Is there any point in buying a game at release anymore?

[Larraque]

Hey guys. It's been a long time since I last posted. How is everyone?

I wanted to broach a subject in game buying strategy, and figure out how everyone else feels about it. It seems to me that right now, if you're willing to wait 6 months, you'll be buying the game at half the released price or less. This is true for pretty much every single game that's released. Final Fantasy 12 came out last December, and it can now be had for under twenty bucks. Crackdown was released in February and is already down to $30.

What's the deal with that?

It seems every single non-AAA title has this kind of strategy. There's very few games that haven't experienced this - Guitar Hero is one. Oblivion took close to a year and a half after release to drop in price. But those are exceptions. I'm willing to bet Halo 3 won't see a substantial price drop for two years. I realize this is a matter of demand - everyone wants the latest and greatest, and ignores last years game for it. Everyone's talking about Bioshock, and last year's okami is all but forgotten.

It's to the point that I no longer see the point in spending money on the day a game is released. Why bother shelling out $60 for the latest and greatest today, when I can shell out $60 and get 3 of the best games of last year, have fun with those, finish with them, and lo and behold, that next game I wanted has dropped in price already, and I can pick it up on the cheap.

I guess the big difference here is online gaming. If you want to play the latest and greatest, you'll have to shell out the 60 for madden 08, because most people won't be playing the 07 version anymore.  I'll play a lot of online games, but I still want value for my money. I don't mind being late to the party. 

[coopasonic]

Because you don't care enough about the $30 difference to wait? Depending on how many games you buy, it's not really that much money in the greater scheme of things. I'm not saving my allowance for video games, I'm pulling down 6 figures and not worrying if I can save $30 by delaying my personal gratification.

Of course if we have a second child, I might be right on board... or selling my 360.

[EngineNo9]

There are some games that I am willing to wait for $30 or less, but there are also quite a few for which my desire to play them overrules my wanting to save that money.  I know that logically I've already waited months (or sometimes years) for that game to get released so what does another 6 months matter, but sometimes I just really want to play it when it comes out. 

Part of it may also be that I like to experience a game with the additional community interaction and reactions around here. 

[mikeg]

Well, since I am willing to bet the vast majority of us are not pulling down 6 figures, I think waiting is smart.  I do buy some (super duper AAA titles), but the rest I wait.   Plus, I think saving money is just plain smart no matter how wealthy you are. 

Like you said though, the multi goes through the toilet for most after a few months. So...

[Knightshade Dragon]

Hit the nail on the head.  You are essentially paying for the largest installbase for multiplayer.  For instance, you can buy Chrome Hounds right now, but it'd be hard to get a game together here as most of the folks that purchased it at launch have moved on to other games.  Single player games on the other hand?  Those are easy to justify waiting for...

(Oh, and welcome back!)

[Larraque]

Yeah, I'm not pulling down the 6 figures. I get along alright, I guess, but I have multiple interests that pull apart my gaming dollar. Also, I'm married and own a house, so that pretty much removes all money from the equation. I used to buy all the games I wanted to on release. Now I typically reconsider. Getting improvements done on the house can also tie up money.

Here's the thing about multiplayer. If the multi was really all that good, people will still be playing it in a year... right? Otherwise, the variety isn't there and it gets a 'been there, done that' feel very fast. People play a great multi-player game for years (like Starcraft 2, or Quake) whereas a flavor du jour gets stale fast.

Course, that could explain why Halo 2 still sells for $40 (well, I guess not anymore, but up until a couple months ago anyways) and Gears of War still sells for $60, but Chrome Hounds was just a flavor of the month and no one really plays anymore.

Point is - If a game is just a flavor of the month and is no longer played... that means it's not really all that good, right?

Course, I could just be being stupid and completely off base

[warning]

I don't tend to do much multiplayer, though Team Fortress 2 is luring me back in.  That makes it pretty easy for me as I'm still acquiring and working through several Gamecube, PS2 and Xbox 1 games I never got to play.

My biggest concern as someone who likes RPG's is how they tend to disappear pretty quickly.  Unless it's a Final Fantasy game, most are simply unavailable to buy new a year or two later.  I will sometimes pick one of those up right after they come out just because I want to be sure I have a copy to play a year or so later.

[Calvin]

It's pretty simple for me. If I really want it, I buy it. If I can wait on it, I wait for a sale. Yes, frequently its wasting money-but its a hobby, I enjoy it, and I play games when they come out because they are new, exciting, and I want them!

Also-as warning said, MP can be a draw for some titles. I wish I had a larger group to play certain games with, but I know I will want to play Halo 3 and TF2 right around release when the community is largest-that also holds especially true for RTS.

[wonderpug]

You say "anymore," but when has the situation of prices dropping quickly over time ever been different for gaming?  If anything, there's more of a reason now to buy at release because of the rise of online multiplayer in past years.

[biggercup]

There is only one game this year that I (will) pay full price is HALO 3. I can't wait to finish the fight, and want to play with friends on-line co-op.
Some game I am pressure to get because all my friends are getting it and want to play it online. (Rainbow 6, Ghost Recon 2, etc) but so far I have stay away from that temptation.

My usual rule is that what I purchase is usually under $20.00(used or new) or trade with my friend, retail store or here at great Gamingtrend site. 
Since I have so many backlog and have other stuff to do, unless there is game that I really want to play, I can wait for price to go down or go on sale.

Here is my recent purchase as example,

Nintendo DS Castlevania Portrait of Ruin: used $15.00 ($5.40 after the trade in)
Wii Rayman: trade here with PS3 Resistance
PS3 Lair: from Friend of mine, he hated the game and own me a favor.

[Austin]

I'm moving toward the wait approach now too I think.  Although I agree on Multi-Player.  It's best to grab that quicker and play while other people are figuring it out too and there's a ton of people to play with. 

[unbreakable]

I've noticed with Console games, it seems better price-wise to wait.  They don't go on sale right away, and after a bit of time (perhaps a year or so, sometimes less) they will either be close-out at B&M stores, or will be filling up shelves at resale stores like Gamestopo, and thus have a price drop that way.

With PC games, I've found that if you really really want it, it will generally be on sale, somewhere, either right when it comes out or very shortly after.  But after that, you may not see it on sale again until there are price drops, but even those don't take too long (most of the time).

[Sarkus]

A factor for me that I've not seen mentioned is the desire to play while the community for a game is still active.  There's something about going through a gaming experience for the first time, being able to post about it or talk to someone, and have them be in nearly the same place.  This is true even on single player games. You just don't get that six months later.