When you find a game that seems to tick all the right boxes, you might be tempted to pre-order it immediately. Then comes the big day. After spending a few minutes or hours with the game, you will decide it is a disappointment.
Getting your money back after buying a game can be a real pain. You cannot get a refund if you have already downloaded the game or played it for a few hours. Unless the disc version is physically damaged, many major retailers will not return the disc version.
However, you can avoid confusion by keeping an eye out for these seven warning signs.
Game trailer without the game
Question: “Where is the game?” many players have performed it after watching the “Gameplay Trailer. ” Flashy cinematic gimmicks or pre-rendered visuals that don’t show gameplay are a solid sign that the game isn’t in the best shape.
Pre-ordering a game tricks you into thinking it’s better than it is. Warning: If a teaser trailer masquerading as a full-length gameplay video is all you have to work with for months on end, that’s a bad sign.
Mechanics of Pay-to-Win games
Calling a game “pay-to-win” means that the developer has announced that the game will include a type of microtransaction that will give you an advantage over other players. Many of these services may even claim that they are meant to save players time and that purchasing them is entirely up to the user.
On the other hand, pay-to-win features should act as a red flag because game designers often use them to nickel and dime players.
Close to Launch, the beta version is too unstable.
Beta testing is essential for every game developer to improve their product. You can’t blame the betas for the bug because the developers are expected to fix all the issues before the final release.
Assuming you’ve been playing the bug-ridden beta and the developers haven’t had enough time to address most of them before the game goes on sale next month, you might end up with what you see now.
Even though the release date is getting closer, you can still get glimpses of the scripted game.
Curating live demos makes sense for game studios to avoid problems in the early stages of production. Currently, players want to watch the exciting parts of the game without being interrupted by a bug or crash. This programmed game could indicate that the developer doesn’t want you to notice something important as the game’s release date approaches.
Nothing is inevitable when it comes to these pre-staged game scenarios. Illusion-breaking pop-ups, slow frame rates, characters posing in the letter T, and more can all be issues with the game. You shouldn’t pre-order a game if the producers aren’t confident enough to show you the entire game.
Multiple setbacks put the game at risk.
Even these delays can be frustrating; they can also indicate that developers have discovered an issue and need more time to resolve it. Gran Turismo 5, Halo Infinite, and Breath of the Wild were examples. As with Duke Nukem Forever, Anthem, and Cyberpunk 2077, something more sinister could happen if the game lags repeatedly.
It would help if you also looked for symptoms of a problematic developmental cycle and multiple delays. As for video game workers working long hours with underpaid or unpaid overtime on top of their regular shifts, here are just a few examples (crunch).
Arrival at the last second
A few days before the game is released, players can read the reviews and decide if they want to buy the game. Reviewers usually receive a review copy of a significant game weeks before its official release date, giving them enough time to play the game and post reviews. As long as the publisher provides a review copy in advance or not, something is wrong.
The game overshadows the graphics.
However, most gamers prefer to play a game that is not visually stunning but is excellent in terms of gameplay. The most significant part of a video game is the gameplay; However, it is questionable whether aesthetics or not. On the other hand, developers often end up with a visually appealing game with poor gameplay when they overemphasize the visuals.