Topic: The Chit Chat Thread

@RogerRoger GAME, but its from a reputable independant Welsh seller via them.

Which means yes, pretty much nowhere had a new sealed copy save for a few indie or smaller places.

A year old game. On the PS4. In the UK.

Boy. If our games werent more expensive than they are in the US I'd be embracing this rapidly approachibg digital future now retailers are vanishing left and right.

I don’t know how people keep getting through their DS4s... .
I own 4 Day 1 controllers and they all still work perfectly fine.

Incremental updates are here to stay & it’ll be interesting to see how many gamers, like @KratosMD will hold out for a Pro.

I for one will never buy a limited edition console again. I’m going to get the base console & when the time comes I’ll upgrade.
It’s not a crazy investment given how many hours of entertainment I get out of a home console.

As for the Switch dominating the market...
I still don’t see it. The Switch has a free run at the market as a new console & it’s still struggling to outsell PS4/XB1 some months. February NPD had the Switch in last place with XB1 outselling it by 10% & PS4 by 30%.
It’ll be interesting to see what happens when the next gen consoles are here, but I don’t envision a scenario where Nintendo is the market leader.

@RogerRoger I'm going to be making a video on this. It'll be interesting to see, I'll be visiting my local stores but sadly unless I travel upwards of 20 miles that's limited to CEX and supermarkets.

Also I WISH digital was cheaper here. I really do. Because right now, outside of what you see on the UK Sales Charts, nothing else is in stock.

And I hate to derail this back to Nintendo but in the event GAME goes under, its Amazon and the Official UK Store for us. Not a pretty picture.

@Kidfried

Not sure what you mean?

Neither MK8 or GTA V are particularly innovative games in of themselves. They both improve on their respective previous iterations. The difference being, MK8 can only be had on 2 Nintendo consoles, not 5 formats (7 if you include Pro 1X enhancements) that only compete in terms of graphical presentation.
What will GTA VI be? very likely more of the same with a possibly better looking presentation and larger world.

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, just that it's not interesting.

I'm all for the console arms race. It's a fun time when architectures are disparate and exclusive software offers markedly different experiences. With PS4 and XB1, that's really not the case (other than PSVR). They really are just little PCs - so the next gen will be more of the same - Sony and MS doing their best to squeeze the best of existing PC technology they can or developing on the back of it in to a single - stable platform that offers very little different to what there is now.

My point was, that rather than play 'the same' stuff - I'd be more likely to buy myself a Switch than spend £500 on another PlayStation that doesn't do anything significantly better than the one I have now.

@YummyHappyPills I mentioned earlier, but for those in the North of the UK, Grainger Games has just shut all 67 stores and they sold both new and old stock.

They often had stock in of rarer games, for example, I managed to get Farpoint and the Aim controller when nowhere else seemed to stock them. There is a good article on Kotaku UK today about how they went under.

I live in a good sized city and there is only dedicated shop to buy 'new' phsyical games at, and that's Game. The second hand market is clearly dying after its peak last gen. Places like CEX only seem to have the same games that Tesco and Asda do. Amazon is close to the only game retailer now (or one of their 'partners'). If you can't easily buy new games, it will push people to digital (which I guess is what publishers want) and then the price will certainly not be favourable to the consumer.

@Rudy_Manchego
We have a relatively large Game in my town as well as two CEX stores. There was at one time EB, Game (2 stores), Gamestation and a couple of independents to boot.

Game does quite well here, as does CEX. I know a lot of people don't hold Game in particularly high regard - but I for one will miss being able at the very least, to go and buy a new game, in person from a specialist retailer.

I like physical media - though with the connected nature of things and patches etc. Having a disc for a lot of games these days is little more than a glorified license key. Which is a huge shame.

@RogerRoger @Rudy_Manchego I'm aware they just closed, with no warning - I'll be touching on that actually, it's simply the state of our high street.

What's going to happen if GAME goes is obvious. You'll be looking at Smyths, if they stick around but as a Toy retailer...dunno...and supermarkets for the yearly stuff. Argos maybe, but at that point you'll also be on Amazon most likely, buying online.

For Sony and MS games, it's a bit of a blow if GAME dies, which it almost has several times. For Nintendo though, that's a death knell, as you'd be limited solely to online (Although you almost are anyway!).

But there's the reason stuff like RE Revelations didn't get a physical release on Switch here - who would stock it? That's the problem we are facing. Publishers are unwilling to constantly stock games for a market that LOVES the usual suspects, but that cant sustain itself forever.

The digital only future is coming, inevitably, but not because we are ready and able, at least not in the UK. It's because its going to be the only option in a few years.

CEX only stocks pre-owned opened stuff. Usually at a higher price than it is new.

@YummyHappyPills @KALofKRYPTON I came from a small town and I remember that had an EB, Game and Gamestation plus several independents. I used to love doing laps of them as a teen and drooling at all the games.

In my current city, there used to be three Games, but the two larger stores closed and they kept the smaller (but better positioned) store when they first went into administration. The selection isn't great there to be honest but I don't have anything against Game as a retailer, price isn't always the first factor for when I buy games but their stock of new games for PS is quite limited.

I guess the physical chart in the UK shows that the top ten selection in supermarkets is most casual gamers view of the game industry which will mean that publishers will only see the point in going physical on big name titles.

@Rudy_Manchego
Thankfully - it has been proven by the likes of Play Asia, Limited Run and a handful of indies, that there is a market for physical releases - even if you don't have the backing of a major publisher.

@RogerRoger
Though do keep in mind - unless you need included dlc/codes - you can get a very good deal in CEX. Their prices change in real time, and the price online is the price in store. Some games can become bizarrely valuable (and vice versa) without warning. They price based on market value and the model is mostly based on trade. So while a new release will very likely be more expensive than elsewhere, the chances are, you'll have something to trade in for it.
On the whole, they are a valuable resource.

GAME (though this is store specific) can and often do have good trade in options, though they don't advertise it and it is at managerial discretion. They fix their preowned prices unlike CEX so often don't reflect market value or sale prices on new items.

Check with your local GAME - mine will do +£1 on top of CEX trade in prices against a new game, again, this is at managerial discretion - you need to have CEX open on your phone with live prices visible for stuff in your basket for them to do it. They will verify the prices and give you +£1 on the CEX trade in price, which is quite nice when you specifically want something new.

@RogerRoger CEX can be pretty good sometimes. I picked up Destiny 2 for £10 a month ago.
A good place for 'new releases' for me has become the local pawn shops.
The ones by me usually have sealed copies of new releases available on launch day & at discount prices. Only recently they had Burnout Paradise for £30. Monster Hunter World and Dragon Ball Fighter Z were both £40 at launch as well.

Gentlemen.

I hope you are ready to hear the girliest scream imaginable from a grown man.

@YummyHappyPills Are you excited, my pudding?

@PS_Nation Yes dear.

Lamb's in the oven.

@KALofKRYPTON I think those are great but I am always too slow on the uptake to get those limited runs!

@Rudy_Manchego I have a few Limited Runs, I tend to set a couple of alarms if there's something I really fancy.

Lost out on Wind Jammers though, sadly.

Also, I buy to play - not hoard and scalp 😒

@KALofKRYPTON I really wanted Hyper Light Drifter but the run was only 9000 and I was far too slow

We were talking about physical games earlier.

Amazon says they delivered a package to my address, to a resident.

It sure as hell aint here. Yet. Again.

@Rudy_Manchego
The Milky Bars are on me 😉
https://www.play-asia.com/hyper-light-drifter/13/70ayy3

@YummyHappyPills that sucks!
I use the lockers now rather than have stuff delivered to my door.
If it's something that wouldn't fit. I send it to work.