A little advice on spending $60

[coastercrazy10]

Catherine. I'm buying my copy as soon as I get all my move-in expenses covered and it's an unbelievably unique game so I'd recommend getting it ASAP if you're interested at all. Skyrim and FFXIII-2 will be on Amazon new for a long time but Catherine, like Hyperdimension Neptunia for example, will be sold out within a month or two and unlikely to be restocked, and how many copies of Catherine do you think you'll see floating around Game$top in the next few years?

-Ben

[noiseredux]

Catherine. (see Catherine thread for more details)

[Anayo]

MrEco:

If I were in your position I'd buy Skyrim. I bought Fallout 3 GOTY on a digital distribution sale lately and Bethesda's awesome work is still fresh in my mind. Those guys rock and I really want to keep up with what they're doing in the future. I wouldn't get Catherine cause it's too kinky for me and I wouldn't get Final Fantasy whatever since I've yet to find a post 1995 square enix game that appealed to me.

But that's just my tastes. I hope they're similar enough to yours to be of use.

[dsheinem]

You could wait a year for the inevitable Skyrim GOTY edition with all the DLC bundled...

[isiolia]

I'd say Catherine as well. Not necessarily due to the merits of the game itself (which seems good, I'll be getting it soon enough myself), but more due to what others already said. It's the kind of game that may not see another printing and could well wind up being relatively hard to find.

Skyrim and XIII-2 you can pretty well rest assured will have huge initial prints. Will be Greatest/Platinum/etc Hits. If past Bethesda games are any indication, Skyrim will have a GoTY or similar edition out at some point as well. You'll probably be able to snag them for $30-40 within a month or two of release if you watch for sales.

'course, not everything Atlus has published winds up being super rare. Demon's Souls is readily available for example. Catherine just has the potential to be.

[swiftzx]

I'd say go with Skyrim. You already said you liked fallout and don't know what to expect from Catherine, so why risk it? Might as well go with something you know.

[The Last Horseman]

I'd suggest Skyrim. I haven't played the other two, but I know that I loved Oblivion, despite it's problems. And judging by the new engine, and the previews I have seen, this game is a hundred fold better. I also have yet to play New Vegas, but I know that Fallout 3 was a great game, and had the ability to keep me entertained and bring emotions out in me. Mainly depression at the state of things, but that is beside the point.

[Opa Opa]

You could wait a year for the inevitable Skyrim GOTY edition with all the DLC bundled...

Wait a year and you could get all of them for $60. (Slight exaggeration)
---

Catherine- get it if you like the social stuff in Persona and want a good, over-the-top puzzle game.

Skyrim- Looks like a good fantasy-filled adventure. But that GOTY edition is inevitable.

FF XIII-2??- I think what you meant to say is Final Fantasy IV The Complete Collection. In which case you should get it.
---

Conversely, you could buy about 5 to 8 brand new Dreamcast games and still have money left over.

[Gamerforlife]

I purchase games new based on a simple principle: I ask myself "Will I ever see another game like this released in my territory again?" The smaller the probability that I work out, the more likely it is that I will buy the game (obviously, I would also have to be interested in the game as well, but that goes without saying). There will always be more Elder Scrolls and Final Fantasies, and retro games will never leave us. Also, buying retro games means that the developer isn't getting supported anymore by sales of that game, sadly. Catherine, however, is something completely new, fresh, and original. You've never seen anything like it, and we are unlikely to ever see anything like it again. That, along with it being a very enjoyable experience from what I played in the demo, is why I bought it.

The point is that buying Catherine is going to ensure that developers take chances more often with riskier and more innovative titles. Right now, the industry is stuck in a cycle of monotonous, cookie-cutter, safe and conservative games that keep games stuck firmly in a rut. By buying Catherine, you are not only getting an excellent game, but you are becoming part of one of the most promising efforts in recent memory to shake the industry up and make some waves. It won't save the industry, but it will encourage game developers to try something that is actually new. THAT is the biggest reason why you should buy Catherine.

Even more interesting is that people have been complaining that Japanese games in particular have stagnated and Catherine is even more impressive to me because of that. Actually, having had a taste of Catherine, 3D Dot Gamer Heroes and Shadows of the Damned I am definitely convinced now that Japan still has a lot to offer

Anyway, I do feel better purchasing stuff like Catherine or Shadows of the Damned or Deathsmiles or any other niche title because when you get right down to it, the Elder Scrolls franchise doesn't need your money. Neither does any other big IP or franchise. The niche titles do, so if I can, I like to prioritize picking those up before I look at the bigger stuff.

[lisalover1]

I purchase games new based on a simple principle: I ask myself "Will I ever see another game like this released in my territory again?" The smaller the probability that I work out, the more likely it is that I will buy the game (obviously, I would also have to be interested in the game as well, but that goes without saying). There will always be more Elder Scrolls and Final Fantasies, and retro games will never leave us. Also, buying retro games means that the developer isn't getting supported anymore by sales of that game, sadly. Catherine, however, is something completely new, fresh, and original. You've never seen anything like it, and we are unlikely to ever see anything like it again. That, along with it being a very enjoyable experience from what I played in the demo, is why I bought it.

The point is that buying Catherine is going to ensure that developers take chances more often with riskier and more innovative titles. Right now, the industry is stuck in a cycle of monotonous, cookie-cutter, safe and conservative games that keep games stuck firmly in a rut. By buying Catherine, you are not only getting an excellent game, but you are becoming part of one of the most promising efforts in recent memory to shake the industry up and make some waves. It won't save the industry, but it will encourage game developers to try something that is actually new. THAT is the biggest reason why you should buy Catherine.

Even more interesting is that people have been complaining that Japanese games in particular have stagnated and Catherine is even more impressive to me because of that. Actually, having had a taste of Catherine, 3D Dot Gamer Heroes and Shadows of the Damned I am definitely convinced now that Japan still has a lot to offer

Anyway, I do feel better purchasing stuff like Catherine or Shadows of the Damned or Deathsmiles or any other niche title because when you get right down to it, the Elder Scrolls franchise doesn't need your money. Neither does any other big IP or franchise. The niche titles do, so if I can, I like to prioritize picking those up before I look at the bigger stuff.

Exactly. A single gamer's purchase is hardly even a drop in the bucket for a title like that, because everyone expects it to sell an obscene number of units. With niche titles like the ones you mentioned, your purchase actually means something.