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Xbox Live Volume 2 Released
Xs writes "As if the first Xbox Live Starter Kit wasn't selling well enough, Microsoft has released a new Starter Kit. This time the kit includes demos of MechAssault and MotoGP. Plus, a complete online version of Tetris Worlds. To make things even better, they are no longer bundling in Whacked! I hope to be picking one of these up soon. Full stories at Xbox IGN and GamerFeed.com."
So here's the question: How will Microsoft price the second year of Live service for first-adopters?
See, if they price it at $10/month, as has been tossed around from time to time, then it seems to me that people would just give up on the whole GamerTag value-add and get another $50 starter kit. Heck, with different games added in and a spare headset, that might not even be a bad idea. Is it really worth $70/year to current subscribers to keep the same handle within the service? Maybe...but I imagine a few will see an advantage to using that $70 savings on a new game (or a couple of used or budget-priced games).
If, on the other hand, they price it at $5/month, then for only $10/year over a starter kit you get to keep your online handle. That's getting much closer to the point at which people might pony up the extra dough.
My prediction is that they're going to shoot for somewhere in the middle, say around $7/month ($84/year) and just count on getting the $50 from the starter kits for those people who can't stomach the full price.
One thing I don't know (and yes, I'm too lazy to research it right now) is whether a Live kit is tied to a specific Xbox. Or, perhaps I should say, once an Xbox has been online with a specific Live kit, whether it can be reinitialized with a new kit (allowing the $50 choice I mentioned above).
Anyway, this is one of the more interesting announcements that I'm looking forward to at E3. Microsoft has apparently put together a good service; now, can they find the right price point to keep people using it?
Curmudgeon Gamer: Not happy
I'd like to see Bomberman come to Xbox, and Live enabled would make it that much better. Also, a good RTS is needed, like a Starcraft or Myth.
Anyone who ever played online with the Dreamcast knows why console gaming and online play don't really work well together. There is nothing more frustrating than getting 3/4 of the way through a football game and having the other person quit because they were losing. Games with more players and cooperative play games have a better chance of succeeding. It seems like the quality of gamer on the console side just isn't up to the same standards as PC online gamers.
The only benefit I can really see to console gaming online is that it would be much more difficult to cheat. I finally quit playing Counterstrike (which I loved, btw) because it seemed like every third person was using a hack of some sort.
Yes that's what they should've bundled. And why did they cancel this game? It was really fun during the beta test. Unlike other games, we actually had time to have some interesting discussions going on during gameplay. In my opinion, ReVolt brought the best Xbox live experience.
I'm still angry about that one. Release the damn game, I will purchase it.