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Denver, 7:20 AM
Wed Nov 11
67 posts in the last 24 hours
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11/10/09
11/10/09
11/10/09
12:12 AM
12:39 AM
11/10/09
11/10/09
(Even though this game has been in development for a very long time. Clearly they did something right in how they've been marketing and showing it off, so as to not make fans restless in waiting for the game.)
12:23 AM
11/10/09
11/10/09
09/27/09
09/24/09
09/24/09
Even the Vitality Sensor sounds better than that bile.
09/24/09
09/24/09
I figure a lot of the talk is due to the way resale of used games is killing the industry, particularly in Japan from what I understand, and if the industry is to continue and improve, they need to figure out some way to eliminate the problem of use game reselling... a.k.a. some sort of innovation in billing, in order for companies to make sure they actually get money out of people playing their games.
09/24/09
I don't pay full-price for most of my games. Either they get cheaper or I pick them up used. It usually shaves of a significant 2/3 of the price
09/24/09
09/24/09
09/24/09
09/24/09
09/24/09
09/24/09
09/24/09
Banks can go bust, you shouldn't put your money there.
Furniture can break, don't buy it.
People die, don't marry or get involved.
09/24/09
And if people nitpick that it's the data that counts, I can backup that data with ease.
09/24/09
In every other game I hate it. I'm good with map packs, or DLC like the new storys for GTA IV/ Falout, etc. But paying for character Models or something similar small is just out of the question for me.
Games that do so always feel like ripping you off. They feel like being designed for the purpose of bleeding you out slowly.
I have no problem at all to pay for something someone put much work into, but the way they try to do so is just off at the moment.
09/24/09
I'm not sure how well the sales from those games above have done in the US and Japan, but I doubt the numbers are anywhere past niche levels. Which - coincidentally - may be enough to post a profit and consider similar efforts with the same payment model.
Of course, this isn't really new Japan or SE in general. Much of their more recent marketing efforts have been to cater towards niche markets with some relative guarantee of revenue. I guess one could call it, the Otaku factor.
With many long-time hardcore gamers that are suckled on a company's brand of products or services, their loyalty is guaranteed to generate revenue, despite what you could see as relatively low sales for a popular market.
Take, for example, FFIV: After Years. It reuses assets, music and art from a game nearly 20 years old. In other words, it was produced cheaply. Normally, a person wouldn't pay 40 bucks or more for a downloadable title that was produced in such a way. Except maybe for die-hard fans who grew up with this series. And maybe those who recognize the brand name (Final Fantasy and SE).
Thus you cater to the niche, and earn revenue from a cheaply produced game.
But therein lies a problem. Catering to the niche, doesn't grow the market. In fact, Japanese anime and gaming industries have found some way of actually shrinking their already niche market. Rather than growing the niche and expanding it into a full-end market, like Nintendo and many American businesses have done with their products.
This is a risky business model, and one that I'm not sure would work well. Quality products will receive sales and admiration from gamers and critics a like (but only if you MARKET it). They can agree on that. But if the thought of releasing only a fraction of a game for a small(er) fee, only to end up charging substantially more by the end of the game content, in total price. I'm sure that most gamers and the market itself, will remain entirely niche or shrink.
09/24/09
09/24/09
I call bullshit.
09/24/09
If everyone switches to digital distribution next year, they'll see a massive sales drop as all the people without broadband internet collectively call bullshit on them. And all the people who rent from Gamefly after that. And those of us who don't like the idea of having our entire game collection be 100% dependant upon the continued functionality of a single specific game console.
09/24/09
I can see gaming moving in this new direction already, especially with the PSPGo! releasing soon that will really test the waters of public opinion. If this digital distribution model somehow hits its stride with the introduction of the eventual next generation of consoles, then this will sadly be my last generation of gaming. Thankfully, I still have plenty of older games I have not yet gotten around to playing.
09/24/09
I mean, we all bitch and moan when we don't get a patch for a certain game but you know what? Patches only fix things for existing customers, they don't bring more customers in. And therefore they need some sort of revenue stream so that can be paid for.
There's a reason that bugfixes in MMOs are a lot faster compared to a fighting game.
09/24/09
patch (n.) - a piece of cloth or other material used to mend or strengthen a torn or weak point.
Patches fix stuff. Updates include new content. I'll pay for an update. I will not pay for a patch.
Only when console games start providing me with real, useful content updates that aren't just marketing ploys, on a monthly basis, will I consider paying a monthly fee for them.
Until then, I expect them to deliver a solid game at release that doesn't need me to finance their debugging and recoding.
09/24/09
But a timed expiry date on a paid downloaded for game will bring more issues than not especially if they don't update it properly or think a game's shelf life is going to be x years. I mean Gears on the PC had that issue probably because they thought people would stop playing in 2009?
I'd say streamed renting and then purchasing a copy like one would a DVD/Blu-ray of a movie would be good. If they badly want to restrict used game sales just lock the game disc to a device. Each disc would only be playable on a finite number of machines just like how downloadable games are right now. Don't make it 2 or three but more like 5-7 which prevents a used game from being sold several times over and in case a person had to replace their console they could still play their game even if they didn't transfer licenses.
It's quite obvious that they know what you're doing on your console. For instance I just played the FIFA10 demo(PS3 version) a while ago and the minute I started the game, it logged me into EA Live(which most EA games do) and emailed me letting me know I could buy the game on October 2nd. Since they are that aware of what you do, the whole linking of a console with a game isn't a further extension of that.