For me the most important factor is...
Collection. GTA 5 went straight to my 'unplayed' shelf'.
Comment has been collapsed.
The dumb rockstar can't make it work on my machine perfectly capable to running GTA5. Tons of people having same issue like me.
Comment has been collapsed.
Thankfully, I'm part of the 22%. I play games for their story. Nothing else matters to me which is why I tend to express my opinion to others that whine constantly about games as if they murdered their families. I mean, boy, I've seen some VERY stupid arguments about games as to why they are bad. I'm almost done playing through Dragon Age 2 my first time and there is NOTHING spectacularly wrong with it. People just like to hate stuff that is popular.
Comment has been collapsed.
Although, I'm also buying games because I have a very boring life and I have nearly nothing else to satisfy my 24/7 boredom.
Comment has been collapsed.
I didn't like that it was such a departure from the previous two. Hundreds of hours into each, never put more than 20 into the second one. I didn't know it was considered bad until earlier today.
Comment has been collapsed.
Was it the gameplay? I've heard that's a big issue and I don't blame you if it's the gameplay. The gameplay itself is the journey between dialogue, story, etc. I mean, if you can't handle the gameplay you... Y'know, can't play the game. I don't mind gameplay in general unless it is too hard for me but I don't see how the gameplay is that much different other than being more fast-paced and focusing more on class-combos for higher damage tactics, which I think makes managing your party WAY more fun and yet annoying at the same time.
Comment has been collapsed.
I also play games for their story, and actually will go on and read up the general plot synopsis before I even get a game. SO I would count myself in with the 22% like you. As a result of investing myself into a game's story, I do like to have continuity and eventually a conclusion. Which in my view is part of the problem with DA2. DAO was an epic adventure, and it ended with a lot of promise. But then out comes DA2 and it's essentially a reboot of the entire series.
A lot of people felt cheated by this 180 degree turn, and even those that could bear with it had to deal with bugs (at launch at least) and evidence of a rushed game to cash in on the DAO hype, for example the reuse of environments (the goddamn caves) and a disjointed story. Bioware/EA themselves stated they were pursuing a new audience, but in the process all they did was alienate the people that loved the first game, without necessarily getting the new audience they were after. I heard they fixed a lot of this with DAI, but personally I had lost hope so I never got round to DA:I.
Just my 2 cents. And sorry for the long post. :)
Comment has been collapsed.
I didn't really mind the repeated environments since lots of games do that and the change in story didn't bother me. The ending of Dragon Age : Origins base game implied that that everyone went their separate ways except for the main character character and their love interest(Leliana best waifu haha). Awakening expanded on that and implied that even MORE people went their separate ways from the main character and the main character is implied to return to their love interest to travel(I think but it seems like both Dragon age : Origins and Dragon Age 2 take place in the central thedas area where the East Marches and Ferelden are. I dunno.)? I mean, the story of the 'Gray Warden' was over and there was no reason to expect anything more. It was interesting to see the story of a completely normal person rise up through the ranks from poverty-stricken villain indentured servant to the Champion of Kirkwall.
I guess it's just opinion but... If people were truly crushed so badly as to completely write it off then that's a shame for them. I enjoy it well enough.
Comment has been collapsed.
Worth noting: The haters of sequels like Dragon Age 2 (plenty of other franchises have similar complaints, like pretty much every installment of Final Fantasy) fall mostly in the "Product is a continuation of a favorite game series" group.
Those folk expect to just get more of the same, so if one aspect changes too much (be it gameplay, presentation etc.) the flame cannons get fired up.
Sometimes it's more justified than others. If it's more justified, more people outside the group will agree, and the backlash on the whole gets counterbalanced by people focussing on the improvements.
Compare:
- Mass Effect 1 vs 2, where the shift from more RPG-based to more TPS-based gameplay caught a ton of flak at first, but after the dust settled people mostly agreed 2 is the better game.
- Mass Effect 2 vs Mass Effect 3, where the main complaint is that the ending for 3 is disappointing, which is why to this day it's the worst game ever and the world is still doomed. You know, despite building on and further improving the gameplay that 2 introduced, and adding an unneccesary but still pretty solid multiplayer mode.
Comment has been collapsed.
For some reason, this really annoys me and yet I know that I don't actually care what they think because it doesn't affect my experience with the games. Final Fantasy has a terrible fanbase when discussing what games are the best as it usually turns into a 'no, this game is better than that game because this game doesn't suck lel' argument. Mass Effect 3 just got unlucky and... Attracted the cruder players? I'm not sure. It wasn't a bad game at all and I could probably shoot down most arguments against it but no matter what people will come up with reasons as to why a game sucks and usually it doesn't make any sense.
Comment has been collapsed.
Expected enjoyment, story, and price are all major factors for me. I won't buy full price or new games. I usually don't get it until after a year, so the reviews are usually solid by then.
Comment has been collapsed.
whatever i think about the game instead of relying on others.
Comment has been collapsed.
i tend to play rpg games and rogue likes ones so i think history. (sorry for my english).
Comment has been collapsed.
Because I want to... Don't tell me how to live my life DAD!
Comment has been collapsed.
If you were asking me 20 years ago the answer would've been the boxart. Nowadays it's usually from devs I know can make decent products or because it's some kind of HD remake of a game I like.
Comment has been collapsed.
Of course reviews and word of mouth matter to everyone. Other than that, we don't have anything solid on which to base our opinion, except doctored photos and pre-rendered videos.
You don't have to take any one review as the Word of God, but its simply not possible to make a reasonable assessment about a game that you haven't played and haven't heard anything about.
Comment has been collapsed.
It depends on what you consider having heard about it. Most people can make a perfectly reasonably assessment on games with just the descriptions that you'll find anywhere you can purchase the game, at least I do, so I assume others can. But if you count the descriptions as hearing about them (which kind of is) then it's pretty much impossible to even BUY a game without hearing about it.
Comment has been collapsed.
I'd include anything about bugs, issues, quality of the content, length of the game; all things that come out because of reviews, either formal or informal. People aren't buying games blindly. They look into games they're interested in to find out about controls, combat styles, graphics, tone; all things that are by-products of reviews and early sneak peeks from websites. I think the problem with the ESA's survey was simply the way they asked the question.
Reviews have a distinct impact on people's purchasing habits, but its mostly in a binary sense. Games with great or terrible reviews carry a tremendous amount of weight, while anything in between is basically just background noise. It doesn't matter if a game has a dirt cheap price or really good graphics if its terrible and unplayable, but this survey suggests the opposite. Taken at face value, this survey tells me that an educational game with local multiplayer, great cover art and a cheap price matters more than the fact that it'll get a 1/10 on every site.
Comment has been collapsed.
If to talk about choices above then it's definitely interesting story/premise. But looking for all the other choices I think that this option must include some gameplay features, mechanics, game style itself (see Mirror's Edge. Almost 0 plot but beautiful game in many ways). That's why I've chosen other in the poll.
Comment has been collapsed.
Well... I check gameplay trailers (nothing of teasers, cinematics and those things), random gameplays, Steam user reviews (specially those with "pros and cons") and, finally, some live streaming, so i can check how much fun are having the streamers (something that you can't notice in recorded gameplays).
I'm not too exigent...
Comment has been collapsed.
For me it's a mix/balance of story/premise + mechanics.
Comment has been collapsed.
All sentences started with the letter I, except for the last one.
Sorry, the things I notice sometimes are really strange.
Comment has been collapsed.
If the so wasn't in the last sentence, then all of your sentences would start with I!
~Captain Obvious.
Comment has been collapsed.
How dare you call me an ass you liar! You better lawyer up cause I'm coming for you for name calling and lying !!!!!! <PS : Only my girlfriend calls me ass>
Edit : Edited to match your edited insult.
Comment has been collapsed.
I'm calling Saul right now. <PS: Oops. I've changed my insult.>
Comment has been collapsed.
Lol your Saul ass punk ain't shit before my Matt Murdock. :P
Comment has been collapsed.
My backup is on Western Digital.
Edit : Its an awesome joke. I laughed like 20 minutes while typing this awesome joke. I expect you to laugh too.
Comment has been collapsed.
My backup is Harvey Specter!
4 minutes ago Reply Edit Delete Permalink
Liar! My previous reply was 4 minutes ago!
Comment has been collapsed.
If you are time travel capable, why did you pick this age and time?
Comment has been collapsed.
It depends usually. I like getting games that have split-screen multiplayer, so I'm usually willing to pay more for those, but I normally look for cheap games to build a collection, I guess.
Comment has been collapsed.
A bit of everything. If lots of reviews mention it as good, along with friends and gamers everywhere recommending it, plus the game looking good and is on a sale, I'm likely to consider purchasing it.
Comment has been collapsed.
I buy games for their stories. I usually check the Steam reviews though to get an idea of the game's flaws to make sure its playable. I also go by word-of-mouth as well. If a friend plays a game and loves it, Ill definitely consider buying it as well.
As far as "3% of gamers are considering reviews as the most important factor in their decision to buy a game. For 97% of gamers reviews are irrelevant." part, Im assuming most people DO consider reviews when they buy a game, it just probably isnt the sole factor they base their decision to buy on. I think a lot of us realize that reviews can be biased so we dont tend to rely on them as heavily compared to word-of-mouth, or watching a Youtuber try the game out, or even watching a game play trailor.
Comment has been collapsed.
A combination of all these things. The art/design/graphics, the impression I get from it's summary/trailers/gameplay videos(including story, characters, gameplay etc.), it's price and the reviews are all things I check and consider before buying a game(usually checked in that particular order).
With bundles and high discounts though I mainly just impulsively buy them for collection, checking none of the above :3
Comment has been collapsed.
Basically I do the same. I will read reviews after I will watch trailer/gameplay footage and read spoiler free synopsis.
Comment has been collapsed.
There were pretty pictures in the game's page.
Comment has been collapsed.
Interesting story/premise, price, and some reviews from Steam (serious ones ofc).
Comment has been collapsed.
I buy a game if it the gameplay or storyline seems interesting or if it's a sequel to another game mostly. But there are a few other factors that affect my decision too.
Comment has been collapsed.
I'd assume bundle games fall under price. Pretty much only buying bundle stuff (that i never play!) these days.
Comment has been collapsed.
I check videos, screenshots and see other players reviews
Comment has been collapsed.
According to new ESA report only 3% of gamers are considering reviews as the most important factor in their decision to buy a game. For 97% of gamers reviews are not primary factor in decision making.
And what about you? What is the most important factor when you are buying a new game?
EDIT: I wrote "For 97% of gamers reviews are irrelevant." I think it's false statement so I reworded it.
Comment has been collapsed.