There are so many outlets to get games these days. Amazon, digital and all the various retail stores that are still left standing. Although the number of places to purchase games is shrinking, there are still plenty of options, all with different sales, bonuses, trade-in credits and promotions to lure your hard earned dollars to their specific business. So rather than wonder any longer, I thought I would ask you guys: where do you buy your games?
It’s a simple question, but an important one. And it can vary, depending on what game you are buying and what platform. If buying on the PC, we all will likely say Steam, but what console games and other times when physical media is the only way to go? Personally, I am all about Amazon. Their trade-in deals are better than GameStop’s and their prices are usually more inexpensive as well. Not to mention that supply is rarely an issue. If I go into GameStop or Best Buy, they are going to have Call of Duty, but what if I am looking for something a tad more obscure? Amazon fixes that issue for me.
When that fails, Best Buy is my retail store of choice, mainly because walking into GameStop is a nightmare for me. Best Buy is quick and easy and they don’t try to “nerd-bond” with me or sell my other games I don’t want or strategy guides I don’t need because I have the Internet, dummy! Not to mention the screaming children wanting M-rated games and their clueless parents asking if the Wii U is an add-on for the Wii!
Sorry, went off on a tanget there. So where do you choose to direct your currency when not filling Gabe Newell’s pockets via Steam? GO!
I go mainly GameStop, with Steam coming in second and the occasional Amazon. GameStop because I always buy my favorite games (PC too) as physical copies, and I still get my GameStop discount. Steam is for stuff that I wanted to play but didn’t want to pay full price. Games that I’ve gotten on Steam and have turned into one of my favorite games I will re-buy as a physical copy to put on the shelf (I’m weird, but their’s only so much longer I can do this with the digital age upon us). And Amazon is for the occasional Gold Box Deal.
I go to GameStop to browse; otherwise I get games on Steam and PS3 games on Amazon. GameStop is way too expensive.
I usually go to GameStop because as offbeat as this may sound, the PowerUp Pro is pretty useful. It’s nice to get some better deals on games, especially if you toss some trade ins on top of it. Steam is the second main source for me. Those phenomenal sales they run on games just make my wallet thinner. As for anything else, I like to peruse my local Toy-Riffc which sells lots of stuff from old to new. I went there the other day and they had an Oddessy in one of the displays. There was also a full package deal Dreamcast that caught my eye as well.
Steam or GreenManGaming. This weekend if you pre order Bioshock Infinite, you get Bioshock for free and your choice of a second game from the list below. You also get either $15 credit on the site or $14 cash back. These are your choices for a second free game:
Bioshock 2
Spec Ops: The Line
Mafia II
Civ V
Darkness II
Similar bundles are on other sites, but GMG does it right with the Cash Back / Credit option. Great site with great deals, just make sure that you get a Steam key (the first thing listed on a game description is it’s DRM, if it doesn’t say Steam required, you don’t get a key.)