The Price Of Arcade Games

Well this weeks XBLA games are Flock and Puzzle Quest Galactrix, and I have to say that I am quite disappointed. I guess I just don't like spending money on something I can't actually physically pick up and hold in my hand. At 400 and 800 Microsoft points I didn't mind buying them as much, but since that has shot up with 1600 points equalling around £14 a game, I won't be buying as many as I would have in the past.

So just what is it that has made Microsoft put the prices up all of a sudden for most of the XBLA titles? Is it because of the developer saying they want more money? Personally I think it's because Microsoft are trying it on, to see how many suckers will pay double for a game that would have cost 400-800 points if it was released 6 months or so ago. Yet looking back my statement is incorrect.

Damn You Luminies, You Started All This!

Luminies was released on the Marketplace back in October 2006 for the price of 1600 points, this was followed up with Robo Blitz in December with the price being 1200 points. This can be seen as an experiment by Microsoft to see just how much people are willing to pay for arcade games. This seemed to work at first with Luminies being a big seller, yet Robo Blitz just didn't sell that well. The reason for this could be that Luminies was a well known title and top selling PSP game for over a year before its Xbox Live debut. So that would explain why so many people were eager to pay 1600 points for the game.

Since then there have been a few other attempts to sell games for 1200 and 1600 points, (Penny Arcade Episode One was released for 1600 points, which shocked quite a lot of people and didn't sell to well, a point proven by the sequel being released for the lower price point of 1200 points.) Microsoft saw that gamers were willing to spend the points when Braid and Castle Crashers hit the Marketplace in August of 2008, Both of these games sold as everyone bought one or both of these great titles.

Buy a 400 point game? Oh wait they no longer exist (Sad face)

It was of little surprise that just a short time later (October 2008) three games appeared with a cost of 1200 points each. (Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?, Portal: Still Alive and Penny Arcade Episode 2.) Since these sold pretty well it was of little surprise that in November 2008, Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix was released with a 1200 point price tag. December saw the release of Banjo Kazooie and another 1200 point price tag.

2009 so far has only seen a few 1200 point games so far with these being rather lack luster titles like Death Tank, R-Type Dimensions and recently March Madness 2009. We are once again seeing a return of the 1600 price point for games making a return, such games as The Watchmen and the Puzzle Quest sequel Galactrix.

1600 point arcade game or the GTA IV DLC? No contest really

Recently Botafogo did an article on Console Heroes asking where all the 400 point arcade games have gone. Well I have the answer for him, they have been replaced by the community games, you know the mass majority of shit that you can play for free on the internet but they get to charge you for. It is thanks to these that Microsoft can charge more for arcade games, as if your willing to pay 400 points for a game someone coded at home, then surely something a team of professionals have made should cost more.The only way that Microsoft would be forced to think about adjusting the price of games again is if nobody bought the games.

Retail games in the UK are seeing a drop in price as of late. Mirrors Edge is available for £13.50 in the UK making it on par with a 1600 point game. This game only came out in November 2008 and already it is at a bargain price, and it's not the only game that has seen a price reduction. Heck most new retail titles are being released at around £20 cheaper than they would have done in the past, with recent titles available from new for around £25-30 being Wheelman, Wanted (With free copy of the movie) WWE Legends and more games to boot. Even the new Bionic Commando game is available to pre-order for £30.

Mirrors Edge new and sealed for the price of an arcade game?

So why should I buy a game for half the price that may only last an hour, (80 minutes for The Watchmen game) When I can pay double the price and get a game that will last me a lot longer, and also be something that I can trade in towards another game if I decide not to keep it. A look at the recent DLC for GTA IV also shows that the price points are all messed up for arcade games, as for only 1600 points the DLC adds on 12 hours plus of game play to the original game. So which would you choose GTA IV DLC or The Watchmen Episode One?

Epic in the past said that they wanted to give away some maps for free but Microsoft wouldn't let them. This is the same Microsoft that says that the developers set the price points for their games. 1200 points for a excellent game is worth it, but 1600 points is just taking the piss. Well all I can say is congratulations to whoever is responsible for pricing the games at a cost I am no longer willing to pay, especially in this current climate. I won't even comment on the joke that is Hasbro's Family Game Night, I will save that for another time.