In a study based on <10 males aged 15-40, the GoYUK staff can officially announce that buying older games is now considered socially acceptable.

In an age where consoles cost more than an affordable car, it may be comforting to know that you’re not alone when you’re being tempted by Gamestation’s “4 for £20″ deals. There has been much discussion in the GameOnYou camp about, well, basically not being able to afford all the games we’d like to.

From gamer to gamer, we’d like to extend our unwashed, under-nourished hands to our beloved readers as we enter into a new age of cheapskatery, and being just that little bit more picky about which games to purchase.

Yes, there are some instances where we must have a game on release day (read: GTA IV, Boom Blox, Football Manager, Brothers in Arms). But titles such as Assassin’s Creed, Army of Two and the Battlefield: Bad Company saga have led us to rise and up say NO.

NO, we will not pay “full price” (whoever decided that all games should come out at £40 anyway?) for something that took 3 blokes and cat two months to shit out. NO, we will not fall for your pre-release hype and/or advertising and we would suggest that you should spend your money on titles that deserve it. Yes, Ubi, we’re talking to you. NO, we will not let games companies walk all over us and hold back content that should rightfully be in the game. And finally, NO we will not shell out our cash on games just because there’s “nothing good out for a few weeks”.

It’s not all doom and gloom though. The growth of the likes of Steam and XBLA mean that, more than ever, gamers have the ability to go looking for something outside the mainstream. What makes more sense; popping into town to pick up a 5-hour action game at £30, or paying less than a tenner to buy a puzzle game on Steam that will keep you entertained, off-and-on, for weeks to come?

We feel so strongly about this issue that we’ve somewhat changed our outlook. From this point on, we’ll throw a suitable price-tag on to each game review or quick playtest stating what we think the game is worth. That includes if we don’t think you should ever buy a game, regardless of the price.

As well as changing our review system (more details to come soon), we’re also starting a new feature, tentatively titled ‘Pocket Money’, where we’ll put together a monthly shopping basket worth £50 full of games that we think deserve your money. Old, new, “leet”, casual - we’ll throw together a mixed bag of quality at a suitable price.

To get us started, here’s something to whet your newly-born discerning appetite: