Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, the democrats totally blowing it in Massachusetts, Apple giving Google the boot for Bing, or your pick for the WWE Royal Rumble, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
There are very few videogames that surprise me. I’ve been playing games for decades and writing about them for almost 15 years. For the most part, I know what games will interest me. I know what I like and I know what I will enjoy. I don’t need to read game reviews to help me make a purchasing decision. Having said all that, Darksiders
One of my industry friends is super hardcore into games and I respect his opinion. Lately he was raving about Darksiders on Twitter. He’s a fairly enthusiastic fellow, so his praise wasn’t surprising. He did surprise me with several well-reasoned tweets that equated Darksiders with classic Zelda games. Whoa. A game with unique and modern graphics that has the gameplay sensibilities of old-school Zelda?!? In the immortal words of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, “Gimme a hell yeah!!!” My friend’s opinion and insight totally sold me on the game, kicking it up to the “must have” category.
I wanted to see what influences your purchasing decisions. Do you rely on reviews from outlets and writers you like? Do you do your own research? Or are friends your biggest influence? What’s the one factor that can change your mind on a game that you’re borderline on?
I have been in this game (pun intended) for quite a while so I have a fairly good idea what will be good and what won't. Sometimes I'm thrown for a loop at how bad or good something is.
I look for something that has a good narrative if it will be a single player experience for me, I have a hard time sitting around just collecting items if there isn't a good story to go along with it.
I can overlook sloppy gameplay if there is a good narrative. A bad narrative will make a good gameplay element lose its luster for me.
Lastly I look at the developer. If it is someone who has put out material I like in the past, it gets the benefit of the doubt. Blizzard comes to mind.
I typically want games that I can play for a long time. Multiplayer games help in that regard. Usually, if I play through a game once, I'm done with it. But not always.
Value plays a big role.
I use reviews from people and places I tend to agree with to help me make a decision on what I buy, but I dont use the review to make a final decision. I also have my friends list on Live, if I see people playing a game I question them on how it is and use their answers as a guide. Also demos are a really big way for me to make my decision. For instance, Divinity II has a demo, and I actually enjoyed the game once I got the controller figured out, but the game itself I believe got sour reviews and a lot of people did not like the demo. That may not be a day one purchase for me, but I will remember it a year from now and grab it used for a good price, where as a game like Mass Effect 2 is a must own. I dont need to wait for a review since I was easily hooked on the first.
Also, mostly anything from Bethesda is a must own for me. though they did release WET which I think is one of the worst games ever.
@ N8r
agreed. a really big purchase decision for me is how long can I play it. I am not a huge multiplayer person, If I can beat the game in under 10 hours, I may not get it.
Sales determine if I buy a game. Just kidding. I know what I like and don't normally need to read reviews to decide to buy a game. For instance, Heavy Rain is a game that I'm buying day one and don't need to read a review and I won't play the demo if there is one because I want the complete experience without the possible spoilers of a demo.
I don't have to have multi player in all my games and multi player is not a factor in my buying decision. If the game is good enough for a buy then I'll buy it even without multi player. I agree with Hrolf in that it has to have a descent length to it though. I don't want to pay $60 for a 5 hour game.
I overlook length if the game has a good story or is just plain fun. I bought the first MW eventhough I didn't have access to broadband. The single player was very fun. I enjoyed it.
Ray – I'm with you in that I usually know if I want a game or not before it is ever released. between videos, preview articles, and the like I can usually guage how much I'll like a game. Reviews are nice if I haven't played a game for information purposes, but don't really reflect my buying. every now and then a poor review surprises me, at which point I must rethink buying a game.
Pleasent surprises for me off the top of my head:
Kotor, Shadow Complex, Crackdown, Resistance, Bioshock, FEAR, Gun, Zelda (Gamecube), Boom Blox, Wii Sports
Unfortunate letdowns
Heavenly Sword, Little Big Planet, Fable, Resistance 2, Turning Point (Demo), Perfect Dark Zero
Another really plesasent surprise for me was Dragon Age, I was skeptical as the videos looked like a step backward from Mass Effect, I forgot to keep in mind how amazing Bioware is and not everything is about graphics
@RROD – I think it's good to include MP where it makes sense, but some games today don't need it and tacking it on is just a waste of time to me.
I tend to look at reviews. I download demos if possible. I also look at what my friends are playing like Hrolf. Lastly, if i can't make a decision on those things, i just go out and rent it. If it can't keep my attention for more than an hour then it's not a buy for me.
@Shockwave
Agreed, all games don't need multi player. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how good the Uncharted 2 multi player is though but that's it.
@RROD – good call, that's a game I wouldn't have thought fit for multiplayer. clearly ND put time and effort into the MP unlike some other developers who just want to cash in on it
@Shockwave
Agree on Resistance 2. It was sort of a let down and a step back from Resistance 1. They tried to make it like COD. Bring back the weapon wheel. Here's to hoping they get it back together with Resistance 3.
I will play anything made by id software, I will always be extremely loyal to them. So they are must owns. Also, popcap games are usually high on the list. I know those are more casual games, But I love them and their addictiveness. And I own them all on my itouch and am anxiously awaiting Plants V Zombies, as I am sure you all know by now.
Other than that I rely on reference from anyone on this site first, mcvans video game store workers second (mom and pop store in Indiana), and then other friends and maybe some random reveiws on gamekicker. Overall though I know that I mostly love FPS and some other random games like sandbox games and puzzle games and action adventure, basic traditional games like Mario and Zelda games, etc.
@RROD For sure, it was sort of a bummer, plus I love the way the story was told in the first one. Unfortunately, Resistnace 2 got lost in the mania that was holiday 08. I think I ended up getting like 12 games within a one month period.
I read reviews to see if there are any major flaws in a game. If non are present, then I look at the studio and listen to what my friends have to say about it. Previews of games are another big part as they determine if I want to look into a game or not.
@Darksiders
From what I have seen, it takes from more than just Zelda.
@Sandrock – Zelda is the main influence. People will try to say that it also takes from God of War, but putting a circle above an enemy that is about to die is as close a comparison as there is between those two, and any comparison between Dark Sector and it is only because of the Crossblade. It really is almost 100% Zelda, and Ocarina of Time zelda at that. I really enjoyed it… thought the story kind of fell off at the end, but otherwise it was a good time. Not the best game ever, but Zelda with a character that talks and a decent story is good enough for me.
@Topic – I generally know what I like as well, though lately I have been surprising myself by branching out. I was almost exclusively a RPGer up until I got my PS3. I think the adventure genre has really stepped up, and are really making me consider a lot of games I thought I wouldn't enjoy previously.
@LarcenousLaugh
I've been told there is a Portal influence as well.
a tiny bit of devil may cry also, but not nearly as complicated
I read reviews on a few sites. Metacritic is a good source since they have a whole bunch of media outlets grouped there. Also, it's good for movies and TV shows. I especially love the creativity of the negative comments.
You know you can review a game without perfectionist tendencies and a score, right? (*hint, hint*)
-M
@Darksiders – It really does take a huge influence on Zelda, GoW, and even Portal (I'm at the portal part now lol). But I do find this game horrendously addicting, even when the story goes off a little vage and some powers aren't used often (Spirit Bridge anyone?).
@topic – I tend to stick to the same genres(RPG's, stealth, beat em ups) so I'm not to hard to please. But when it comes to making a purchase decision I do like to do my own research. Read up everything I can on it up until release thru GI, GS, and GB. I don't usually go for reviews, but I'm a GS trollette and I'll read reviews there now and then from players and moderators.
This article made me come to the final conclusion that I do not care for fighting games anymore. The genre is dead to me. I can't do the 2d or new games. I bought SF4 on release day…played it for about a week and have never touched it since. I just don't find them fun anymore. Even head to head, I lose interest before a round is up.
@cami
trollette? lol
@Topic: I follow the industry pretty closely and tend to know what interests me long before it comes out. I have loyalty to certain developers based on the fact that I alway like their games. Anything from Bioware, Bethesda, Valve or Epic is pretty much a day one buy for me. Same with the God of War and Final Fantasy (except for the MMO's) series'. After that, something's just gotta grab me. It's not always the same thing though. I hardly ever buy FPS's. I'm not a big online multiplayer guy (I prefer co-op), so I mostly rent them for the main story and then send them back.
Games I bought outright this past year:
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Dragon Age: Origins
Uncharted
Uncharted 2
Madden NFL 10
Brutal Legend
FIFA Soccer 10
Assassin's Creed II
Left 4 Dead 2
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2
inFamous
Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
Shadow Complex
The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition
And even after all of that, I still have a GameFly account to catch up on the other games I miss.
Currently have preorders for:
Mass Effect 2
Dante's Inferno
God of War III
@Darksiders: I liked it, buy I've gotta say I got more of a Devil May Cry vibe. Though you could clearly see the Zelda and God of War influences as well.
I think I'm done with final fantasy. FFX was "ok". Since then the installments have been crap. I don't expect 13 to be redeeming at all. I don't care for the female leads, but more so the combat looks uninspired. I'd rather them go back to how they did things in IV, VII, and VIII.
I rented Bayonetta from Gamefly this week, played it for about 45 minutes and then sent it back. I know Bayonetta's been getting really good reviews, but I thought Darksiders was much better personally. Maybe I just couldn't handle the barrage of really dumb cutscenes and horrid voice acting in Bayonetta.
I also rented Heavenly Sword this past week, and wow….I was expecting it to be much better. I really did not like the way it controlled, and if I never play a game with six axis controls again, it will be too soon.
@Nightshade – Heavenly Sword was rough. I know what they were trying to do, but the combat system was a mess, and once you started really getting it, you were at the end of the game.
@Larcenous: I'm really not sure how a mediocre launch title that's only 5 hours long is still $40 new….
@Smartguy – Lol that's right, i said it. But mebbie im moar lurker then troller lol.
Heavenly Sword was a pretty rough game indeed. But I think I'm prolly the only one who enjoyed the six axis twing twang with Kai. Except for the first part where she's in the tree. On the bridge and in the buildings were awesome.
@Nightshade – no clue whatsoever. I guess Andy Serkis has to pay the bills some how… though I would have thought that Kong and Gollum would have provided just fine.