MasterofDVD

Since I've been wasting my $$ on things other than PS2 games I've been "forced" to rent games lately.

And it's saved me a ton of cash. There were a good number of games I was sure I wanted to buy but figured I'd rent till the cash flow was back to normal. And I ended up hating most of them. Now this isn't to bash games. They might of been good games if they weren't all 49.99.

The worst of the batch was Max Payne and Twisted Metal: Black. For Payne I felt like I was at the circus since I was tight rope walking so much. Then there was the one chapter where you start right in the office of the one boss and his thugs.
TM:B was another I thought would be great. I guess I didn't explain the game very well to my wife cause she thought it sounded like fun....till we got it home. I couldn't believe the fire power it took to blow up those cars.

Then I go and pick up Shadows of Destiny as a rental cause it looks like a calm game my wife woiuld like and I end up getting into it and really liking it. I think once I have the cash I'll buy it again just to see all the endings.

Normally I don't rent DVDs or games but after this rash I don't think I'll be preordering many games. Gonna try em before I buy em from now on.

Lewsiv

I completely agree. With the prices on games these days and the short time it takes to beat some games, renting is a must. Awhile ago I rented Onimusha(which is a great game)and it took me about 4-5 hours to beat. I would have hated to pay full price and then be finished in that short of time. Renting is great.

leemik

Recently, I've been buying up $5-$10 dreamcast games like there is no tommorrow...

I find myself even enjoying the DC games that suck because I don't have that sinking feeling of "damn I just blew 50 bucks"

...and some games that felt like they sucked in the beginning actually turned out pretty good once you gave them a chance.. I'm all for lowering the price of games

--mike

darkside

I rarely pay full price for a game. GTA III and Final Fantasy X are rare exceptions. With many titles I either rent, borrow from a friend, or just wait until the game is $20 or less. I picked up Metal Gear Solid 2 during the Blockbuster sale for around $23 or so. Its an okay game, but I wouldn't have paid $50 for it.

mwestep

Metal Gear Solid 2 was great... until they got near the ending with the colonel. I'm not going to ruin any spoilers or anything, but you know what I'm talking about if you got that far. Luckily, I didn't pay full price either, the great Toys R Us buy 2 get 1 free deal meant that I paid ~33 for it, which is still pretty good for a brand new game. Still havent opened Devil May Cry yet, damn GTA3 .

Kellehair

I only pay full price for new Gamecube games. All other games I wait until there's a sale and I usually end up selling those games on Ebay once I'm done. Depending on how good the sale was I can even make a few bucks on the deal. I definitely think this is a better alternative to renting.

Gallant Pig

Renting is expensive. Blockbuster and Hollywood are both $6 for 5 nights or whatever.

Josh H

True. I usually reserve renting for games that can be beaten in a 5 day rental. I pretty much never rent to try out a game as if you end up wanting it you just added $5-6 to the cost. I usually just read reviews and usually end up liking the games I buy, but for games I'm not sure on I'll buy them at EB or Gamestop where you can exchange them for something else if you don't like them.

Christo

I hate Blockbuster. I rented a GameCube and a few games awhile ago and I thought they were due back before midnight. I had no idea about the whole noon thing. I guess I wasn't paying attention and it had been a loooong time since I rented from them because they're way overpriced. Anyway, they charged me for being late but then wouldn't let me keep the system and games for that period. Now I'm dealing with their customer service to get at least some $$ back. I don't think an innocent mistake should cost me $30.

I'm done with Blockbuster.

Hollywood video doesn't include the booklets with the games which I always found annoying. I discovered that the booklets are still in the display cases, so I just take them out.

With PlayStation I started renting because I was getting burned on games. I was just beating them too quickly. The rental was a good alternative except that then I would do nothing but play the game for a week to get my "money's worth." It was a very obsessive-compulisive thing. Plus, if I decided I wanted a game it was like paying an extra $6 for it.

Now I read reviews. I never buy a game without reading a review. With new games I can just sell it if I don't like it.