The Daily Grind: How many chances does a game get to hook you?

I usually take a look at videos and such, and it'll hit me or not. And instant interest or not interest happens right away. If it didn't hit me as soon as I started seeing screenshots and videos, I'll never play it.

So far my gut hasn't led me wrong yet.

If I've played it, twice.

I usually know within the first month if it's right for me. If it isn't, I know there really isn't anything they can do to overhaul the game if the core isn't to my liking.

The only exceptions have been where the games were large enough with plenty of content to mess around in, in the hopes of it getting fixed up ala Vanguard.

But usually, launch day is all a game gets from me, especially if it says one thing and claims another like RIFT. For me, it had it's chance and I found little that was next gen so I'll give SWTOR/GW2 a try and play consoles until then.

It depends on what changes they've made since I last played (no point in me giving it another shot if they haven't changed the things I didn't enjoy), how much potential I previously thought the game would have if it weren't for those problems, and how much I'm enjoying the games I'm currently playing at the time.

I watch a lot of videos and read about games before I try them... even then I usually give them a couple attempts to hook me. I tried LoTRO 3 times at various stages and it just could not land me. I tried Rift in the Beta and it just didn't grab me, but I will give it another go eventually. I played City of Heroes, quit then went back for City of Villains and played for a while. Right now Rysom and Runescape (thanks to Beau's articles) are vying for my time :-)

Luxx

Generally a few, depends on the MMO and the changes. I know that there's one I'm going to be picking up again in the near future.

I'm highly flexible and forgiving. There's no upper limit, I just need time away and motivation to look again.

If i decide to try it out i have the demo, trial or free month.
Sometimes i know in the first hour its still not for me, sometimes i get to the end of the free trial or first month.
If it doesnt catch me in this time it will never catch me.

Have i left a mmo is it about the mood i left.
Did i left bcs i have simply played enough, the friends have moved on, greener grass called - then i come back occasionally.

Have i left bcs they never got fixed bugs in time (in about 3 to 6 months), the quality was lacking, the development got wrong and the game got worse i will never come back.

I usually give a month or two ... but sometimes it can definately hit me in the face one way or the other within an hour or two.

APB Reloaded, World of Tanks ... It only took me like an hour or so to see that both of these are a blast ... I am not going to spend a ton of time in either, but when I just want to have some adrenline fueled fun, these are both good picks.

Rift ... I played it for two months ... and it look that long for me to figure out that even though it is a good game, it was not any good for me.

I am still looking for my new "big mmo" ... the place that will be my long term RPG home ... right now I am thinking it that it might be Fallen Earth when it goes F2P or TSW when it drops ... unless either one of them strikes me as aweful (which I do not expect at all) within the first couple hours, I suspect that I will give both of them a good solid couple months before deciding.

I read about it, then if there is a free trial I DL that and start it. Usually I quit it because of things like UI, stiff movement, poor irritating graphics..

It depends on the game and the company.

I haven't played WoW as a subscriber since a month or two past Wrath. I still go back and take a look every time Blizzard sends me an invitation. Not enough has changed to get me to resubscribe though. The same situation applies to DAoC, although their "give us another look" invitations are fewer and farther between.

EVE, I played through the two week trial and couldn't believe anyone would want to play this game. Combat was the most boring thing I had ever seen in an MMO: orbit, activate guns, watch a lame cartoon until the other ship was dead, move on and repeat for next ship. I kept going back though. I must have played through the trial period three or four times before I finally bought a three month stay. I knew there was something I was missing. Now I have multiple accounts.

Most games though, once I leave there's no going back. Although I will almost always take the developers up on offers to return free for a few days if they send them.

With so many choices right now, I am finding it difficult to go back to some titles I used to play, just to have time to check the new ones. But I do revisit them when I can, specially since F2P games make doing so not a burden.

Lotro was a game that just by seeing screenshots and videos did not interest me. I finally gave it a try, and now it is one of my regular games. After that I just don't trust "judging by the cover" anymore, I need to experience a game at least a couple of tries.

To be specific:

A lot.

You only get one chance!

I might re-consider certain games (years later) if they have been vastly improved.

"Potential" is the word that sets the alarm bells ringing when I'm looking at new MMO, whether it's used by me or others playing the game.

Haven't played a game yet that somewhere down the line fufilled the potential it had at launch.

Games are supposed to be fun. Now, that's a very subjective thing, but if I'm not having fun in some way while playing a game, I stop.

There are many ways a game can be fun. Star Trek Online, taken by itself, isn't a very fun game. Playing that game with my friends who love Star Trek though = fun!

one.

Normally once for the first go around, but I wouldn't mind going back to games that weren't an immediate turn-off. With so many games being free to play now, it's getting harder and harder. Lots of good intentions to check back, too many new or upgraded shinies. Especially with LOTRO and Guild Wars sitting on the back-burner, going "play me again, play me again."

I don't have a lot of time to kill anymore, so games don't have a big window to really grab me. MMOs have more than console games; I'll usually give them a week or two, but console games only get an hour, maybe two.

I base my decisions to buy on reviews of games. So when I do buy, I give it a good chance... If I hate it immediately, I still play because I 'must be missing something'. This is why your reviews of ffxiv made me so upset massively. Luckily the fan outcry made me check other reviews first.

Depends on the game and why I stopped playing it in the first place.

It took me 3-4 attempts to get into Guild Wars before it grabbed me - nowadays I would probably say that it is my favourite fantasy MMO game.

I am playing a SciFi MMO now that I have not seriously played for close to 9 years (Anarchy Online) and I am quite enjoying myself - in the between time there has been a couple very brief re-visit attempts that never took off. The game itself have had some changes, but in this case I think that made this suitable was more on my side than the game itself.

I have not played World of Warcraft for more than 5 years now and I have no urge to try it again. It may be well executed, but there isn't really anything that tickles my interest that cannot be found in more interesting packages.