Topic: How do you decide which game to buy/try and play?

• MetaCritic scores
• IGN review scores
• Steam user rating
• The big awards (The Game Awards, D.I.C.E. Awards, Game Developers Choice Awards, Independent Games Festival, British Academy Game Awards)
• NintendoLife user ratings
• GOG user ratings and bestsellers
• Website end of year awards (IGN, AdventureGamers' Aggie Awards)
• Other resources: Wikipedia, Reddit, VideoGameGeek (for individual game awards lists)
• DekuDeals (I search for currently discounted games, with a MetaCritic score over 80, sorted by sale end date, so I can see all of the game sales that are ending first)
• Ranker has useful user lists for genres and platforms.

Re-releases of older games tend to get worse reviews over time, so I have to hunt for the original critic and audience reaction to the game

Smaller, sillier multiplayer games to play with my family and friends tend to get lower critic review scores, so I have to search around to get a feel of what the most fun ones are.

And never preorder anything.

Gut feeling most of the time.

But if my budget is tight that month...I will allow Metacritic / Opencritic to determine if I'll be there day-one for a game of if I'll wait for a deep discount.

Gameplay trailers, and review ratings.

Deciding which game to buy, try, and play is always an exciting journey. I start by reading reviews and watching gameplay videos to get a sense of the game's mechanics, graphics, and storyline. Community forums and social media discussions are invaluable for gaining insights from fellow gamers. I also consider the game's compatibility with my current setup and any unique features or updates it offers. Recently, I've been exploring apk1xbet.in, which has introduced me to a whole new world of gaming possibilities. Their selection is vast and varied, offering something for every type of gamer. It's a great resource for discovering your next favorite game and diving into new adventures.

Nostalgia > price > box art > gameplay footage > cinematic trailer > genre.

For me nostalgia is king. The main selling point of the Switch is portability, and the ability to play some of my favorite games from the past forty plus years of enjoy this hobby...is huge. After that, I'm not big on paying full price for newer games. Considering the size of my backlog, I have zero qualms about waiting for a deep discount. And then having a look at gameplay before making the purchase, to see if it's something I would enjoy playing.

Aggregate scores like Metacritic and Opencritic aren't a deciding factor for me.

I've played some "bad" games I've really enjoyed, and I've played "good" games which I think are hot garbage.