Used Games With Old Save Files

[Farore's Chosen]

Do you think it's common courtesy for people to wipe their saved games before selling them? And do you delete your saved file before you sell it or do you just think eh whatever?
Do you think it's interesting to see where someone was when you buy a new game and they didn't delete stuff?
Do you play on their save file sometimes just for fun?

I don't really care either way but I do think it's interesting to see where someone's been. I've only had this happen on a used copy of Golden Sun the Lost Age that I received for Christmas one year.

 

[inferno]

i tend not to sell any game i get =p but i always delete files when i buy used games =p

 

[Mercedes]

I don't buy or sell games, but if I was to I guess I would try and wipe any save files off it first before selling. But it's not really a big thing, it's not like I make my character's name my PIN number and every Pokemon in my inventory spells out my bank account number, there's no personal stuff there so I wouldn't be too bothered. Likewise if I as to get a used game with someone else's save file I'd just delete it, wouldn't bother checking it out.

My 1 positive experience with a used game was Double Dash for Gamecube, I got a copy I now know to be used from my brother for my birthday because it had a memory card in the little holder thing of the boxes! Score! I needed another one too. Thank you for not checking the box GAME!

 

[Salem]

For some old cartridge games, you can not actually erase the files, for example some Square-Enix games for the SNES.

 

[AbrahamLinkoln]

I wish people would delete there profiles, I bought a used copy of Kid Icarus: Uprising the other day and could not for the life of me figure out how to delete saved profiles. So after ten minutes of clicking on everything I could had to go to the damn internet for a solution, and it wiped all 3 profiles clean not just one.

 

[Jimmu]

I don't often buy used games or sell my games but on the occasions that I have purchased some older games on eBay a few have come back with save files on them. I don't see removing your save file before selling a game as important unless it for some strange reason holds personal information or explicit content such as a rude username (that could end up in the hands of a child). If I get an old game with a save file I'll usually just erase it and start my adventure afresh, it's better that way in my opinion.

What does annoy me though is when you purchase a video game that doesn't have the ability to save (I'm looking at you Game Boy games). Replacing batteries for saves is annoying, especially if you don't have a spare battery for the game when it arrives.

 

[octorok74]

I've never sold a game, but I've bought several used games with old saves. It really annoys me too. I hate seeing other people's progress on a game that I own. What was worse was when I bought my used 3DS. The previous owner didn't wipe anything. Not game data and not even the pictures. Luckily it was only pictures of a dog, but still, those are private pictures and just going to delete them felt like an invasion of privacy. People should wipe all their data before selling something.

 

[Mamono101]

I think it's common courtesy with older games that if a delete function exists, you should delete the save. I've purchased many a memory card and cartridge that had complete game data on it and often, having this data unlocks certain options not previously accessible. Such as one of the Tetris games on the N64 that converts lines earned towards unlocking in game secrets and then logs how many lines were earned by each user that helped unlock it. Seeing names of people I don't know in high score data also annoys me slightly.

I have personally never loaded up someone else's save file either, especially if I have not yet played the game myself. I don't like knowing what to expect when I play a game. It ruins the experience for me.

 

[Farore's Chosen]

What was worse was when I bought my used 3DS. The previous owner didn't wipe anything. Not game data and not even the pictures. Luckily it was only pictures of a dog, but still, those are private pictures and just going to delete them felt like an invasion of privacy. People should wipe all their data before selling something.

Oh I hadn't thought of that. But then again I've never bought a used console/handheld

I've had some fun with the save files of previous owners before, being a regular buyer of used games when I was a console gamer. The aforementioned Pokemon has yielded more than one occasion when I've bought a game in which the owner's entire party was renamed to single letters to spell out an expletive.

lol that's funny stuff

 

[mαrkαsscoρ]

What was worse was when I bought my used 3DS. The previous owner didn't wipe anything. Not game data and not even the pictures. Luckily it was only pictures of a dog, but still, those are private pictures and just going to delete them felt like an invasion of privacy. People should wipe all their data before selling something.

if anything,they should take out all files on consoles before selling it
the ps3 i got had plenty of photos of the previous user's family photos and the home boys
and i'm not lying when i say this,but it also had a shot of her bare *** and i was just thinking about that one incident where a used 3ds came w/ pornography or whatever it was,i still kinda have the photo too

guys,seriously,format the data on your console before giving it away to strangers

 

[Akuhime-sama]

I don't think it matters if they do or not. The next user can just delete the save file themselves.
Just as long as the game works, and it's not completely gross (like- if the previous owner got sticky crap or whatever all over it), then why complain?
I DO think though, it should be a common courtesy to make sure your game is CLEAN before selling it.
I hate scrubbing off old candy and price-sticker gunk off my games.

NOW, when it comes to POKEMON, it's actually kinda NICE when there's a pre-existing file. If you have another game and system, you could trade yourself some pokemon that you (starting a new game) can't catch yet. The previous owners might be farther into the game. It's nice if you want to get a good team going early.

I've never sold a game, but I've bought several used games with old saves. It really annoys me too. I hate seeing other people's progress on a game that I own. What was worse was when I bought my used 3DS. The previous owner didn't wipe anything. Not game data and not even the pictures. Luckily it was only pictures of a dog, but still, those are private pictures and just going to delete them felt like an invasion of privacy. People should wipe all their data before selling something.

What?
How is that invading? That makes no sense.
It's not invading AT ALL if the previous owners were just too careless to wipe their pics.
Common sense would tell them that another person is going to get their system. That in itself TELLS you that they'd see EVERYTHING you had on there. If you don't take the time to wipe the memory, it's your own fault. If you give it away with doing so, you're basically handing some stranger your stuff. KNOWINGLY. Unless you are just careless and stupid... but STILL- It's not the owners fault, it's not the seller's fault, it's YOUR fault if you don't wipe it. If you don't want anybody else to see your pictures, then you wipe it. Simple as that. If you don't, then you obviously didn't care enough, and the way I see it, it's your own damn fault.


And, also, I actually kind of like seeing stuff about the previous owner. It kind of makes it have that 'well loved' feel to it. (I'm talking about game progress) And, (as long as they're not BAD pics), if there are some pics of like- their dog, cat, family, or something innocent, it's actually kind of interesting. It's like peering into the life, even just a tiny bit, of somebody else. it's in a way, adventurous. But don't go around doing it. xD I mean, if they left it there, you found it. there's nothing wrong with that. Similar example- if somebody dropped a photo of their family in the woods when they were hiking and a stranger (to them) just happened to find it a few days later. Nothing wrong with it at all.

I don't see removing your save file before selling a game as important unless it for some strange reason holds personal information or explicit content such as a rude username (that could end up in the hands of a child).

That- That I can understand.
It would be courteous to wipe it if you DID enter 'rude words'.

Like how Prof. Oak's son is ALWAYS known as A$$bag or A$$hat, or $hithead, or some other word that the generations before would name their rival, out of sheer humor.

 

[Mudora]

I usually don't buy used games but this has happened to me before. My uncle found a Golden Sun cartridge for the Gameboy Advance at his place and gave it to me as he was unsure of who it belonged to and had no use for it. Looking back, I was pretty lucky to get that because since then I've been a fan of the series. Anyways, there was a saved file on it but I just deleted it when I started to play. It didn't bother me at all but I usually delete my saved files upon letting others borrow or buy my old games.

 

[Heroine of Time]

I've never sold any of my games before, but I do find it interesting when people leave save files for me when I purchase a used game. I usually do go play on it at least once or twice. It gave me a taste of Pokémon Ranger before I even started it. In Oracle of Seasons, I actually measured my success against the other person. I was very proud of myself to discover that they were in the final dungeon with only 9 Heart Containers while I was in the fifth dungeon with something like 11. And I had died a lot less frequently.

I personally don't mind if a person doesn't delete their previous saves -- mainly because I always have fun playing a save file that's late in the game and have never had a problem deleting a file. But I suppose that you might as well delete saves from games you're selling, just in case it does end up in the hands of someone who would be annoyed by that.

 

[misskitten]

I actually love buying cartridges with old save files on them, because I'm not really a completionist myself in most games, and it's fun having one game file that is further ahead than me. My Donkey Kong 64 cartridge had a 101% complete save file that I kept until I managed the same in one of my own games. I have a Majora's Mask cartridge with a save file that have most of the masks already, and there was a note in the booklet of the password for the club in that saved game. It's fun to peek ahead and play areas I haven't reached yet, or use items I haven't fond or unlcked yet.

 

[Justac00lguy]

I used to buy and sell a lot back in the days when Gamestation was alive and when I'd buy most of my games off EBay.

To answer the question, in most cases, no. When I buy a game, I'd prefer it be brand new. The preowned part was so that I'd save a little money in the process. So usually, I'd buy a game and I'd delete the save file, if present. There were times were I wouldn't though; an example I can think of is Pokemon.

When I got back into Pokemon, around when Diamond came out, I wanted to replay the old games so that I could transfer the Pokemon over to my save file. Usually I'd buy off EBay, since that was the only place to buy them, and I would be extremely lucky to have all the rare Pokemon on the game - even event Pokemon, lol.