Sometimes, buying games can take some consideration and you may put off purchasing so that you don’t regret your decision. Here are 5 tips to make sure your purchase always feels worthwhile.
What Did You Think After Researching?
Your first impression of a game and its media is a good way to determine whether you have any initial interest in it. However, it can be deceiving without doing appropriate research into third-party opinions of it, as media of the game from official sources are likely biased. Game reviews are a great way to figure out the consumer’s opinion of the game and are readily available online or in places such as the Steam Review section. They provide a great insight into any issues the game may have that are perhaps covered up but should always be taken with a grain of salt, meaning they may not be entirely true and negative opinions could be affected by personal bias.
Does It Require Available Friends?
Nowadays, a lot of games can only be experienced with a friend or multiple friends, which can prove to be an obstacle for a lot of purchasers who simply don’t have them, or they aren’t available to play. If the game you are considering buying can only be played with a friend that doesn’t exist, which should be obvious from the descriptions and media you have seen thus far, then you may want to drop the idea of purchasing it. However, if you are certain that you will enjoy it and expect to have people to play with in the near future, then it may be worthwhile after all.
Is It Worth the Price?
Some price tags for Triple-A titles are very high and this is often to reflect the development time and personnel needed to create the game, but that doesn’t mean the game is worth buying. There have been many games released that just aren’t good or contain features that are very subjective and can be liked by some and hated by others. If you question whether or not you will get your money’s worth after researching, then it’s probably safer to withhold purchasing it and wait for more justification. Another factor to consider when deciding the game’s worth is whether it is innovative or not. If the game features a style of gameplay that looks fun and you’ve never experienced it before, then it might be worth it in the end. On the contrary, if you already own games that are very similar using a different packaging, then you have to be careful that you will enjoy it just as much as your previous favorites.
Is It Likely to Get Boring Quickly?
There are a lot of games out there that get pretty repetitive and the only real longevity to them is dictated by a grind or replay feature. Sure, when done well, this isn’t an issue and makes the game replayable and time-consuming in a fun way. But the real problem arises when it is done poorly, as it just gets stale and old very quickly and can feel like a waste of time and money. Be certain that the time it takes to put the game down for good and never touch it again is reflective of its cost.
The bottom line is to put some thought into what you want to buy and make sure that other people’s opinions of the game align with what the developers say about their product. There are a lot of cash-grab games out there and it’s not too hard to discern them from the true gems!
