I was actually fortunate enough to find this game in Vintage Stock a few days ago for $20. Apparently the game sold like shit and is rare now, because I've never seen it on Amazon or eBay for less than $70.
One thing I don't like about AAA games lately is that EA and Ubisoft (25% owned by EA) are always trying to shoehorn Origin or Uplay in. Not only is getting messages from Origin or Uplay disruptive to immersion, but I get tired of having virtual salesmen in my face all the time. I guess Blizzard does it all the time with Battle.net nowadays and Activision had that Call of Duty Elite service that shut down back in February. I already avoid free-to-play games as it is. I don't want virtual hucksters in games I'm paying $60 for ostensibly so I can have a complete experience.
One game I'll think long and hard about buying day one is Fallout 4. Not because I don't want the game, because I do. Fallout has become one of those series like Final Fantasy, Zelda, or Tales that I know I want. But it's almost not worth it knowing that Fallout 4 will come out next year in a GOTY edition with all the expansion packs they've released for it. Not to mention Bethesda's infamous bugs. I won't have any similar qualms about preordering Tales of Xillia 2/Zestiria/Hearts R, FFXV, or Zelda Wii U.
I'm not really into games where you HAVE to sneak around to survive. It's tedious as hell for me, especially if the entire game is based around that mechanic. While I appreciate it when designers can add the option for stealth, I'd still like to be able to throw down with the bad guys. I don't care if the bad guys are a huge challenge, just make it possible for me to beat them down.
Are you familiar with Capcom's Haunting Ground, by any chance?
I'm with you on this. I don't buy any AAA game at release, other than from Nintendo, if at all. I generally only buy them when they fall to $20. Meanwhile, I'll cheerfully drop $40-60 on niche games and I'll really splurge on stuff like the collectors' editions Namco has been offering for the Tales series.
I played the Future arc and I'm now stuck on the Little Queens.
I jumped on that one and on the Xillia CE. Some games I just have a gut feeling about getting the CEs. I kick myself to this day for not getting Vesperia's CE.
I was also one of thousands victimized by the fiasco over the Ni no Kuni Wizards' Edition. I preordered it and lost out on it. They did give me a free hardcover strategy guide though.
I liked Dragon's Dogma quite a lot myself.
I bought the CE of Tales of Symphonia Chronicles. I still have my Gamecube game but since Tales of Symphonia is one of my favorite games ever I had no qualms about rebuying it in a high-end CE.
Unless a huge bombshell happens, I don't see myself getting Xbox One in the forseeable future. I have a Wii U for Nintendo's stuff and a PS4 for everything else. Since I don't care about Halo, Gears, Forza, or Fable, Xbox One as it stands has nothing to offer for me. Maybe if they score a REALLY killer exclusive, and by that I mean a big Japanese exclusive...
"Free" has increasingly become a weasel word in gaming. As an example, take "free to play", which is the dominant platform on mobiles and a big reason why I hate telephone/tablet gaming. You can play a base game for free, but in order to make it halfway enjoyable to play, you have to give the publisher easy access to your bank account. Basically, either wait several hours for something important to be created for you or pay money to speed up the process.
I have PS+, and I generally don't go for the "free" games myself. I have PS+ because it's required for online play on the PS4. I do occasionally take advantage of the discounts, but I'd rather pay up front and have unlimited access to the game for as long as I want it rather than have to keep feeding the machine. I was okay with that business model in 1984, but this is 2014 and I'm not okay with it.
I'm still not getting an Xbone myself, TBH. I already have a PS4, and while I think it's good that MS, under the leadership of Phil Spencer, is acknowledging the mistakes made under Mattrick, there still is nothing enticing me to get a Xbox One. Don't care about Halo, Gears, Forza, or Fable, and the PS4 will get pretty much everything else.
