So, a videogame has been announced. What do you do?

[Elusive]

I'm curious. Let's say 'COMPANY confirms VIDEOGAME' is posted up at digg or wherever the cool kids are at these days. What do you do next? Do you hunt down every single morsel you can about this new game, looking for screenshots, plot leaks, in-game movies? Do you shrug, vote it up, then forget about it until you see it on the shelves? Do you do nothing, slam down a few whiskey shots, and then cry yourself to sleep holding a Dreamcast?

I don't like having games spoilt for me before I have a chance to play them; I want to keep the first time I play the game as fresh an experience as possible. So, for a series I care about, that means pretty much any media outside of official press releases are off-limits - how can I enjoy the first level of a game if I've seen playthroughs by Games Industry Journalists posted all over Youtube? As for the 'big reveal' or 'plot twist' that inevitably gets leaked and posted all over the Internet six months before release - wow, Dark Sonic is called Shadow! Eggman defends the city! Sonic gets sent into the future! - damnit, I didn't want to know! Why play the game for myself when there's a full, leaked plot posted and dissected on the creepy obsessive fans on their creepy obsessive forum? Don't even get me started on Wikipedia.

Thus, I've subscribed to my favourite developers' RSS feeds, so I can get all the news I need straight from the horse's mouth - so I can decide whether it's a pass or a purchase without spoiling the game. I ask you, fellow Sega-16 readers - what do you do?

[Joe Redifer]

I maybe think "That's cool" if it is something I think I'd be interested in, and then wait. I don't need to search for anything because people always post relevant news and pics on the forums I visit. I just sit back and wait. I rarely preorder and rarely get a game on day-and-date.

[Genesis Knight]

If I see something cool, I find a good RSS feed for it so I can stay in touch. Like the upcoming Battlefield Heroes; it piqued my interest so I'm staying up to date on the news. That's a bit different because it's a muliplayer game, though.

But no, I don't rabidly hunt down every grainy cam'd copy of the E3 footage, from six different perspectives around the room.

[Sticky Note]

Depends upon the game, but for the most part I won't go hunting for game info. If a game looks cool, I buy it.

[Rusty Venture]

Suddenly I am reminded of Dennis Hopper in "Speed".

What do you do? What DO you DO!


When it comes to game I just want to know who is making it and when it is coming out. The only pre-release info I want to know is if the game plays like ass or it if worth owning.

[Mr Smith]

I have become a retrospective buyer of games. I wait for reviews to be released and disect them. I also like to buy games from ebay as they are much cheaper than their new counterparts. My entire PS2 collection has been acquired in this manner. The only new game I am chomping up every morsel on offer is Geo-Political Simulator, which looks awesome. GTA IV has also caught my attention, as will the new features in Football Manager 2009. Beyond this I do not actively chase new games.

[Nunzio]

I don't bother with current games anymore, but I gave up on game hype long ago. They can talk all they want but I don't give a **** until it is on the shelf in the store. If it doesn't make it that far, I saved myself some time.

[TmEE]

I'll play a demo (or if there isn't any, I'll play the game in some other manner) and if I like it, I'll buy it. Crysis kicks ass, when I see some, I'll get it.

[VinnyT]

The only time I ever got REALLY into a release (as in, checking websites EVERY DAY and downloading grainy E3 videos in SEVEN different perspectives) was for Brawl. I'll probably never do it again.