How to know if game servers are online

[annina]

Hi, I'm new to online gaming but, have always been someone who buys used games. Is there a website or way of knowing what game servers are still running before wasting money buy the game? Going with a game like Madden or NBA Live is easy because the previous year’s server is shut down shortly after the new release but what about games like SOCOM where each title is not necessarily a continuation of the previous one. How can you tell what online game servers are still available when buying used games?