End-Gen Games: To Buy or Not To Buy

[dsheinem]

If someone approached me and wanted to know if I was interested in seeing all the Steam games they had downloaded over the years, I would consider them gamers, not collectors.

And that would be a false pretense, for the reasons I explained (whether you "see" it or not). Most Steam users are probably not active "collectors," sure - but some are. By the same token, just because I have a friend who picks up NES games at the local thrift store from time to time and prefers boxed copies when she finds them, it doesn't make her a "collector" by your definition. The term is pretty fluid, to be honest, and a hard and fast definition of a "true collector" creates an unnecessary hierarchy between people with potentially similar passions and interests.

[AppleQueso]

I buy physical games at the push of a button all the time.

[Retrogamer0001]

If someone approached me and wanted to know if I was interested in seeing all the Steam games they had downloaded over the years, I would consider them gamers, not collectors.

And that would be a false pretense, for the reasons I explained (whether you "see" it or not). Most Steam users are probably not active "collectors," sure - but some are. By the same token, just because I have a friend who picks up NES games at the local thrift store from time to time and prefers boxed copies when she finds them, it doesn't make her a "collector" by your definition. The term is pretty fluid, to be honest, and a hard and fast definition of a "true collector" creates an unnecessary hierarchy between people with potentially similar passions and interests.

Well, let's just agree to disagree

[Retrogamer0001]

I buy physical games at the push of a button all the time.

Buying physical games from Ebay and downloading them from a server are obviously different

[AppleQueso]

I buy physical games at the push of a button all the time.

Buying physical games from Ebay and downloading them from a server are obviously different

What about buying phsyical games from Amazon?

[Retrogamer0001]

I buy physical games at the push of a button all the time.

Buying physical games from Ebay and downloading them from a server are obviously different

What about buying phsyical games from Amazon?

For me, the entire argument is based on physical vs digital, so it doesn't matter where you buy your physical stuff. It doesn't matter, and it's kind of a stupid, pointless thing to argue about anyway.

[Damm64]

So now I try to keep up with pre-order digital bonuses, de-listed games, and DLC for the games that appeal to me. I had to actually hit up ebay just to get a pre order code for Lollipop Chainsaw's pre-order outfits since I loved the game so much and really wanted the Ash outfit. r

Wait what? That's a THING?! THE and i really mean THE moment i saw the first trailer of lollipop chainsaw i though "wow it would be really cool if they made ash unlockable or at least a alternative costume"... and they actually did it?! That's why i hate pre-order DLC... screw it i'll buy the code on ebay too

The other costumes look neat too.

[Zing]

Considering that the publishers retain ownership and can (and have) revoke entire digital "collections", digital software "owners" are simply renting for an indefinite time. I think it takes a bit of mental gymnastics to convince yourself that a list of steam games is a collection.

[Gamerforlife]

So now I try to keep up with pre-order digital bonuses, de-listed games, and DLC for the games that appeal to me. I had to actually hit up ebay just to get a pre order code for Lollipop Chainsaw's pre-order outfits since I loved the game so much and really wanted the Ash outfit. r

Wait what? That's a THING?! THE and i really mean THE moment i saw the first trailer of lollipop chainsaw i though "wow it would be really cool if they made ash unlockable or at least a alternative costume"... and they actually did it?! That's why i hate pre-order DLC... screw it i'll buy the code on ebay too

The other costumes look neat too.

[Boyward]

I could be wrong, but I wonder if Deadly Premonition: Director's Cut (PS3) will be collectible and sought after as it gains in cult status. Because of its similarities to Twin Peaks, if that cult favorite continues to gain fans on Netflix, etc then I would expect some of the new fans to come looking for this game as they find references to Deadly Premonition on the internet. The Twin Peaks connection is what drew me to this game. That's why I bought it.

Amazon doesn't even have it in stock anymore which makes me think sealed copies might not be so common anymore. Auction prices appear to be trending upward. The second most recent Ebay auction for a new copy ended at $37.99. The most recent Ebay auction for a new copy ended at $45.99, and that was the last copy from a seller who originally had 25 copies to sell.

http://videogames.pricecharting.com/gam ... ctions-new

Used CIB copies probably won't be as hard to come by, of course. I see those are selling for around $15-20 for a good, complete copy. But when I was receiving "saved search" emails from Ebay most days I didn't get any new search results. Maybe 2-3 times a week a new auction would show up, but that's it. On Ebay right now there are only 9 current auctions, and over half of those are from non-US sellers (UK, Canada, Australia, S. Korea). Is this game not as common in the US? Not sure.


If Earth Defense Force 2025 gets a physical release then I would expect it to become collectible and sought after by B-movie fans who were otherwise distracted by the next-gen stuff.