How do you approach a new game?

I ask, because recently I've been watching a lot of Guild Wars 2 footage on the internet. The QL here, Gamespot livestreams and some Youtube videos. And I've felt really frustrated by it all, because the people playing haven't grasped the game mechanics, noticed important settings or go about playing the game in a way that just seems weird to me.

I've noticed this in plenty of other games as well - in some QLs (and other similar YT content) I can understand it, since they don't want to spend too long messing around in the menus and learning how to play. But even when we get QLs that are being played by the person who will review the game or who has played it before - they often seem to be lacking some information.

The reason this seems so strange to me is because I always approach new games very methodically. Here is an example (based on GW2):

• I click/hover over every icon beginning from the character creation, which lets me notice the "lightswitch" that enables me to see Sylvari bioluminescence that quite a few people seemed to miss.
• I enter the game and immediatly open the options menu and look through everything. Enable auto-loot, fast target casting and bunch of other options. I check keybindings and rebind dodge and switch weapon sets. I make a note of other options/keybinds in case they become relevant later.
• I open the character screen, tab through everything and discover that I can dye my armor, change into town clothes, hide some armor pieces. I see I can teleport to the PvP lounge with a button, I look through my skills and make a note that traits will unlock later.
• I open the inventory, notice the bag slots on the left. I notice the cogwheel and see it has options for showing separate bags (which I disable), for Compact (which I press, and see it organizes the inventory) and Deposit All Collectibles (which I make a note of, since I don't know what collectibles are). Later when I figure it out, I know now how to deposite all crafting materials in my inventory in one click.
• I run around, dodge and get a feel of the movement. Kill a few random mobs nearby. And then, I go and start the first quest.

By that point, I had already figured out a bunch of stuff and felt comfortable playing the game. The combat took a bit longer, but I wasn't lost or anything. When I wanted to figure out crafting, I looked on the map for the icons, ran to the area and talked to a Weaponsmith who told me how crafting worked. Later I teleported to the Mists and WvW and realized that in one (sPvP) you get a set of lvl80 gear while in the other you keep your own gear and just have your level bumped.

Anyway, you get the point. GW2 definitely doesn't hold your hand, but I had no problems with it myself. And this is how I approach any new games that I play.

How about you? Do you RTFM? Or do you just jump in and try to figure things out as you go?

I read every piece of information available, even to the point of getting shit spoiled.

As such, I have a rather cavalier attitude about spoilers as a whole, compounded with an oddly good memory. Case in point: I remember what happens in the third ASoIaF book from when I was 12 and a friend commented on it. I didn't read the books until after Game of Thrones came out a decade later.

From behind.

fuck that shit, the game has to win me over before i can start caring about it

I usually go to the options first to configure the game. When I'm in the game it usually depends on the type of game I'm playing. For every game I hit every button on the controller to see what they do. Then I try to explore my environment and discover everything I can. PC games are unique in this. Within the game I do the same thing. But my computers have always been somewhat under-powered. So I spend a huge amount of time calibrating the game to get the most out of it on my computer.

It really depends on the game type, but I usually run through the tutorial and generally go slow.

@Dunchad said:

in some QLs (and other similar YT content) I can understand it, since they don't want to spend too long messing around in the menus

HaahAAAAhAHAHaHhhHAhaHAaaAhAAAAhAHAHhhHAHAhaAAahahaHaaahAhhhaHah!

@Dunchad: I go through the exact same progress as you and I don't understand how some people just run into a game with no experience and just expect everything spoonfed to them even if something is common sense. The first time I play any new game, I press each key/button to figure out what they do and check all the options. I usually skip tutorials because everything's pretty obvious once you've tried everything out at least once.

@Brodehouse said:

From behind.

Exactly my first thought.

@BrockNRolla said:

@Brodehouse said:

From behind.

Exactly my first thought.

Surely that applies only to the most dangerous game.

i open up the game, smell inside of it(for that new video game smell) i put the game into my console read the manual and then start playing the game.

Typically I just pop in the game, read the manual then play around with the controls a little.

@Brodehouse said:

From behind.

The only correct answer ladies and gentlemen.

Well when I approach this game a few days ago.

I came into it thinking it was going to be just awful. I've played it and it wasn't so bad. It has good ideas but not well thought out ideas. Now as for the story its just fucking everywhere. Its like someone was smoking good weed when they produce this story. How the fuck does the main character knows nothing about mind hacking. When you was mind jacking people at the very beginning of the game. On top of that the voice acting doesn't do this game justice.

I thought the original Resident Evil game had better voice acting, and that's saying alot. Mind Jack feels like a game that could have been unique but it wasn't.

I just play it. I just dive right in and figure things as I go along.

Do you have obsessive compulsive disorder? It kind of sounds like you do.

I jump right in and adjust fire as necessary. After a few hours or so, I jump into menus and explore things like that.

I touch it on the shoulder.

If I'm presented with a menu (like character creation creation) I explore all of the options but I don't seek out menus. Most games these days have tutorials or ease you into the systems so I just follow that as I'm presented with it.

I would approach it from behind, and then make sweet, sweet love to it.

Mods are usually the first order of business, where applicable, for me. Especially anything involving higher resolution text packs.

It depends on the game. If it's a game I'll likely spend a lot of time playing for multiplayer I'll read every last detail about the multiplayer, if it's not I'll just jump in and play it.

I just play it and learn everything as I go. I can't read every menu item as soon as I start the game and get an understanding for it unless I understand its place in the greater context of the game and how it affects other mechanics. For example, I played Mount and Blade Warband for the first time a couple weeks ago and didn't really bother visiting lords or ransom brokers because I didn't even know what they did in the greater context of the game. I didn't know what the scouting skill did or how it helped me on the field map until I actually experienced the field map for myself.

@Dunchad: I do the same things. It's something that I have learned to do through out my life, even if it's not video games. I'm amazed when people don't do that as it's like putting something together without reading the manual. School, family, and games have taught me pay attention to everything.

@Dunchad: I do pretty much the same thing you do. Before I ever start a game I hit up the options screen and I'm always annoyed when that's not possible because the menu is only accessible in-game for some stupid reason.

I'll usually just jump right in for most games.