What would $20 get you in your preferred gaming genre?

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Most of us can probably rattle off crazy expensive examples of some of the best and most hard to come by games in our preferred genres of games, and gaming itself has a bit of a reputation for being an expensive hobby. The question here though is to pick something that can be had for not a lot but still might interest people in your given genre, or get them started in it (though you need not do the "gentle introduction" approach for this -- suggest Dark Souls if you want to introduce someone already versed in gaming to the Souls approach to the world). It still wants to be active in some capacity if you are suggesting a multiplayer game. For instance many would hold up the Sega Saturn version of Bomberman as one of the finest ever made, however even assuming someone has a working Saturn then a non Japanese copy of that game frequently clocks hundreds. Far more agreeable would the XBLA versions of Bomberman, or maybe Bomberman 2 on the DS if you can get past the gangly beanpole bombers.

This is part of a series on GBAtemp where we contemplate various game industry concepts, aspects of computer game culture, discuss ways games might improve, share interesting technical concepts and otherwise ponder things that are of interest to games but not necessarily news, reviews or analysis of current events.

Previously we discussed games you play by your own rules.


Or if you prefer "What hobby can you pick up for not much money, gaming genres/gameplay styles edition?". Name a genre/gameplay style and a game someone might be able to pick up for it for fairly common, or easily emulated, hardware, and give a few lines on why you picked that one. What might they progress to afterwards if they like it? If it is a free game by all means suggest a good controller for it instead.
 

AiP24

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For RPGs, a lot of things are cheap and kind of short, but sometimes are actually pretty decent. For 19.99 you could get some RPG called Conception 2 which has a terrible, kinky story, generic maps, and other cheap RPG things, but a pretty unique and overcomplicated battle system that is fun to do untill you fight an enemy for the 10th time. Basically, don't get this. Unless you're into (way too) complicated mechanics and kinky things. Then by all means go ahead.
 

Psionic Roshambo

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20 hmmmm well if your super thrifty on Steam that could get you a few great games, not too long ago they had the Handsom Jack collection for like 3 dollars and some change, that's Borderlands 2 and a metric ton of DLC.

Going for retro stuff, I would hit up the local thrift shops and probably land like 4-5 games on anything PS3 era and back.
 

radicalnetwork

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My favorite genre is 2d action-platformers, i guess that the first Mega Man X Legacy Collection would be a pretty good starting point since it nets you 3 masterpieces (and another cool game) for only 20 dollars, imho it's one of the best bang-for-bucks deals around.
 

Darth Meteos

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God forbid users resell the codes they legally own, the developer should get paid twice for the same code for some reason, that sounds fair. :lol:
if you actually knew about the topic, you'd understand that the issue is that people use stolen currency (credit cards, etc) to purchase the game, and the money comes out of the developer's pocket, because they have to pay the chargeback fee, too
at least if you pirate you're giving them zero money rather than taking money from them

This ain't it, chief.

EDIT: as for the original post, buy oblivion
 
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gird

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Foxi4 said:
$20 will get you Rainbow 6 Siege
Wait since when is R6 $20? What currency? I bought it when it was fairly new for $50 CAD.

EDIT: Bloons Tower Defence 6 is a pretty good game, good replay value and only $10, now that I think about it, all of the BTD games are nice.
 
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Foxi4

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if you actually knew about the topic, you'd understand that the issue is that people use stolen currency (credit cards, etc) to purchase the game, and the money comes out of the developer's pocket, because they have to pay the chargeback fee, too
at least if you pirate you're giving them zero money rather than taking money from them

This ain't it, chief.

EDIT: as for the original post, buy oblivion
It's an exceedingly rare circumstance. Moreover, in instances of credit card fraud, most times it's the bank that eats the cost. Mr.Rose provides zero evidence of his case being legitimate, which is why he's laughed at by most. What this is really about is users selling keys for games for less than on the digital storefront, thus undercutting it, which supposedly "lowers the value of the product" (it doesn't) and cuts into the developer's "potential profit" (it doesn't, or it's at least debatable that it does). By all accounts they would prefer for two codes to be sold once rather than for one code to be sold twice. That ain't it, chief? More like big zoinks. Having the ability to resell your codes is essential and sites like G2A are necessary. Sadly, fraud is unavoidable sometimes, but it's hardly their fault. You should ask yourself the question "what's a chargeback", because that also flew over most people's heads. The developer receives money for their product, and if the product was bought via illegitimate means, they may (or may not) be charged back. Net loss is zero, this is money that they've been paid. What Mr.Rose is actually hoping for is that the cheapy codes you get as freebies sometimes, which the companies gets paid for by whoever organises the giveaway, simply expire and users who would've bought them second-hand will buy "new" copies instead so that they get paid twice. Lesson in life - if you're not sure what something's about, it's usually about money.
 
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This is an interesting question. I'm not actually sure what my favourite genre is.
I love massive open world RPGs so I can recommend Fallout New Vegas (best Fallout game I've played). Generally used copies of Fallout 4, Skyrim for consoles are under $20 also.
Then there are action adventure games - PS4 hit titles such as Horizon Dawn Zero are excellent value.
First person shooters, I don't enjoy as much as I used to but are still a blast. During the Steam sale you could get the valve complete pack for under $20 and it included excellent game series like Portal, Half-Life, Counter-Strike and Left 4 Dead.
 

Edgarska

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Ghost of a Tale, an adventure/stealth game where you control a mouse trying to evade rat guards. It also shows every other developer using Unity what is possible with it if you're not incompetent. It runs well, it looks good, and the gameplay is fluid.

It's normally $12, but it's $8 right now ( $24 on steam, because the money on GOG actually goes to the developer).
 

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The Messenger is $19.99. With the DLC that just got releases today, for free, you can easily sink more than 25 hours into the game. And with the additive New Game+ setup, each repeat playthrough is slightly different if you want it to be. I have already put 65+ hours into this game, and still can't seem to get enough of it, so I definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a Ninja Gaiden/Metroidvania style game.
 
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wiired24

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Persona 5 is what I would recommend. It's $20 on the PlayStation Store and it's a great stepping point into not just the series but JRPGS as a whole. For $20 you're getting over 100 Hours of content. Definitely worth it imo
 

AbyssalMonkey

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A used copy of NieR
https://www.gamestop.com/ps4/games/nier-automata/136578

I figured I would point out a few logical flaws while I'm here because the mental loops people are jumping through to argue are awful.
It's an exceedingly rare circumstance. Moreover, in instances of credit card fraud, most times it's the bank that eats the cost. Mr.Rose provides zero evidence of his case being legitimate, which is why he's laughed at by most. What this is really about is users selling keys for games for less than on the digital storefront, thus undercutting it, which supposedly "lowers the value of the product" (it doesn't) and cuts into the developer's "potential profit" (it doesn't, or it's at least debatable that it does). By all accounts they would prefer for two codes to be sold once rather than for one code to be sold twice. That ain't it, chief? More like big zoinks. Having the ability to resell your codes is essential and sites like G2A are necessary. Sadly, fraud is unavoidable sometimes, but it's hardly their fault. You should ask yourself the question "what's a chargeback", because that also flew over most people's heads. The developer receives money for their product, and if the product was bought via illegitimate means, they may (or may not) be charged back. Net loss is zero, this is money that they've been paid. What Mr.Rose is actually hoping for is that the cheapy codes you get as freebies sometimes, which the companies gets paid for by whoever organises the giveaway, simply expire and users who would've bought them second-hand will buy "new" copies instead so that they get paid twice. Lesson in life - if you're not sure what something's about, it's usually about money.
The motive and the message you are providing don't line up. "Don't use G2A, pirate our games instead" is the message, and that in no way leads to the motive of "Buy our tacky extras". Quite the opposite in fact. On the matter of chargebacks costing money, I don't find it that unplausable. However, paypal issues chargeback fees to the merchant (developers) and their page implies card holders may do the same. Telling your audience to pirate the game instead of potentially buying a fraudulent key that may cause them a net negative however seems like a more coherent narrative.

Atleast you legally own G2A codes sincr you can purchase them on places like humble bundle
You own codes on one marketplace because you bought them from a competing one? Sorry, that's not how business works. If you meant to say you can sell/buy legitimate codes because you bought them elsewhere, sure, nobody is arguing that point. I think it's perfectly fine and actually wish there was a more legitimate way to do it.
 

Justinde75

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A used copy of NieR
https://www.gamestop.com/ps4/games/nier-automata/136578

I figured I would point out a few logical flaws while I'm here because the mental loops people are jumping through to argue are awful.

The motive and the message you are providing don't line up. "Don't use G2A, pirate our games instead" is the message, and that in no way leads to the motive of "Buy our tacky extras". Quite the opposite in fact. On the matter of chargebacks costing money, I don't find it that unplausable. However, paypal issues chargeback fees to the merchant (developers) and their page implies card holders may do the same. Telling your audience to pirate the game instead of potentially buying a fraudulent key that may cause them a net negative however seems like a more coherent narrative.


You own codes on one marketplace because you bought them from a competing one? Sorry, that's not how business works. If you meant to say you can sell/buy legitimate codes because you bought them elsewhere, sure, nobody is arguing that point. I think it's perfectly fine and actually wish there was a more legitimate way to do it.
If you purchased something its yours. If you buy a car at one shop and then sell it to another is still fine since you purchased it
 

AbyssalMonkey

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If you purchased something its yours. If you buy a car at one shop and then sell it to another is still fine since you purchased it
Literally nobody is arguing against that. Literally nobody.

People are arguing that stolen credit cards are being used to buy keys and those keys then get resold. This reselling may cost the developers money when the credit card company asks for the money that was stolen back. The website currently has no safeguards against this as it has no way to check if the keys are legitimate or not.
 

Justinde75

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Literally nobody is arguing against that. Literally nobody.

People are arguing that stolen credit cards are being used to buy keys and those keys then get resold. This reselling may cost the developers money when the credit card company asks for the money that was stolen back. The website currently has no safeguards against this as it has no way to check if the keys are legitimate or not.
A big part about the hate on G2A is them making profit of keys you sell them.
 

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