Why You Shouldn't Complain About XBLA Pricing

A few weeks ago, a rumor surfaced that Braid & Castle Crashers would be 1200 and 1800 MS Points respectively. When Braid was revealed to be 1200 points, gamers everywhere shouted in protest, refusing to pay so much for downloadable titles. Ripten's Demi Adejuyigbe explains just why gamers should be willing to support the $15 price tags on Castle Crashers & Braid.

[Jack Bauer]

i refuse to buy any more arcade games until MS fixes the points systems and stops making me buy more then i need....

why do points come in increments of 500 packs when arcade games sell from increments of 400

[Fishy Fingers]

I think it's rather obvious. 1, if you have points left over your more likely to be swayed into buying something else, whether that's at the same time or at a later date. 2, Imagine a game is £4 and you buy £5 worth of points, while your not technically losing anything, if that's the case for several million of us then MS have several million £'s sat in there account building them interest and giving them that little extra cash to play with.

A lot of companies operate like this, it's rather shroud but nothing unusual.

Regarding the article, worth is a matter of opinion, because I think something is worth $15 doesnt mean I have the right to tell everyone they shouldnt moan because $15 is a fair price. BTW I actually think Braid is worth every penny, great game. Dont wanna take my word for it, pick a review. They're all good.

[Tomdc]

i hate articles that tell me what i "should" and especially "shouldn't" do.

[tgh machines]

Its $20 for 1600 microsoft points.

[gynecologistcobra]

You don't have to buy points with a credit card, you know. You can get points cards as well.

[ruibing]

"Blow says, and with a new deal structure in play, he fears cost sustainment. "If it's as I've heard that it is, I couldn't even necessarily break even."" - Braid's developer

http://www.gamasutra.com/ph...

[toughNAME]

I place my complete trust and confidence in Microsoft Corp. and it's subsidies.

Thank you Microsoft, for giving me the priviledge of using Xbox Live.

[Fishy Fingers]

Don't thank them, you paid for it. I don't thank BMW for charging me for my car or the bank for my morgage. My console/OS manufacturer is no different.

Thank your ass for getting out of bed and going to work.

[Deviant]

how can ppl end up that pathetic.
blind fanboys never stop amazing me.

[GiantEnemyCrab]

Don't worry ToughNAME I got your sarcasm.

[FantasyStar]

same here

[beoulve]

why shouldn't? You pay for live subscription and on top of that, you have to pay for games. I rather pay for gametap then.

[gynecologistcobra]

That's a pretty close minded thinking process, since you're not paying for the ability to buy games, you're paying for multiplayer and other XBl features as well. Its not a free service to maintain, and with 10 million+ players on XBL, MS has got to make money to keep it up somehow.

Besides, less than 4 bucks a month is nothing to complain about.

[typikal82]

thats the thing I hated about XBL, is the points system is just plain dumb. Use real money already!!

[TOSgamer]

At least Nintendo makes their points match up to real money. $1 = 1000 points. What MS is doing $1.25 = 100 points is just anti-consumer as is a lot of the stuff they are trying to pull this generation.

[Cajun Chicken]

REAL MONEY! NOT POINTS!!! ARRRGHHH! THE POINT CONVERSION IN THE UK IS RIDICULOUS!!! CURRENCY! NOT MONOPOLY PAPER MONEY!

[Zerodin]

Nuff said!
In fact every Droid who goes, "Lol you pay for live!" plays WoW!

[Cajun Chicken]

I hate any kind of RPG's especially MMORPGs; what do I do then?

[gynecologistcobra]

Go back to playing Halo and Madden?

(jokes!)

[divideby0]

MS points (or whomevers point system)...is just like buying tickets for rides at county fairs = RIPOFF

I never and will in buy arcade games. The only DLC I ever purchased was for Warhawk....

I barely can find time to play real full version games than most of these dlc games

[theusedfake]

because it's annoying?

[gynecologistcobra]

The only reason Microsoft uses MS Points is to keep a hold on the currency. If stuff goes into real money, then they can't control whether price drops or inflation occurs. That's why disc based games can have price drops- because they're not company controlled. The prices, I mean.

I still think its stupid, but the fact of the matter is, I'm going to be willing to pay if its a quality game.

[Lumbo]

Imho the price is OK, the problem is the ridicules point system that forces you to hand over more money then you actually need to buy something.

Another problem is the psychological rift being generated with the huge point numbers. As far as i know there is NOTHING sold for 1 MS point, not even 10 points, why make some complete unmanageable transaction rate as 1200MS = $15 aka 1 MS = 1.25 cent. If the lowest possible value you use is i.e. 50 MS points then logic would suggest that you use 1 MS = 62.5 cent, and charge 24 MS for the arcade game. The lower worth of the individual MS point is just so people fail to realize how much they actually pay in the shop. Its a well known fact that people tend to loose the feeling for differences with high numbers. Most can easily see that a small coke for $2 is not a good deal, but a bicMac for $2 is. But when you are charged 2379 Micro$ instead the differences start to fade, cause no one can easily compare that to everyday prices.

[Orange]

If the article had been titled "Why you shouldn't complain about Sony doing X" where X is delaying something for a few weeks, or not clarifying if something is CG or gameplay, there would be so many comments slamming Sony. Mobs would be roaming the streets with pitchforks and torches.

[FantasyStar]

@reasoning. Even if it came out for PSN; if it's still $15 I still wouldn't pay for it. $10 or bust. I get charged out my ass for expansions anyways.

[gynecologistcobra]

That is stupid. You won't pay more than 10 bucks for a game that is worth it?

[PirateThom]

I've sat a limit on £10 ($20) for downloads. If they want me to buy it, it needs to cost £10 or less. Simple as that, I have a thing called "restraint".

[N00BZSUCKASS]

BIONIC COMMANDO RULES!!! A MUST BUY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

sorry u droids had to wait a day longer for it LOL, but you can get it today I think, unless it was delayed like most of your games.

[Orange]

i will be downloading in t-minus 2 hours.

[PistolPumptMonk]

What is this, communist China??

I do what I want! haha

[NegativeCreepWA]

People have the right to to complain about anything they want, but to complain about a game that could sell for a $30.00 on the psp is moronic.

[DA_SHREDDER]

First off, psp games are not restricted to size cap. You can play them on the go. Also, you actually get a disc, so if you wanna trade it in for money you can. Ive seen psp games that you can trade in for 25 bucks or more. Can you say that about an xbla game?

Im not trying to be a fanboy, but you really cant between xbla games and the psp. Im not saying that xbox live arcade doesnt have any good games, but it has a lack of great games compared to what the psp has. Im sorry , but I would rather play Crisis Core then any other xbla game on the net. I could get a whole list of games I would rather play, but whats the point? You guys are only fooling yourselves when it comes to this topic. I hate arguing with people who have no sense in the matter.

[NegativeCreepWA]

Wow, Talk about blowing things out of proportion.

You say your not trying to be fanboy, but yet you turn a simple observation that Castle Crashers could easily be put on a disc and sold for $30 on the psp, into an attack on the psp.

There's a few games on live and psn that could of been released on the psp instead and sold for more money. People just expect everything to be cheaper when it comes to down loadable games.

[gynecologistcobra]

This argument makes no sense. Why should I pay based on its size? I'll buy it if its a good game and if its readily available.

[Imallvol7]

I am so tired of people and their protection of paying for live and overpaying for games. Telling me not to complain about pricing? WTF? Of course you complain if you think they are too high. MORON.