The Basics

Buying video games can be a fun yet still challenging task. It's great to peruse all the new titles to see which one you want to bring home, but you also want to make sure you get a game that's worth owning and that it meets the needs of your system and the gamers in your house.

Video games are available for a variety of platforms including PCs, living room consoles and handheld consoles. The big three living room consoles - Xbox, Playstation 2 and GameCube - have been expanded to the big four with the addition of Microsoft's Xbox 360. And the Nintendo-dominated handheld console market, with their GameBoy Advance, DS and new DS Lite, also includes Sony's PlayStation Portable and other consoles such as the Nokia N-Gage.

So, depending on your video game platform, you have a wide range of choices for games. Most of the big releases are available on more than one platform, with some titles--such as video games based on movies--getting released across the board.

There are also a variety of genres that video games are placed in. Here at Consumer Guide, we divvy them up into seven main genres, including Sports, Action, Adventure, Role Playing, Strategy, Driving/Racing and Puzzle/Family. Some of these genres such as Sports (covering everything from table tennis to boxing) and Driving/Racing (any game where you're behind the wheel) are pretty self-explanatory, but others need a bit more illumination.

Action and Adventure video games can be pretty similar to one another and some games fall into both categories, such as the Tomb Raider titles. But Action video games are usually concerned with straight-forward blasting of enemies - often called run-and-gun titles - while Adventure video games involve more exploration and thought processing. You'll hear both of these video game genres described as first-person or third-person, based on your perspective in the game. First-person video games let you see what the character sees, while in third-person video games you actually see your character as they move and interact in the game.

Role-Playing video games take it a step further beyond Adventure games. These are often fantasy-based video games where you develop a character and improve his or her abilities throughout the game. They're more involved than most video games and include the MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games), persistent online gaming worlds where gamers come and go and can interact with other players from around the world.

The Strategy game genre includes those games where you build up your armies and economies by gathering resources and improving your civilization. Strategy games can be real-time or turn-based. Real-time strategy (RTS) video games are faster-paced with no pauses in the gameplay, while turn-based strategy games give you a chance to carefully decide on each move.

Puzzle/Family video games fall into a unique genre that often incorporates educational modes into the gameplay. They include everything from brain teasers to "edutainment" titles for aiding in childhood development.

Like movies and TV shows, video games carry a rating that can help parents decide whether or not a game is appropriate for their kids. These ratings depend on the game's content, such as language, violence and adult themes. The Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) evaluates every new video game released and places a rating on the bottom corner of the video game box or case. The ratings are fairly straightforward and are based on a letter system.

The lowest rating is EC for Early childhood, which means that the game is appropriate for children of age three or older. Next up is E for Everyone, which is a bit of misnomer and means that the video game is suitable for gamers of age six and above. E10+ is Everyone 10 and older, similar to a PG movie. Video Games rated T for Teen are similar to PG-13 movies and are recommended for gamers who are at least 13.

The highest ratings are M (for Mature) and A (for Adult). M-rated games are like R-rated movies, and are suitable for gamers over 17. In order to keep our content family-oriented, Consumer Guide does not review M-rated video games. The ESRB also has an A rating for Adult games, but very few titles have ever been released with this rating.

If you're reading about a video game before it's being released, you'll often see a rating of RP. This just means Rating Pending and that the rating process for that game has not yet been completed.

Not much has changed in the world of video games in the past few years except that they have gotten sharper looking, feature better computer AI (artificial intelligence), and more and more titles include online multiplayer - even for the living room and handheld consoles.

How to Shop

Video games vary widely in cost. You can find used or older, "bargain bin" titles for less than $10 while new titles for the Xbox 360 can cost up to $60. Purchasing a new video game can be quite an investment, so you might consider renting one for a weekend before you commit to the purchase. Most of the big video stores also rent video games, so for $4 or $5 you can try a game to make sure you love it before paying $50 or more to make it a keeper.

You can also trade in your old games at many video game stores after you're done with them. You may not get much for older titles, but it can save you some money off a new game. You can also purchase used video games at these stores for less than the cost of a new version of the game.

Although not an issue for console games, if you're purchasing PC games you want to check the system requirements to ensure that your computer has the specs to handle the game. Most new 3D games need a fairly high-end system with a dedicated video card in order to run. Some games have separate specs - required vs. recommended. "Required" means you need this processor, memory, etc. just to run the game and the "recommended" specs are the ones you need to run it very smoothly.

Console games will run on the console they're made for without a problem, and you can often play previous generation games on a newer console. For example, the PS2 lets you play all original PlayStation games and the Xbox 360 can play a lot of the original Xbox games, although you might need a software patch.

Although some games are only single-player, most video games have both single-player and multiplayer modes. Video games for your living room console may even have a variety of multiplayer modes, letting you play in split-screen mode with your buddies in the same room as well as over the Internet. And Nintendo's DS and Sony's PSP offer wireless connectivity, so you can play over the Internet as well as against friends that are nearby over an ad hoc network. Be sure and check to see what multiplayer options are available for a game if you want to be able to play well with others.

Some online services such as Xbox Live for Xbox and Xbox 360 also require an additional fee to play over the Internet. Most online multiplayer games for PCs are free except for the MMORPGs that charge a monthly fee.

If you have a high definition television (HDTV), you should check a video game's specifications to see which HD formats it supports. Gaming in high-definition has added another layer of realism to video games and most new games for current-generation living room consoles support HD.

Above all, make sure that the video game you're buying is fun. That's what gaming is all about. It can have all the graphical bells and whistles, but if you're not enjoying yourself, it's not a good video game.