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Ever wanted to play a video game before you actually buy it, for fear that it might suck? Yeah me too, thats why they invented Blockbuster. Unfortunately, if you’re like me and you don’t have a “real” major credit card, blockbuster won’t let you rent games for the current generation of video game consoles. (360, PS3, Wii) Too bad my Mastercard debit card won’t work anymore.

So I’ve been forced to limit myself in the console gaming department, only buying games that I’ve had the opportunity to play at a friends house or that I was totally swayed by the advertising for. Even holding myself to that restriction I’ve managed to buy a few games I don’t really play anymore. I mean, even the best games like Mass Effect and Dead Rising can only last so long.

A few years ago an employee in Best buy gave me a flyer for GameFly.com advertising a two week free trial. I checked it out then, and it was cool but I still canceled after the two weeks was up.

Times have changed though, and I’ve decided to give it another shot. And after thinking it through I really think I should have done it sooner. It works similar to NetFlix, heres the basic idea:

• You sign up of course, and you can add up to 50 games from their sizable collection to your “Q”.
• Depending on your payment plan, you can have out 1 or more games at a time.
• The first(two,three, ect..) game that is available in your “Q” will be shipped to you.
• You can keep the game(s) for as long as you want with no late fee, for just your recurring monthy payment.
• Send them back when you’re done, in a prepaid envelope no less.
• Then the next available game in your “Q” will be shipped to you.

Ever the skeptic, I initially thought it was a scam and began trying to figure out where I was getting the shaft. After some deliberation, I decided it’s not a scam. It’s actually pretty damn sweet.

With my 2 game plan @ $22.95 per month, I can keep the same 2 games for 3 months and I’ve still only paid slightly more than if I had bought 1 game for my Xbox($60). And chances are, in 3 months I’ll have beaten both games and got all the pleasure I possibly could have out of them. To top it all off I still have the option to send them back for something else if they suck. And if I decided I really really love the game and want to keep it for some reason… I Can! I just let GameFly know via the website, they charge me the difference for the game @ the used price and mail me the instructions/case.

This gives me the opportunity to play games I’ve wanted to play for a while that I didn’t want to drop $60 on like Assassin’s Creed and Bioshock, play games like Kung Fu Panda and send them back when they lose their flavor,  play games I don’t know much about like The Club to see if they’re any good, and also I can get some games for my Girlfriend’s Nintendo Wii without being stuck with games for a system I don’t own.

Overall, if you’re into games, but you’re not into wasting money… GameFly is for you.

http://www.GameFly.com/