Playing a game at release sometimes means that you will run into strange bugs, glitches and whatever problems the team will patch out in the future. With most games it’s no big deal. Many bugs aren’t even that noticeable. Others are but won’t ruin your experience.

I’ve heard some wise gamers say they hold off on new releases until they’ve been completely patched, debugged or some sort of Game of the Year edition has been released with all of the fixes and DLC. This is also a good choice if you’re trying to save money. Game of the Year editions usually cost around $60 or even less.

The longer you wait the better the bargain, but sometimes you just want that new game on Day One. Sometimes it’s a game you’ve been waiting to play since it was first announced. There are some games that you need to buy and begin playing on Day One. You will set aside whatever current game you’re playing just for that one.

There are also games that you think you need on Day One, but you could have waited a bit. I bought Lego DC Super Villains on release date for the full price ($59.99). It also brought a FREE ticket voucher to see Aquaman in theaters. I never saw Aquaman in theaters and I’m still waiting to play that game. It now goes for $14.99-19.99 on the eShop most days.

There is a great excitement in buying the newest game on release day, though. I did get Mario Golf on release day, but wasn’t able to jump in until the following week. However, I have been playing every night ever since — trying to unlock all of the courses.

I have become a bit better at not buying every single new release game I’m excited for (I can now hold off on the latest releases). It also helps that I no longer get the 20% off Best Buy Gamers Club Unlocked discount using my friend’s membership. That definitely pushed me to buy some new releases that I knew (deep down) that I would never play.

A Glitch in the Rift

I’m not done with Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart yet. I am having a wonderful time playing this game on my PlayStation 5 though. This is my first true Next-Gen experience game. This is not my full review of the game, that will come later once I’ve beaten the full game (and hopefully earned my 4th platinum trophy).

I have come across a few small bugs and glitches here and there while playing Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. I’ve had the sound cut out when playing with my Sony Pulse 3D Headset. I’ve walked on invisible floating platforms, and a few other small things. Most of them were quick and didn’t really bother me too much.

I did however come across a bug that was so great that it actually tricked me into thinking it was part of the game. I don’t think this has ever happened to me before. This video doesn’t show the full story, but there is a thing called Blizon crystals in this game. When you strike them with your hammer/omni-wrench you are taken to the same location in another dimension.

What I learned was that if I hit them twice back to back I would end up in this blank void. For about a good five minutes, I thought it was part of the game. I began moving the camera around in all angles (because that was all I was allowed to do looking for a way to “solve this puzzle.” I even googled “Blank Void Ratchet.” It wasn’t a puzzle though, it was a straight up glitch, but a beautiful one. Look at the colors in the photo and video above.

Once I figured this out I had to exit the game. This of course froze the PlayStation 5 (both times it happened), causing me to hold down the power button (for a very, very long time). After the first two instances, it hasn’t happened again. I have been more careful with my Blizon strikes. Not a huge deal, but I felt the need to share this in case it happens to someone else and they also fall for it.

I’m loving this game. This glitch hasn’t been a deal breaker and I will continue to play through Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart.

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Above I mentioned that it is a good idea sometimes to wait for games to be patched, fixed or re-released in order to possibly save money. I will continue to buy games on day one or close to release date, because I also think it’s important to support game developers by buying their game. That doesn’t mean you have to buy a game you know nothing about on release date.

Now that games are going to cost $70 I will be more careful with my wallet. I still do plan to support trusted games with release date purchases and pre-orders. There are other games that I can wait to play. Sometimes I miss out on great games because I just don’t have the time when they’re released, then I forget about them. Next thing I know, that game is a PS Plus FREE game that month

This recently happened with Control a game I totally missed out on, but now I really enjoy. This can be helpful to developers because I now know if there’s a Control 2 or whatever next game Remedy makes I will be interested in learning more. So, sometimes you can still support by playing (and loving) FREE or discounted games.