Bargain Bin Review

Computer gaming can be an expensive hobby. For the past several years, games have driven the pursuit for faster and better desktop computers--pushing them to a level where non-gamers often wonder what the point of having the latest and greatest CPU on the block if it cannot run Microsoft Word any faster. Even gamers who are willing to pay a premium for their bleeding edge technology (that will certainly be outdated and within mere months) often have to question whether or not the bragging rights are worth it.

The world of consoles is quite different, however. Hardware is usually sold at a loss, far less than the components making up a Playstation 2 or an Xbox cost to manufacture. This revenue is made up for by licensing fees that drive the price of console games up to $50, as a rule. While their PC counterparts are often released for that price, to soak up the cash of those who have to have the latest game immediately--often within a week those prices are slashed, usually by a third or more (to $30-35) for the next Sunday's sale. After the sale, the prices tend to go up a bit ($40) and languish, depending upon how well or poorly the title sells. Stars, such as the original Diablo or the Sims can maintain that pricing for years, until eventually superceded by a sequel (often making it wise to purchase them used from online auction sites). Most, however, take a sharp nosedive after a few months, down to $20-25, though online shopping sites are better at getting around to this than brick and mortar stores, as there is less red tape.

This is where games diverge from other forms of artistic entertainment. The crafts of music and film, while evolving, are static in that new platforms for enjoying them are seldom released. Though some might struggle to update their VHS collection to DVD, every six months in the computer world is essentially a platform change of that magnitude. While games might not become more entertaining (in fact, some could argue that they have grown less so, over the years, hitting rock-bottom at the advent of CD-ROM drives when "interactive movies" were the rage) they are always becoming more something which means that older titles are often abandoned and forgotten, save for the affections of a nostalgic few.

Games arrive in the bargain bin in many different ways. Sometimes a scuffed and tattered box manages to remain unsold over the course of a year until it receives a $10 sticker. Or perhaps an inventory clearance event, where an "instant rebate" in conjunction with a traditional mail in one can take a game with a $40 sticker down to as low as $5.

Other times, a game is repackaged as a "gold" (or even "platinum" now that gold is so common) or "collectors" or "classic" edition. In some cases, as many as six or eight older games are packaged together for this purpose, forming "legacy" or "masterpiece collection" bundles. Or, in true bargain bin fashion, one may find them lying in an actual bin, or more likely, a jumble of shrink wrapped CD Jewel cases placed haphazardly on a wire rack, where a forgotten game classic might hide behind a French tutoring program.

A more recent tactic employed by manufactures often misleads bargain bin hunters as they scan the regular shelves at the larger computer warehouse stores, such as CompUSA. Often, in preparation for a big sale, manufactures will create a bargain bin product (meaning no paper manual or instruction book, assorted box trinkets and etc. are included) but package it in the original retail box. While this allows the publishers to shave some costs and is not often that great a loss for gamers (as the games reach the $10 price point and often have the latest software patch installed) few people are aware of the practice.

Bargain bin games run the gamut--some arrive there as a last desperate gasp to recoup the costs involved with creating a legendary flop, such as Daikatana, while others, represent the best that their era had to offer.

I write these reviews because I have a love for the bargain bin. Although I wish I possessed the money to fully support the artistic and innovative people in the industry by purchasing their latest games at full price, the bargain bin offers the same surprises, good times, and bitter disappointments at a risk level that I can currently afford.

These reviews have the advantage of hindsight--knowing exactly how the life cycle of the game played out, having read the contemporary reviews, whether a sequel was released, or even if all the fan web sites withered and died within months of its release. They also have a different benchmark: "Is this a good game?" is a tough question. "Is this a good game for $10?" is remarkably easier to answer, though especially painful when the answer is a negative.

These reviews will also be testing compatibility of the games with the latest hardware, on operating systems and graphics cards that did not exist when the software was created. Note will be taken of any major issues (information that then contemporary reviews obviously cannot provide) and all screenshots will be taken at high resolution with the latest graphical goodies enabled, such as Full Screen Anti-Aliasing (FSAA) and anisotropic filtering for a more current look at the game.

Thanks for reading,

Richard Leader

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