I'm really just looking to see if anyone finds themselves thinking in the same manner as me here.

Despite working in my current employment, I think I've bought no more than 3 new release titles in the last twelve months despite buying 6+ games every month.

The majority of my gaming is on the PC, which represents by far the largest back catalogue - several times that of any console. Due to this I find that in looking for games there will be at any given time a handful of new releases which are 'the hot new thing' and several other new release titles that are just trying to find their niche in the market, make back their development costs and maybe entertain a few people along the way. This is in contrast to the THOUSANDS of other titles available at any given time.

Out of this range, I always find myself having a hard time believing that the new releases (even with their marketing and prettier graphics) will be the ones that I'm going to find the most entertaining.

I guess what I'm getting at is that in my own experience, the most rewarding titles have almost ALWAYS (only 2-3 exceptions) been older, often discontinued items that I've tracked down by doing more than grabbing the game on the brightest rack with the most signs around it at the local store. Gaming for me is about the enjoyment that I get out of it and I have absolutely zero intention to purchase the new Call of Duty, very little interest in Crysis, no interest in Medal of Honor Airborne, Forza, etc etc... This is what really drives me and the games that I choose to hunt down, purchase and play, investing anywhere from 5 to 100 hours in.

There's so many old (and even not old at all) gems out there that are just plain great that no single person could person could possible hope to find the time to play all of that it just makes me wonder why anyone pays attention to what's new and what's not at all. Is it the slightly better graphics and the marketing? I really don't get it, I don't play games to look at pictures and be influenced by ads. Bare in mind that I'm saying this as somebody working within the games industry, so I'm steeped in this stuff 24 hours a day 5+ days a week and it's all but impossible for any game release to sneak by me or go unnoticed...

This is why I love VC.

You sound like a game collector, which apparently is what I'm becoming more of. Recently I've been going on the same path as you, most of my recent games bought are old games, not really the new releases. Most games would fly under my radar were it not for online reviews keeping me informed.

You have an acquired taste and don't go for the mainstream big sellers, nothing wrong with that :D

People pay attention to the new, because it's whats hot, it's the easiest to buy I guess, and it's what everyone is talking about. But I agree there are a lot of gems that go by that you miss, and I try and get games I missed out on if I can, Virtual Console is an excellent source for this, Paper Mario (N64) FTW! :D

Also, a little game called The Longest Journey and its sequel Dreamfall are games I just around to playing recently (as you'll notice from my subtle promotion of the series :P), the original released in 1999 I believe, and both games were some of the most memorable gaming expereinces I ever had, I'm so glad I decided to chase them up and play them!

This is why I love my 360 a bit more now (besides my PC crapping out on me constantly); rentals make life so much easier.

What promotion?! :P

From what I read, FreakTrigger, you're one for looking at what a game potentially can give you and the challenges it presents you, rather than the huge explosions and eye-candy that is usually churned out, boxed and shipped for the public's gaming pleasure.

I can understand, I guess. I've been playing the original starcraft for weeks now, and cannot get enough.

Forgive me if what i wrote doesn't make sense. I'm in Venice right now, and am a little under the booze.

ALso... noticed your sig. I should post my pic of Oscar Wilde's grave.... sorry, off topic.

Too subtle? :P

I buy a mixture of old and new titles, I guess.

Put simply, my deciding factor when it comes to buying games is whether their concepts (or whatever) are interesting to me. If the answer is even a slight yes, then I'll pretty much purchase it without any hesitation. Both fortunately and unfortunately, my tastes are pretty damn varied and as such I see myself wanting to experience most games out there. As for the older games, well I find I have an interest in playing them because a lot of them are regarded as classics and also because during my younger years, I wasn't aware of what was what in the gaming world and it was only by chance that I did get to experience some of gaming's greats. So yeah, I have an interest in playing some games I missed out on earlier and as such purchase them if I can. I also have an interest in what's current for various reasons. Perhaps that because the focus of the media is on these titles helps persuade my purchasing decisions too, but as I said before my varied tastes see me having an interest in most of then newly announced games. From Forza, to BioShock to something like Eternal Sonata - it's varied and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Most of the games I've bought are older games. I only buy games on release if they're MUST haves, such as Phantom Hourglass!