How to Evaluate Games Before Purchase

Playing video games is a favorite activity among many of us geeks. They allow us to traverse unique and interesting universes, partake in exciting stories, and toy around with complex game mechanics for hours.

There is a myriad of available games to purchase these days and it can be difficult to filter out the bad from the good. This is why we have made this article for you that includes helpful pointers you can use to safely purchase your next favorite game.

Independent Review Sites

One too many times have big corporate review sites been a disappointment when trying to find sober and fulfilling reviews of games. IGN is one out of many that come to mind. Often, they do not even review smaller indie games, making them largely useless for many types of gamers.

That is why we recommend checking out independent review sites run by gamers for gamers that deal with all sorts of games. Oftentimes these websites also cater to people of all sorts of nationalities and languages. For example, if you are Scandinavian and you are looking for Norwegian game reviews, you could look at downloadcentralen.no and read about tons of games and useful software that passionate people have taken their time to get into and explore.

Utilize Demos and Free Trials

Many games can be tried for free these days. It’s a common tactic from game developers to allow people a sample of their product so it is easier to make up your mind.

For example, if you purchase a game on Steam, you can play it for a few hours. If you are not satisfied with the game, you can get a refund and try out something else.

Many MMOs are also free-to-play these days, allowing you to play as much as you want, albeit in a more restricted capacity. If you like the MMO, you can either subscribe or purchase the game to continue.

Never underestimate free samples of games. Often, it does not require much more than a few hours of gameplay to figure out whether it is something for you.

Watch the Game in Action

Streaming and gameplay videos are not a scarce commodity on the internet. Thousands of people upload videos of themselves playing all kinds of games on platforms such as YouTube and Twitch.

Seeing somebody play and explore a game beforehand can be a great way for you to see the game in action and what it has to offer both in the early stages but also late stages. Combine this with playing a free trial, you are sure to figure out whether it is worth your money.