A few rants ago, I mentioned that the GR staffers were lazy bastards because they weren't writing more rants and raves. I felt really terrible afterwards, having somewhat alienated myself by pointing out their pathetic flaws. After Brian submitted the last rant, I wept for days. Then, the months crept by and no rants showed up. Week after week I heard the editors gripe about this or praise the virtues of that, but never got it in writing. So I quickly stopped weeping and reverted to my earlier theory, which was that these guys are, in fact, lazy bastards. Lazy bastards who LIE TO ME.

And with that, please enjoy the latest addition to the GR Rants and Raves section, a piece written by ex-GR editor Colin Ferris, who despite not working here decided to prove my theory wrong, the bastard.

-Ben

Scrooge McGamer

by Colin

We're at an interesting point in the gaming industry. Three amazing consoles are out on the market, and, for the first time, the market seems to be accommodating them. After a rocky start, the PS2 seems to be at full stride. The Xbox and Gamecube are starting to crank out some excellent games. PC games are better than they have ever been before. Internet multiplayer has brought a whole new experience to many of our favorite titles. It's just a great time to be a gamer.

Unless, of course, you're the one who has to pay for all these goodies. With consoles priced at $200 to $300 and decent 3D accelerators for your PC at well over $100, video gaming is an expensive habit. And that's not including the games, which run $40-$60 each. Some gamers have to make the choice between a varied diet (not just Ramen noodles 24/7) or that new game they've been waiting for.

For some truly dedicated gamers, the ones who haven't seen the sun since they accidentally pushed aside the drapes while searching for a lost memory card, the choice is easy. "Who needs a nice juicy steak when I've got Halo? Both are nutritious, and only one of them lets me flip a Warthog." But for the rest of us, the choice is a little more difficult.

There are a few solutions to this dilemma, and your friends at Game Revolution are here to help.

Why Buy The Cow When You Can Get The Milk For Free?

Obey, peons.

For the PC gamer, there's a simple answer to the price issue: Free demos and/or Beta testing. Almost every game released nowadays has a demo, and some of them are remarkably substantial. From multiplayer Soldier of Fortune 2 to the robust Dungeon Siege, the quality and length of contemporary game demos is impressive.

Still, there is one drawback - playing a demo may make you want to buy the full game. It's a double edged sword, but if you have a fast connection, it's also a very affordable sword.

Beta testing is better in that you get to play the full game, albeit a buggy version. Every week, another game enters a beta test, and many of them are open to volunteers. If you that know a company is working on a game you're looking forward to, keep an eye out for a beta announcement. It also never hurts to send them a mail asking about future beta tests. Many beta testers end up trying out numerous games for the same company. Sure, they get you to bug test their game on your system, but you get to play their game for free, and that's what counts. Right?

Rent, Rent, Rent

While some of the finest games ever made are being released right now, don't forget that like 70% of the stuff out there isn't very good. If you're low on funds, try renting your games instead of buying. Many games are over in 10 to 20 hours. Why buy those games for $50 when you can rent them for a week for under $10?

Look around your local video game and movie stores. While the major chains (such as *gag* Blockbuster) just rent the games, some places that rent and sell games have a deal where if you rent the game and decide to buy it instead of returning it, your rental price gets deducted from the cost of the game. Rent to own! You really can't ask for more than that, can you?

There's Gold In Them Bins!

Garbage or Games?

This is a better option for PC users than for console gamers, but there are deals to be had everywhere. PC games have a shelf life of about 6 months. After that, even if the game is good, many get dropped to a discount ("value") price. If they're older than a year, they're even cheaper.

Now before all you hardcore gamers tell me that all old games suck, just remember CounterStrike and how long that's been around. Recently, I was at a store and I picked up copies of Dungeon Keeper 2 (a fantastic game) and System Shock 2 (best game of 1999), both for $10. At Walmart, I found a bundle of Fallout and Fallout 2 (great RPGs) bundled together for $10; between those two games, thats a solid 100 hours of gaming joy. FreeSpace 2, StarCraft, Half-Life - all great games and cheap to boot.

On the console side, it's a little tougher. Game prices don't drop much, and since the current consoles are still very new, there's just not that many bargain games that aren't total pieces of crap. Sony just introduced their 'Greatest Hits' lineup for the PS2, so that will help, but how many good games came out for the PS2 before last fall? Not that many, if I recall.

However, there are plenty of great PSX games that you may have missed. Don't forget - that PS2 of yours can still play PSX games. While the graphics may be worse, the gameplay is still there. My personal favorite: Colony Wars. If you've never played it, you won't be disappointed.

Pinch My Pennies, I Must Be Dreaming

Old, wrinkled, and still a great deal.

"Dreamcast Sucks!" Or so many rampant fanboys of Sony and Nintendo would have you believe. In reality, the Dreamcast was a good machine with a surprising number of great games considering its short life span. Let's not forget that when DOA2 first came out for the PS2, many people (me included) were surprised at the fact that the Dreamcast version looked better in many respects. This is not an old machine, just a defunct one.

Think about it this way: For the price of a PS2 or Xbox, you can pick up a Dreamcast (average price about $50 to $70) and at least 10 games (average price $10-$20). What are my picks? How about Soul Calibur, Shenmue, Skies of Arcadia, Armada, Resident Evil: Code Veronica, F1 World Grand Prix, Grandia II, Jet Grind Radio, San Francisco Rush 2049, and just about any of the 2K sports games (even some 2K2 games are down to $20). That bundle right there will last you a long time on very little money.

Final Deposit

There are a wealth of ways for the gamer truly interested in saving money to cut costs. I've barely scratched the surface with this rant. There's an entire Emulation scene for fans of old games, and while not exactly legal in every way, there's no cost involved.

Sure, following my advice won't really have you playing the latest games (except beta testing), though it will allow you to play some of the greatest games ever made. Remember, old does not necessarily mean bad, it just means old. Is The Godfather a bad movie because it was made in 1972?

While the hardcore gamer may scoff at you playing a game that was out 3 years ago, you play games to have fun, not to be cool. Don't try to fool us with your collection of Trek trading cards. That's still not cool. No matter how new your games are, or how fancy your gaming rig is, girls will not be impressed.

What is cool is making smart buying decisions, because it leaves you more money to go out and get a better haircut. So stop staring at your wallet and start surfing over to the GR download section.

Down, but not out.

Miss one? Check out Past Rants: