Survivng the Video Game Summer Slump

Summer seems to be every gamers nemesis. Loved ones poke and prod to get you to go outside and enjoy the summer weather. And sometimes, its so amazing out that its impossible to resist. But on those days when it is way too hot to go outside or its finally raining, all you are left with is this summers near total lack of new releases. So the question is, how are you going to get your game on ?

Consider renting from a local store like a Blockbuster or Video City. These places tend to charge quite a bit more. It can be anywhere from $5-$10 and the rental itself can last anywhere from five days to as much as two weeks at some locations. This is nice if there is a game that you want to play and you know you can knock it out in a weekend. Plus this has its advantages over mailed games like Gamefly due to the fact that you have immediate access to the games. All you have to do is drive down to the store and get a different game.

Gamefly is a system that I have sung the praises of many times before. For a fixed fee, you can rent game after game. You play one, keep it as long as you want, and send it back. It worked really well for awhile but there are couple flaws in the system. The turn around time can be almost a full week. Another set back is that they pull games off of your online que. This wouldn't be so bad except that they frequently send you games that are really low on your list. The demand for new release games is too high. So my first couple rentals were from the top of my list, after that i was getting games that were ten or fifteen down the list. But it is a great way to try new games that you never would've tried before.

Downloading games is an a really good option as well. The Gametap service is pretty kick-ass. You can chose between a flat rate or a rate per game. And any game that you play and like, you can purchase to own right there on your computer. The only problem is that it really only applies to PC gamers. I have a stellar desktop but for some reason i just really never got into games on my computer. So this could be a major set back for the console gamer.

You can always just buy your games as well. A lot of times there are games that looked good, but not good enough to pay $60 the day it came out. There are lots of stores that offer old games and used games for a discount price. Gamestop is unveiling their latest change to the Edge card. Now you can accrue points and those points will eventually translate into something like store credit. I use my Edge card all the time to get discount on used games, now there is the added benefit of eventually earning something for my loyalty. Of course the major disadvantage is that you are buying the games. Hopefully if you are getting an older game, it is one that you have tried before at a friends house or something. But at least if you own the game you can take your time. There isn't a rush to play through it.

Alternatively, you can be like me and just mooch games off your friends. I find it to be the best option of all.