How do gamers choose a game to buy?

flamedance58

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May 2, 2008
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How I judge a game to be worth it:

-Reviews
-Ask friends if they've played it.
-PLAY THE GAME! If it's on a demo-stand at the store or if a friend has the game..or rent the thing.
-Check forums; nothing tells you the most truth about a game than forums where people can ***** about the good and the bad points of a game.
-Yahtzee. 'nuff said.
 

Nugoo

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Jan 25, 2008
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I actually avoid reviews until after I've played the game. I find that my opinions can be heavily swayed by authoritative words, and I'd rather that not happen. I try to see as much gameplay footage as I can, and see if it looks like something I'd enjoy. I also listen to recommendations from my friends. The best case scenario is if I can try the game at a friend's house.
 

iamnotincompliance

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Apr 23, 2008
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My method is simple: have a friend who insists on buying every damn thing on the market, and insists on showing them to you every time you get together. Sometimes something piques my interest as well (GTA III, Portal, um... GTA III, Portal... yeah, very little piques my interest). Then I usually buy it, devote my life to it for a week, and get further than he does.

However, I also happen upon stuff on my own. I got Morrowind bundled with a video card woefully underpowered for playing Morrowind, so naturally I finally got into it about a week before Oblivion came to market (which, I of course, knew nothing about). I have a long rambling story about getting into Tomb Raider involving the 2005 Chicago Auto Show, GTA, and a severe case of boredom, but I type too much as it is, so I end this here.
 

Piemaster

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Apr 22, 2008
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If there's a game that looks interesting I try to find out more info about it and see if most people think it's decent. Or if it's recommended by my friends or belongs in a series that I really like, such as GTA or Unreal Tournament.
 

nightfish

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Nov 7, 2007
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MrCrun said:
It's reviews generally for me.
Nah, I don't ever trust reviews; everyone has different taste in games so what someone says is good to them maybe be rubbish to another. In addition its hard to find an unbiased review nowadays.

Got to be a demo or borrow of a friend.
 

Mirika_the_warrior

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Apr 9, 2008
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I sacrifice a goat and read it's entrails............ just kidding, I read reviews by reliable reviewers, or in the case of a game that hasn't come out yet I Hang around the the official sites and wait for the next tidbit of information to come out, like a broke crack head waiting for a free hand out.
 

Terramax

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Anarchemitis said:
I choose based on a well researched idea based on reveiws and lots of videos on IGN and youtube.
Yeah, same here, along with reviews from Amazon.co.uk.

Generally, I buy a game based on what I want to play. I'm currently in the mood for a light gun game after playing House of the Dead 4 in an arcade, so I'm researching HotD2+3 and Ghost Squad on the Wii.

I don't trust reviews from any major site or magazine. Smaller ones for retro are another thing. But put it this way, just because IGN gave GTAIV 10/10, it doesn't mean I'm going to go out and buy it seeing I've not completed GTAIII since I bought it about 7 years ago.
 

tagMaverick

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Apr 30, 2008
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I dont think about games before i buy them, i pick the ones that have the best looking front and back cover.

Or anything that looks like Oblivion.
 

tagMaverick

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Apr 30, 2008
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I dont think about games before i buy them, i pick the ones that have the best looking front and back cover.

Or anything that looks like Oblivion.
 

propertyofcobra

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Oct 17, 2007
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Reviews, video reviews in particular so I can see the game in action.
Other people, more important and trustworthy than reviews.
Part of a series I like. Metal Gear games are no-brainers for example.
Gut instinct. Mercenaries seemed like it might be fun, one of the main characters shared my name. I got the game. It rocked.
 

Rolling Thunder

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Dec 23, 2007
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I used to buy them from Game, play them and return them if they were awful. Or even 'not good'.

I also try and get as wide an opinion as possible (multiple reviews, wait until a friend plays it and lets me, etc etc)
 

BaldingSteve

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Apr 13, 2008
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For me, it usually begins with me wanting to buy a game, like Condemned or F.E.A.R and then i ask people about it and look at reviews. Some of the reviews aren't always that good I.E F.E.A.R but I still play them. Other games like, oh the MGS series, i don't need to look at reviews because I know they are good games. For buying, well usually I go to a retail store just because I want my game NOW. But in the case of Condemned for example, I had to buy it online for no retail store had it.
 

MaxRaine

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May 1, 2008
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I never look for games really... I happen upon them on the net and often end up watching trailers and/or video reviews. More often than not when I happen upon a game that seems really fun it turns out that I doesn't own the right console though... I often wish I could in some remote way learn to like the 360 or become filthy rich so I don't have to bother with the serious overpricing of the PS3...
 

Kikosemmek

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Nov 14, 2007
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In order of importance:

I usually take into account first and foremost the synopsis of the game. By that I mean it's genre, background story, premise, and any indication of how the gameplay would unfold. If the synopsis appeals to me, it's a good sign for me to get the game.

I also have trust in some developers, such as Valve, Relic or Double-Fine, but never blind trust. I am more likely to take up a game made by them. The reason my trust is never blind is that I nearly lost my trust in some developers, such as Blizzard and Bioware since WC3 and NWN, respectively, which I used to trust blindly until an inevitable disappointment. I probably will have doubts as to buying a game from those businesses. EA is not one of those since I never had any trust in them.

In a similar fashion, I have faith in game series that I grew to like, such as Half-Life, Starcraft, Commandos (though they probably won't make those anymore), Baldur's Gate (all those rumors about a BG3 make me happy), and Dawn of War (DoW 2 looks to be awesome). I am likely to favor one of those games. Like my trust in some game developers, however, my liking to some series has been broken, such as Black and White, C&C (... *sigh*, EA, goddamnit), and Warcraft, and I'm far less likely to purchase a game from those series.

Finally, there's the price. Because I only buy games sparingly, however, I always have enough to get what I really want and know that I'll enjoy. So, usually, there's no problem with that. However, I'm sometimes likely to wait for a game to drop its price if it's like $60.
 

stevesan

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Oct 31, 2006
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My god, this thread really highlights how self-centered this forum is. The man asked if there was any STUDY on this issue. He did NOT ask what YOU personally do to decide. Read the fucking OP.

But no, I'm not aware of any such marketing study you can find - not for free at least. I'm sure certain consulting firms have such studies for sale, but they're not cheap. You can try some business-research resources, like Lexis Nexis or Hoover's Online. These cost money, but if you're at a university, they usually have free accounts you can use at the library.
 

iamnotincompliance

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Apr 23, 2008
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stevesan said:
My god, this thread really highlights how self-centered this forum is. The man asked if there was any STUDY on this issue. He did NOT ask what YOU personally do to decide. Read the fucking OP.

But no, I'm not aware of any such marketing study you can find - not for free at least. I'm sure certain consulting firms have such studies for sale, but they're not cheap. You can try some business-research resources, like Lexis Nexis or Hoover's Online. These cost money, but if you're at a university, they usually have free accounts you can use at the library.
So he has his own study, maybe the first and only one of it's kind. Go us!
 

Lord Krunk

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Mar 3, 2008
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First, I look up the game on wikipedia or other sites, to get an Idea or a premise (original and innovative games are more appealing to me, kudos to Tim Schafer) of the story, gameplay, genre etc.

Next, I look at reliable game reviews such as Yahtzee, as he tells it like it is, and get a further idea of whether I will like the game or not. (Although, I liked Fable, which he detested, although I didn't have "EVIL PENTAGRAM SOUL SUCK HORROR."

Then I check the price. I strike when the price matches the quality of the game. Very rarely do I get a game when it first comes out, as a result. (Also, I prefer older games, makes me feel unique).

And that is my 3 steps to getting good games.