Why buy games on release?

mrcheez

When you buy a game on release, it's a high price, and in most cases has plenty of bugs.

If you wait 6 months, the price is halved and patches have been released which fix all the issues.

Is there any reason to buy a game on release?

For example I'm interested in Cyberpunk, but I'm going to wait until June 2021 by which time it will likely play like a dream.

I certainly wouldn't replay through a game again after it has been patched since my backlog only allows for one playthrough before I need to tackle the next game on my list.
I'd prefer my single playthrough to be the best possible experience.

Stone Deaf 4evr

mrcheez wrote: »

When you buy a game on release, it's a high price, and in most cases has plenty of bugs.

If you wait 6 months, the price is halved and patches have been released which fix all the issues.

Is there any reason to buy a game on release?

For example I'm interested in Cyberpunk, but I'm going to wait until June 2021 by which time it will likely play like a dream.

for single player - absolutely no reason at all, unless its something semi online like a souls game, where there's a shared sense of discovery / puzzle cracking.

for multiplayer - fear of missing out, putting yourself behind in the skill gap, etc, etc.

GarIT

I've been playing games around 2-10 years after release. I let the top games list on metacritic pick my games. Use is there any deal for prices, so never pay more than €5-10 for a game. And I can manage with a €500-600 energy efficient pc.

As a result I get a constant stream of the best games of all time for very little cost and all I lose is ultra modern graphics, that aren't that much better than 5 year old graphics and would cost me a few grand when you add up the price of hardware and €60 games.

Retr0gamer

FOMO basically.

Get the game day one so you can engage with discussion online.

Well for single player at least. For multiplayer it's different as the community is most active and exciting just after release.

rtyped

GarIT wrote: »

I've been playing games around 2-10 years after release. I let the top games list on metacritic pick my games. Use is there any deal for prices, so never pay more than €5-10 for a game.

This is basically what I do, the xbox backward compatibility is great with the added benefit that with a series X the old game runs way better than it ever did on release. Working my way through skyrim now.

blockfighter

A few reasons.

1: I play mostly Nintendo Switch games these last few years, first party ones. The big games like Zelda/Mario tend to not drop in price that much. So don't see the benefit in waiting years to save €10.
2: Being part of the conversation. When Breath of the Wild came out the online community on forums was fantastic. People sharing stories of what they've seen and tricks and tips discovered. Nothing spolier-y, just experiences. That in part made that game even more special.
3: FOMO and spoilers. I want the new latest game and don't want to stumble across game spoilers by accident. Less chance of that if you buy on release.
4: I have a few mates who have similar gaming interests to me. We're all playing Cyberpunk at the moment so it's good to be able to talk to them about it.
5: I'm lucky enough that I can afford it.

o1s1n

I also wait and play games long after their release date, tend to try to wait and get them at rock bottom prices.

The other day I bought Metal Gear Solid V, Sleeping Dogs and Doom on XB1 for a little over 20 euro. Currently half way through the Witcher 3 and finishing up Shenmue 2. Will move on to the above three when I finish those two.

Back in the days of old, what I'd do is wait for a new console to come out and hoover up games for the previous generation for peanuts. Picked up hundreds of games for next to nothing that way! Good times

coolisin

There are not many games, as a single player I would pick up on a day 1.
Over the generation of the PS4 I bought a handful.

Batman Arkham Knight as it was the special edition PS4 I was really picking up!
Spiderman
Last of Us 2
Uncharted 4

Thats it!
Everything else has being waited until its discounted heavily.
Patched etc.

mrcheez

blockfighter wrote: »

A few reasons.

1: I play mostly Nintendo Switch games these last few years, first party ones. The big games like Zelda/Mario tend to not drop in price that much. So don't see the benefit in waiting years to save €10.

It's not so much about saving money, it's about getting a game where all the bugs have been ironed out and not having to replay it again.

I agree, though, that is not usually such a factor with Nintendo games as I think they thoroughly test their games prior to release. Although I think Super Mario All-Stars might be the exception here.

Plus yes Nintendo first party games don't tend to drop in price much.


But I recently picked up The Last of Us Part 2 and intend to get cracking into it over Xmas... I believe all bugs have been removed and I'm all set for a full experience knowing that it's going to play as best as the devs intended it to.


https://gamerant.com/the-last-of-us-2-new-update-bug-fixes/

Andrew76

mrcheez wrote: »

It's not so much about saving money, it's about getting a game where all the bugs have been ironed out and not having to replay it again.

I agree, though, that is not usually such a factor with Nintendo games as I think they thoroughly test their games prior to release. Although I think Super Mario All-Stars might be the exception here.

Plus yes Nintendo first party games don't tend to drop in price much.


But I recently picked up The Last of Us Part 2 and intend to get cracking into it over Xmas... I believe all bugs have been removed and I'm all set for a full experience knowing that it's going to play as best as the devs intended it to.

Don't pre-order and don't buy until reviews are out and you can make an informed decision on whether the game is worth buying on/just after release.

I'm playing Immortals Fenyx Rising on PC atm, it released last week and reviews had already been out - no bugs (or none I'm aware of) and it looked interesting enough to hand over money for. I think maybe you are generalising a bit too much saying most games on release have plenty of bugs and hence aren't worth getting on release.

mrcheez

Andrew76 wrote: »

I think maybe you are generalising a bit too much saying most games on release have plenty of bugs and hence aren't worth getting on release.

Perhaps not major bugs, but even small enhancements that make the experience greater are usually added a few months after release on a large number of games, so I'm suggesting it's perhaps always a good idea to wait until the "final masterpiece" is unveiled and so you play it at its best the first time around.

This would be for single player games primarily as I get that multiplayer is a different kettle of fish.

I'd say the majority of studios now rely on early adopters to test out bugs as this would explain why games come patched within weeks of release, not to mention studios are bound by announced released dates, which quite often will not coincide with the completion of all play testing.

Retr0gamer

There's really no point pre-ordering anything. Games don't sell out since Media is so cheap now. The only game with supply issues is Ring Fit Adventure which is constrained by the physical controller that comes with it.

mrcheez

Retr0gamer wrote: »

There's really no point pre-ordering anything.

I'd only pre-order if there is a significant discount and it's something ground-breaking (for example Half Life Alyx is the only pre-order I've done in the past 10 years, but they had a discount and it is the first Half Life game since part 2!)

Retr0gamer

mrcheez wrote: »

I'd only pre-order if there is a significant discount and it's something ground-breaking (for example Half Life Alyx is the only pre-order I've done in the past 10 years, but they had a discount and it is the first Half Life game since part 2!)

You can still pre-order literally the day or a few hours before when reviews are out and avail of the discount. And most of the time the discount will be going a week after launch.

gizmo

As long as we're making a distinction between pre-ordering and at release so one can adequately assess the state of the game before buying?

Generally the same reasons mentioned above already - wanting to be part of the initial conversation and experience it with fresh eyes, free from the risks of spoilers of any real kind.

Also, wanting to support the development of more of the kind of games I want to play in the future.

Shiminay

I have been burned by the piecemeal nature of DLC too many times to be bothered with new games now. When the game's been finished (and bug fixed) and all of its content is available to buy in a single transaction (Borderlands 2 was the worst, they had a season pass and then more additional stuff), then I'll consider it. As it stands, the only new games I play now are on the Xbox games pass thing on PC.

mrcheez

Retr0gamer wrote: »

You can still pre-order literally the day or a few hours before when reviews are out and avail of the discount. And most of the time the discount will be going a week after launch.

hmm Alyx's discount ended the very hour it was released

Retr0gamer

mrcheez wrote: »

hmm Alyx's discount ended the very hour it was released

Reviews were out already though I'm sure?

mrcheez

Retr0gamer wrote: »

Reviews were out already though I'm sure?

Nah.. on the day: 23 March

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqnEmmDeGHc


Maybe that's an exception.. although Medal of Honor on Oculus Rift also had reviews out post launch

The Phantom Pain

In the case of online games because you'll just get your butt kicked when everybody has learned the maps, reached a higher rank, is playing with the best weapons etc. Although tbf I've found that I quickly catch up, and part of the thrill of being a latecomer is climbing to the top of the leaderboard simply by observing other players (you learn more when you’re losing imo).

The most obvious reason to buy a single player game day 1 is to avoid spoilers. I cannot tell you the amount of times I have had twists from games ruined for me because I bought/played them late.

The other reason is that it may be from a company you trust to make polished games. For me, that’s Naughty Dog and WAS Ubisoft. Buying a good game on day 1 rewards the company for their hard work.

There are also some developers whose games are at their best at launch and get progressively worse with each patch like Hangar 13. I disconnected my Playstation from the Internet when they brought out patch 1.03 for the Mafia remake – which I later found out corrupted save files. To this day, I still can’t platinum Mafia III due to a bad patch. :mad:

Most of the games I've played this year I either got free with PS+ or waited to buy but I always felt like there was a disconnect between me and day 1 players because games like Fallout 76 and Battlefront II will forever be remembered as creative failures and yet, having bought those games late, I walked away with such fond memories that it’s hard to believe, even though I know they are right. In a way, seeing a game at all of its stages is part of the experience even if that initial experience is not pleasant, as twisted as that sounds. So on that level I can also see the appeal of buying a game day 1.

mrcheez

The Phantom Pain wrote: »

The other reason is that it may be from a company you trust to make polished games. For me, that’s Naughty Dog and WAS Ubisoft.

but funny you say that as I too was considering getting Last of Us Part 2 on release back in June but decided to wait till now and they've added some huge updates/bug fixes since release, and latest was back in September I think?

I picked it up in Argos last week for €18, but again it's not the price so much as just having a seamless experience first time out.

I rarely (never?) re-play games if they take several hours to beat as my backlog would just be staring at me with sorrowful eyes, so the first time I play will likely be the only time I play.

J. Marston

I saw the Floyd Mayweather vs Logan Paul PPV pricing model and I wonder if it's something gaming will adopt in some form, considering the obsession with pre-ordering.

The fight takes place on February 20th 2021. If you order the PPV now, you get it for $25. After the first million orders, the price increases to $40 dollars. From December 29th, it increases again to $60 and finally after February 11th it increases to $70.

Usually the pre-order incentive for a game is pointless skins etc but if the incentive is €5-10 discount and the threat of a steadily rising price closer to release, they'll have consumers (especially gaming consumers, who seem to have a masochistic streak) over a barrel.

ERG89

Sometimes you can get a good trade in deal. I remember pre-ordering a few games in Gamestop last year for €10 & a trade in which I exploited with Dead or Alive, Lego DC Villians, Hitman 2 & Cars 3 each of which cost €15-€20 so I got new releases for €30 max.
Certain games now you can almost predict they will drop price soon after release too so you kinda wait for that.

wes

Stone Deaf 4evr wrote: »

for single player - absolutely no reason at all, unless its something semi online like a souls game, where there's a shared sense of discovery / puzzle cracking.

If its a big story game, people may want to avoid spoilers as well.

Retr0gamer

J. Marston wrote: »

I saw the Floyd Mayweather vs Logan Paul PPV pricing model and I wonder if it's something gaming will adopt in some form, considering the obsession with pre-ordering.

The fight takes place on February 20th 2021. If you order the PPV now, you get it for $25. After the first million orders, the price increases to $40 dollars. From December 29th, it increases again to $60 and finally after February 11th it increases to $70.

Usually the pre-order incentive for a game is pointless skins etc but if the incentive is €5-10 discount and the threat of a steadily rising price closer to release, they'll have consumers (especially gaming consumers, who seem to have a masochistic streak) over a barrel.

I'm inclined to delete this post in case some bellend at warner bros or take 2 reads it and gets notions.

Canis Lupus

Singleplayer I couldn't care less and people scrabbling to get them makes no sense to me.

Multiplayer because you fall a bit behind the curve in gear (game depending) and skill. It's easier to start at the start when no one knows maps, tips n tricks etc rather than wait 6 months and get sh*t on as a noob. Here in Australia as well trends can move quickly enough for online multiplayer so if you want to get your moneys worth you need to be in it from the get go before servers start getting empty as people move on to whatever is the new flavour of the month.

I don't preorder though and will usually wait for a review or watch actual gamplay footage on youtube.

mrcheez

wes wrote: »

If its a big story game, people may want to avoid spoilers as well.

I've managed to avoid everything spoiler-ish related to Last of Us Part 2, so it is possible

Just make sure you don't have autoplay enabled on YouTube!

Atlas_IRL

playing through assassins creed valhalla at the moment, whilst its a great game, its quite buggy and i'd say will be much more polished in the next few months. Not touching cyberpunk for a good while.

quokula

I think it's an exaggeration to say most games are released unfinished. There are clearly some exceptions, most recently Cyberpunk and the Series X version of Watchdogs, but if you pay any attention to reviews you usually know what games to avoid, while the vast majority are completely playable at launch. Bug fixes that come in patches are usually things that effect 0.1% of players or are very minor.

If you look at most of the biggest single player games this year - TLOU2, Ghost of Tsushima, FFVII Remake, Demon's Souls, Miles Morales for example - all of them were well worth playing at launch and didn't need patching. Some got extra content or features later of course, like Tsushima's co-op mode, but there's nothing to stop you dipping back in to try new stuff if it interests you.

mrcheez

quokula wrote: »

but there's nothing to stop you dipping back in to try new stuff if it interests you.

The thing is some of those games are several hours long to complete and not everyone wants to take on that task again.

For example say Death Stranding had some major addition released this week, I wonder how many would be willing to play through it all again.

Regardless, my backlog is such that I cannot afford to play 12+ hour games twice, and still have a life outside of games, so the one and only time I play a game has to be the best version available now or in the future (well... up to 6 months of updates at least)

I normally wait til a game is on sale for €20 or lower. On PS4 this happens within 12 months for most games.