Waiting with the purchase of new PC games

[Ghost]

Hello all,

For quite some time when there were upcoming PC games I really wanted to have I always purchased them immediately when they were released in the stores, even if the system demands were way beyond my computer.

But after purchasing STALKER and Bioshock (collectors items mind you) and see how they gather dust as I can't play them, while the copies in the stores are getting cheaper, I have decided to wait with the purchase of the latest PC games.

Yesterday I was really considering purchasing Crysis when I saw the Collectors Edition but as I still have to wait and Collectors Editions aren't usually sold out anymore even after months since the release I'll wait until I have my new PC.

The game will probably be cheaper by then.

[Sharingan]

I used to buy everything immediately, for fear of them not being on sale anymore a few months down the line.

Now that online shopping is so widespread, though, that risk has considerably lessened: shops don't have the game anymore? Just browse a few sites and purchase it online. Most likely, the price will have come down 30-40% by then, which is just an added bonus.

The only games which I buy right away nowadays are those that I've been looking forward to for ages, and have received widespread acclaim both from gamers and review sites (mostly the former, though).

[Ghost]

Hello Sharingan,

I guess you like me realised how much money you sometimes wasted on this.

[Sharingan]

Yeah. I can't count the number of times I bought something, only to find its price slashed barely two months later.

Even with just-released stuff, you can often find very good deals (10-25% off) if you're just willing to shop around a bit instead of giving in to the urge to buy right away.

Nowadays, I'm also thinking I should finish up my backlog of unfinished games first before shelling out cash for yet another title that'll end up on the shelf untouched. That's just a huge waste of money that could be sitting in the savings account accrueing interest instead.

[Harrison]

It's the same for me. I now only buy games on release if they are really something special, and I've been waiting for them for some time. Games like Half Life 2, X3, Warhammer Dawn of War, or Oblivion for example. I played those as soon as I got them and didn't put them down for weeks.

With most other PC games I download them and try them out first, and if the game turns out to be really good I will then purchase a proper copy. But if I play a game and complete it in only say 4 hours (MOH:Airborne) then I don't see that as worth the money, regardless of how nicely the game plays and looks (with MOH:A as an example, if a game of the year edition with a lot more content is later released then I may then buy it).

I didn't always do this though. I used to buy all the games I was interested in on PC, PS2, Xbox, Gamecube, and before that the Playstation, as soon as they came out. And for many, I never completed them. The worst is probably the PC though because I used to buy whatever looked interesting when it came out, but then not have time to play it, so it would get filed in my collection and never be installed as I would end up playing something else that came out later instead.

And as you both say, the games drop in price quite quickly within months of them being released, so it is worth waiting for all but the most amazing games that come out.

I'm glad I have all the unfinished,or unplayed games now though as I still have many great games to play through in my collection.

But going back further, in the Amiga days it was very different. I would often go into my local gaming store every weekend and buy something new. Often more than one game a week. But it was a bit different in those days as there was no internet and the only link to the games industry and what was happening was through friends and magazines. And there was something special about being in a game store looking through the game boxes and reading the backs. Also able to look through the games for other systems you didn't own to see what they also had to offer. (oh dear, the nostalgia is starting! ). And the games were still evolving, with each being quite unique, so I think we did explore the games we bought much more and got our monies worth out of them. And we played much more of what we bought than we do now. Also being at school/college there were a lot more people you spoke to every day buying the same games, or coming round to play them on your system. But the biggest element was definitely the games industry still evolving and developing. I think now, although some new great games are still coming out all the time, we don't actually see that much that hasn't been done already.

Also, unlike now, games often didn't stay on the shelves for very long, and if you didn't grab many of them soon after release you never saw them again in the shops. Some mail order companies were good to get older games though. I usedto use Special Reserve (RIP) a lot to buy Amiga games, and then later PC and console games, as well as the hardware itself. I think my A1200 and CD32 were also from them.

[Ghost]

Hello Sharingan,

I also still have a number of games I need to finish, but every time a good new title is released I can't help it but have a look at it on day one.
The temptation then to buy it is really big.

Problem often here is that the prices are pretty much fixed, you can barely find a title any cheaper at this store than other stores, though when it comes to lowering prices there are always a few that are first.

A good alternative would be Ebay then, unfortunate not all of them ship to the Netherlands, plus you will have to wait a couple of weeks then to play it.

[Harrison]

What about UK stores like play.com and amazon.co.uk? Many people in other countries order from those as it ends up being much cheaper. Teho does for one.

[Ghost]

What about UK stores like play.com and amazon.co.uk? Many people in other countries order from those as it ends up being much cheaper. Teho does for one.

Problem is Harrison, I don't have a credit card.
Also for some reason Amazon doesn't want to ship to the Netherlands.