Why Do We Buy What We Don't Play?

I, like a lot of other TNLers, have a significant pile of shame. Since I am both too lazy and too scared to count it exactly, let's just safely go with "dozens" as a good measure of the games that either physically or virtually sit in said pile.

No platform is safe. I have multiple games for the PC, 360, PS2, PS3, Wii, and iPhone in my pile. I would probably have older games as well, but in most cases I wrote those off and traded/sold them long ago.

All of these facts are perfectly obvious to me, as is the conclusion that this is stupid and a waste of money. However, that combination is not enough to stop me from buying new games, many of which simply add to the pile. Why is that?

Why do we buy what we don't play?

Some part of it is good deals. If I can get a game for less than the $9 it costs to rent one at Blockbuster, then I can rationalize that even just trying it out for a couple hours justifies the purchase. It's like a rental that I get to keep. This is not the best logic, but it holds some amount of water.

Another factor is hype. If half of TNL is talking about a game, it's much harder to wait to have it. Where this logic falls apart is when I buy a game like this and then don't even put it in for months. Not buying and not playing it shouldn't be different in terms of satisfying the hype curiosity. But sometimes it feels like they are.

So what about everyone else? How do those without a pile of shame avoid one? How do those with a pile of shame explain how it happened and what they plan to do to fix it?

I like to buy things. It feels good. It feels even better when I can sell the things I buy for more than I bought them for.
The key is to not look at it as a pile of shame, but an investment! :)

There are really only two occasions where I buy games I don't play (right away), and those are:

1) I want to play the game eventually and it's on sale for a price I'm not willing to pass up, and/or
2) I have a feeling that it might not be around for purchase by the time I do want to play it.

Too much money.

and too little time

sealed games look so fucking nice on my shelves

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Originally Posted by kingoffighters

Too much money.

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Originally Posted by kingoffighters

and too little time

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Yeah, I think this probably covers my situation too. But it doesn't change that it's stupid. It's not as though we are going to get more time as our daughters start playing sports or going to dance class or whatever they are going to do when they get older.

I think the last time I had a pile of shame was during the Dreamcast/PS2 era where games were cheap as hell to buy and could mostly be had for under $20.

Now that games are more expensive, I hardly buy but maybe a handful a year and play the shit out of the few I do get.

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Originally Posted by Yoshi

Yeah, I think this probably covers my situation too. But it doesn't change that it's stupid. It's not as though we are going to get more time as our daughters start playing sports or going to dance class or whatever they are going to do when they get older.

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Most of the stuff we buy are stupid anyway.

Why buy:

Intent to play/watch (looks interesting)
Lots of deals
Word of Mouth
Limited Editions sucker me

Why don't play/watch:

Lack of free time (family/work/etc)
Lots of media options/competition
Length of games
Too many hobbies


If I am interested enough to pay full price, I will usually play soon after purchase.

My game pile really isn't that bad at this point, I generally whip through stuff pretty quickly. My movie pile on the other hand.... :0

The intention is there to clean the unplayed pile up, but then I will start a game that hooks me so it takes up more hours than i ever expected.

For example, Joust and I have each put about 120 hours into Borderlands, and still going strong. Usually I try and budget 10 hours per game, 20 for a blockbuster, and 30 for that rare RPG sitdown.

Plus its comforting to have a random thought pop in my head about a game, and not having to drive to the store or wait for it to ship from a website. I guess that's the definition of instant gratification?

Deals are also a killer, like the Steam sale over the holidays and the bundle packs. I bought so many games that I prob wont get around to playing, but they were too cheap to pass up the bundle when compared to a single title. maybe someone in my family will get some use out of them someday.


Edit: Also have too much money, and not enough sense

Own fewer platforms.

I've put a shit-ton of hours into most of my disc-games. There's some XBLA stuff I haven't really touched that much, but my shelf-of-shame doesn't exist anymore-- because I got rid of it.

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Originally Posted by Yoshi

Some part of it is good deals. If I can get a game for less than the $9 it costs to rent one at Blockbuster, then I can rationalize that even just trying it out for a couple hours justifies the purchase. It's like a rental that I get to keep. This is not the best logic, but it holds some amount of water.

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My response to this is by spending $0 I can get exactly the same value out of it I would otherwise.

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Originally Posted by Yoshi

Another factor is hype. If half of TNL is talking about a game, it's much harder to wait to have it.

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This is what gets me. The point is to avoid the hype stuff. From reading TNL it's not too bad nowadays. Now, NeoGAF is a different story.

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How do those with a pile of shame explain how it happened and what they plan to do to fix it?

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Hype, much more money than time, and I've spent the past 3 months playing games I already own. Some were good, but most were not. So I've been spending all this money on games I didn't even like. I think going forward I'll be a bit more selective. And, no more $60 games - not just because they go on sale so often, but if I wait until the game is on sale, usually that first round of hype is gone and I can examine it with a more jaundiced eye.

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Originally Posted by D_N_G

Also have too much money, and not enough sense

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I resemble that remark in this sense.

Well for games it's partially the byproduct of a pretty retarded economic model.

Once new copies stop being stocked at retailers, that's it, they're not coming back. Get the desire to play something 5 years after release and don't already have it, then you have to hope the aftermarket value didn't shoot up or you've gotta play russian roulette with the availability and conditions of used copies at Gamestop. You want it 10+ years after release, basically eBay and private sellers are your only option. The back catalog kept available at retail for games is severely limited and wildly inconsistent comparative to any other medium, so that instills a "better get it while the gettin's good" mentality.

I play all the games I buy. This also means I only pick up about 2 - 5 games a year. This year I've boughten Mass Effect 2 only. I play most of my games socially. Which means I've tried Bad Company abd play Rockband quite a bit. The next game I'll buy is probably SSF4, but I might just play it at my friends since they'll buy it for sure and if I play it there we go versus.

I also don't give a fuck about achievements. Co-op is usually all I care about in a game. I played the challenges in Modern Warfare with my buddy and then sold it. I don't feel the need to wade through a game just because a mode is available.

Red Dead Redemption and Crackdown 2 are the only games I will probably buy with my own cash. The rest I'll borrow from a friend or play at their home when I drop by. Limit yourself to one game at a time and you'll stop wasting money. In fact limit yourself to one game a month if you don't finish the one you bought. Take advantage of trade in deals for new games too.

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Originally Posted by Nash

There are really only two occasions where I buy games I don't play (right away), and those are:

1) I want to play the game eventually and it's on sale for a price I'm not willing to pass up, and/or
2) I have a feeling that it might not be around for purchase by the time I do want to play it.

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Pretty much this, but add in:

3) Games I know I want to play right away pushing other games I like playing, but are less in a rush of doing so, down to the pile.
4) Buying games to play with a group of friends (Dokapon Kingdom, Order Up, SF4, Tatsunoko vs Capcom) and then watch it sit on the shelf, unfinished/unplayed for months at a time.

Get other interests besides videogames. Sure, everyone says Bayonetta is great, but it looks stupid and buying a new messenger bag, ukulele, bicycle part, or actually getting around to fixing my car/scooter is a lot more interesting than investing time i have no interest in. If you haven't played a game in over a year, sell it, because you're never going to want to play it. If you play it and don't enjoy it, get rid of it, because you'll never enjoy it and there are better things you could be doing.

Other interests besides video games just gives you more stuff to buy that you'll never get around to using.

A good solution to having too much money and too little time is to buy ridiculously expensive video games. You'll be using the same amount of money as always, but on a reasonable amount of games that you actually have a shot at completing.

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Originally Posted by rezo

Other interests besides video games just gives you more stuff to buy that you'll never get around to using.

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This. I've just as many books and comic books (physical ones, don't get me started on the hundreds of gigs of comics I've amassed) that I'll never read as I do games I'll never play.
But since I'm not struggling to feed my family or put gas in the car, who gives a shit. I see no point in stockpiling cash when it can only be taken away from you, or you die and leave it to others. Fuck my kids. I earned everything I have, they can do the same.

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Originally Posted by rezo

A good solution to having too much money and too little time is to buy ridiculously expensive video games. You'll be using the same amount of money as always, but on a reasonable amount of games that you actually have a shot at completing.

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This is hysterical, because it sounds insane, but so is everything led to this suggestion.

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Originally Posted by rezo

Other interests besides video games just gives you more stuff to buy that you'll never get around to using.

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Unless you're buying useful things, like bike parts, or things that produce real life achievements you want to pursue instead of fake achievements, like paints and musical instruments. You could never use those too, but if you have the drive to achieve something instead of earning achievements, you will use them.
I swear to God i'll use that set of Holbein Irodoris one day.

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A good solution to having too much money and too little time is to buy ridiculously expensive video games. You'll be using the same amount of money as always, but on a reasonable amount of games that you actually have a shot at completing.

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What if they're really just bad games that cost a lot, like Evolution Dungeons for Neo Geo Pocket Color, or Shantae for Gameboy Color? THEN YORE RONG and you're just torturing yourself with your own money.

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Originally Posted by Yoshi

All of these facts are perfectly obvious to me, as is the conclusion that this is stupid and a waste of money. However, that combination is not enough to stop me from buying new games, many of which simply add to the pile. Why is that?

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You answered your own question. It's stupid.

Why can't you stop? Impulse control. The more one practices it, the better one gets at it.

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Originally Posted by Yoshi

This is hysterical, because it sounds insane, but so is everything led to this suggestion.

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You're the one who buys so many shit games that you can't play them all. [/hypocrisy] [notreally]

That was exactly my point. Taken at face value, he sounds nuts, but it's not any more nuts than the original problem I was describing.

I haven't really added much to my pile since I was in college, when I finally had enough disposable income to buy a lot of old stuff for cheap with the intent of catching up on games from previous generations that I had missed out on. Didn't take me long to realize that I'd never have enough free time to get into most of them as thoroughly as I'd like to, so I scaled my purchasing habits back.

I don't buy more than one game per month anymore, and usually it's less often than that. I don't feel any need to expose myself to every newly hyped game under the sun either. I don't venture much outside my niches and probably miss out on a lot of good shit because of it, but I don't really care anymore. I actually still play games quite a lot, but it's often hundreds of hours devoted to a small handful of titles rather than 5-10 hours each across dozens of titles.

EDIT: I actually do tend to splurge on higher-than-MSRP titles with the rationalization that I'll still be spending less overall than those with the problem described in the OP.

KOF is right. Too much money, too little time.

The other biggie for me is multiplayer gaming mixed with always being a click away from playing games with friends. My latest example is Deadly Premonition. Goofy game right up my alley, problem is I have lots of friends that wanna play the latest and greatest in multi, which is more compelling to me. So not only do I have to make time for gaming with a busy schedule, I gotta make single player time as well.

Digital distribution also doesn't help with the temptation to buy games. Its waaaay too easy to just click and buy something. I have gotten better at it only buying a handful of games during the Steam christmas sale. Then again, I haven't touched one of those games.

You have a class of young strong men and women, and they want to give their lives to something. Advertising has these people chasing cars and clothes they don't need. Generations have been working in jobs they hate, just so they can buy what they don't really need.

You're not your job. You're not how much money you have in the bank. You're not the car you drive. You're not the contents of your wallet. You're not your fucking video games.

Fucking tree hugger.

I kept buying games for about a year after my game playing slowed down.
Most of the games in my pile are bargain bin GC games that I snatched up at the end of that console's life cycle.
These days, I barely use my consoles at all, so half my games are still in the shrinkwrap.

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Originally Posted by Josh

You have a class of young strong men and women, and they want to give their lives to something. Advertising has these people chasing cars and clothes they don't need. Generations have been working in jobs they hate, just so they can buy what they don't really need.

You're not your job. You're not how much money you have in the bank. You're not the car you drive. You're not the contents of your wallet. You're not your fucking video games.

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You're doing it wrong.

We've all left out one blatantly obvious reason:

We spend too much time on TNL to actually play games.

I wouldn't feel too bad unless you catch yourself spending time with games that you don't like.

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And, no more $60 games - not just because they go on sale so often, but if I wait until the game is on sale, usually that first round of hype is gone and I can examine it with a more jaundiced eye.

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That latter part is pretty important. So many people buy so much mediocre shit just because it's new. Just wait it out.

I have been looking at too many games. I buy the B grade games when I don't even scratch the surface of the A grade ones. I would like to get rid of the others, but they're a sunk cost. But then when it comes time to play a game my brain locks because I can't decide what to play.

I've said stuff like that before, and got blasted for "not giving a game a real chance."
With movies and music, there have definitely been occasions that something I started out hating eventually grew on me. I guess it's possible with games too, but fuck, if a game doesn't grab me within the first twenty minutes; it's a going back into its case.

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Originally Posted by Joust Williams

I have been looking at too many games.

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angryclint.gif

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Originally Posted by Tain

I wouldn't feel too bad unless you catch yourself spending time with games that you don't like.

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This is one problem that I managed to solve by putting an end to achievement whoring. I'll still go for achievements in games I like, but I don't play games for achievements anymore.

For me, it is mainly deals.

The PS2 is dying right now, so I can pick up a lot of games I missed for 5/10 each. Because I waited, I was able to get Odin Sphere and Chaos Wars for about $7 each.

But I always have big projects going on so I haven't finished either of them yet.

I don't feel bad about that. If I ever get tired of them, I can flip them for probably 15 each or more. I'll at least be able to get my money back out of them.

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Originally Posted by Finch

If you haven't played a game in over a year, sell it, because you're never going to want to play it. If you play it and don't enjoy it, get rid of it, because you'll never enjoy it and there are better things you could be doing.

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I play the classics all the time. Just about every console, handheld or Computer I own gets some playtime over the year. I may only play the C-64 for a week long stretch, but it's nice to have access to those games when I'm thinking about them. Sometimes it's not quite as great as I remember it, while other times it just what I'd remembered.

There was a time when I'd sold my consoles to get the next generation of hardware, but it got to the point where I'd missed playing those older games. Years later I'd bought those systems and games back, and I doubt I'll sell one console to buy another anytime soon.

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Originally Posted by Changeling

The other biggie for me is multiplayer gaming mixed with always being a click away from playing games with friends. My latest example is Deadly Premonition. Goofy game right up my alley, problem is I have lots of friends that wanna play the latest and greatest in multi, which is more compelling to me. So not only do I have to make time for gaming with a busy schedule, I gotta make single player time as well.

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YES! This too. I want to play Sacred 2, a pretty decent Diablo clone but every time I see my friends playing Bad Company 2, I just want to join in. Already spent over 50 hours in BC2 last month with no end in sight.

mutliplayer games are TNL's new shitty Japanese imports.

For a while now, well over a year, I've only really been picking up quality games at a price I like. So while I have developed a big 360 backlog, really it's full of pretty good games the vast majority of which were purchased at $20 or less.

For example, I picked Resident Evil 5 for $20 around Christmas time or thereabouts. Won't get to it for a while until after other action games like Devil May Cry 4 (bought $15) and Prince of Persia ($15). About three weeks ago I bought DiRT 2 for $20, but won't get to it until after racing games like Burnout Paradise ($18) and Project Gotham Racing 4 ($20).

Just started on my 360 RPGs with The Last Remnant ($20), and after that plan to play Infinite Undiscovery ($10), Star Ocean: The Last Hope ($20), Eternal Sonata ($20), Tales of Vesperia ($27), Lost Odyssey ($20), and then Mass Effect ($20). I'll definite add Final Fantasy XIII in the future once I can get it around $25, of course there's no rush for the time being as I wouldn't play it any time soon anyways.

Assassin's Creed II was on sale for $30 last week. I want the game but didn't pick it up, it will only get cheaper. When Bayonetta hits $20 I'll buy it.

And so on and so forth.

I'm sure I'll eventually get through all the games, at least I hope to. If I sell off these games for half of what I bought them, I think that pretty much covers the enjoyment and time I got out of them.

The only games I can see myself buying day one are Halo games, because my brother and I love them, and they provide more than my money's worth. And even then nowadays there's some kind of discount/promotion (I pre-ordered Reach on Amazon with the $20 GC).

So that's how it is for me, at least. That's why I say my 360 library is far and away my most cost-effective console game library, and quality per game per dollar it blasts anything I've had before out of the water. Just wish I could have had it this good when I was much younger, I could have enjoyed it a lot more.

I suppose it does help that I hardly ever go to the cinema or buy DVDs anymore. I'm even more selective there and with my bookshelf, I'm constantly looking at what I can take off/out more than what I can add. I want to refine it all.

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Originally Posted by Geo

For a while now, well over a year, I've only really been picking up quality games

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So you say, but then...

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Originally Posted by Geo

Just started on my 360 RPGs with The Last Remnant ($20), and after that plan to play Infinite Undiscovery ($10), Star Ocean: The Last Hope ($20), Eternal Sonata ($20), Tales of Vesperia ($27), Lost Odyssey ($20), and then Mass Effect ($20).

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That last one's the only one that fits. The prices you listed for the others? That's less that what somebody would have to pay ME to touch them. :p

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Originally Posted by Fe 26

mutliplayer games are TNL's new shitty Japanese imports.

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You're not right often, but you fucking nailed that one.

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mutliplayer games are TNL's new shitty Japanese imports.

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yeah.

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Originally Posted by The Gas

So you say, but then...
That last one's the only one that fits. The prices you listed for the others? That's less that what somebody would have to pay ME to touch them. :p

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Hah, well I guess I'll find out for myself soon enough.

For what it's worth, I've been surprisingly impressed with and have enjoyed The Last Remnant so far. Except for the main character being such an annoying dipshit.

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Originally Posted by Fe 26

mutliplayer games are TNL's new shitty Japanese imports.

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Nah, inasmuch as we actually play them.

A good multiplayer game is better than a good Japanese import. Simple as that. Also, the fact that you are buying it to play with others means you are actually playing it, and it does not sit in some pile of shame.

My pile of shame tends more to more often be XBLA games that have to do with nostalgia. I get a game remembering how great of a time I had with it in my youth, and still do enjoy it when playing it again, but would much rather spend my time playing something new.

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Originally Posted by Geo

13 games for $215

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This.

Blowing $60/game when, if you're patient, you can get it for a quarter the price? Yes, please.

I can burn $20 and feel no remorse. $60 is a different story. That's a bottle of Jameson Redbreast!

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Originally Posted by Fe 26

mutliplayer games are TNL's new shitty Japanese imports.

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?

Some multiplayer games are amazing (Gears 1, NHL series, Bad Company 2, fighting games with good netcode), and others are terrible. The good ones have almost infinite replay value. There was a time when some TNLers would play Gears 1 every night. Since it is private game, no one exploited and it was fun for everyone. There is nothing wrong with it and I got more than my money's worth in that game.

If you don't play good MP games with your friends or TNL, then you don't really know what you are talking about.

I'm actually getting better at avoiding this.

The existence of a backlog of several games (I have it down to under a dozen or so at this point) has made me back off from buying a lot of games that I otherwise would have purchased. Back in 2006, I was happily buying four to six games a month. Now I'm buying maybe one or two games a month. Even bargains can't tempt me anymore: my time is more valuable than my money, and I'm not going to buy games just because they're cheap.

I used to be very guilty of this for all of the reasons mentioned above. Now that I live abroad and it takes Amazon about a week to get a product into my grubby hands, I've noticed that I'm far less likely to make those impulse buys. As such, I'm finally making some progress towards conquering my pile of shame.

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Originally Posted by ElCapichan

A good multiplayer game is better than a good Japanese import. Simple as that. Also, the fact that you are buying it to play with others means you are actually playing it, and it does not sit in some pile of shame.

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I won't argue that what you are saying has no merit.

But neither changes the validity of my point.

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Originally Posted by kingoffighters

?

Some multiplayer games are amazing (Gears 1, NHL series, Bad Company 2, fighting games with good netcode), and others are terrible. The good ones have almost infinite replay value. There was a time when some TNLers would play Gears 1 every night. Since it is private game, no one exploited and it was fun for everyone. There is nothing wrong with it and I got more than my money's worth in that game.

If you don't play good MP games with your friends or TNL, then you don't really know what you are talking about.

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Oh, I know what I'm talking about. Don't confuse what I said for "LOL MULTI GAMES AND RPGS ARE ALL GAY POOPOO I HATE THEM"

I can sum up what you're trying to say in two words, 'cheeks.

Bomberman. Live.

Making your pile omfg shame work for UUUUU!

Step 1: Buy that vaguely decent looking RPG on clearance.

2. Throw it on the shelf for 5 years til it finally sinks in you don't have the time for this crap.

3. Sell it for a inflated price to sealed game fetishists on Ebay.

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Originally Posted by Bacon McShig

You want it 10+ years after release, basically eBay and private sellers are your only option. The back catalog kept available at retail for games is severely limited and wildly inconsistent comparative to any other medium, so that instills a "better get it while the gettin's good" mentality.

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This, and my neglecting to purchase Valkyrie Profile on PS1 before it got apeshit expensive explains most of my pile of shame. Now though I'm so broke my pile is slowly dwindling which I guess is a good thing.

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Originally Posted by Fe 26

Oh, I know what I'm talking about. Don't confuse what I said for "LOL MULTI GAMES AND RPGS ARE ALL GAY POOPOO I HATE THEM"

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You sound close minded about the subject, so there is no point for us to discuss the merit of your statement.

However, this thread is about games we buy that don't get played, and multiplayer games that people do buy and do play, don't fall into the pile of shame.

I haven't really had a pile of shame in a while. I tend to play the crap out of the games I buy with some noteable exceptions, but when I had one it was because I just wanted to try everything that I could, and I never ended up getting around to everything. I'm with DNG though, my movies are a whole different story.

lol at the LIVE DEFENSE FORCE in here, hey guys let's go play graw

Cheeks just meant that TNL's hype gets poured into any big multiplayer title these days, for better or for worse. As far as I can tell, he's completely right.

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Originally Posted by Pineapple

my movies are a whole different story.

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Who is still buying movies?

With Netflix I don't need to buy another disc. Ever. I've got so many movies available instantly there's no need to purchase anything other than all-time classics I'll watch 300 times (T2, etc.), and I already own those 20-30 movies (not to mention that many of those are on NF.

The Collector Factor has a lot to do w/my Pile of Shame. It's kinda fun to see the games up on the shelf, in all their alphabetical (or other, High Fidelity-like sorting system) glory. But, like Jules, I'm trying, reallll hard, to not add to it.

Speaking of the Pile, I'm thinking it's time to start whittling it down.

Which game to finish?

Half-Life 2 (360) - haven't started
Oblivion (360) - 30hrs in, but 0% progress on main story
Mass Effect (360) - 10hrs in
Burnout Paradise (360) - 5% complete
COD4 (360) - 50% done w/single-player

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Originally Posted by Tain

lol at the LIVE DEFENSE FORCE in here, hey guys let's go play graw

Cheeks just meant that TNL's hype gets poured into any big multiplayer title these days, for better or for worse. As far as I can tell, he's completely right.

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not defending live at all, i am speaking of mp games in general. if u fall for any type of hype and disappointed, maybe the problem is you. stop blaming tnl or whatever herd u listen to.

So you agree, then.

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Originally Posted by Bacon McShig

Well for games it's partially the byproduct of a pretty retarded economic model.

Once new copies stop being stocked at retailers, that's it, they're not coming back. Get the desire to play something 5 years after release and don't already have it, then you have to hope the aftermarket value didn't shoot up or you've gotta play russian roulette with the availability and conditions of used copies at Gamestop. You want it 10+ years after release, basically eBay and private sellers are your only option. The back catalog kept available at retail for games is severely limited and wildly inconsistent comparative to any other medium, so that instills a "better get it while the gettin's good" mentality.

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This is it. Nothing grinds my gears like paying more than MSRP for a used game. So many of my purchases aren't because I want the game all that much, but because I'm trying to avoid a theoretical situation in the future where I DO want it, but have to pay too much for a crapped-up copy.

It's stupid, but I think I'm getting better...

Oblivion would have been so much better if there was no main story and you just kind of figured it out as you went.

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Originally Posted by kingoffighters

You sound close minded about the subject, so there is no point for us to discuss the merit of your statement.

However, this thread is about games we buy that don't get played, and multiplayer games that people do buy and do play, don't fall into the pile of shame.

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Who are you pretending to be?

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Originally Posted by Tain

Cheeks just meant that TNL's hype gets poured into any big multiplayer title these days, for better or for worse. As far as I can tell, he's completely right.

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Pretty much this. Last night I actually typed this up 4 times, but each time, just deleted it. I figured it would turn into that thing where I type up a paragraph and either my grammar or other's ability to read fails TNL and I'd end up argueing with someone that doesn't even know what I'm saying for a day. Fuck that.

"TNL likes MP as much now as it used to like RPGs"
"OMG YOU ARE STUPID, MP ARE SO MUCH BETTER THAN RPGS"
"...you are proving my point"
"NO I AM NOT, EAT SHIT. NECK BEARD"

I mean shit, both Yoshi and Diff understand what I said.

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Originally Posted by kingoffighters

not defending live at all, i am speaking of mp games in general. if u fall for any type of hype and disappointed, maybe the problem is you. stop blaming tnl or whatever herd u listen to.

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blame has nothing to do with it. No one at the time blamed TNL for making them buy import games for inflated prices. And not all of those imports were bad. Some of them were fun. A lot of people liked TNL then, and enjoyed importing and liked most of the games they imported. You are looking back with the negative bias you've gathered through experience.

All I'm saying is that TNL has a certain way it treats the golden child "popular games." It pretty much treats MP games now, the way it used to treat TahTah Magic Manna Boat.

"But IP, You are wrong."

Yeah, I'll remember that next time I see a whole page in the Haul thread with 5 assholes, one after the other, with the same Super Buttplug Ed of the newest MP game.

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Originally Posted by Tain

So you agree, then.

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Pretty much. Otherwise he wouldn't care enough to argue about it.

Super TahTah Magic Manna Boat was way better.

Super Buttplugfield Badass Crotch 2 really is the best MP game released in a long time. Stop being gay and go buy it for the DickBox 360. Jap RPG's and importing are for the faggers.

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Originally Posted by Tain

So you agree, then.

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Yes, I completely agree that playing a game does not put it in the pile of shame. I am glad both of you agree with me too.

what are you talkin about

this all started because you read something nobody wrote

nowhere did Cheeks say shit about people not playing multiplayer games

Equal parts optimism and wishful thinking for me. I want to like everything I buy, obviously, and that's where the optimism comes in. The wishful thinking comes from thinking I'll have the time to play it all.

James

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Originally Posted by Tain

what are you talkin about

this all started because you read something nobody wrote

nowhere did Cheeks say shit about people not playing multiplayer games

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I am glad you agree his points are not relevant to this discussion. Thank you.

Back when I was doing it, I found that being on message boards was a big contributor. I didn't want to feel like I was missing anything, so I bought everything. Now I just use Gamefly and very rarely actually buy a game that isn't downloadable.

Sounds like you have a hoard mentality.

I know for myself that when I was young, I didn't have the means to play all of the stuff seen in articles/ads in EGM and Gamefan so I have had a tendency to purchase more than I play but I am also an archivist. I tend to only buy games that I want to play eventually and fall under the following criteria:
- original version, best version of the original or significantly enhanced/different port (not a simple port)
- limited edition or production that will be difficult to obtain in the future and potential to appreciate in value
- not an intangible
- really do want to play it now (rarely happens)

I have enough financial freedom to buy whatever but rarely purchase many modern releases. Also, as a I clear backlog, I sell the stuff I don't find particularly noteworthy. I don't spend much time (ie < .5 hour a week) on IRC or forums unless I am looking for particular info.

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Originally Posted by Compass

This is it. Nothing grinds my gears like paying more than MSRP for a used game. So many of my purchases aren't because I want the game all that much, but because I'm trying to avoid a theoretical situation in the future where I DO want it, but have to pay too much for a crapped-up copy.

It's stupid, but I think I'm getting better...

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This is another one. I really wanted to play Fragile Dreams but wasn't too sure about $50 for it. Given the chances of a game like that selling through and never being repressed though, I plugged my nose and did it. Good game for $30 and under, but kinda pricey for $50...but I'd hate to think paying $80+ for a used copy just because it's a hard find.

I just don't have enough money to buy more than I can play, I spend what I have on games I know I really really want. I remember my first time encountering someone who just bought a bunch of shit and let it sit sealed on his table for months; it seemed insane to me!

Books on the other hand...I'm swimming in books I haven't finished or read yet. I have so so many books, they are all wonderful and useful though and are part of a long acquisition list, and it seems inevitable I'll have them all anyway.

Shou said it better than I could. When I was a kid my parents couldn't afford more than a couple of games a year. Thankfully rentals were cheap back then.

When I turned 18, it was like the floodgates opened. I got a job, games were cheaper, and the newfangled internet exposed me to lots of new games and import titles. This was great at first, but after the Dreamcast came out my pile of shame was born.

This actually has a good effect on me monitarily now. I rarely buy anything new since I have a stack of unplayed games. Sometimes old shit that I hoarded are in new condition, become valuable and I sell it for profit right before it comes out on XBLA or PSN.

I actually made good progress on my pile of shame last year. I completed a lot of 16 bit and PSX rpgs, but when December came the deals were too much, and I have DOZENS of shinkwrapped games. But in the 3 months we've had this year I've really only played through 3 or 4 games.

My new strategy is to stick only to AAA titles.

I actually stopped doing this a couple years ago. Its just a big waste of money, and time. I only invest in a game I know I"m going to want to spend extra amounts of time on playing, or mastering. And then maybe later pick up those other games, for 15 bucks once the hype, and bullshit have died down.

I also got into the whole collecting phase for a bit. I since stopped and decided only to do that for systems I really have a nostaglic feeling to. Like the SNES, NEO GEO, and PSX. Other than that, if I get a game for the other older systems, it will be when , and if I have extra cash to do so.

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My new strategy is to stick only to AAA titles.

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The problem is defining "AAA". I'd like to stick to that, but as often as not I'm taken by surprise or disappointed. Darksiders was a complete surprise, I simply wasn't tracking it because it looked too dumb, but it came out great and was worth every cent. Little Big Planet, on the other hand, annoyed the living hell out of me despite really wanting to like it.

And then there are the games that will never be AAA but have something worth seeing, like Deadly Premonition. Very rare, to the point they exist externally to this particular discussion, but they do happen.

James

I have no idea, but most of the reasons are probably already mentioned.

I still have a sealed Ogre Battle 64 I bought at launch. I don't even have an N64 anymore. I'll sell it when it's a relic for $1000 or something.

Other than that, I have the following still unplayed:

Infinite Undiscovery
Xenogears
Dragon Force
Shining Force CD
Shining Force 3
Albert Odyssey
Vangard Bandits

You really should just sell those before they're all put on digital download services. Esp. Ogre Battle 64. You may find someone that doesn't know its out on the Wii .

It's sealed, therefore it can be out on Wii and still retain its value. Collectors are crazy.

James

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Originally Posted by Changeling

You really should just sell those before they're all put on digital download services. Esp. Ogre Battle 64. You may find someone that doesn't know its out on the Wii .

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Aren't Saturn games hard to emulate? So they'll probably hold their value.

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Originally Posted by Beefy Hits

Xenogears

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WTF?! Get on that shit, you should have played, loved, and finished it 10 years ago.

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Originally Posted by Pineapple

WTF?! Get on that shit, you should have played, loved, and finished it 10 years ago.

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I used this logic with your mom!

Any asshole with shrinkwrap and a hair dryer can seal an N64 game... noob.

Nuh uh. Collectors can totally tell the fakes.

vertical stripe.

From 98 to 05 I hunted down and bought almost every game I ever wanted (old and new). Why? For some reason I thought that I just had to own that stuff, and I better get them now before its too tough to find - or ill be missing out. They just sat there. Since then, ive finally gotten around to playing alot of those (finishing them is another story).

Nowadays, I dont buy stuff I wont play outside of picking up a random rare game on Ebay once or twice a year or so. Last year I bought SMT Nocturne and Front Mission 3 for example - I havent played either yet but I saw a good deal and I knew I would want to own them sooner or later. In these cases, if you wait the price is only going to go up. The biggest thing left on my wishlist is Tactics Ogre. I guess ill have to bite the bullet one of these days.

Ive learned my lesson buying new games and not playing them - im done buying a new $60 game thats just going to sit there. For new games I DO buy - its all about online multiplayer these days. I get my money's worth tenfold. Im a fan of Mass Effect 1 and Oblivion - but I wont buy ME2 or Fallout3 until im in the mood to play them. Im in no hurry to buy them and they only get cheaper over time. ME2 is already down to $40. With owning less new games, it gives me time to go back and enjoy my older stuff too.

My particulars:

1.) Thinking (always) that I'll have more time to play stuff than I actually end up having.
2.) Being optimistic that a game is better than ____ says it is
3.) Money not being a big issue
4.) Convincing myself that someday I'll play it or someday I'll finish it OR someday I'll finish it again with another character
5.) Not realizing how long the game I'm currently playing will consume of my life (Fallout 3, Dragon Age, etc... all 100+ hours) and thinking I must be almost done.
6.) Hardly ever using walkthroughs, faqs, hints, codes, or other crap to finish a game faster.

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Originally Posted by Some Stupid Japanese Name

vertical stripe.

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I used to work in a duplication plant. This is in no way hard to do.

protip: I resealed a shit ton of Saturn games and sold them as new on ebay around this time.

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Originally Posted by Dyne

Nuh uh. Collectors can totally tell the fakes.

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Tell that to my A+++ would buy again ebay people.

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Originally Posted by Dyne

I used this logic with your mom!

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Originally Posted by Some Stupid Japanese Name

vertical stripe.

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She shaves clean for me.

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Originally Posted by Yoshi

She shaves clean for me.

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I only use the back door :o

the part she doesn't shave?
yuck.

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Originally Posted by Changeling

You really should just sell those before they're all put on digital download services. Esp. Ogre Battle 64. You may find someone that doesn't know its out on the Wii .

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I keep seeing things like this thrown around, but digital rereleases don't affect resale value of the originals that much in my experience. I've checked the value of a few of my older and more valuable games some time after they hit VC or XBLA and they haven't really fluctuated much at all.

If you think about it, the people who just want to play these games have had free emulation as an option at their disposal for years, so it doesn't really make sense that a pay-for emulation service would cut into the value of these games any more than the illegal means already have. People who pay high prices for the carts are usually collectors who want the physical media.