Okay, so I basically have a one game budget for the time-being. I was considering getting Fallout: New Vegas at launch, because I love teh shinies, but knowing BethSoft is publishing it, I'm willing to bet that it'll ship as a GOTY edition in 6-12 months.
I really want the game, but I do not relish paying an extra $20-$40 for DLC which I know the game will have when I can justify the regular $50 for all in one and probably save a total of $60 factoring in prices of all DLC that will be on the GOTY.
It seems pretty common-sense when I type it out, but damn it's gonna be hard not buying it at launch.
The only downside would be if the GOTY is very late on the scene, but knowing BethSoft it'll probably be released closer to the 6 month mark than the 1 year mark.
Anyone have games they really want or wanted to get at launch but went with their better judgment and held off on?
Please share.
-Cym

Personally I'm going to wait. Even when you factor out the DLC's inclusion in the inevitable GoTY, there's still all the patches and mods you'll need to have to get the most out of the game.

In your place i would hold on to my money for a while longer.
Usually games like that you can get it in a sale in places like Steam for next to nothing. Not that long ago Steam had Morrowind and Oblivion (since we are talking Bethesda) GOTY editions for something like 5 dollars for Morrowind and 8 for the deluxe edition of Oblivion.
So you get the base games and a ton of expansions for cheap.
Odds are that the same is going to happen for Fallout soon enough. Just hang in there.
Edit: By the way, i would love to see Bethesda's catalog in here too.

It all depends on how much you think you will get out of the game. I know I will be buying NV at launch simply because FO3 absorbed so much of my time. Similarly I will buy DA2 and ME3 knowing there will be a shit load of DLC because the base games kept me busy for hundreds of hours.
Some game I wish I had waited to buy as GOTY editions like Borderlands. And you have another thing coming if you think I will be buying that pathetic DLC for games like Just Cause 2 and Modern Warfare 2.
All games will eventually be sold for peanuts but have a little perspective here. Oblivion was released in 2006. Are you actually telling Cym here to wait 4 years before buying NV so he can pick it up for under a tenner?

Speaking of Just Cause 2, i got the Marksman, Gravity is a Bitch! and Body Count achievements on day one. What does that say about me?

I pre-ordered Fallout 3 (the only game I'd pre-ordered for a long time). I got hundreds of hours out of it. Bought all the DLC on release and generally regretted none of it.
Over this one however I see some warning signs hanging. I'm sure it will be great. It's more a question of when and which party will be responsible for bringing it to greatness.

Rep cookies for all. Thanks for the feedback and stories :)

Or just buy it at launch and borrow the DLC disks from someone long enough to install. If you're really budget constrained this'll work (surprisingly, even on your XBox). They also get more total sale money out of you since you ponied up 50 bucks for release instead of 30-40 for GOTY. I'm not saying it's right, I'm just saying it's an option if you want to reward the developers right off.
If you're flush with cash and these are your favorite games, buy it new and the expansions/DLC as it comes out. TBH Bethesda put an installer on the disk that contained no DRM whatsoever (you just had to avoid the autorun executable). There wasn't even a disk check. I like rewarding that kind of sneakiness and I recommend you do so if you can.

Well I'm hoping my situation looks better, tomorrow. My roommate who is consequently someone I'm related to has applied for hundreds of jobs and tomorrow will mark their 4th interview in 5 months. No, that wasn't a typo.
We're sort of in this together in terms of finances, so I'm hoping their interview tomorrow goes well. If it does, I will just get NV at launch. Just a matter of me having to type out an excuse to talk myself out of buying at launch, more than anything.
+Rep Orcish.

I think it all depends on how much time you have to play it and how much time you will get out of it at its base game vs the GOTY stuff.
I got FO3 day one, and spent close to 40 hours that first week playing it, (I had a kick ass boss back in those days) and then shelled out for the DLC as it came out and then paid for the GOTY edition from Steam when it was on sale (same with Morrowind and Oblivion).
Borderlands, for me was enjoyable day one because of the coop lan and split screen. I wont buy the GOTY edition for it but did get most the DLC for the ps3 and I think all for PC. I have spent approx 100 hours with that one game tooling around with friends and what not. So to me that one was totally worth it.
However, on the other hand, some games. DA;O and A I just havent found the time to get that deeply involved and I now wish I had waited for the GoTY edition. I mean I like the game, it just seems like every time I start playing it things go wrong at work or whatever and I get called away. I played Torchlight for like an hour yesterday and then changed to DAO and within about 10 min my boss was knocking on my door :(. My luck sucks with that one thus far.
FONV will be a preorder as was CIV5, and come hell or high water I am going to ignore the gf, and everything else (within reason) and play the crap out of them.
For me, I just have some games where I am either gonna play into the ground and then others where I might as well leave them in the box. (Glances at GotY Oblivion... yeah ill get to you... later...maybe)
In reality, it all comes down to how much time you have to invest into each game vs that waiting factor. DA2 I'll wait for the GOTY edition, mainly because by then I might actually get done with the first one.

Maybe look for decent places on ebay that sell games fairly cheap then grab the basic version & do the same for the GOTY this time next year

I really tend to wait on just about everything. Still waiting for the Fallout 3 GOTY to hit 15 - 20 before picking it up. I do however jump in head first once in a great while. DA:O being my most recent Launch Day Purchase, along with all the DLC as released and both the Collector's Edition Guide and the Awakenings Guide. I have spent way too much on this game but I haven't enjoyed a game like this in a long time (my oldest boy bought me Awakenings for my birthday in March so I saved some there). If you do make the jump just pick the right game and hopefully you will enjoy it. If its not something you think will knock your socks off - wait.

As many have said, it depends on your type of game. If it's a game you've been waiting for about, I don't know, ALL YOUR LIFE then it makes no sense to wait any longer than is necessary. But if it's a game that you're sort of interested and you know DLC will be out for it (Fallout NV? Duuuuh), then the GOTY will be fine. You can wait a little longer.
I preordered Fallout NV because Fallout is fucking awesome and I must have it. But games like Oblivion I didn't get until GOTY because yes, it's really good but I wasn't really that big a fan of Elder Scrolls (you heard me).

The pragmatic solution:
I am (and stay) years behind what is current hardware. Old hardware costs loads less when upgrading from even older stuff, and only runs games that are not the most least shiny anyway - and those are cheaper too.
Once you have the hardware to play something that you wanted to you catch up. I have my own personal release dates for games thus :).

I have too much game, and already Know I never play all of them. My strategy is to buy always the game in "goty" version and at low prices. I'm not interested in the latest shining graphic