Recently, I picked up a copy of BioShock at my local GameStop. The "Genetically Enhanced Shooter" is probably one of the greatest games to have been released in the past few years, and in my own opinion, beats the ever-loving snuff out of other FPS's such as Halo, and is not quite as scary as F.E.A.R. This game is right up on my alley. Decent thrills, cool powers and lots of decision making. It's not crazy difficult either...and the story...dear God, the STORY. I haven't finished it yet, but it's been enthralling so far. When I told a few friends that I bought it, much to my surprise, the reaction was quite negative."Dude. That thing is like...old. Nobody plays BioShock anymore. We all finished it months ago...you know...back when it came out. You could have just asked for my copy. I don't play it no more."
What convinced me to buy it now and not back then when I first thought about getting it? The price tag. It was marked down as a "Platinum Hits" collection game, for $15.99 and I got a ten percent discount 'cause it was used. For a game that scored a nearly perfect score on almost every game website I have visited, I was more than prepared to sacrifice fifteen dollars. My friends remain, even now, unconvinced that it was worth it, and think that I wasted fifteen perfectly good dollars when I should have rather bought the new Prototype that just came out, or even the (already aging) Fallout 3.
But a game well made, is a game well made. Right? Prices for brand-spanking-new games are about fifty-five dollars. Special Editions and other high-end games usually hit well over seventy. Games are expensive. You can't exactly buy one every week -- so do you rather buy something totally cutting edge and over the top? Or do you rather wait for the price to come down and nab the tried-and-true?
True
Comments (19)
I'm a firm believer in getting a new game when it's something that I know I will like regardless of the gameplay, plot, mechanics whatever. I like a game for what it is and the thrill of playing it rather than how well made it is and the crispness of the graphics. So for example I love the Prince of Persia series. I got each game as soon as it came out because I just really like that series. To my surprise a lot of people didn't think that the latest Prince of Persia game was good at all.
Still there are some games that I prefer to just get used. I waited before I got some games because I can't dish out +$50 for each game i own or I would have spent a lot of money. But that's my take on it.
If it's a game I really really want like The last Guardian or Final Fantasy 13 Versus then I'll pay full price. But other times I'll wait for a price cut, I'll even buy used games to save money.
A lot of the time, when it comes to games, I don't even bother following what's new or not - I go on IGN and read reviews 'n all, but, in the end, I pretty much 1. find a game I like and 2. buy it, whether I can find it used or new.
But, then again, I'm not a hardcore gamer, I am very slow in finishing games 'cause I enjoy taking my time and really getting into the storyline, so, I only buy 1-2 games a year, and that is sufficient to keep me occupied all summer and winter and spring long :D
If it's a AAA must-have title, and I know my friends and I will play it, I'll get it right when it comes out so we can share the experience at the same time. BioShock was one of those. Resident Evil 5, Halo 3, Street Fighter 4 were a few others.
Risky games like Silent Hill: Homecoming (mixed reviews) or Fallout 3 (I'm not a fan of Oblivion), I'm waiting on.
But yeah, 15 bucks for BioShock? That's a steal. Enjoy it!
i love bioshock, cant wait to play part 2!
Bioshock was really good- and fifteen dollars is a kill. All in all, I don't blame you one bit for waiting for that almighty price-drop. I honestly wish I had, because the game was far too short to warrant $60. But, when given a choice between Bioshock and Mass Effect (another shooter/RPG hybrid), I think I'd actually prefer Mass Effect- the story was 50x better than Rapture ever hoped of being....
I bought Bioshock about a year after it came out on steam while they were having a sale. Total amount spent: $5. The best $5 I have spent to this day.
I'm all for waiting for the price to go down unless I'm really looking forward to the game. I usually don't have enough money to buy a game as soon as it comes out anyway. The only problem with the waiting game are those obscure or little known games. I had to look everywhere before I could find a copy of Baten Kaitos a year or so ago.
We actually just bought Bioshock for last Christmas (for one thing, we don't have an Xbox and had to wait for the PS3 version), and we got Fallout 3 last month for dirt cheap because it was used. Unless it's a game I've been waiting for several years or so to be released (such as the case with Resident Evil 5 and Silent Hill: Homecoming), I tend to wait for them to become cheaper.
Personally, Bioshock for less than $15 was a good choice. Old as it may be, it's an amazing game. Plus who cares if "no one's playing it anymore"? Just as long as it's fun, you can still play it. I was playing the original Resident Evil last night- you know, with zombies instead of parasites. I wonder if anyone even remembers that one?
@sch1tz0 - haha. Same. I just got to a major plot twist near what I think is the end. Looking forward to nabbing #2.
@Lynnjynh9315@xanga - I will definitely look into Mass Effect. I was supposed to get it as a free bundle-in with my computers new graphics card but for some reason, it was missing. Will definitely check it out to see what I was missing.
@Crysanthemums@xanga - I like your thinking. Games on Steam are often a LOT cheaper because the money goes straight to the developer with no intermediary (ie: best buy or gamestop) to suck out some of the profit. Also reducing the cost is the lack of a manual or casing or disk. If things such as the manual or having the case to a game do not bother you, I highly recommend anyone to search for their next computer game on Steam first....In fact...I think I'll be checking out both Oblivion and Mass Effect through Steam as well.
...Though I never did finish Half-Life 2 yet...I think I got to the end and somewhere lost focus on it. Haha.
Depends on how good the game will actually be and how fast I can beat it. Usually RPG games take me awhile to work on so I don't mind buying those, but games that I can have beat in a week or so I usually will either rent or wait until they come down in price.
call of duty 4 for ps3 started at 59.99 and now is 54.99, and they've already released World at war, when will it get cheaper...
I bought my copy of bioshock via one of Steam's sales around new years.... $5 for an awesome game. On the other hand, when the Orange Box came out, I couldn't wait and paid full price. I don't regret it, because Portal alone would have made it worth it.
I'm usually patient about buying games because I always seem to have a huge queue of stuff to play or replay (I'm one of those OCD ppl who still play Diablo II alone because it's that good) so I'm less inclined to buy new games when they come out.
I think Bioshock has good replay value, much like Mass Effect, which I'm playing for the 3rd time. For games like that, I'm more than willing to support game developers and shell out a good amount.
fallout 3 and bioshock are by far my favorite of all time.
games i would play over and over again.
if it's a game i've really really looking forward to then i'll pre order it and get it the day it comes out at full price. but i'm not much of a gamer anymore.....though i'll prob get a ps3 just for god of war 3. i'll pick up dante's inferno and rise if the argonauts on the way as well....but those games should be more down in price.
<3
I almost never buy at release, I wait for reviews. And I often wait for a price drop. I bough Bioshock after it had dropped to $20.
I already have such a backlog of games to play that I have no problems waiting for the price to drop on new releases. I usually aim to buy them once they enter the bargain bin or hit good used prices. The only time that I tend to snatch them up sooner is if they're less popular but still interesting and stand a good chance of going out of print and then used copies rocketing to greater than the price was when newly released.
I'd wait to buy it.
If I've anxiously been waiting for a game to come out, I will pay full price for it when it's released. But I'll feel really bad about spending that much. There are few games I wait anxiously for anyway, so usually when I buy a game, it's either used or "old" or both.
I saw a $13 copy of the third Star Ocean at a local game store the other day and was intrigued, but resisted since I have other games to play at the moment...I kind of regret not buying it. Anyway, who cares if a game is old? Good is good.