I'm Cheap, and GameFly Helps

It's no secret that we're cheap at STRGamer, and are constantly looking for deals and ways to not pay full price on things. Sure, some of us may have loads of cash and can buy every game when it comes out at $59.99, and by some of us, I mean none of us. That's why I started a GameFly membership, which is proving to be a great solution in supporting my miserly consumerism.

You've probably already heard of GameFly, but if you don't know the specifics, it's basically a kind of Netflix program for video games. For $15.95 a month you can rent one game at a time from their extensive library of console and handheld games, or upgrade to two games at a time for $22.95. They're often offering discounted trial months for under $10, which is what attracted me to their rental program in the first place.

I bought a PS3 earlier this year, and being the completist that I am, wanted to play through all of the first iterations of the console's exclusives before getting into the newer sequels. So, I first picked up Killzone 2, LittleBigPlanet, and inFamous in preparation for their sequels' releases next year. Having read up on games like the original Uncharted and standalone titles like Heavy Rain, which are known for being shorter, contained experiences without multiplayer or as much replay value as the others, I was a little reluctant to shell out the funds to buy them.

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GameFly was running an $8.95 trial month promotion at the time, and with me figuring that a 5-day rental from Blockbuster would come to about that much anyway, it was ON LIKE DONKEY KONG. The first game I rented was Uncharted, and I played it over a weekend or so, sent it back, rinsed and repeated. So far, it's been an excellent service and value, and I highly recommend it for anyone that a) loves playing a large variety of games, and b) likes not spending money.

GameFly's also great for buying used games, as they have a lot of great regular deals on pre-played titles, and you can always choose to keep a game that you're renting for a discounted price. However, while it's really good for a lot of things, there are some games and genres that it's not the best for, like big new releases that everyone's trying to get their grubby, greasy, Sour-Patch-Kids-sticky hands on. We've put together a couple of lists to help you decide what GameFly's good for, and what you should still go out and buy:

GameFly's great for:
-Shorter titles with little replay value, getting the most out of your 15 or 22 bucks a month
-Older games that are not in huge demand
-Console/handheld games for any of the current-generation systems, as well as older ones (including PS2 and GBA)
-Games you're looking to try out before buying
-Used games at hugely discounted prices (Batman: Arkham Asylum for $16.99? That's unpossible!)
-Renting Demon's Souls and returning it after getting your arse handed to you in the tutorial

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Even though we're cheap, we still buy games:
-Longer titles with high replay value, which are going to suck that $15.95 a month faster than a Twilight collectible card game
-New releases, which generally don't have huge availability in their library
-PC games, which they don't stock, most likely because of DRM issues
-Impulse buys, which are way less exciting if you have to wait five days for them to arrive

Overall, it's a great service if you're into renting or trying out games, and for getting great deals on used titles. Companies like Redbox are starting to get into the rental market as well (via Engadget), and there are always places like Blockbuster and your local rental stores, but Gamefly seems to be the best value and convenience out there at the moment.

You're still going to have to get your PC games elsewhere (Cataclysm digital upgrade FTW), and we recommend sticking with buying new releases and longer titles (you'd better believe we're getting Mass Effect 3 at release, full price schmull price). Still, for renting shorter, older console and handheld games, as well as buying used titles, GameFly is totally worth your money!