Jimquisition: Buyer Beware

Aardvaarkman

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Jul 14, 2011
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xaszatm said:
Yeah, and it was the total lack of quality control that resulted in America's great video game crash.
Perhaps partly, but I think it was mostly to do with the rise of the home computer. Why buy a dedicated console, when home computer systems had games that were just as good, but also had other useful functions for business and education?

Also, the economy in general was in a pretty rough patch at the time, and the ratio of disposable income to the cost of electronic devices was very different then that it is today.
 

QuicklyAcross

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Mar 11, 2014
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I can definitely sympathize on a few levels with the people who do say things like buyer beware and: If you made an uninformed decision you "deserve" whatever consequences and shit you get for showing such a lack of responsibility with your own resources.

In not just video games but with all things you SHOULD beware, that goes for all commodoties.
Its healthy for a consumer in the long rong to actively seek out information that they can base certain choices on, because companies all over the world will stretch the truth on what their product does or doesnt do and yes while that is utterly disgusting practices that we've somehow just become apathetic towards with a "thats just how it is", its still something i believe can be changed and that you for now still have to adapt somewhat by being a responsible consumer in anything you do.

On the other hand just like this video points out: You shouldnt need to always at all times have to tread through a minefield or dig through a pile of dung just to find a hidden gem or the genuinely trustworthy and good companies and products that are upfront and transparent with their practices and who has the interest of the costumer as their primary priority, providing all the necessary information upfront to the consumer and being honest with their products or services.

Steam is in dire need of quality control and so are a lot of other things, you shouldnt need to become a brittish cynic in order to see that undeniable fact.

On a last note i believe the responsibility falls partially on both parties, not equally though, but enough so that one side definitely can do something about this kind of disgusting lack of quality control going on, every bubble will burst eventually but we can speed that process up severely as consumers, even though we shouldnt need to because this is a problem created by the industry in the first place but being held up by uninformed costumers so the sad truth is: Vote with your wallet.
 

Eve Charm

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Aug 10, 2011
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What is this music? Why? GO BACK

Anyway awesome episode. Ya buyer beware can shove it, I guess I should have been Buyer Beware when I Bought RE4 HD ultimate on steam. I'm suppose to beware " Hey prebuy this stuff and get extra bonuses, Beware that an ALMOST 10 YEAR OLD GAME that has been ported to hell and back, and even ALREADY has a working version on pc would be UNPLAYABLE! How am I suppose to BEWARE When steam lets makers DELETE TOPICS about the game being unplayable, Why do I boot the game up and test it out before posting this a month and a half later and still find the damn game UNPLAYABLE dropping to like 5 frames per second during cutsences and in gameplay when anything other then leon is moving on the god damn screen.

I don't even care that much about the game, I wanted it because hell I'd have a nostalgia trip with it sometime and might as well buy it when it's coming with bonus stuff. But ya buyer beware now buying things from capcom, and hell steam better clean up the act soon before buyer beware buying anything from them if I can't even get a straight answer of "WILL THIS GAME EVEN RUN?"
 

Abnaxis

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Aug 15, 2008
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Aardvaarkman said:
xaszatm said:
Yeah, and it was the total lack of quality control that resulted in America's great video game crash.
Perhaps partly, but I think it was mostly to do with the rise of the home computer. Why buy a dedicated console, when home computer systems had games that were just as good, but also had other useful functions for business and education?
Erm...the same reason people buy dedicated consoles for gaming today? Simple installation, plugs into the TV, guarantees to some degree that the software will work with the hardware, and exclusive titles. That's just quick, off-the-top-of-my-head reasons.
 

rasputin0009

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Feb 12, 2013
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I don't like change! Old music back, please! I can't handle happy music sandwiching a pissed-off guy in a suit.

Ya, buyer beware is bullshit. I could only be so aware of Battlefield 4 when all the reviews and EA saying that the game will probably be fixed soon. Five months later... and nope, still broken.
 

veloper

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Jan 20, 2009
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No, it's not a get out of jail free card.

Games can be shit and the companies that produce them will get verbal abuse, but researching your games before you buy, is still sound advice, unless you like to play shit.

It's not like righteous indignation will solve anything by itself.
 

Vedli

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Jul 5, 2013
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For those who aren't Brits who grew up in the 90's, The music was the theme music for this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grange_Hill

One question still remains, who did you make laugh Jim?
 

Andy Shandy

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Jun 7, 2010
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Between Grange Hill here, and the Crystal Maze on Matt Lees' show, I feel like I've travelled back in time about 20 years.

As for the episode itself I agree. As someone who tries to keep himself informed on gaming stuff, I don't mock those who don't but instead try to inform them myself, particularly when it comes to purchasing decisions.
 
Oct 20, 2010
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And now Body Break! With Jim Sterling and Miniature Fantasy Willem DaFoe! Remember see thru bullshit, and have fun!

(I don't really know what the song is, bu that's where my mind went)

[quote i/]Then there's the issue of online media - gamers have access to so many more channels of information these days with the internet. Back in the day we only had word of mouth and games magazines that were even more in the pocket of the industry than they are now. It was way harder to find answers to your problems, or balanced reviews. The average person now has a wealth of information at their fingertips which once required you to be a member of a club, or log onto obscure BBSes to obtain.[quote i/]


The point is, that the Industry mounding Dinosaur Shit in my way to having fun should not be acceptable on the basis that shovel technology has vastly improved. Essentially when I go to purchase a video game, my reaction should not be:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWHqLJHss9U
 

PirateRose

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Aug 13, 2008
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Well, if the entire Mass Effect fan base had read the leaked script prior to the release, they would have all know how crappy the entire story was, especially the ending, and very few would have bothered buying the game. I know a handful of people who did this.

Maybe this is what these people mean. We should start hacking into developer's computers systems to find out what they are making exactly before we make a purchase.
 

Matt K

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Sep 18, 2010
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Like Quicklessacross, I do think customers should do at least some research before paying for products, especially given how easy it is in this day and age. Then again considering how crappy and corrupt these reviews tend to be in the video game industry generally your right something has to change. I do agree though that the plethora of out right broken titles is a problem for developers and really they shouldn't be sold on third party sites.

ETA: I do think you need to fix the lighting, it looks like your shooting a poor production Jihad video in there.
 

Kmadden2004

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Feb 13, 2010
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Can we start putting in requests for CBBC theme music to be used as intro/outro music?

Because the Roobard & Custard theme would be kind of fitting, I think.
 

proghead

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Apr 17, 2010
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rasputin0009 said:
I don't like change! Old music back, please! I can't handle happy music sandwiching a pissed-off guy in a suit.
Same here. Completely awkward.

Anyway, I wholly agree with the argument. I was disappointed when Steam decided to open up the floodgates. Granted, it hasn't affected me too much yet, but whenever you do a search (which is kind of crap btw.) you really have to scroll through a lot of shite. Add the fact that you have to do that in blocks of 10 games... annoying. As much as people hate Metacritic, but it'd be nice if you could filter out bad games.
 

Aardvaarkman

I am the one who eats ants!
Jul 14, 2011
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Abnaxis said:
Erm...the same reason people buy dedicated consoles for gaming today? Simple installation, plugs into the TV, guarantees to some degree that the software will work with the hardware. That's just quick, off-the-top-of-my-head reasons.
Yes, but that comes back to the economy of the time. Electronics were really expensive in the 80s, and people generally had less "disposable" income than they do today (or less access to credit, etc.)

Today, the reverse is true. Electronics are cheaper than ever. Back in the 80s, you would often have a single CRT television for an entire family. These days, you have kids under 12 years old with flat screen TVs in their bedrooms (and even one in every seat of the car!). It's a completely different environment, with different expectations. Also, the benefits of a home computer over a console were much greater then. Having a home computer was almost like having your own scientific laboratory in the house.

The dynamic of computers versus consoles has changed dramatically, especially as computers are increasingly used for simple consumption and entertainment. Even the idea of ease of use has changed, because "learning computers" was part of the attraction of buying a home computer. The difficulty of operating was seen as an educational opportunity in a way it isn't today.
 

Cecilo

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Nov 18, 2011
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The only part I disagree with, is people buying games they have not done research on. If you buy a game just on the basis of promises by a publisher whose job it is to sell you a product, yea you are gonna be disappointed, or even scammed, it isn't RIGHT that, that is how the world is, but it is how it is.
 

V TheSystem V

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Sep 11, 2009
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The music made me have a nostalgia trip. I did not watch this video for a nostalgia trip, so beware, all ye who enter here...

But I digress, I really hate the fact that I have to look at reviews to see what games are playable these days. Because of that, I'm glad I didn't preorder A:CM, because licensed games have hurt me before...