Successful blockbusters such as Bioshock Infinite and The Last of Us have begun to crowd the Game of the Year ballots and other less impacting but highly entertaining mentions go to Dragon's Crown, Injustice: Gods Among Us, God of War: Ascension, and Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm. The stream of titles has also forced me to shelf some games I have yet to dive into, including Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, DmC: Devil May Cry, Dead Space 3, Tomb Raider, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, Civilization V, and Pikmin 3 (though that hinges upon me picking up a Wii U at some point).
And at the cusp of the last quarter of the year, I'm still seeing some heavy decisions to be made. Diablo III (for consoles) and Rayman Legends finally see their release in the beginning of September, with Kingdom Hearts HD ReMix and the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto V following as the month closes out. Without letting up, Pokemon X and Y make their debut on the 3DS and Batman Arkham Origins, Assassin's Creed Black Flag, and Lego Marvel Super Heroes will hit stores by the end of October.
All of this is neglecting consideration of the next gen consoles, too. The Playstation 4 and Xbox One are slated for November, with a load of heavy hitting launch titles to follow. Watchdogs, Call of Duty: Ghosts, and Need for Speed Rivals show up as worthy multi-platform launch titles, while Sony and Microsoft boast exclusives such as Killzone and Knack for the PS4 with Titanfall and Dead Rising 3 standing in the ring for Xbox. No matter which console has your vote, you better be ready to spend some money.
So considering each of these titles is going to come out at $35-$65 each (even more if you're a Collector's Edition junkie) how can gamers be more careful with their spending without missing out on potentially historical game experiences in the process? Well, the short answer is, you can't.
Okay, that's not entirely true, there are such systems in place such as renting, buying used, and trade-in programs that can help you save some dough, but with Microsoft coming this close to stomping out all three of those businesses with the Xbox One's recently slated DRM policies, I wonder if its only a matter of time before those practices disintegrate altogether. With the large push for digital sales and the bigger hard drives noted for this coming generation, it won't take long for more people to discover the convenience of buying of online purchases. Steam has all but snuffed out PC games' retail appearances; how long until stepping into a store to pick up your console games becomes irrelevant?
I don't necessarily see digital distribution as a bad thing, so long as the revenues are going to a good cause. Without the need for companies to package, ship, and sell physical copies to a retailer, the game makers can net nearly 100% of the sales as income. However, with publishers likely expecting a greater percentage on returns, do you really think that it'll ensure developers getting a fairer cut of the profits? Judging by the way they are paid currently for their hard work, I highly doubt a higher margin will change anything. And as gamers, we aren't likely to see the savings passed onto us either. We'll be charged the same, because we all damn well know we're willing to pay the same. As long as we demand enough to meet their supply forecasts, pricing will be largely similar to what it is today.
So what's the best solution to saving money? Well, as painful as it is: wait. Preordering and Day One purchases don't have to be a priority. As fun as it is to feel ahead of the curve and experience the wave of excitement along with your fellow gamers, showing a little patience and waiting for a price cut or sale can really make a difference. Make your purchase decisions wisely and try not to attribute too much value to a title that hasn't even been released yet. Though that Limited Edition art book and the rest of the Collector's package might be staring you in the face, if the game not all its cracked up to be, you're left with a $60 disc you hate and $40 worth of junk you no longer want to look at.
Okay, that's not entirely true, there are such systems in place such as renting, buying used, and trade-in programs that can help you save some dough, but with Microsoft coming this close to stomping out all three of those businesses with the Xbox One's recently slated DRM policies, I wonder if its only a matter of time before those practices disintegrate altogether. With the large push for digital sales and the bigger hard drives noted for this coming generation, it won't take long for more people to discover the convenience of buying of online purchases. Steam has all but snuffed out PC games' retail appearances; how long until stepping into a store to pick up your console games becomes irrelevant?
I don't necessarily see digital distribution as a bad thing, so long as the revenues are going to a good cause. Without the need for companies to package, ship, and sell physical copies to a retailer, the game makers can net nearly 100% of the sales as income. However, with publishers likely expecting a greater percentage on returns, do you really think that it'll ensure developers getting a fairer cut of the profits? Judging by the way they are paid currently for their hard work, I highly doubt a higher margin will change anything. And as gamers, we aren't likely to see the savings passed onto us either. We'll be charged the same, because we all damn well know we're willing to pay the same. As long as we demand enough to meet their supply forecasts, pricing will be largely similar to what it is today.
So what's the best solution to saving money? Well, as painful as it is: wait. Preordering and Day One purchases don't have to be a priority. As fun as it is to feel ahead of the curve and experience the wave of excitement along with your fellow gamers, showing a little patience and waiting for a price cut or sale can really make a difference. Make your purchase decisions wisely and try not to attribute too much value to a title that hasn't even been released yet. Though that Limited Edition art book and the rest of the Collector's package might be staring you in the face, if the game not all its cracked up to be, you're left with a $60 disc you hate and $40 worth of junk you no longer want to look at.
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