are playing it and so on... Hard for me to avoid not reading about a game or watching video of a game I want to play.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']I've never bought one out of wanting to support it--just out of wanting to play it right away.

Gears 2 was the only game I bought (period) last year, and Modern Warfare 2 will be the only one this year. Everything else has been from Goozex.[/QUOTE]

I can respect this. Those of us that are interested in supporting companies for some of those games can still use people like you , which while you wouldn't buy the game yourself , you might get it in a trade or something , and can tell other people about how good (or not so good) the game is.

Incidentilly games like Gears 2 and Fallout 3 are kinda the perfect examples of not needing to support on day 1 , since for those that waited have GOTY editions forth coming.

[quote name='kilm']The last game I purchased day one... Fallout 3, just because I wanted to play it to see how Bethesda Softworks interpreted the world while using their Oblivion engine. Also, buying day one, you can kinda figure out the game along with other people. For me, if I wait to buy a game I want, I seem to already know how to play it, where to go, what the best strategies are or whatever just because I read how people are playing it and so on... Hard for me to avoid not reading about a game or watching video of a game I want to play.[/QUOTE]

This makes sense too , and is something that I personally would've agreed with much more years ago. Now I tend not to watch or read many previews or videos of games yet to come out , so my "knowledge" of games I haven't played yet doesn't affect my enjoyment of them (too much). I do appreciate the fun that comes from a new game that everyone else is trying to figure out too.
 
[quote name='StarKnightX']
Incidentilly games like Gears 2 and Fallout 3 are kinda the perfect examples of not needing to support on day 1 , since for those that waited have GOTY editions forth coming.
[/QUOTE]

The catch with Gears and other online games is you don't want to get behind the curve online. Jump on now having never played and it's hopeless as you're playing against the people who've been playing for year as there aren't as many newbies to get matched with.

I got it, even though I don't like gears online, as it the first was my buddy and my favorite co-op game, so we were dying to play the sequel.

MW2 I'll buy as I did play CoD 4 online a good bit and want to get in that day 1 since I already suck and getting behind the curve just makes it even worse. :D
 
I personally think you should buy a game day 1 if you just overall want to for your own reasons.

I bought Flower, Sun, and Rain on DS already knowing it was not the greatest game, but I respect the people who worked on it so much that I'm just proud to own it even though I've only played it 1 hour. It's never leaving my collection no matter how bad it is.

On the other side, a day 1 games that are big budget (ala gears, etc) make sense day 1 mostly for online. usually if you want to get a game for online and plan to play for a while, being part of the initial crowd is usually key to playing better since it will always give you the upper hand down the road.

again, I say pay full when you have your own reason no matter how deep or flaky.

thx for the heads up btw StarKnightX
 
Honestly I'm not much of a CAG since I tend to buy games I want day 1 since I really don't have many financial responsibilities right now. Although I'm starting to try and cut down on that. But I'll hold off on some games I think are overpriced or just seem like they are worth the money.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']The catch with Gears and other online games is you don't want to get behind the curve online. Jump on now having never played and it's hopeless as you're playing against the people who've been playing for year as there aren't as many newbies to get matched with.

I got it, even though I don't like gears online, as it the first was my buddy and my favorite co-op game, so we were dying to play the sequel.

MW2 I'll buy as I did play CoD 4 online a good bit and want to get in that day 1 since I already suck and getting behind the curve just makes it even worse. :D[/QUOTE]

Good point , something that I usually don't think about that much , since I'm far more of a solo gamer than a multiplayer or online gamer.

To spin this in a slightly different way , while the big online games like Gears , Halo and CoD , even if you don't get the game for like a year later , they are all popular games and won't have problems finding matches online , whereas other less popular online titles are only big for the first few months of release than taper off. You could look at it like "Well why play one of those games when you could play one of the more popular games" but that's not the point. For the lesser titles , if you don't get in on them early on , then you'll probably never be able to get in on them unless you get friends to join you online , whereas with the bigger name titles there really isn't any rush , other than just wanting to play it because everyone else is.

[quote name='Danil ACE']There's no reason to pay full retail for a game. You can save up to $15 off of a game and STILL get it on release day.[/QUOTE]

That's true too. The key is that it's been shown that for sales to make the most impact it usually has to be on the first day , or at least within the first week. After that it usually doesn't matter any more. So if you can get a deal on the game for a day 1 / week 1 release than all the better.
 
I don't have to support any game, but I just enjoy picking up a niche title day 1 even if I don't get any kind of discount on it.

Not everyone can afford this luxury and I only do it occasionally to titles that might mean something to me personally.

I actually feel guilty for having MW2 pre-ordered, but there's plenty of smaller titles I've bought day 1 knowing I wouldn't completely love it (cross edge) or know I'd have no time to play it (valkryia chronicles).
Still, I like walking into a store and asking for the lone copy of this or that game. (retro game challenge, raiden fighters aces)
 
Myself, I find it hard to put full money on a brand new game. There are exceptions, but those are mainly for titles that will have great / longlasting multiplayer (halo / cod) or RPGs which have long lasting value (Fallout).
 
[quote name='JStryke']Myself, I find it hard to put full money on a brand new game. There are exceptions, but those are mainly for titles that will have great / longlasting multiplayer (halo / cod) or RPGs which have long lasting value (Fallout).[/QUOTE]

Same here. This year I'm learning towards Uncharted 2 at full price, but I may pick up MW2 if i trade some of my old games in. Ever since FFXIII was announced I planned on getting it Day 1 next year.
 
There are always reasons to buy a game brand new, but being a CAGer means that it should be a rarity or cheapy will have to hunt you down. That being said I generally only buy the games that I will not regret paying full price, Fallout and Batman are some that I know that I would be pretty much enjoy no matter the price (even bought the LTD of both). Of course following the topic, there are ways to support your game without paying full price. You can always go through amazon and get a few bucks off (ECA plus some of their normal discounts), get some extra trade in towards new releases, ect, ect. What Im saying is just getting it on opening day or even better, pre-order, is a good way to support a game because they dont care what kind of discount is given for any particular game from what ever retailer, they just care about the game being sold, and Im pretty sure they are like movies where first few weeks of sales are the most important.
 
Reasons I buy a game on release for full price (more or less):

- I want to play it online and don't want to fall behind the curve - COD MW2
- I simply cannot wait to play the game - GTAIV
- It's a small niche title that I want to support
- I feel the game will have a small print run and 'dissapear' soon after it's released.

I almost never buy big name AAA single player titles on launch or for anywhere near full price. I played the demo of Batman AA, and I loved it, but I can wait six months and pick it up for $20-30.
 
I don't pick up something right away unless I have my own reasons for not waiting (potential rarity, preorder swag, unusually good deal, or I just can't wait to play it). Personally I don't feel the need to be a charity for game developers. (What I mean by that is, if you want me to pay $X for Game A, then convince me that Game A, and only Game A, is worth it. Not because Game B from last year didn't make enough money, or that it will help fund Game C for next year, or because the devs are just such nice guys.)

Most of all I would just like the gaming world to move away from the whole flavor-of-the-week hype culture, so we wouldn't need to have this discussion.
 
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[quote name='StarKnightX']
To spin this in a slightly different way , while the big online games like Gears , Halo and CoD , even if you don't get the game for like a year later , they are all popular games and won't have problems finding matches online , whereas other less popular online titles are only big for the first few months of release than taper off. You could look at it like "Well why play one of those games when you could play one of the more popular games" but that's not the point. For the lesser titles , if you don't get in on them early on , then you'll probably never be able to get in on them unless you get friends to join you online , whereas with the bigger name titles there really isn't any rush , other than just wanting to play it because everyone else is.
[/QUOTE]

True. A lesser online game should be played early while there is still an active base of people playing it.

But the popular games are fairly important to play early on to if you plan on really getting into them and playing alot as when you jump in a year later you're mainly playing people who have put 100s and 100s of hours into it which can be very discouraging.

So I'd say with any online game you really want to play competitively you should get it right away--be it a big game or a less popular game.


[quote name='Puffa469']
I almost never buy big name AAA single player titles on launch or for anywhere near full price. I played the demo of Batman AA, and I loved it, but I can wait six months and pick it up for $20-30.[/QUOTE]

Same here. Though I'll wait the 4-6 months it'll take to get matched up on Goozex for it.
 
A PlayStation 3 title has to be pretty epic for me to buy it Day 1. Thusfar, the only PlayStation 3 game I pre-ordered was Tekken 6.

I'm more inclined to buy a PSP game Day 1, though, since those games need all the help they can get if the platform is expected to survive. I don't want a repeat of those two years when piracy-fearing publishers wouldn't greenlight any exclusives for it.
 
I bought The Beatles Rock Band at full price. I really wanted the game and say its worth it. Plus, they really put alot of time into this game. I will be buying COD:MW2 at launch.
 
I find it hard to support the industry when they try to screw people over by offering things such as DLC that is already on the disc and must be "unlocked" by purchasing it.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']

So I'd say with any online game you really want to play competitively you should get it right away--be it a big game or a less popular game.
[/QUOTE]

Another reason I don't mind paying full price for an online game is that when you factor in hundreds of hours of play, you got your money's worth at any price.

I bought COD4 at full price and if you break down my time spent playing, it's about 15 cents an hour. Not bad. And waiting a few months to save $20 on the price isn't going to make much of a difference in the long run.

But when a single player only game is 10 hours long, that's $6 an hour. Then waiting to get the game for $20 or $30 makes more sennse to me, because after I beat it, I probably wont play it much more beyond that.

I should really use Gamefly or Googex, but I like owning games.
 
[quote name='Rozz']I find it hard to support the industry when they try to screw people over by offering things such as DLC that is already on the disc and must be "unlocked" by purchasing it.[/QUOTE]

I agree, but I will still buy the game, just not the DLC.

I bought SF IV on day one and played hundreds of matches on it, but I never bought the stupid extra costumes. That shit should have been included with my $60 purchase. I still love the game I just won't be rocking no shirt Ryu, or gym class panties Sakura.
 
I buy all non-sport first party Sony games on release day to support Sony.

I buy all crappy XBOX ports used...to support multiplatform release and my way of showing disapproval of timed exclusives.

I make it a point to buy Activision, EA, Bethesda games used if at all.

I'll likely pass on Call of Duty MW2...I bought the first one day of release and to this day I don't understand what all of the hype is about....passed on World at War.

I'll never buy another Rockstar game...the last GTA was a poor excuse of a GTA game and definitely not what the PS2 crowd expected.

The only cheap games I pick up are the ones that fall through the cracks that I didn't get around to buying at release.

I literally have over 20+ PS3 games that I haven't played yet...including MGS4 that I bought on release day. I have 55 PS3 non-sports titles.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']I've never bought one out of wanting to support it--just out of wanting to play it right away.

Gears 2 was the only game I bought (period) last year, and Modern Warfare 2 will be the only one this year. Everything else has been from Goozex.[/QUOTE]


thats pretty much my stance on things. i'll buy it new when i dont want to wait for it to drop in price like infamous preordered it. plan on buying uncharted 2 day 1 or possibly preordering it and ill buy gow3 or will preorder it ( depending on if theres extra stuff). also going to buy the gow collection new and the last guardian new. probably will wait for ratchet and clank because i wasn wowed by the last one and if this is more of the same im not in any rush to play it.
 
I usually wait for the prices to go down even for the games I really want. The exceptions are the games released during the holiday season (triple AAA titles that I have to have right away) or niche/import titles like Raiden Fighters Aces and Raiden IV which I wanted to show support for. That way they know there's an audience here for these types of games.
 
If a game is unique in some way that I wish to encourage, I will consider buying it at full price. (or at least, not waiting to buy it until it is dirt cheap) Recent examples would be my purchase of Muramasa: The Demon Blade. I did get it on sale at Fry's Electronics for $40. But that is a whole lot closer to the MSRP than I usually buy games at. The game has a very strong emphasis on craft and artistry. It is a beautiful and polished title. I would love to see more of that in games, so I bought it early and for a much more generous price. This will help to improve the game's NPD figures, and will hopefully encourage like-minded development in the future.

I also bought Retro Game Challenge for full MSRP. ($30 in this case, no sale) The game expresses a genuine love and understanding of retro gaming. I would love to see more games in this style.
 
Only game I bought for full price was Call of Duty 4.
Ever since then I've lived up the the CAG name.

I might only buy a game for full price if it's really worth it, or if it comes with a bonus, which is the case for TRUs ad of ODST.
 
I havent paid for a full price game in years. Nowadays games are too complicated to judge if its going to be fun or not, and also now if i beat it, I'll be glad to get rid of it. Rewind to the nes/snes days and Id hold on those games and play em over and over again all the time.

However, I did preorder(!) Modern Warfare 2 and plan to pick up the GoW collection on the same day.
 
I did exactly what the title says with mirrors edge and all the DLC for Burnout Paradise. EDIT: Add wii's Madworld and No More Heros to the list. But I really limit myself to few titles for Day 1 purchases. FF XIII (like most others) and such games that you know will be good and have plenty of playthrough or replay time now are all I do really.

Years ago I would buy a new game @ MSRP every (bi-weekly) paycheck, glad I don't do that anymore.
 
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I've bought a few games at day 1 prices, some truly worth it, and others... well...

Take Killzone 2 for example. I bought it on both impulse and I was really taken in by the hype, yet I still question that waste of cash to this day. Infamous was a day 1 purchase for me, and though I haven't felt fully satisfied with the price I paid for it, I'm not complaining either.

Coincidentally, most of the games that I'm in love with were usually bought when on sale, clearance, after a significant price drop, or heavily subsidized by trading in crappy games. Most of my games for the Wii are like this, especially SSBB which was a day 1 purchase due to a trade in special by Gamestop.

Though I don't mind supporting a lot of the indie/no-name developers out there by buying their games at full price, I would rather pay full price for something intensively covered, safe, and well known than what could be a purchasing gamble (except if the price point is really attractive to begin with, such as being at or below $15, then I'll bite).
 
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If I want the game, I'll pay full price on day 1 to get it. But lately, I've been getting a lot of day 1 releases (Batman, Professor Layton, Scribblenauts, Champions Online), so I'm holding out on games I want that's coming out now (mostly MUA 2) and I know that will get cheaper during the holidays.

I got Persona on PSP pre-ordered, but the next game that I'll probably walk into the store and buy day 1 will probably be Alpha Protocol and Dragon Age, which is on pre-order from Amazon.
 
The last two games I bought day one were Beatles Rock Band and Halo 3. The only reason I got Beatles on day one was because of the $40 deal at Micro Center and Halo 3 because everyone and their mother were going to be playing it.

Everything else has come from goozex or some other ridiculously good deal.

The only reason I even think of buying a game day one anymore is if it's going to be a strong online multiplayer game such as the upcoming MW2 or because there's a really good deal on it. I'll wait on a price drop or a deal any other time.
 
[quote name='Rozz']I find it hard to support the industry when they try to screw people over by offering things such as DLC that is already on the disc and must be "unlocked" by purchasing it.[/QUOTE]
Then support developers that don't do that, and especially developers that give away content for free like Valve.

Not only do I buy pretty much all the games Valve puts out, but I buy many of my PC games from Steam to support them. They've given me so much free content for Team Fortress 2 that nearly all my PC games are bought from Steam, which the exception of really good retail deals.
 
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