Why I don’t buy games at launch anymore

"I no longer buy games at launch. The question is what changed? Me or the gaming industry? To answer this question we’ll have to ask and answer a few other queries," says GameJudgment's Abhishek Indoria.

[pangitkqb]

I don't simply because it helps my wallet and I have so many other games just waiting to be played.

[Knight_Crawler]

Have to agree dude, the last game I bought new was GTA 4 and I regretted it because it was the worst GTA ever and I did not even finish it.

I always buy my games used from local classified and usually get them for $25 or less and I am talking about games that are new releases.

[guitarded77]

I have definitely become more selective in my day 1 buying. I have a few rules that I follow to save money and ultimately get me more games.

1. Wait on most multi-console games. These games tend to drop in price faster than exclusives.

2. Try not to buy anything the 3 months before Black Friday... I save money up, and get them all half price on Amazon.

3. Only pay full price for games with 100++ hours of content. RPGs, MMOs, sandbox and Great Online Multiplayer are less of a risk.

4. Exclusives - XBOX exclusives drop in price fastest, followed by Sony, followed by Nintendo. So I tend to wait on XBOX exclusives, while Sony and Nintendo exclusives have higher priority based on want.

Anyway, I may be cheap, but I have over 500 games from this gen in my collection, and thousands of games in my collection going back to the 2600.

[Knight_Crawler]

@guitarded - Thanks for the tip, will try your advice out.

I want Halo4 so bad but do not think its going to drop in price anytime soon and people wont be selling or trading in there copies for a long time because from what I heard the game is awesome.

Will probably have to buy Halo 4 day one which I do not think I am going to regret because Halo 3 was beast and packed with content.

[memots]

My main rule is how much i want it. I do not mind dropping 60$ if

1) Is a series i really like
2) my back catalog is not too big.
3) If most of my friend got a game and all are currently playing online together ( Borderland 2 is a good example we got the 4 pack on steam )

Right now Halo4 is on my mind but since i am mostly a Pc gamer and currently enjoying bf3 and Borderland 2, And i refuse to pay for online ,,, Halo will have to wait :(

edit : Also there is the wife factor lol

[guitarded77]

@ Knight_Crawler

No doubt... Halo 4 looks incredible. I'm sticking to my guns and getting it for $30-$40 on Black Friday, but it's one of those rare games where you know the campaign is gonna be worth the price of retail.

Off topic: I love the weekends on n4g. All the 12 year olds show up and disagree with everything, rational or not. We're have a rare civil discussion and sharing information, and disagrees for everyone!!!

[camel_toad]

I'm 34 and still enjoy the "I got it first" syndrome. I should grow up but why bother =)

[vortis]

I hate the idea that you have to live life a certain way.

I especially hate the idea that we have to buy products a certain way.

I'm not ashamed to say that I no longer get games on day-one (I used to, but not anymore) the biggest problem is that all the DLC, pre-order bonuses and patch-requiring glitches have completely ruined the day-one illusion. It used to mean buying a top-end product for top-dollar to say you're first and you enjoy what the game has to offer, but now it's turned into a pathetic cash grab to pad numbers by publishers.

I'll go back to buying games day-one to throw up the "I got it first!" comments when they go back to making games as good as good gets on launch day. I'm tired of getting games only to find out that the REAL game is the GOTY Edition that launches a year later.

Hopefully, hopefully this changes next-gen, but I kind of doubt it.

[DA_SHREDDER]

34 year old virgin

[Double_O_Revan]

@da_shredder
Its what you have to look forward to after you graduate middle & high school, don't get a girlfriend, and keep living in mommy & daddies basement.

[camel_toad]

@da_shredder

Ha if that's the case then my 3 year old isn't really my daughter and that must mean my wife cheated on me. That whore! (I can't blame her though since I'm apparently a virgin) she's gotta get sex from somewhere...

[Amplitude]

I wait 3 weeks till they're on Steam 70% off haha works like charm every time

[CrimsonessCross]

Honestly...I agree. Been doing that for quite some time now (at least for titles that are released on PC as well)...I have been getting FANTASTIC deals being found on sites that I can't help but pick some games up that I've wanted to play or even try. Although newest games only get a 20 up to 40% off treatment MOST of the time that i've noticed.

Anything entirely multi-player that isn't PC (or at least a bigger/better(LOL) community than I might go with xbox (only console I have this gen)

As i've read there's no reason to pick up a game day one entirely unless you are really really excited for it and can justify the full retail price. If not, settle down and get it down the road (the downside being the multi-player might be dead, seeing how some people go to the hottest thing out and most games release fairly quickly be it single or multi player)

I'm just happy I got pretty much all the content for Borderlands 2 at this point for the whole 60$ price thanks to Green Man Gaming :D

[pompombrum]

This! With a few exceptions, I'm going to wait for Steam's December sales as I know I'm going to pick up a lot of great bargains.

[Amplitude]

@CrimsonessCross:

Yeah man haha. Multiplayer games always get a giant spike in players too whenever they go on sale haha. Love it.

@aiBreeze: Shoulda taken advantage of the halloween sale! I got Walking Dead, Dead Space 2, Dead Rising 2, Sleeping Dogs zombie DLC and The Club for like 25 dollars haha xP Just beat Walking Dead ep 4 actually... Really good game.

[ZodTheRipper]

I'm only buying games at launch that I know will be worth it or if I'm in need for something fresh. Missed all of the games coming out right now because I'm still busy playing Borderlands 2 ...I'd rather buy time to play through all those great games coming out this month :/

[Brownghost]

I love games that are worth my money with so much content. Already on my second playthrough and loving it.

[Enmson]

i sometimes wait for game of the year editions that will release later with all DLC and fully patched :P
Look at Batman games or Uncharted or any other game.
now i will wait for Max pain 3 and borderlands 2 GOTY editions lol

[SnakeCQC]

i try my best not because games are realeased SOOO broken

[Double_O_Revan]

I bought Uncharted 3 at launch, paid full price, and beat it well before they released the patch fixing whatever it was the patch fixed.

From now on I'm waiting till the price drops and all the bugs are worked out.

[Myst]

I still do for certain games here and there others I may usually wait for a discount or GoTY edition.

[rulakir]

There is no point on buying games at launch when you have a backlog of games that haven't even been open yet.

[Double_O_Revan]

I try to weed out and only buy which games I know I'll have time to play. Usually 1 or 2 games a month. So i suffer in the sense that I don't get to play Everything I want, but at least I don't have a giant stack of unopened games.

My biggest problem is games I want to Replay. I love going back and playing some of my favorite games when ever I have time. Usually in gaps between releases, but with a steady steam of new releases always on the horizon, it can be very difficult. I've been wanting to replay Metroid Prime for Years, but it just always gets pushed back. My biggest dilemma now is, I'm right in the middle of replaying the recent Deus Ex, but AC3 just showed up on my doorstep. So now its hold off on one or the other, plus theres still more upcoming this year.

Gaming is a difficult hobby....

[rulakir]

Besides wait a few months for GOTY edition( which is the way the game should have been released originally) and buy it for like 20 bucks.

[Double_O_Revan]

Kinda wished I waited for Batman AC GOTY, well except for that cover art. No amount of extra content would've convinced me to put that ugly game box in my collection.

[blackblades]

Like I said before with all the other unneeded article you can easily buy a game for $39-$49 few weeks after launch.

[AIndoria]

The problem is, it's not that way in all the countries. Skyrim released for consoles @ 2799 INR here. Now it's retailing for 3499. Problem?

[jjb1981]

I buy games at launch only when I personally know that it's fun and ill get my money's worth. People are buying Uncharted 3 GOTY edition and jumping into games where people have everything unlocked and are at max level. It's not fun jumping into a multiplayer game where 95% of the lobby has an extensive advantage over you. Waiting too long for some games might reveal that the multiplayer community has severely died down. With that said, there aren't too many games with campaigns that are worth 59.99. Games with campaigns like this are worth waiting for a price drop. I paid $15 for mass effect 3 brand new which is a great price for such a controversial game. However I will be buying black ops 2 first day because I always log several hours into COD games. Call me sheep or whatever, I know when I get what I pay for. Until then ill be playing dark souls and astorias of the abyss dlc! Praise the Sun!

[Double_O_Revan]

There is a big difference when it comes to waiting for single vs multiplayer game, at least to me. I agree, if you don't get a multiplayer game within the first week, don't bother. But single player doesn't matter. That story is always there waiting at the pace you wish to go.

But I just got Borderlands 1 from PS+. I'm sure there are still some people playing it, but not nearly as many as before 2 came out, or even as many as during release. Plus, I bet the ones who are still playing are likely maxed out.

[Dojan123]

Only get day 1 if my clan is getting for MP. The rest I wait for the first price drop or incredible reviews.

[GREW50ME]

Launch is a total ripoff. Games from just last year are going cheap as hell.

[TisMayo]

I rarely buy them at launch. Maybe once in a year.

[mydyingparadiselost]

I don't buy at launch b/c of GOTY editions and the awful glitching in SO MANY GAMES this last couple of years. Patches don't fix 100's of hours wasted trying to walk around (Skyrim PS3), gain xp (borderland 2 B.A rank), save (Mass Effect 2 could freeze in auto save and wipe a hard drive) and so many other annoying, game breaking glitches that have affected so many people, myself most definately included. Paying $60 for the privalege of having my game experience f'ed in the a before everyone else just doesn't work for me. I exclude Nintendo from this btw, they are a rare company that doesn't release glitch heavy content and I really hope it stays that way with their new console

[boybato]

Multi games I buy day one, especially if I love the game.
Singleplay games I usually wait for a price drop. (eg. Yakuza 3&4, Vanguish, Sleeping dogs etc.)

[kagon01]

I didn't bought BBCS because of the DLC characters as soon the game was released, but I'm glad I was patient. I end up buying the superior version(BBCSE)at a very affordable price brand new.

This is the reason I don't buy games at launch anymore. I am tired of dealing with incomplete games out of the box(DLC scam).

[tweet75]

most games fall 30 percent or more in cost after 6 months. Some alot more. The patient gamer saves alot of money. I dont buy new consoles at release either because they will go down in cost over time and you never know if the batch is faulty.

[wnek9]

i see most games drop to 30-45$ within 2 weeks after release here in arizona

[Hicken]

I buy some games at launch, like JRPGS. Certain other titles, like Uncharted, Killzone, and Gran Turismo, are also Day 1 buys for me. Games by ATLUS and NIS also fall into this category.

But outside of that(.. and there isn't really much I buy outside of that), I wait to see whether it's going to appeal to me, and wait for a price that I think is fair.

[PurpHerbison]

I stopped getting games on day 1 a long time ago. Way too many disappointments and I actually feel like I'm gambling when I purchase a game now.

[banjadude]

I really need to stop doing this for most new games (and any respective collector/limited editions). Going broke so fast, it's terrible.

Also, I've been burned way too many times, too (Killzone 3 Helghast Edition, Lolipop Chainsaw and Twisted Metal all dropped so fast!).

[poet215]

4 - 6 weeks within that Black Friday window is definitely my cut off time, for purchasing any game. In 2007, I purchased NBA 2K8 for $64 (tax included).....less than 2 weeks later, it was Black Friday & on sale for $27. I was sick

[DragonPrince]

I'm soo glad that more & more people are catching on to this. Ultimately I hope that publishers & developers will start to make complete games again, no day 1 DLC, patches, etc. once they see people aren't buying their incomplete versions.

Spread the word, we might fix next generation.

[mochachino]

Me neither, this gen is sol old that most games aren't exciting enough for me to pay more than $40 at most - most of the time I just wait until they're $20.

[sypher]

It's all about incentives. There honestly is no reason to buy a 'mainstream' game Day 1. If its from a big Publisher dlc/locked content is a given at this point in time. Also likely to have tons of bugs. And a 'complete' edition is just a few months away which will include all the content and be rid of the bugs.

So honestly Day 1 purchasers get a raw deal.

This is further exemplified by the fact just days to weeks after a game has launched, its price drops like Enron stock. Proving that the game wasn't worth its original asking price anyway.

The only games I ever buy Day 1 are those from smaller Publishers or target a niche (mine) audience. Mainly JRPG's mainly because I know they wont be receiving any type of complete/goty edition and their value doesn't fall as fast. And if you are lucky sometimes increases.

[birdykilla]

Do you guys believe either Far cry 3 or the new Hitman is worth $60 price or will it be best to wait? Right now I honestly don't know if I should wait for those.

And if I could buy just one of those which one would you get?

[e-p-ayeaH]

Both games are meant for singleplayer for the most part so im gonna wait.

Same with Last of Us unless the collectors edition calls my attention.

[AIndoria]

To be honest, I'll say go Day 1 for Hitman Absolution. Why? The Replay Value. Far Cry 3? Meh. Never played a Single far cry game till now so I'll wait.

[birdykilla]

Thanks I was leaning more towards Far Cry 3, cause I was one of the people who enjoyed and actually finished Far Cry 2 campaign. Play a bunch of the MP, and even tried to create a few maps with the editor. The few issues with FC2 like the malaria pills, weapon jams, enemy respawns, and having to fix my jeep every 5 min seems to have been taken out of this game. With that said I'm going to probably skip both for now, black friday deals are just to good this year. $8.99 Max Payne 3, $10 Batman: Arkham City GOTY, $15 for the God of War Saga. Three games for Less than $35. 7 if you count the 5 that come with the Saga. So $5 a game damn I'm good!