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Lumines Heralds New Costs for Xbox Live Games
Game|Life reports on the upcoming release of Lumines for the Xbox 360's Live Arcade. Despite the high interest in the unique game (previously only on the PSP), gamers may be frustrated to learn that playing through the whole game will require additional purchases. From the article: "But then, once you hit a certain point in the 'Mission' or 'Vs. CPU' modes of the game, you'll be asked to pay up again for the ability to keep on progressing. All in all, you'll have to spend another 700 points ($8.75) to get the rest of the levels, bringing the real cost of Lumines Live to nearly $24. What lesson can we take from this? Clearly, Microsoft understands that there's a major disconnect here between what they'd like to make off direct-download game sales and what customers are willing to pay based on their perceived value. That's why, rather than go with straight dollar amounts, everything is priced in 'points.' 1200 points seems somehow cheaper than $15."
So you pay $15, you get the first half the game. If the game blows, you're only out $15, if the game is good, you cough up $10 to get more content. Seems like a better idea than blowing $25 per game regardless of quality.
-Rick
"Most people in the U.S. wouldn't know they live in a tyrannical state if it walked up and grabbed their junk." - MyFirs
Perhaps the point system makes an easy way to decouple the prices from local currencies and allows parents to give their kids a bunch of points to spend each month. I used to go rent games at the video store when I was a child. Now some of that might be replaced by parents giving their children points to buy games.
If this is true, it's proof Microsoft is going to destroy Live.
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Why was the first 6 monthes of Live popular? 5 bucks a game? What happened around June? Tons of new content all for 10 bucks a pop. Personally I'd buy 2 or three games for 10 bucks, but I'm sure as hell not buying legacy games for 10 bucks, I'm also not buying crap like Cloning Clydes or Bejeweled for 10 bucks a pop. I mean if it was 5 dollars I'd probably pick up both of them. If I had to pay 15 bucks for Luminies I'd be happy to pay that much but at the same time for 15 bucks I should get the puzzle pack and Versus for free. Instead I could go get Luminies for 20 bucks on the PS2, and that should contain both these modes and I'd get a CD/DVD for it.
That being said Gamespot is saying it's likely bogus but us raising our voices against it should help it even if they were considering it. http://www.gamespot.com/news/show_blog_entry.php?
This just sounds like a new spin on the old shareware concept. Having to pay for the initial trial wasn't necessarily unheard of during the shareware days as well (though usually it involved buying a 3.5" disk or CD).
This business model has been suggested before but I never thought it would start so soon.
When I purchase a game I expect a full game that I may play as often and as far as I want to what would be considered the end. This episodic content or toll-bridge gaming model is exactly what I don't want but of course it means more money for the game companys so they will continue to push it. Yes, vote w/ you $ of course but keep posting to any and all forums so that they get the message. We want a full game but will be willing to pay more for EXTRAS like maps and expansions. Oblivion(I am ignoring the horse armor) had it right with the new areas in the game because the game was so full and large to begin with. You can spend hundreds of hours in that game without ever worrying about extra content. The content was cheap compared to what it gave you. I really hope that is method of toll-booth games fails miserably.
....... Thus ends my attempt at wit or whatever