Poll: Do You Regularly Buy Games On/during the First Few Weeks of Launch Day?

[snekadid]

Massively encouraged by the percentage of people so far who wait till later in a game's life before purchasing it.

The main reasons I don't buy games upon release now are:

1) They are often unfinished, buggy or require further patching. I refuse to pay full price to be a Beta tester;

2) The hype which surrounds them often paints a false picture of the game, and it's best just to let the fanboys have their wank-fest, then their *****-fest, and then get a balanced view on the game 3-6 months later and make a decision from there.

the more a game is hyped, especially by the likes of IGN & Gamespot, the more I worry about the actual quality of the game now.

3) The price difference is staggering, and paying 3-4 times more for a game for the sake of a few months just seems silly.

4) Guides, FAQs and other such information becomes far more easily available, refined and accurate a few months after release.

This basically covers my entire reasoning behind new games with extra emphasis on #1. With the current overwhelming trend of releasing unfinished games and then letting the consumer report all the bugs, my sense of gaming loyalty is on empty.

I no longer really feel like I should support them for the privilege of playing their game( I stop short of pirating but wont buy any game unless it is discounted by at least 50%, sometimes more), and think that we need to take back the consumer power and make them bargain for our money and stop accepting their "Pay what I want for what ever I happen to throw at you" business practices.

TL;DR: They need our money, we don't need them at all. Why are we the ones on the weak end of the bargaining table?

 

[FFP2]

I've only bought the super amazing awesome 75$ Collectors Edition of ME3 on day one (technically pre-ordered).

Needless to say I'm never doing that again. Except for the new Final Fantasy game.

I usually buy my games like a year later when they're 30$.

 

[KungFuJazzHands]

My last Day One purchase? Red Orchestra 2. I felt so ripped off that I vowed to never buy another game on release day.

My last Week One purchase? Spec Ops: The Line. Got it at heavy discount, and worth every penny.

Other than those examples, I now actively avoid buying so soon after release. AFAIC the $50-$60 price point for new games (especially digital titles) is a scam and always has been. And the fact that publishers and developers are increasingly using paying "early adoption" consumers as QA testers chafes my hide. The industry would be better off if more people showed just a little bit of self control and stopped buying on Day One; that goes for pre-releases too.

 

[ellieallegro]

Steam sales ftw. Fallout collectors editions being the only exception.

 

[Inconspicuous Trenchcoat]

I used to never buy anything new, but then I started making a decent amount of money.

I buy quite a few smaller and indie games I'm interested in for full price: Hell Yeah!, Trials Evolution, Guacamelee. And I'm also buying a good chunk of bigger titles at or near full price.
Skyrim, DE: Human Revolution, Dishonored, Sleeping Dogs and Luigi's Mansion 2, I've bought all of those at full price (minus launch deals, like Green Man Gaming or Newegg offers).

I need to quell this habit before it gets me into financial trouble, lol. I swear I'm going to stop buying all the shinies, I swear!

 

[Legendairy314]

I'll generally buy 2-5 games a year when they're new and attend a midnight release for some of the bigger ones. Other games, which I don't see worth the purchase at launch, I wait to either rent or buy on sale.

 

[mohit9206]

I buy games months after launch. Why should i pay 60 bucks for a game when i can pay only 10 bucks just waiting a few months ? Am a pc gamer so i take the advantage that PC gaming has to offer to me by getting games when they become very cheap.

 

[Bertylicious]

I tend to buy at release or pre-release because I am a mug. I am not proud of what I do; it is stupid and indefensible. More often than not I regret it.

That doesn't change the fact that I get home from work, sit down and think "fuck, I'm bored. And what am I going to do with all this Goddamned money?"

It seems that quitting smoking has damaged my life in many ways.

 

[ImmortalDrifter]

Depends on just how much I want it. If it's a game I want from a studio I trust then I will pre-order it and pick it up on launch day. (Often at midnight) If it doesn't fit that criteria then I usually wait for a recommendation or review from someone I actually know who bought the game, or a major price drop. Whichever comes first really.

 

[Flames66]

I do not buy games at launch. I will only buy a game once its price has dropped below £10 (the maximum price I think is reasonable for a game) and only if it really interests me.

 

[Nazulu]

I can't answer your poll. Do you mean if I'm really interested in it? Or just how I do things now?

If it's a game I really want I'll try to get it before it comes into stores, no bullshit. However, these days, I couldn't care less about most games, and the ones I am interested in, I'm only a little interested in. So I'll be waiting a month to a year before getting them, if at all.

 

[hazabaza1]

If it's something I'm excited for and it's on PC I'll consider it (they're usually cheaper).

Sometimes if they're budget priced or something as well I'll go for it. Like Anarchy Reigns, that was only like, £18.

 

[O maestre]

never, even with reviews and all kinds of trailers and gameplay footage or reputation i can never be guaranteed that a game is worth purchasing until i can hear other gamers opinions. Then there is also the whole bug and patching of the game once launched.

The only title I got close to launch was Skyrim, and that was at least 2 months after the release and for me that was a hasty decision compared to buy regular purchasing patterns.

 

[Bestival]

The games I'm already waiting ages for I buy right away. Those used to be more numerable though. Last game I bought on launch day that I can remember was Borderlands 2.

Atm I'm waiting for Watch_Dogs, South Park and Saints Row 4. Those will all be first day/week buys, unless there's some horrendous stories going around about them regarding bugs or DRM.

 

[Ymbirtt]

I'll only buy on launch if I know for certain that the game will definitely be good and something that I want to play on launch, otherwise I'll wait for reviews to come out and judge what I want to pay based on that. I think the last time I bought on release was the time I preordered Portal 2, which was most definitely worth it. Pretty much every other game I've bought with my own money was bought well after the hype around it has died and I can get a copy for cheap. A fresh off the production line boxed copy of a game at launch is some £40, from Steam it's more like £30. A few months after release, I can pick up a copy for £15 with almost no difficulty. I don't see why I should need to pay the full price in this situation - I still get a steady stream of new games, but I can selectively pick up good ones and I can do so after any launch troubles.

 

[putowtin]

It has to be something I really, really want for it to be a "day of release" purchase

For example, last "DOR" for me was Mass Effect 3!

If it 's not a game I must have on that first day, then I generally won't pick stuff up until it's a heck of a lot cheaper!

 

[Savagezion]

I buy in the first week unless pre-orders seem worth it. (Which is rare) The last game I pre-ordered was X-Com. I probably buy 4-8 games on launch week every year. Games I don't want spoiled and want to talk about right out of the gate. But my money situation has improved a lot since last gen where probably 80% of my games were bought used and were over a year or two old. Next gen coming up, money isn't the problem but the direction the industry is going is. I may end up just soley being PC this next gen.

I like to buy on launch week games that I feel should be supported. (Obviously, those will always be games I personally am interested in playing anyway) For example, X-Com needed high sales to prove that strategy titles are viable to the industry even over shooters. Tomb Raider rebooted hopefully to explore a narrative with Lara and not just another superficial tale of Ms. Badass. I always felt Lara's character had something to offer to a narrative rich game but it never went that way and always stayed in the superficial. L.A. Noire was ambitious and a lot of work went into the map and cases being accurate for an actual Noire setting. All of these games I enjoyed and 2 of them I pre-ordered to show strong interest in the idea towards the industry. (I didn't pre-order Tomb Raider)