Playing Console Catch ups

June 13th, 2007

zelda mail man

I’m sure that some of us gamers may have done it once or twice. Infact its inevitable for most of us poor gamers out there. There comes a time when we need to decide whether its worthwhile to invest in another console. This can be because we missed out the first time around or we just want another console to expand our gaming horizons.

Deciding whether it is a worthwhile investment is the tricky part. I’ve done this numerous times before and did it again today. So lets take a look at whats required to make that important decision.

Getting started

Lets make the case study for this article be the latest console that I’ve picked up; a Playstation 2. Its better late than never I guess. I’ve been eyeing one off for about 2 years but only recently has it been the best time to buy. Lets take a look at what I did to prepare for a console catch up.

Deciding the worthwhile-ability

The key reason why you are buying an older console is for the games, right? Grab and pen and paper and jot down all of the games you are interested in on that console. Don’t be too strict with your list. Now write a total at the bottom. I’m not going to tell you what the number should be.

The next thing that you need to keep in mind is how expensive the games are going to be and also how easy it is to get your hands on them. Its all well and good wanting Ikaruga or Radiant SilverGun but if you can’t get your hands on it easily then its almost pointless wanting it.

Hopefully this simple task has helped you manage to grasp what you are likely to be playing with your new old console. The point here is to give you the idea of what you’d get with your console, how hard it would be to get and how much it’d cost. As these are the major points of consideration. Especially the strength of the games list, there is little point on buying a console for just one game.

I didn’t really need this step as I already knew that purchasing a PS2 was rather worthwhile. But I did it anyways. I did this with my brother and we got a list of about 40 games (these are the essential must have games BTW). The prices and availability for most of the games are pretty good. We could probably get the whole deal sorted out for a few hundred dollars. So yeah, definetly worthwhile.

Fine tuning your preferences

Okay, now that you know what you are interested in. Its time to find out whats worth buying. Obviously there are some games that you just know that are worth you buying, but there’s probably a few that your unsure of. And its worth checking them out. I did quite a bit of this for games that I was unsure about. Depending on what your into this can be done in many ways. But I’ll just explain it in the way that I did it.

When I research old games I look at videos, reviews and critical reactions. The best sort of video that you can get are Video Reviews as thry run thru the essentials. Places like Gametrailers or IGN do pretty good video reviews.

In terms of reviews the best places to check out are review aggregators. GameRankings is pretty good. Just search for the game your after and have a look at the review scrores for the games reviewed by decent sources. Check out the reviews as well if you want.

Now if the games that your after are too old for GameTrailers or even just your internet reviews(before 1995?). Then Wikipedia is your best bet. Wikipedia is good for regurgettating too much storyline as the pages are generally edit by the huge fans. Have a quick read thru and see if its the type of game for you. Also the Critical reaction part is pretty good to get an idea on if the game isactually any good.

Now that you have sussed out any games that you weren’t sure about. You can remove any games if you want.

Last minute additions

Any games that you’ve forgotten? Man I just hate that feeling. If you do think that you’ve missed something head over to Gamerankings and check the top scoring 50-200 titles released for that system.

Final Considerations

Well now that you know what you want, go out and get it. Be sure to look around to ensure that you get the best prices. If you are getting some older titles then it might also be worth checking out the Xbox Live Arcade, Virtual Console and the PSNs game titles as there might be a few tucked away in there. Good luck, I hope this wasn’t too tedious and might actually help people.

BTW if you want to get those games for a decent price check out my article on Bargain Hunting for Videogames.

Posted in Culture | Comments (3)
Tags: buying games, patriots, playstation 2, Retro Gaming

Bargain Hunting for Video Games

June 6th, 2007

super castlevania artwork
Yes, nothing beats old school Super Castlevania IV art!

Don’t you just love it when you go out on an early morning and find a quality game for a cheap price? It just feels that much more rewarding when some of that hard earned cash stays in your wallet. Now I haven’t been out looking for bargain for sometime now but that’s not to say that I don’t have a few tricks up my sleeve to help out you fortunate readers.

Rule 1 Wait until the time is right

If your buying thru your department stores then never, ever buy a game at full price, unless:

you are mega rich
you pre-order(and got a special deal)
you pre-order despite no special deal
you absolutely have to buy the game then and there

Now, the trick is to be patient and wait until the game is going out at a reduced line. Nowadays the wait isn’t all that long. You can find new release games drop $30 within 2/3 weeks of release.

The other thing to wait for is sales. Now department stores generally cycle through their specific reduction themes. That is just before easter time camping gear will be reduced as everyone likes to go camping over the easter break etc etc. This eventually happens with games, so hold off until that period comes and take advantage of it. You’ll find out about these sales if you check your letterbox weekly.

Also be weary of the clearance sales, some stores(like the one I work at) can’t stop having clearance sales, be it Stocktake, Christmas, Bellow Cost, Closing Down it doesn’t matter what excuse they make, you’d be stupid enough to not give it a try.

The other things to wait for are price markdowns down on the rrp. That is when a manufacturer releases a budget range of games or a tie in deal with a console. Try and guess when the markdowns will occur and then go for it. I bought my GBA SP about a week before it was put down $40 and then stuck in a few game bundles. It sucks, so don’t let it happen to you.

Rule 2 Vary your sources

The chances of you finding that cheap rare title increases dramatically when you look in places beyond your local shopping centre. Try places that you wouldn’t normally look. Here’s a few ideas:

different game/department stores
the buy/sell sections of the newspaper
garage sales
second hand stores
clearance/closing down sales
try online auction sites
online retailers
import your games
your local community forum trading post

Rule 3 Demand the cheapest

If your going to buy games anywhere then ask if you can get them a bit cheaper, even a few dollars. It always pays to ask. This works even better if you are going to buy a console in the package as well.

Now if you shop at a store where they claim to beat a competitors price, wait until one of their competitors has a good deal and then go and better it at the other store. Demand the cheapest, the mark ups are plain ridiculous.

Rules 4 Give Pre-owned a go

I’m rather against this whole buy pre-owned deal but in reality its not that bad. 2 of my Gamecube titles are pre-owned and they work fine. I picked up TimeSplitters 2(extremely rare and always full price in Australia) for $AUS30 instead of $AUS100+. My brother nabbed Tales of Symphonia for $AUS70 when it goes for $350 on eBay.

Pre-owned games are pretty easy to find these days, in Australia EB and Cash Convertors are fairly popular pre-owned games sellers. You can also buy second hand games down at garage sales or you can even buy some off your best mate.

When you are buying pre-owned make sure to check:

the return policies
the disc/cart condition
everything that’s included

Rule 5 Never stop looking

That is unless you have all of the games you would ever need, but that only exists in fairy tales.

If your a professional bargain hunter then you would have noticed the first error in the opening paragraph. That is I haven’t been out looking for bargain for sometime now and that’s the trick, you never stop looking. Whenever your out and about always have the bargain at the back of your mind. If your out shopping in a place which you normally don’t shop at, check out the local game stores as they may have a gem hidden away for a good price.

Alrighty folks, that should be enough help to at least get you started. If you’ve got any tips/tricks/success stories/whatever then leave me a comment. ^_^

Posted in Culture | Comments (3)
Tags: bargain hunting, buying games, castlevania, patriots, Retro Gaming

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