Top 5 Ways To Get More Bang For Your Buck On Video Games

Gnomie Andrew Franklin writes:

Hey Chris,

Let’s face it: video games can be a pretty expensive investment nowadays. Up to $60 a game, $300 a console, and not to mention peripherals and monthly subscriptions for online play if you have an Xbox 360. With those types of numbers, more than likely you’re not going to be able to buy every video game that comes out. So how do you find games that you’re going to get the most bang for your buck?

1. My first suggestion is find a genre that suits your style. Everybody has different tastes in what they like. First person shooters, MMORPGs, music games, simulations, driving games, and sandbox games — there are many different genres out there. You’re going have to find what interests you and look there first to find a game.

2. Is the game play enjoyable? The most important thing about any game is the game play. Look for things such as easy controls (unlike Red Steel), minimal glitches (unlike Battlefield 2), good graphics, and finally balanced and enjoyable online game play (if the game is online). If you don’t look for these things you may end up frustrated with your purchase.
3. Don’t always trust hype! Much of the time hype will be right, but not always. Take for example Assassin’s Creed. I know that there are probably some people yelling at me right now, but I will explain further in my next topic why this game was particularly overhyped.
4. Buy a game that has good replay value. If you’re not going to buy a lot of video games, you’re going to want to make sure that the games you do have are enjoyable even after you beat it. Now back to my example. Assassin’s Creed is a fun game at first, but once you beat it, it begins to lose its luster due to its repetitive missions and also because it has no online multiplayer. So do your research and find a game that you can enjoy for a long time.
5. Don’t buy a game until you have done your research. Watching a two minute game play video doesn’t always show you how much you’re going to enjoy a video game. My best suggestion for research is to play a demo or test out a game before you buy it. If you can’t find a demo, look for reviews whether they’re online, on TV, or in a magazine. Any of these options are a lot better than blindly throwing away $60. So do your research and save your cash.

Keep in mind that you should look at more than one review when researching

Don’t just look at a reviewer’s score; read the reasoning as to why the reviewer gave that score.