Why bother renting, WHEN YOU CAN BUY!

While today in the midst of taking down the newspapers to the recycling depot, I made my way to Blockbuster to check out what they have and the movies I've missed for the past 6 months of so, of not going to any movies showing in theatres.

I went across to the gaming aisle, or perhaps I should say, what gaming aisle. Most of the stock they had there were Gran Turismo 3s, a few GTAs, some Ford Racing, Final Fantasy X, Dark Cloud 1, and some miscellaneous sports titles of little mention. I've known that the gaming market has moved to basically buying the games rather than renting and then buying. Thinking back now, perhaps the last time that a game was ever rented would probably be close to 10 years. This was when I still had the Super Nintendo and would sometimes rent out games occassionally. In total, I only had 4 games which I owned: Super Mario Bros, Mario Paint, Star Fox, and Super FX Racer. Why so little games? Another old friend of mine had also an SNES and had an abundant number of games to play, so needless to say I was mostly at his house playing them.

I'm guessing it has been like this with the growing popularity of the internet back probably 1998-2000 and has sprung up numerous gaming related websites that does the reviewing job. Of course, prior to this, gaming magazines were available such as PC Gamer and Nintendo Power and the likes. However, with their subscription fees, I was quite reluctant to actually pay the $20 or so for the yearly subscription, especially when $20 actually meant a lot of money to me back in junior high grade school.

Also, I remember seeing a copy of Street Fighter 2 Turbo selling for $109.99 in London Drugs probably in 1994. Buying games back then wasn’t exactly cheap, and I would say the mean age of gamers would be about 10 years old with a standard deviation of 3 years. Now that the gaming population has grown up, I’d say that the games aren’t always cheaper than their predecessors, but the means of acquiring funds is more readily available due to part time jobs and the like. Basically now, my decision on getting a game (as I'm guessing with a lot of other gamers now) is just reading the reviews of various sites, playing copies at friends houses if they have it, and looking forward to put the money that would be on buying the game rather than renting it.

In this thread, discuss if you still do rent console games and if renting games will eventually become obsolete perhaps in a few years time (I think it's already pretty obsolete just looking at the barren shelves of various video stores).

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I can't even remember the last time I rented a game, if ever. Usually if I see a game I think I might enjoy, I check out reviews first or ask friends about it. And if those check out, then I might buy it.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Can't remember exactly when, but the last game I rented was Radiata Stories. It was enjoyable enough for me to want to actually buy it so I did (The place I rent from had a nice selection but are due back then next day before 6pm.).

Money is tight so I don't have enough to actually go out and buy games on the off chance that it might not keep me entertained. I don't rely on reviews either because I can enjoy a game that received less than attractive ratings and vice versa. So I'd rather test drive it for myself before I buy it. Or borrow it from someone.

These days, I rarely purchase a brand new game. Nothing wrong with used.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

The last game I actually rented was super mario RPG years ago. I would much rather buy games than rent them because you can do whatever you want with the game once you have it. I was pissed because the Mario RPG game that i've been renting over and over in my local video rental store was sold for $4 to some dumbass kid... I wanted it

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

I never rent games anymore, and even when I did I never bought them. Every game I ever rented I either beat or didn't care enough to buy. But this was back in the PSX days, as this was the only time I ever rented games (I never rented any before or after I had a Playstation, only while I had one).

But nowadays, you can get some games for so cheap (I've bought brand new sealed games for $4) that there is no purpose for renting. I'm surprised that even online renting places like Gamefly even get business, as it doesn't seem like as lucrative a business venture anymore as it once did.

I was speaking idiomatically.

The last game I rented was Resident Evil for PSX when the game first came out. I ended up finishing the game during the rental period, but eventually owned it later.

Not all people can afford a game to own, so I think renting will still be available even when the new consoles are released.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

If you have a modchip, renting is much cheaper. Get yourself a Gamefly subscription, rent out a bunch of games, copy them, ship them back. Rince and repeat.

However if it's a game I really really want or enjoy(ed), I will buy it.

FELIPE NO

I don't rent much anymore...Only for games I'm extremely curious yet cautious about. I tend to make fairly good decisions when it comes to buying games -I've probably bought 15 games this year and only 1 I regret and another was one I knew wasn't great, but had put off playing for awhile- and even bad ones, I rarely pay top dollar for (the game I regretted was "Lost Magic" on DS and the "necessary evil" was Suikoden IV, which was only $17). Hardly seems worth dropping $7 for a weekly rental at Blockbuster every weekend anymore and no place offers a better deal around where I am (the days of $2-3 for 3-4 days seem long gone).

I don't think renting will become obsolete...Paying $7 for a trial run is better than $50 for something I'd try to ditch ASAP anyway. But on the same hand, I don't think it will be as popular as it was in the past. Then again, I'm not a kid who has to have my parents buy me games anymore and needs to rent often, so I could be wrong.

Most amazing jew boots

I almost never rent anymore. Often i'll research a game first, then go and buy it if it looks good enough. If i'm not sure enough, then there's a chance i might go and rent it. Video Stores also have prescious little material that interests me anymore. It's hard to find the stuff i want at an EB let alone a Roger's Video.

I think the days of renting games are numbered. Nintendo is a good sign of this. The virtual console in the works down in Nintendo's studio will undoubtedly lead to the development of a game on demand system, much like movies on demand on many TV providers nowadays.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Thinking about it now on reflection, I'm going to preorder FFXII without any regards to the American reviews, partially because from my experience, most reviews are out on the same day or a day after the release date. By this time I would have ripped off the shrink wrap and pretty much jammed the damn thing into the PS2, ripped off (carefully) the wrapping for the walkthrough guide and probably not even look at the reviews until getting to the first save point. I can see it now...October 3, 2006 (date not confirmed from Lik Sang). Well there are reviews for the Japan version, and I wouldn't expect the US version to be that much different, languages aside.

In summary, I should have checked off the "Buy out of hype" column as well. However only a few games would fall in this category. See above paragraph for an example.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

The last thing I can remember attempting to rent was Bust A Groove 2 for the PS2, I believe.

I never rent games anymore because:
1) I just read the worst reviews and make decisions off of those.
2) If a game was hot, and I was personally hyped about it, I would buy it immediately.
3) $10 for three days feels wasteful to me.
4) You eventually have to go back to the store to return the game.
5) I lose interest in ever buying the game, no matter how much I like it. This is simply because "I rented it", therefore I played it, therefore I'm already a little knowledgeable, therefore no need to buy it.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

I haven't rented a game for a long time. The last game I rented was...Beavis & Butthead for SNES when it was relatively new because I wanted to see how it was different from the Genesis game. There are only a few franchises that I will buy new games for, the rest of the time I buy used games.

I guess I just don't rent games because I don't like having time limits on my play time (and because I'm simply too lazy to become a member of so-and-so retail store). I'd rather just buy it and have it and leave it at that. There aren't many games I've bought and totally regretted, only one I can think of right now is Mafia for PS2 (hated it. so much). So I sold that crap and made some of my money back. Any other games I sold (like Harry Potter games) are games I got for dirt cheap to begin with. Probably would've been a perfect rental situation but my way was cheaper..

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

I do all of the above, so I checked all four poll options.

For me, it really depends on what the game is. If it's a game I'm sure I'll like (Zelda, Metroid, etc...) I'll just flat out buy it.

If it's something I'm interested in, but I'm not sure if I'll like it in the end, then I'll read about it, look at screenshots and download videos. I've picked up good games and avoided crappy games this way.

I can't say I rent games that much. Sometimes if I'm not sure if I should buy the game, even after reading it and such, I'll rent it and try it out.

For the brief time my Crap(Play)Station2 worked, I rented and copied one game since I own Swap Magic and modified my system to swap discs without pressing the eject button. Once I get it working again, then I'll rent and copy more games.

My local Blockbuster's video game section isn't very barren. It's still got a decent selection, but I agree that people haven't been renting as many games as usual. I do believe renting games will decrease but I don't think it will become obsolete. And Devo's got a point. If game prices are going to go up, that might cause people to go against the grain and start renting more.

I was speaking idiomatically.

The only times I've rented since.. the N64 days (seven hundred years ago) have been with free rental coupons. Eight bucks a night? Even for games that cost thirty bucks brand new? Awesome. What's that? You're going to laminate the discs and slap giant thick video shop stickers on top so it gets caught in my PS2's drive? That's great. Well done Blockbuster. Oh hey, you're only going to support PS2? So I can't rent GameCube games? And the Xbox section, combined with the Xbox 360 section only has four million copies of Halo? But you've still got PSone games sitting around growing mould? Eight bucks a night for some of those too? After all these years? Brilliant move!

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

I rent from GameFly exclusively now. GameFly is great because I never have to worry about returning it during any specific time period, and because they're much more likely to have any given game in stock than my local Nutbuster store. I really don't rent all that often, because most of the time I know whether or not I want a particular game and I'll buy it regardless. Right now I'm renting a bit more than usual because of the fact that I'm SO DEEP IN DEBT still to my mom after my TV. ;_;

FELIPE NO

Geeze, some of the prices you guys are mentioning are pretty obscene compared to the ones around me. $5 a week is pretty amazing up against $8 a day.

Summonmaster: where in Canada are you renting from for $10 for 3 days?

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

I've never rented a game. I guess it is a good way to try out a game for yourself, but i just read the reviews and find out as much information as i can before i buy. Mind you, i don't buy half as many games as i used to.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Back when I had N64, I would regularly rent games. Rather, it was more like trying out pre-played games. The store would let us purchase pre-played games and try them out. If we liked it, we kept it. If not, we were allowed to return it. This was pretty nice, since you got all your money back if you decided that you didn't like the game.

Since then, I've never rented a single game. If I'm interested in a game, I'll read reviews and try to borrow a copy from a friend before purchasing it. I rarely buy games based on what others think, as everyone has different tastes.

I think the only games I ever bought on a whim at regular price was Arcanum, simply because I had a $20 gift card that had been sitting around for ages, and Pokemon Stadium because I thought that it would be fun. I was happy with Arcanum, but Pokemon Stadium was a great waste of $56. Upon further investigation, I have discovered that I had also goten Wetrix and Flying Dragon for N64 without knowing whether they were good or not. They actually turned out to be pretty good!

There's nowhere I can't reach.

How about an option I just buy games I like, eh?

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Either option 3 or 4. I guess "liking a game" and "hype over it" could be mutually exclusive, hey.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Okay, uh.

For PS2:

- Download the game, and try it out. My PS2 library consists mostly of japanese games, which won't be at rental stores. If I like it enough, I'll import it, or I'll pick it up if I see it floating around cheap.

For xbox:

- Rent, and download. Buying xbox titles from stores? Absurd. I have roughly around 13 xbox (unplayed) xbox titles at the moment. It's more or less used for SNES, NES and MAME emulation. But I've only ever seen a couple of games that I'd buy. Too bad Panzer Dragoon Orta is overpriced.

For Gamecube:

- Gamecube has been completely phased out in New Zealand. No rental stores have them, and gaming stores have little stock. I basically either need to import, pick them up used, or go without. Which sucks.

I'm basically a pirate. But I'm the type who actually will make the effort to import something I like or liked.

I was speaking idiomatically.

@Helloween: I stopped renting before the place was converted into Blockbuster and the prices were upped, but yeah, Blobkbuster is pretty much $10 for 3 days now

There is a place just 1.5 blocks away (have to pass the highway though) that I frequent to buy games, that rents them out for $2 a day, but I'll have to wait for about a month before I can charge rentals to myself. I might get back into renting stuff once my birthday comes about, but I'll probably end up just keeping the rented copy with that feature where if you like it, you just pay the replacement price to keep it anyways.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

I haven't rented a game since I was a kid with no job. Now, I just make a judgement call and buy. I haven't had any buyers remorse, ever.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by Sir VG

If you have a modchip, renting is much cheaper. Get yourself a Gamefly subscription, rent out a bunch of games, copy them, ship them back. Rince and repeat.

You're old enough to have a steady job you sack of shit.

For God's sake. Unless you have a valid excuse (I'm poor, they don't release whatever games in my region, etc), there is no reason to be a flaming cockwad this much.

Oh well, I'm getting off my high horse.

I buy anything I'm remotely interested in at first glace. I only rent if I can't find something for sale around here (Wild Arms Alter Code F) or I honestly can't tell how much I'd enjoy it beforehand. (Ridge Racer 6). Most of the time I just flat out purchase it.

To all the Canadians: Renting for shitbuster is a complete waste now that GameAccess is around. It's basically Canadian Gamefly and it's fucking superb.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Last game I rented was Alien Hominid for my 'Cube. It was definately purely a renter, and after that, I was all buying on a whim

Jam it back in, in the dark.