How Not To Buy Crap Games This Season

The Guardian Gamesblog has a short guide on avoiding bad games and helping the games industry. From the article: "Say no to film and TV tie-ins - These are generally belted out in nine months by newcomers treated little better than sweatshop workers. If you're fed the line, 'the director was fully involved in the making of this game', beware. This means, roughly, 'The director sent his lawyers to the studio with a 300-page guide, warning that if it were breached, the team would be shot.'"

Comments

Film and Movie Tie-ins

[csbrooks]

Even though Spiderman 2 and The Incredible Hulk were both really awesome games? This sounds like crummy advice.

Here's what I do: never buy a game until you're read some good reviews. NOT previews, which are always suspiciously glowing. After getting burned buying a few $50 games the first day they came out, I stick hard and fast to this rule.

Even then sometimes I wait a year or so until they're $20 at Wal-mart.

Re:Film and Movie Tie-ins

[bradbeattie]

'Course, you could always wait a year until after the release date. By then the marketing department is done flooding the market with biased previews and reviews, the price has dropped from ~$60 to ~$30 and the biggest patches the game will receive have been released. With that in mind, is there any reason to buy a game on its release date?

How to avoid bad games?

[LehiNephi]

Wait for the review at least.

Seriously, I've found that waiting on both hardware and software purchases saves loads of money. Wait a few months until after the game has been out. Then go ahead and buy it if it turns out to be good/popular.

I see no validity in the implication that just because it's released right before Christmas, you must buy it for Christmas. There are plenty of other games that have been out for a while and proven their value. Don't be a lemming.

Counter examples

[2008]

Say no to film and TV tie-ins:
Tie Fighter, Chronicles of Riddick

Avoid gangster adventures:
GTA (OK, maybe they meant to exclude that themselves)

The second world war is over:
Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory - maybe not an incredible game but it's great value.

Try an original title:
Many of these suck too...

Download an independent game:
Most people seem to think Darwinia isn't much fun to play. Certainly there are plenty of awful flash games.

terrible games based on cartoons:
Astro Boy (GBA). It's by Treasure!

A Bit Sexist Are We?

[Xarius]

Now, I understand what they are saying here, but why the inclusion specifically of the black young man holding a shotgun? I suppose if the same game featured a young white inner-city youth roaming the mean streets, or a latino kid, the game would be ok to pick up and enjoy?

I like the way that you use selective political-correctness to try and accuse them of being racist, yet you completely disregard the fact that they also said man.

I suppose if the same game featured a woman, the game would be ok to pick up and enjoy?

The specific inclusion of a specific gender into their "bad games" definition is a bit much, IMO.

(Please note the use of sarcasm here, just to point out the article was no more racist than it was sexist)

My advice: Buy last years games this year!

[techstar25]

Not only are they tried and true, tested and reviewed, but they can be had for $15 used at EBgames. Great games never get old.