December 2008 I had a collection of over 30 games I had purchased over the past two years. That same month I was laid off from my job due to my boss not having anywhere to put me in the budget. My gaming collection today consists of two games, Grand Theft Auto IV and No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle which I purchased this past January. Since then I've played through at least 7 games that were rented through either GameFly or Blockbuster. Renting games has become a norm in my life. I can't rationalize spending $60 on a game.
GameFly is where it's at. $15 dollars a month allows you to rent a game for as long as you want. I usually keep a game for a month which has allowed me to play Mass Effect 2, Heavy Rain, God of War 3, and Splinter Cell Conviction for the price of one game. GameFly's shipping has gotten better. They've got a feature called Fast Return which allows them to ship out your next game before the game you sent back returns to their warehouse. They do it by receiving a scanned confirmation from the US Postal Service. Deliveries to my house have been great. Every game I rented this year has shown up 2 days after I got the confirmation email. They've been so consistent that I can forgive them for having to wait an extra day for the game I'm waiting on right now.
There are the times when the hassle of shipping a game and waiting for a new one is too much. By the time the game shows up I've forgotten why I wanted to play it in the first place. That's where Blockbuster fits in the picture. It's about $10 to rent a game today. I shop at two different Blockbusters, and I've yet to have a problem with a game being sold out. It doesn't hurt that I've got both the PS3 and 360. The 5 day limit with games can be tough. It puts me in a mode where I have to put a little more concentration on finishing the game. Small consequence for not having to wait a week.
Nintendo executives need to get off of their high horse. The economy has something to do with this "slump" in games. These executives don't ever mention that used game sales are on the rise. Why do you think places such as Best Buy are starting to sell used games? Don't downplay the economy like people aren't trying to save money. How would Nintendo know? The Wii's in the lead and software sales are great. I bet if these executives lost their jobs to recent college grads they wouldn't be on that bullshit.
Errol, you are correct sir!! I used to buy games willy nilly on a whim. Now its like, "hmmm, cool cover, let me read the back of the box. Sounds like a good game, any DLC? I will wait for the reviews to come out and then maybe come back when its on the used/clearance rack". Thats sad.
I do want to add a note to anyone out there looking for a decent deal on game rentals. I know it seems kind of steep at first but when you look a bit deeper at it, its a great deal. Blockbuster has this thing called "In Store Total Access". It has a option that you can rent not only movies, but games with it as well and keep them out as long as you like for no extra charge. I pay (here it comes) 32$ a month and I can have out a combo of any 2 movies or games for as long as I want. If you consider its around 6-10$ per game or movie rental for the new ones, thats a damn good deal!
Hopefully someone can get some use out of that like I have. Better hurry tho, lots of rumors about Blockbuster going under lately. (sad face).
Great article Errol, Thanks!
You're not kidding about Blockbuster seeing trouble. The two Blockbusters I mentioned is down to one. My plan B is now a Sherwin Williams Insurance... If the Blockbuster in my city goes under I'm screwed. If it wasn't for Blockbuster I'd be gameless this weekend until Thursday when Mafia 2 makes it to my house from GameFly.