Do you "blind buy" games?

[Mathius]

Of course.

I bought Efera and Jiliora just because it was like, 3$.

then it came and I was like YS WITH CHICKS. YAY.

I base things off the cover of the game alot

That's the way it was back in the day. People rarely thought what kind of review a game got but how intersting the cover art was. Ah, I miss those days

[Joe Redifer]

All the friggin' time, especially since I am a collector.  I recently bought World Class Leaderboard Golf for the SMS because it was cheap and I never even saw a screenshot.  All in all, it didn't cost much more to purchase outright than it would to rent back in the day, and I rented everything I didn't buy.  If the game is pricey I will try it out in an emulator first to see if I can justify the cost.

[WoodyXP]

Before the age of the internet I had no choice.  I bought alot of stinkers.  These days I do my research and play the games before I buy them.

[Windancer]

Buying Blind does leave you with a certain element of surprise. Thats what makes it fun I highly recommend it 

[gekioh]

Oh man lol I do all the time as well, for just about every system i own(which is a lot). I will admit that its not as often as it was before I got married(because of less available finances lol)so I will ocasionally look at video or screen shots first, but I still buy blind pretty damn often, especially for PCE/TG16 and Saturn. Also i dont really haver a way to play emulators on my PC. I agree that part of the element of surprise is had from buying blind and feels great when its a kick ass game. The only times I can think of when I was sorely dissapointed with a blind buy was with Genocide, YuYu Hakusho and Legion(most gawd awful shooter ever)all PCE games btw.

[gekioh]

I suppose I do also do a little research as well sometimes, but in the end I also just look at the cover art and style/genre of game and back cover pics. Although now I'd say that there arent too many games anymore that are good that I dont already know about and have researched in some way rather it screen shots, video or reviews or word of mouth. I would say I buy blind 50% of the time

[esteban]

I blind buy music, films, video games, etc.

It's the only way to go!

[guyjin]

Well, WAY back in the day, we did it all the time. in that awkward period between the crash of '84 and when I got my first NES, the only place I knew you could get games from was other people; I didn't realize they came from stores. I had no gaming mags, and there weren't even screenshots a lot of the time. Therefore, everything was a blind buy.

Later, we got a NES, and even later, a SNES. Video stores rented games for these. It eventually became a weekly habit, so we knew what games we liked, and what to save our pennies for (and our parents knew what to get us for gifts.)

then I became a pc gamer for a bit, and that rarely required blind buys (*cough*piracy*cough*).

After that, I started getting into old videogames, and I was blind buying again for the first time. But at least now, if something turns out to be a turd, i haven't lost much. For current console purchases, I nearly always do internets research before buying.

[milkmanv1]

Hmm, if it's an american release I'll usually look up a teeny bit of info.. and as long is its not a sports game I'll usually give it a whirl. Most games are pretty cheap anymore so its not like a huge loss. Now the famicom on the other hand...hahaha I can do nothing but blind buy, I got like 8 games, some good, some bad, some I can't really play...Most...really weird. I got Peach Boy legends expecting it to be a platformer, and was disappointed when it was an RPG and when super peach boy was a board game. However I was pretty please with...well i don't know the names but they kinda remind me of kung fu, and I was pleased with Magical taru-ruto kun in fantastic worlds. I love me classic platformers, but anyway If the game sucks? Eh I kinda just throw it at something hopeing it will break hahaha.

So YES I blind buy, just not so much for US consoles, I have a pretty good knowledge of 90% of most games I'll run across.

[termis]

My history's pretty similar to that of guyjin.

When I was living in Japan, I'd go through blind buys all the time, because I'd rarely spend more than $10-$15 to grab a few PCE or Saturn games.  God, I love the recycle shops there.

[Gogan]

Blind buying is the most fun way to purchase a pce/tg game. I do it a lot, usually after having seen some screenshots of course, cuz I've already seen most every game anyhow. I stay away from videos and emulators. A good screenshot and review is enough to sell me.

Btw, nice thread.

[Tatsujin]

  God, I love the recycle shops there.

i do love 'em sumthing of the best the world can offer!

[Arkhan]

My only rule for blind buying is:

If its got the LJN or EA logo on it anywhere, and its more then 5$, walk away.  It will not be worth it even if the cover has boobs.