Soda Jones
04-12-2007, 09:46 AM
I don't know about the rest of you, but I think all these expensive micro transactions for "new" content is a load of BS. On PC games they release new maps and weapons and game modes without charging a dime. Of course there are expansion packs, but those have huge amounts of content and are not limited to some horse armor or the ability to play king of the hill.
Ladies and gentlemen, it's time to take a stand.
Before I begin, let me make it clear that I own all three consoles and the 360 is, by far, my favorite.
Over the past few years, we have gradually seen a trend coming from the entire industry, but particularly Microsoft. That trend has been a movement towards microtransactions.
When I say microtransactions, I'm not just talking about downloadable content. I'm talking about buying a second controller for consoles. I'm talking about paying for a rechargeable battery pack for said controller. I'm talking about selling a HD-DVD drive separately and pretending you're cheaper than the competition. I'm talking about releasing a "new and improved" system a year and a half later with features that should have been included to begin with and some features that STILL aren't included.
Though that all is true, I don't want to fool you; this is specifically about microtransactions in the form of downloadable content. The industry has been slowly testing the waters with us. Seeing what would and wouldn't fly with the consumer. It began slowly, but now there is an onslaught of content... some of which has gone too far.
I will use the new Guitar Hero packs as an example but don't get me wrong... I include things like Oblivion's horse armor and the new Gears of War maps that Microsoft will graciously make free after a few months with a fee attached.
For those who don't know already, Microsoft or RedOctane (I'm not sure which) set the price for each new song pack at 500 points each. Each pack includes 3 songs. With Microsoft selling 1600 points for $20.00 on it's website,that means that 500 points is equivalent to $6.25 or each song equaling $2.083. There were 47 songs in the original game: 30 covers and 17 bonus tracks. At this pricing, to repurchase all the songs would cost $97. If you only want the covers? $62.
$97 for something that can be purchased, with a FULLY FUNCTIONAL guitar, for $80 (since I couldn't find the original price, I just assume Guitar Hero was priced similarly to Guitar Hero II on the PS2). Does anyone else see the point? Content, most of which was easily available to the publisher, is being sold for MORE than we paid for it originally.
What's next? Developers intentionally leaving out content that they can charge for later? The "I bought at least 1000 points worth of new content" acheivement?
I don't know about you, but we need to be careful. The industry is going to shift from the "Let's give gamers the best game we can make" to "Let's give these people enough to make them think it was worth $60, then charge them for the content we left out."
There needs to be a change and it needs to start with us. True... we're not a part of the gaming industry. We SUSTAIN the industry with our hard-earned money. We need to speak out with the only voice that developers and publishers hear: Our wallets. And it starts here.
RedOctane is expecting these song packs to sell like hot-cakes. Don't let them. Don't buy the packs. Tell your friends not to buy the packs. It's time to send a message, loud and clear, that we won't be taken advantage of and we won't pay for over-priced content. Sony is starting to feel the effects of a capitalist market rejecting it's pricing strategy... it's time Microsoft and RedOctane gets that same message.
Originally, the microtransactions were supposed to be just that - micro. 50 cents for this, 25 cents for that, $1 for something more significant. Slowly, we've become "used" to paying $5 for 2 new maps. Or $15 for a map-pack. Or $4 for horse armor. The whole Epic versus Microsoft quarrel over charging for the new Gears maps is more to do about Microsoft not wanting to break from the "standard pricing" for these things (maps, in this case) than it is about anything else. If Epic gives us the maps for free, then this may make people LESS likely to pay for, say, the new Lost Planet maps. They want us used to paying for new maps, regardless of who they come from.
The whole "withholding game content upon a game's release with the specific intent to charge extra for it later" thing is even more maddening. Guitar Hero 2 came out, what, LAST WEEK? and they are already releasing new songs for it on Marketplace??? You can't seriously tell me (with a straight face) that NONE of these songs were ready to go at the time of the game going gold. This content was purposely and specifically held back from being included in the main game with the sole intent to try to gouge us later for it. Its one thing that IF the DLC wasn't ready at the time of the game's release to include this content in the retail game, then to put it out on Marketplace later. But to have some DLC come out so close to when a game has gone retail clearly shows that this content was withheld with the sole purpose of gouging us later.
Even MORE maddening in this whole Microtransactions deal is the issue of paying for "keys" to unlock content THAT IS ALREADY ON THE DISK YOU PAID FOR. There are DLC items out there on Marketplace that are only a few Kbytes in size, thus clearly making them simple "unlock" keys to access content on the game disk you alreay own. WTF? If its already on the disk, shouldn't I have access to it? Why should I pay additional $$$ to access something I already own?
The madness must stop. I know, if you don't want it, then just don't pay for it. That's one solution. I wish there were another.
source (http://www.gamespot.com/pages/forums/show_msgs.php?topic_id=25551053&tag=recent_topics;title;0)
Ladies and gentlemen, it's time to take a stand.
Before I begin, let me make it clear that I own all three consoles and the 360 is, by far, my favorite.
Over the past few years, we have gradually seen a trend coming from the entire industry, but particularly Microsoft. That trend has been a movement towards microtransactions.
When I say microtransactions, I'm not just talking about downloadable content. I'm talking about buying a second controller for consoles. I'm talking about paying for a rechargeable battery pack for said controller. I'm talking about selling a HD-DVD drive separately and pretending you're cheaper than the competition. I'm talking about releasing a "new and improved" system a year and a half later with features that should have been included to begin with and some features that STILL aren't included.
Though that all is true, I don't want to fool you; this is specifically about microtransactions in the form of downloadable content. The industry has been slowly testing the waters with us. Seeing what would and wouldn't fly with the consumer. It began slowly, but now there is an onslaught of content... some of which has gone too far.
I will use the new Guitar Hero packs as an example but don't get me wrong... I include things like Oblivion's horse armor and the new Gears of War maps that Microsoft will graciously make free after a few months with a fee attached.
For those who don't know already, Microsoft or RedOctane (I'm not sure which) set the price for each new song pack at 500 points each. Each pack includes 3 songs. With Microsoft selling 1600 points for $20.00 on it's website,that means that 500 points is equivalent to $6.25 or each song equaling $2.083. There were 47 songs in the original game: 30 covers and 17 bonus tracks. At this pricing, to repurchase all the songs would cost $97. If you only want the covers? $62.
$97 for something that can be purchased, with a FULLY FUNCTIONAL guitar, for $80 (since I couldn't find the original price, I just assume Guitar Hero was priced similarly to Guitar Hero II on the PS2). Does anyone else see the point? Content, most of which was easily available to the publisher, is being sold for MORE than we paid for it originally.
What's next? Developers intentionally leaving out content that they can charge for later? The "I bought at least 1000 points worth of new content" acheivement?
I don't know about you, but we need to be careful. The industry is going to shift from the "Let's give gamers the best game we can make" to "Let's give these people enough to make them think it was worth $60, then charge them for the content we left out."
There needs to be a change and it needs to start with us. True... we're not a part of the gaming industry. We SUSTAIN the industry with our hard-earned money. We need to speak out with the only voice that developers and publishers hear: Our wallets. And it starts here.
RedOctane is expecting these song packs to sell like hot-cakes. Don't let them. Don't buy the packs. Tell your friends not to buy the packs. It's time to send a message, loud and clear, that we won't be taken advantage of and we won't pay for over-priced content. Sony is starting to feel the effects of a capitalist market rejecting it's pricing strategy... it's time Microsoft and RedOctane gets that same message.
Originally, the microtransactions were supposed to be just that - micro. 50 cents for this, 25 cents for that, $1 for something more significant. Slowly, we've become "used" to paying $5 for 2 new maps. Or $15 for a map-pack. Or $4 for horse armor. The whole Epic versus Microsoft quarrel over charging for the new Gears maps is more to do about Microsoft not wanting to break from the "standard pricing" for these things (maps, in this case) than it is about anything else. If Epic gives us the maps for free, then this may make people LESS likely to pay for, say, the new Lost Planet maps. They want us used to paying for new maps, regardless of who they come from.
The whole "withholding game content upon a game's release with the specific intent to charge extra for it later" thing is even more maddening. Guitar Hero 2 came out, what, LAST WEEK? and they are already releasing new songs for it on Marketplace??? You can't seriously tell me (with a straight face) that NONE of these songs were ready to go at the time of the game going gold. This content was purposely and specifically held back from being included in the main game with the sole intent to try to gouge us later for it. Its one thing that IF the DLC wasn't ready at the time of the game's release to include this content in the retail game, then to put it out on Marketplace later. But to have some DLC come out so close to when a game has gone retail clearly shows that this content was withheld with the sole purpose of gouging us later.
Even MORE maddening in this whole Microtransactions deal is the issue of paying for "keys" to unlock content THAT IS ALREADY ON THE DISK YOU PAID FOR. There are DLC items out there on Marketplace that are only a few Kbytes in size, thus clearly making them simple "unlock" keys to access content on the game disk you alreay own. WTF? If its already on the disk, shouldn't I have access to it? Why should I pay additional $$$ to access something I already own?
The madness must stop. I know, if you don't want it, then just don't pay for it. That's one solution. I wish there were another.
source (http://www.gamespot.com/pages/forums/show_msgs.php?topic_id=25551053&tag=recent_topics;title;0)