Should you buy games at launch?

TBH I don't buy games at launch anymore after being F'd over by EA/Dice. My only exception has been to support Star Citizen.
 
Nope nope and nope.

Better to wait a few months until the game has been updated, Bugs fixed, Game polished and price dropped a bit.
 
I haven't paid retail on a game for years apart from maybe one per year; the last few I can remember were Forza Horizon 3, Fallout 4, Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag and Grand Theft Auto V.

All the other games I've bought in that time have been on deep sales; I don't ever really pay more than £15 for game and honestly with how things are going in the industry I likely won't buy a launch title ever again. I've got a huge back-catalogue to play as it is!

One of the benefits of hating multiplayer I guess; I don't need the latest games to keep up with a playerbase.
 
Also take into account if you wait long enough, you can get a game of the year or ultimate edition with all DLC for pennies on the dollar. It might take a year, but you save a ton over people that bought it at launch, and then paid for all the DLC.
 
I only buy games at launch now if I feel really compelled to and will actually play it at launch otherwise I wait for prices to drop or as BDK said, get a GoTY or Ultimate Edition instead.
 
A gaming experience can be ruined if it doesn't work as you had hoped for. Buying at launch increases that risk. If games were €60 out of the gate and guaranteed to be fully functional, I'd buy more new releases. But until studios can release a quality product and not use me as a tester, I'll wait for sale prices before purchasing.
 
I would order any Fallout game a year before its launch. I really would, stupidity and all.

Anything else? GTF basically. Wait for reviews and then the truth (from your mates, forumites etc)
 
AlienALX said:
I would order any Fallout game a year before its launch. I really would, stupidity and all.

Anything else? GTF basically. Wait for reviews and then the truth (from your mates, forumites etc)
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Me too! FO4 was the only game I ever waited in line for, on a cold evening at about 11PM, and took the following 2 days off work to play. The hook is deep with that franchise!
 
Waiting can also really help with some games that are either broken or secretly terrible at launch like Batman: Arkham Knight and No Mans Sky. All we want are good, working games that are worth our money.
 
I haven't paid full price in so long. Except Warhammer 2 but I had no choice.

I think you should buy the games you want at launch if you're a fan. This is the first time new games are discounted. I don't ever remember new games being discounted. So imo this argument is moot until next year we see if it happens again.
 
When the people who pre-order or buy on release day get the worst experience of the game, why the hell would I pay more for it? They should follow the early access model and increase the price once the bugs are fixed and the game is content complete if they want to make money. Or just release later and finish the game.
 
Bartacus said:
Me too! FO4 was the only game I ever waited in line for, on a cold evening at about 11PM, and took the following 2 days off work to play. The hook is deep with that franchise!
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I bought Fallout 3 about two months after it came out. Just the regular version. In fact, no, I stole it at first as I wasn't sure I would like it. I then bought the Vault Tec edition with the bobblehead and lunchbox, then I bought the brotherhood of steel statue edition, then the PC version (the lunchbox was PS3) and then the GOTY.

I pre ordered New Vegas about six months before it came out and pre ordered the pip boy edition of FO4.

I have so many collectables for that stuff it's crazy man. Masks, massive 5ft tall launch display for New Vegas (Game USA only) and so on. One day (lmao been saying this for about four years !) I will get some shelves up and put it all out on display.

I liked FO4. It was a good game. Just not a life changing game like FO3 was. Still, I have witnessed the best (Mario 64, Half Life 1&2 and all of the Fallouts) so hey, wouldn't be a bad lot :)
 
NeverBackDown said:
I haven't paid full price in so long. Except Warhammer 2 but I had no choice.

I think you should buy the games you want at launch if you're a fan. This is the first time new games are discounted. I don't ever remember new games being discounted. So imo this argument is moot until next year we see if it happens again.
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I remember Civ V getting discounted and the outcry by those who paid full price only 2 week earlier, and getting Civ IV for free, though chances are those who complained already owned Civ IV
 
Depends if it falls into my "Quality Series" List.

If its Halo related then I WILL have it on the first day of release....and its usually the best version of it. ( With the statues and such )

If its Forza Horizon ( has to be Horizon....not the boring Motorsport series ) then again....first day it's in my hands no matter what....and I always buy it for Xbox so that I can play with my XBL buddies.

On the Playstation side the only good series to me is the InFamous games. Lots of fun. Everything else I just borrow from friends.

As for PC games.....well I am not really a PC gamer so when Halo comes out for the PC then you can bet your balls that I will be on that as well.

I will support first day purchases but only if I support the series and that's it.
 
I've been gaming since the early 80's and I can remember the 3 games I bought on launch day... Final Doom, Doom 3 and Mass Effect 3. It ain't something I do often. Dead Space 3 was a week 1 buy. Other than that I generally wait a little while for reviews.

Nowadays with instant reviews I think it makes much more sense to find out if the game sucks before dropping $60 on it.
 
I don't see the point in buying single player games on release, unless it's something I'm a huge fan of. Maybe I'm blind but to me PC games have looked fine graphically for half a decade now, and older releases are easier to run and patched.

Multiplayer is somewhat more complicated, I mainly play with a group a friends so sometimes I have to bite the bullet and invest in new games. Can't say that Overwatch, for example, was a disappointment though.
 
Only ever pre purchased 2 games. They were TES Skyrim (on DVD) and the witcher 3.

Everything else will have been bought at a discount.
 
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