Every gamer knows the kind of games that I’m talking about. You play them once and then you’re done. You do everything that there is to be done, even get all of the trophies, and then there’s nothing else to do. Maybe you paid a lot of money for the game and maybe you didn’t. The question is, when it comes to these types of games are they worth it?
When it comes down to trying to figure out if these types of games are worth it, there are two things that I like to look at. One is the amount of content that you got for the game and how long you actually spent playing it. The second thing that I like to look for is of course the price. For me these are two major factors when it comes down to purchasing these types of games.
Concentrating on the content, I think that if a game has a good overall story and will provide an enjoyable experience then of course it’s worth it. The perfect one and done game will also have more then 10 hours of content, but that’s not always the case. Sometimes these games are less than 3 hours long. Take Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons for instance. This whole game, including the story as well as the trophies, can be done in less than 3 hours if you’re diligent. That’s without rushing through the story and without missing anything. This game is extremely short, but it does have one of the best stories that hits all of the right feels when it comes to story telling. This game is basically the definition of one and done though. After you complete the story the first time, and even get all the trophies, what would be the point to go back and play again? Nothing you do will change the story, events will still take place, and no matter what you’ll get the same ending. If nothing changes, what would be the point in playing again?
This is where my second point comes in. Price. Everything comes down to the all mighty dollar when you’re on a budget. Some of these one and done games can range anywhere from $9.99 – $19.99 in the PSN store. Then of course you have some retail AAA games that can also be considered one and done selling for $59.99. These prices are kind of crazy for a game that you’re going to play once and be done with it especially if you’re downloading it. For the retail versions, I think that if you’re going to buy these types of games you can buy them used at a lower price or pay the full price and hopefully you can turn around and sell it again making some of your money back. When it comes to strictly downloading these types of games, I would say paying anywhere from $9.99 – $19.99 is a complete waste of money. You could seriously be buying something else with more content, more play time, more everything for just about the same amount of money which is why I like to wait until these games go on sale. While I can’t justify spending $9.99 – $19.99 on these types of games, I can justify spending under $5 on these games. Or there is the option to hope that these games become free on PS+ so then you don’t have to pay for it anyway.
So are these games worth it? There really is no solid yes or no answer. It’s a mixture of both. For me if the game has a decent amount of content and allows me to play for a decent amount of time, then yes the game is worth it. If the game has a decent amount of content and is anywhere from 3-5 hours long then I’m going to look at the price. When looking at the price I think if a game is under $5 then I’m going to take it under heavy consideration if I should buy it or not, but anything over that is just not worth it especially if it’s a download.
1 Broke Gamer Girl 