How do you choose your games?

[WildSpirit]

Sometimes I like to go deeper and do a little research about the development of the game or the company who made it.

I also do this sometimes, but only when I am extremely interested in the game (I mean... really! :smirk, because I like to know everything, every aspect... Even the smallest details. :smiley:

 

[PenguinManiac]

Well, there goes my plans for a virtual reality setup. I dunno, it's the delayed effect when you move your character. Your brain expects instant motion the moment you press the keys, but sometimes the camera is too slow or will twist around, and that makes me incredibly dizzy. I finished Firewatch and it was great. Not a lot of action; just exploration and suspense.

Oh, I get what you're talking about, that makes me feel kind of sick, too (although not sick enough to have to take pauses or to stop playing altogether). As for VR, what I understood is that some models (such as the first Oculus Rift) had that same delay you're talking about, but its effect is even amplified: you're actually moving your head, so not getting an immediate response makes the body feel disoriented. It's similar to what happens with car sickness. However, motion feedback has got much better with development, so don't scrap that virtual reality setup idea just yet, haha.
Firewatch is gem in its genre, yeah, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Diving into a game's narrative is a nice change from the usual action-packed gaming routine.

 

[OursIsTheFury]

Oh, I get what you're talking about, that makes me feel kind of sick, too (although not sick enough to have to take pauses or to stop playing altogether). As for VR, what I understood is that some models (such as the first Oculus Rift) had that same delay you're talking about, but its effect is even amplified: you're actually moving your head, so not getting an immediate response makes the body feel disoriented. It's similar to what happens with car sickness. However, motion feedback has got much better with development, so don't scrap that virtual reality setup idea just yet, haha.
Firewatch is gem in its genre, yeah, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Diving into a game's narrative is a nice change from the usual action-packed gaming routine.

I was expecting zombies, crazy serial killers, or maybe aliens even. Was pleasantly surprised about the game and that there's no timed quests or anything. It's just exploration and hiking, while enjoying nature altogether. Pretty fun play time for around 5 hours or so. I'm looking at other games similar to it but so far nothing exactly the same; some horror games but it involves enemies that you have to actively fight or evade.

 

[PenguinManiac]

I was expecting zombies, crazy serial killers, or maybe aliens even. Was pleasantly surprised about the game and that there's no timed quests or anything. It's just exploration and hiking, while enjoying nature altogether. Pretty fun play time for around 5 hours or so. I'm looking at other games similar to it but so far nothing exactly the same; some horror games but it involves enemies that you have to actively fight or evade.

The game looks so laid-back it's unsettling. It is pretty short, but it's surely worth the experience.
There aren't many other games with a similar atmosphere AND similar gameplay, I'm afraid. The Stanley Parable is pretty close in terms of player engagement, there's no active fighting or anything, just a walking simulator with hilarious narrative. The same team also produced A Beginner's Guide, which looks pretty close. You walk quite a lot in The Witness, but it has a plethora of puzzles, so I guess it's closer to The Talos Principle than Firewatch, but they both have a deep focus on philosophical matters, or so I've heard. If you have a PS3, I guess Beyond: Two Souls and Heavy Rain are just as narrative-driven as them, but I wouldn't call them relaxing.

 

[Eliza]

I am cheap, so when I pick out games, the first thing I do is go to the bookstore where they sell used games. I check to see what they have on sale and if I see something that I like, I get it. I also will look at the used games at Game Stop also. However, if I see a commercial for a game that I really want, I'll buy a new version if a used one isn't available.

 

[TheArticulate]

I'll generally watch a couple gameplay videos and read what others have to say about the game. If my friends have played the game, I'll talk to them about their experiences to gauge if it's something that would be worth my time and money. I'll also keep an eye on some of my favorite developers like Bethesda and just assume that I'll enjoy what they produce on some level. I don't spend as much time playing games as I used to, so making sure I'm paying for something I'll actually enjoy and play is very important to me.

 

[Zyni]

I know I would get bored with shooters. Too repetitive for me (and I also get motion sickness).

I like the more immersive style of game with a good story and some fantasy elements. I guess that's what makes MMORPGs so attractive. That, and the fact that you can play and socialize with others. The latter also means that the game has to have a decent community.

Price is a factor as well. I don't want to "make an investment" to play a game.

Overall, the most important thing to me though is whether or not the game is fun. That is the point of playing.

 

[Maxthewriter]

Firstly, I ask the question: what genre is the game? It has to be of the genre I'm inclined to at that particular period of time, as my interest changes from time to time. However, it has generally revolved mostly within sport games.

Secondly, I check out or seek the reviews which the game has got. I don't go for anything less than a 4.O on a scale of 5. Reviews makes me rest assured of a nice playing time if I purchase the game in question.

Lastly, for hardware, I check out its specs, quality, durability, etc. For instance, I wouldn't go for something which I perceive, if purchased, wouldn't last up to a month before getting thrown in the thrash can.

 

[JaiGuru]

At 35 I'm near the upper end of your typical gamer age bracket. I simply don't have the same time resources to invest in the hobby the way I once did. Because of that, it's really important that when I purchase a game that it be high quality and well tailored to my interests. We all know the pain of paying $60 for a bad game, but it takes on an increased significance when it's also wasting what little recreational time you have available to you on top of the financial hit.

Because of this, I rely on user reviews very heavily. I have a few key people who I follow across a few different websites that have pretty similar interests to mine and I always consult their content before I purchase to see what they thought. I am very wary of professional gaming media at this point as the amount of pay for play and strange socio-political engineering that has gone on in recent years is a huge turn off to me.

Beyond that, obviously if I have a friend who has the game I try to see if they'll let me try it out for a few hours to see if it resonates with me. I also am not afraid to wait for a price drop anymore where as in younger years I was a day one pre-orderer on anything that looked good to me. Patience has its trials and rewards.

It's kind of funny that for a person with so little recreational time to begin with I spend an inordinate amount of time vetting my potential purchases. But despite that, I almost never end up with a dud anymore so that feeling of regretting a purchase has become foreign to me.

 

[clinkguts]

Well for me, first and foremost I watch the gameplay and trailer and then I see if it develops a sense of exhilaration in me. If it does, then only I consider any other factors like ratings and feedback etc.I do give high priority to a game if, I can play it online or with friends.

 

[OursIsTheFury]

The game looks so laid-back it's unsettling. It is pretty short, but it's surely worth the experience.
There aren't many other games with a similar atmosphere AND similar gameplay, I'm afraid. The Stanley Parable is pretty close in terms of player engagement, there's no active fighting or anything, just a walking simulator with hilarious narrative. The same team also produced A Beginner's Guide, which looks pretty close. You walk quite a lot in The Witness, but it has a plethora of puzzles, so I guess it's closer to The Talos Principle than Firewatch, but they both have a deep focus on philosophical matters, or so I've heard. If you have a PS3, I guess Beyond: Two Souls and Heavy Rain are just as narrative-driven as them, but I wouldn't call them relaxing.

Firewatch's surroundings were great, but I can't help but compare it to Skyrim's environment since I did a lot of walking on both. Can't really appreciate Firewatch (when it's pretty good in its own right) when you compare walking through mountains and grassy plains in Skyrim. The graphics weren't there for me and it looked pretty cartoonish.

 

[PenguinManiac]

Firewatch's surroundings were great, but I can't help but compare it to Skyrim's environment since I did a lot of walking on both. Can't really appreciate Firewatch (when it's pretty good in its own right) when you compare walking through mountains and grassy plains in Skyrim. The graphics weren't there for me and it looked pretty cartoonish.

Yeah, you really can't compare the two. However, I'm not sure a realistic environment would have suited Firewatch much. From what I've seen (even from promotion art), a lot of the game's outer charm comes from the color palette: orange, blue and green all blend together to make up magnificent sceneries and views. The cartoonish style makes it possible for said color palette to be implemented into the scenery in a plausible way: a more realistic appearance wouldn't have given off quite the same vibe, in my opinion. Maybe I'm just looking into it a bit too much, but I strongly believe in the power colors have on our mood.

 

[Clara1993]

The few factors I consider while choosing a game are: Reviews first of all I search for reviews from other gamers I look for what they say about that game and sometimes I PM them for more informations Then When the informationsthey give me fit my expectations I go for it and buy it, The second thing I do is I always choose in similar niches soThere is always something better than the last update.

 

[m33kuh]

There are quite a lot of things to consider when choosing a game. Mine would be the number of players, available regions, the latency on my region to the host, the possibility of having a Pay to Win system, and also if it's vulnerable to cheats and dDoS attacks. Not to forget also the bugs and fixes.

 

[Fuzyon]

I think I'll try that next then. Steam sale ends in like 2 hours lol so I probably won't get the next episodes for a discount until November, so it will be a while. I'll play a bit and think about it, then get a last minute purchase if I like it. I just finished Firewatch and it was okay. Second half of the game felt pretty rushed though.

The next episodes will be on sale in the future definitely, they sell like hot cakes when they're discounted. If I were you I'd just buy the rest of the episodes from G2A, you won't spend more than $5 for what's left I reckon.

 

[OursIsTheFury]

Yeah, you really can't compare the two. However, I'm not sure a realistic environment would have suited Firewatch much. From what I've seen (even from promotion art), a lot of the game's outer charm comes from the color palette: orange, blue and green all blend together to make up magnificent sceneries and views. The cartoonish style makes it possible for said color palette to be implemented into the scenery in a plausible way: a more realistic appearance wouldn't have given off quite the same vibe, in my opinion. Maybe I'm just looking into it a bit too much, but I strongly believe in the power colors have on our mood.

True. I did enjoy the color pattern of the game. The night scenes could have been better if it were darker though. It was more of a dark blue instead of black when you were literally miles from the nearest city and you're surrounded by trees. It should have been more dark to make the paranoia and fear a lot more convincing, but hey, I'm just nitpicking at this point. Great game, terrible finish.

 

[BeardedMamba]

Gameplay and graphics should interest me, then I'll watch a few gameplay footage, read reviews, if the game is great, then I'll buy it. But usually it's FPS, Sports and RPG games that gets my attention.

 

[OursIsTheFury]

Gameplay and graphics should interest me, then I'll watch a few gameplay footage, read reviews, if the game is great, then I'll buy it. But usually it's FPS, Sports and RPG games that gets my attention.

Lots of games lie on their trailers though. It's been that way since the dawn of time. People get hyped up, people buy the game, game doesn't live up to the hype, but it doesn't matter because they already got your money. You'd think with refund systems with games they'd try to be more truthful with what their product can offer, but no.

 

[PenguinManiac]

True. I did enjoy the color pattern of the game. The night scenes could have been better if it were darker though. It was more of a dark blue instead of black when you were literally miles from the nearest city and you're surrounded by trees. It should have been more dark to make the paranoia and fear a lot more convincing, but hey, I'm just nitpicking at this point. Great game, terrible finish.

Games with vibrant colors tend to steer away from white and black as much as possible (e.g. Wind Waker), but they could have blent them with darker shades to achieve that effect, yeah. Okami did this quite wonderfully, I'd say, and I'm not even considering the thick black borders.
The ending is disappointing when related to the whole build-up, I know. I guess the developers just wanted to tell the tale of an ordinary man in an apparently extraordinary experience, who is later brought back to reality. The ending is consistent with the game's themes, but not with its plot.

 

[OursIsTheFury]

Games with vibrant colors tend to steer away from white and black as much as possible (e.g. Wind Waker), but they could have blent them with darker shades to achieve that effect, yeah. Okami did this quite wonderfully, I'd say, and I'm not even considering the thick black borders.
The ending is disappointing when related to the whole build-up, I know. I guess the developers just wanted to tell the tale of an ordinary man in an apparently extraordinary experience, who is later brought back to reality. The ending is consistent with the game's themes, but not with its plot.

Yup, I broke into some researcher's tent and inadvertently caused their entire research to burn down because some mountain guy wants to create a conspiracy to distract me from whatever I was doing. And... he got away with it, nothing got solved, the body would probably just get burned up by the forest fire. Nothing closed, all plots ended with a bail out explanation, and... roll credits.