I read something this morning.

Specifically, this.

In short, THQ has made it their policy to punish those who choose to buy their games used instead of new.

I'm well aware of the hatred developers have for the used game market, and I partially support them in their efforts to encourage people to buy new games. However, I do not support all developers in this endeavor, because frankly, most don't deserve it.

The theory is that if you buy new, you support the developers more because the money goes right to them instead of to the retailers, like used games do. Ergo, you should always buy new games because it supports the industry. This is only a half-true answer, because we as consumers have much more power here than you'd think, and I think we can use this to our advantage. This used/new system can become an avenue to finally push out bad game developers, and bring good developers to the forefront of the gaming world.

Part 1: The Rules of Buying in the New/Used Game Market

First of all, you shouldn't always buy new games. Why? Well, because most games (here comes the shocker) are NOT worth 60 bucks of your hard-earned money. Most games these days are barely worth buying, period. But there is a bigger reason here. If you buy a bad game new, then the developer gets money they didn't deserve. You end up feeling cheated, and they get their money. Pretty shit deal, huh?

So what do we do about it? Well, I, personally am already doing something about it. Ever since I made the egregious error of buying Crackdown 2, I've commited to a set of game-buying rules. I'll quickly outline this code, and then explain why you should adhere to it as well:

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1. Look at the good games you've kept over the years, and make a list of who developed them.

2. Go look up the games that each developer has made in their lifetime. Put the developers that have consistently performed well (Always made good games) on another list.

3. By now, you should have a list of good developers on your hand. Maybe it's only one or two, but they should be what you would consider "a sure thing". This list will determine which games you buy new.

4. When making all future game purchases, be sure to buy the games by these developers new, to support them directly, and give them your money so they can keep making good games.

5. Contrarily, for all games that are NOT made by the list of "Good" developers, play the waiting game. Wait for Metacritic to get a good, round sampling of reviews, and of course, read reviews that you trust. If you then think that the game is worth buying, check the developer. If the game is made by a typically "Bad" developer (One that has NOT consistently made good games), buy the game used. That way, you'll be supporting the retailer, but not the developer that needs to get their act together.

6. If a used game by a "Bad" developer actually ends up being good, as in something you've played and enjoyed a lot, then consider buying that developer's next game new. But again, it may have been a fluke, so go into it with just as much caution as you would a "Bad" developer's game.

6. If the developer is new, and doesn't really have a track-record to speak of, but gets positive reviews, then buy it new. You're supporting a small, new developer for making a good game, and everybody wins there.

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I hope that these weren't too confusing. The long and the short of it:

Buy games new from developers that you trust. Buy games used from developers that have not earned your trust, or have disappointed you in the past. Buy games new from new developers that are just starting out, but only if they have gotten the reviews to back it up.

Part 2: Application of the Rules

So, now that we have the basic rules down, lets apply this in the real world. I'll use myself as an example.

Using my list, I'll buy games new from Bungie, Bioware, id Software, Volition, Polyphony Studios, and Valve. Ususally, in fact, I'll buy these games first day, because they have such a good track-record of being good developers in my eyes. But if I don't feel totally confident, I'll wait for the reviews. If they're good, I'll of course, buy the game new.

However, on the contrary, I'm now going to look at all other games with a wary eye. Why? Because they aren't in my circle of gaming trust. Lets say, for instance, Call of Duty: Black Ops, which is coming out within a few months. The CoD franchise has let me down in the past, so I am going into Black Ops with a very, very critical eye. I'm not going to buy the game first-day, and I'll be waiting on the Metacritic reviews.

If it gets Universal Acclaim, I will look into getting the game used for a lowered price. But why would I buy the game used if I don't particularly trust the developer? Well, because I don't have to pay full price, and I'm not supporting the developer if the game turns out to be utter crap, despite getting good reviews. This part is important. By buying the game used, I'm supporting the retailer, but not the developer, and I'm getting the game at a discount. I won't feel cheated by the developer if the game ends up being bad, because that money did not go to the developer. If the game ends up being a keeper, I might consider buying the studio's next game new.

But wait, some new game has caught my eye! I go check the developer out, and discover that this is their very first game. "Well!" I say confidently, with monocle in-eye and pipe in-hand, the other hand grasping the inside of my evening dinner vest, "Let's wait for the reviews!" (Here's the part where I puff on the pipe and adjust the monocle).

If the game happens to get very good reviews, I look into getting it new. Why new? Well, because if the developer is making a good game, support them financially! New developers need money more than anyone else, and the only way for them to get at your wallet is through a new-game purchase.

See how the system works?

I guarantee that if you use this system, you'll feel much better about your game purchases in the future, and the more people use this system, the more we'll see bad game developers get pushed out of the market, and the more we'll see good developers pushed to the forefront.

But there is one last question left to be answered: Why go through ALL of this? Why bother? Because, friends, if we all commit to this list of guidelines, it means we'll get better games in the long run.

And we all know how much we need that right now.

I really hope you all start using, or at least consider, this method of purchasing games.

Until next time, keep it real, gamers.

Oh yeah, I had a blog once...

A Summer of Gaming: Return to the Blogosphere

So it's no mystery I haven't been around here as of late. It's been pretty dull in the gaming world over the last few months, since the Reach Beta ended and all. It's been what we in the gaming community like to call "Gaming Deadzone". Crackdown 2 was looking to be the redeaming summer title, but that one fell flat on its face and didn't even bother trying to pick up the pieces. There have been some good indie games here in there; Limbo being the very best of them. But single player games can only keep this particular gamer occupied for so long.

And so I've been bored, and I do apologize for not keeping up the gaming blog. So what, you might ask, has prompted me to write another article here on The Real Gamer? Well, to be frank, I got a few hours to kill while my car is being fixed, and I've been meaning to do this for a while now. Also-

Excuse me, my hash browns and buscits are ready *nomnomnom!*

There's a very good reason I come to this waffle house when I get my car worked on. One, it's right across the street, and two, the hash browns are FANTASTIC. I understand why southern cooking makes people fat: It's way too good.

I'm now in front of a movie theatre, waiting for them to open their doors, because there is no place to sit in the auto place, and they were busy at the waffle house. This is going to be a wonderful day...

Anyhow, I digress. Time to tell you the entire purpose of this article/blog thingy: To inform you of what my summer was like in the world of gaming. Let me tell you, the majority of it was not pretty. You may ask "But sir! It's still summer!". Well, yeah, it still is for some of us, but for some others (me), my summer has been cut short due to my school wanting to start classes far too early for any sane person. So my gaming is no longer on a delightful "whenever I feel like it" schedule.

What I'll be discussing here are few games that kept me entertained whilst the gaming deadzone was upon us. Considering there is a little less than a month until Halo: Reach comes out, this is also going to double as a gaming survival guide until that game graces us with its release date.

Early On: June Doldrums and Left 4 Dead

Back in June. Wow, I can barely remember back that far at this point. All I honestly remember was that I was glad to be out of school. However, at this particular point in time, the Beta had recently ended, and I was pretty pumped up for Reach, which made me very, very desperate for some kind of multiplayer game. This is where my good old, previously neglected friend came to help me out. This game was called Left 4 Dead.

For those lof you who have never played this game (WTF GO BUY IT), Left 4 Dead is a zombie survival shooter game that focuses on co-op play. My friends and I, over the course of the summer, have played the living shit out of this game to the point where I'm not so sure I enjoy playing the game anymore as it is simply an autonomic response to visual stimuli. Laymans terms: I play this game on auto-pilot now. At first, I hadn't played a ton of the versus mode, and kinda figured the game was perminently stuck in my "Never play again" pile, but my friends changed this for me. I played with a good team, and versus mode became a daily ritual. We'd play for hours, owning teh n00b canoes all day long. Then it'd get frustrating, and eventually we'd end up ragequitting and bitching about how unfair the match was. Typical gaming.

While I might no longer get many new experiences and feelings out of this game, if you're in gaming hell right now and haven't picked up this game (It's like ten bucks, seriously), go do it, now. If you have a capable PC, get it on PC, and if you don't, nab it for Xbox. It's available on Steam, which is nice and convenient for you PC uses, and it can be found in any Xbox bargain bin in any Gamestop from here to the gorram Bermuda Triangle. You'll find it to be an enjoyable and fun co-op as well as competitive game. Definately a good time-sink.

Middle Months: July and NOTHING ABSOLUTELY NOTHING OMG

July was REALLY hard to get through. I mean HARD. I thought there was nothing that was going to help me aid my boredom. I was already getting sick and tired of the same Left 4 Dead crap all over again, and I was desperate for some kind of change. Unfortunately, no such change ever came. I think Crackdown 2 came out sometime around this month, but I forget exactly when because that game was so god-damn horrible that I just sold it a few weeks ago and I hadn't even beaten it. Never get this game. Not worth even 10 bucks.

I'm going to hop on to something that I THINK came out in July, but I honestly don't remember. Regardless, you should get this game no matter what season it happens to drop its pants on. The game I'm referring to is LIMBO for the Xbox Live Arcade. I was excited when I first saw screenshots for this game, because it looked wonderfully stylized and awesomely put-together. I watched some trailers, and I knew I had to trial this game. That's one thing i really enjoy about XBLA, trials are a required feature. You can try games for a bit before deciding if you want to buy them.

I just checked the doors because I swear I saw someone walk in. still no dice on the movie theatre. Balls.

Anyway, the second I got into LIMBO (Henceforth called Limbo, because I hate my caps key), I knew I was going to like it. The game was smoothe, looked fantastic, and played even better. Scared the crap out of me a few times, and the sheer maliciousness and morbidity of this game surprised me in a good way. I bought it when it told me to =D. The best thing about LImbo is not the story or the style, but simply the atmosphere. There is so little music in the game, if it could be called that, that when there IS ambient music, it REALLY gets you freaked out/scared/anxious/going nuts. The games atmosphere is perfect: Everything in this world is trying to maim, kill, destroy, and utterly exterminate you from this earth. It is a BRILLIANT game that I could reccomend to anyone who was ever a fan of any game in the history or forever.

Or Portal. If you like Portal, you'll love Limbo.

Unfortuately, being the XBLA title that it is, it's short, and there is no co-op. The only thing to go for is achievements, and those are pretty fun. That's the only downside to this game; It's simple and short.

I'm listening to a particulary dysfunctional couple argue over which movie they want to go see in like, an hour. Funny shit.

That was it for July. What a boring, shitty month. Oh wait, my birthday. I got cake that day. That was a good day. Oh and I think Blacklight: Tango down was in there somewhere. But again, horrible game. Not even worth mentioning, really.

August: Things begin to pick up.

There are only two reasons why August could possibly be considered a good month this year. One, it's one month closer to Reach, and two...Monday Night Combat came out this month. In fact, it only came out about a week or so ago. But this is by far the highlight of my summer gaming experience, and it's probably the most important aspect of this article/gaming survival guide.

Monday Night Combat is an amazing-

What the shit...Two bicyclists just went by, talking VERY LOUDLY...That was weird.

-Xbox Live arcade title that really surprised me in how in-depth and fun it turned out to be. I actually heard about this game ON its release date, and since it had a trial, I suggested it to my friends. We were hooked INSTANTLY.

Monday Night Combat is set in a corporatized future where cloned combattants battle each other to win cash, much like Monday Night Football today ;). The game is commentated a far-too-exited announcer who sounds like he has as much coke in him as corny one-liners. The graphics are styled perfectly, and the whole thing wraps you up in an over-the-top, sports-action atmosphere that draws, and then keeps you, constantly engaged. It's BRILLIANT.

Aside from the atmosphere, the gameplay turns out to be quite good as well. It's a bit of DotA with a little Team Fortress and it works SO well I can't even tell you. The only problem with this game is that it does have some imbalance. The Support class, for instance, is very overpowered in the hands of a semi-experienced player. The matches can be laggy, and host migration is pretty terrible. However, this game is only fifteen dollars (1200 pts) and is stellar for the price. It's flaws are pretty easy to look over once you start playing, and the game will keep you occupied for weeks, easily. I'm still avidly playing it when I have time, and it's still tons of fun.

I've had the time to check in on their forums as well. The dev team is small, engaged, and actively participating in their community. Monday Night Combat looks like it'll be something I'll be playing even AFTER Reach comes out.

If you haven't already...Get this game's trial. 30 minutes of gameplay, unlimited tutorials. WIN. You'll probably want to buy the game after you've run out of trial, so be sure to stock up on 1200 ms points beforehand =D.

Back in the mechanics shop. Should be done with the car soon, which means I need to wrap this up.

It's 25 days until Reach is out, and I'll be damned if I haven't had one of the roughest gaming summers EVER. But if you're suffering right now, check out these three games, and you'll be good to go.

Until next time, Keep it Real gamers. I'm out.