How much would you pay for a "complete" game?

[Kryssan]

I don't have much reason to pay out these days on games. "They don't make them like they used to" pretty much sums it up.



If we look at my currently installed PC game list, it includes titles such as: FS2, Nexus TJI, O.R.B., LibDay, HW2, GCII, Hegemonia: LOI, IWar I&II, Wargames, SoaSE, X3, Skyrim, FFXI, IG2, FFXIV, ME1-3, SCI&II, Tomb Raider, BL1&2.

The first thing you'll notice is how old most of these are. The second, if you've played said games, is that you'll notice most of them in the list up until FFXI and following are heavily moddable games ( the only two that stick out as not being modded is O.R.B. and LibDay ). HW2 is my most recent activity, with Complex 8.3.3 gearing up for the 8.3.4 release. Even though it's not in my list of installed games, Counterstrike - how long has it lingered about on mods alone, not including semi-official spinoffs?

These old games are still around and still fun to play because they have soooo many modifications available for them, modifications that anyone really can implement given a little time studying the files. Even to this day over a decade ( for some of them ) from their actual release dates. Indeed, most of them now no longer have active studios.

Outside of maybe, maaaybe, maaaaaaybe Skyrim ( and I've been bored with it for a while now ), how many newly released games can you say you'll desire to still play in 10 years time? I know my answer...



I have many more games in my Steam library or CDs / DVDs laying about that are not installed, because I played them for a little bit and didn't really feel like coming back to them after playtime was finished. I've really curtailed games because it has been disappointing the stuff we've been given as of late outside of a few examples. Right now the only games I plan on buying is X:R and Star Citizen when they're released - outside of that, I haven't really kept track.

[Odesseiron]

$60. Same price I've been paying all these years.

Sure the price of game development has gone up with technology. But so has the popularity of games. I mean it's got the movie industry beat for fuck sake. Now, for some smaller devs, this is definitely a problem, but big devs? Fuck you, seriously. All the EA's, Activisions, SE's, etc. Trying to make it like they're struggling to pay for these games.

I miss the good ol' days. When you didn't have to pay for alternate costumes on disc, characters on disc, missions that are integral to part of the story, weapons and items 60 hour games, and whatever else I'm forgetting. Is it any wonder piracy is so rampant nowadays? I mean I buy most stuff (game wise) but there is a fair share of stuff I have said "Thank fuck I didn't need to pay for that" because it's just these companies trying to nickel and dime us to death.

I have no real problem with *quality* dlc. I really don't. Some of it is amazing and definitely gives the game more play time. But still, most of this shit is probably completed before they put it out on the marketplace. It's just a mechanism to make more money. Which I guess if I were a dev/publisher, I couldn't gripe about, as it's a business. I get it. Still doesn't make it the good thing to do.

[Ratatapa]

I am on the side that we should play for the lengh (but nothing more then 60% )

But yeah it sucks to pay 60$ for a 7h game

[Damane]

That depends entirely on the game, for some games i would be willing to pay more, if it is a really good game and has to offer alot. For others not so much. But in the end I am not even buying much games anymore, only the ones I am really interested in. I buy like 1 game every 2-3 months now maybe. Money isnt the issue, its just that games dont entertain me that much anymore ecxept for a few + there isnt much time left to play other games when you play FFXI. The only games I am buying lately are ones that resemble onto classic game. my latest purchase was lord of shadows: mirror of fate. Loved the game, but for the price it sure as hell was very short.

[kuronosan]

Like I said - the best way to approach this conversation is to discuss what constitutes an incomplete game.

Paying $60 for any game is stupid. I remember buying FFVII for $60 and played it FOREVER. Then I remember buying another crappy game that I could beat in two hours for $60.

I think the better way to gauge value would be to discuss what makes one game more valuable than others - to discuss what the others lack that make them less complete.

[Kalmado]

Just think CoD games. You pay $60 at launch and they put out 4 dlc map packs for $15(1200 ms points). So we're $120 into a game that essentially gets rehashed every 10 months with a few tweeks. More if you want anything else involved in the game. I believe that's a complete rip off.

When I recently purchased WWE 13 I bought the fan axxess package for $20 that included all DLC's put out up to date and would include free download for any future DLC. Since we're essentially getting forced to purchase DLC if we want the content, I wish it would be in this format.

[kuronosan]

I agree.

[seppuku-gb]

I agree that COD map packs are too expensive now, but that wasn't always the case. I'd say the last map pack of value was MW2 expansion. The market for DLC in this situation is skewed by kid's parents who arbitrarily buy every DLC that comes out without concern for value.

Activision is a prime example of a greedy company though. If someone other then ATVI produced a console FPS worth a damn a good majority of the COD community would switch for sure. I'm not sure if I would do much different if I owned a niche of a market. So I guess I can't blame them too much.

[Krandor]

If someone other then ATVI produced a console FPS worth a damn a good majority of the COD community would switch for sure.

Not likely, I think you're vastly underestimating the name brand recognition of COD for the average consumer.

[BaneTheBrawler]

I'd say the last map pack of value was MW2 expansion.

so.... MW3?

[kuronosan]

so.... MW3?

He must mean BLOPS.

[seppuku-gb]

Haha, it's almost bandwagon to hate on COD in here. There has to be someone else in here that genuinely liked some CODs.

I could be underestimating the COD brand, but I'm optimistic that something will come and bring a fresh take on FPS.

[Kalmado]

Haha, it's almost bandwagon to hate on COD in here. There has to be someone else in here that genuinely liked some CODs.

I could be underestimating the COD brand, but I'm optimistic that something will come and bring a fresh take on FPS.

If being unhappy about a company rehashing essentially the same thing for the last 5 years and making it out to be the greatest thing on earth, then yeah I'm on that bandwagon. Same goes for Madden franchise.

[BaneTheBrawler]

i actually like a few of them, including MW2. what i don't like is that each CoD is just a $60 expansion for the previous ones.

[seppuku-gb]

True, but what do you say about nearly every single FF game in the series? They're pretty much the same game with a different story. If they're able to do the same thing with COD and string it out for years that says a lot more about the competition's product. I tried branching out to a few other FPS (Homefront, BF3, Resistance, Halo, Warcraft) and they're just not as fun. Maybe that new shooter the 'new' Infinity Ward is making will be decent.

[Tajin]

FF is most certainly not the same game, unless you want to oversimplify things.

[Kalmado]

Is it bad I sometimes still want to play ffx-2? I never got 100%....

[kuronosan]

True, but what do you say about nearly every single FF game in the series? They're pretty much the same game with a different story. If they're able to do the same thing with COD and string it out for years that says a lot more about the competition's product. I tried branching out to a few other FPS (Homefront, BF3, Resistance, Halo, Warcraft) and they're just not as fun. Maybe that new shooter the 'new' Infinity Ward is making will be decent.

What? Each Final Fantasy is a pretty distinct game; placing them all in the same vein because of recurring themes is stupid. Each COD since COD4 has been a carbon copy with almost identical multiplayer that really is just a patch update compared to what each new FF game introduces.

Even the FFXI expansions added more content for less money than each new COD installment.

[Kuishen]

True, but what do you say about nearly every single FF game in the series? They're pretty much the same game with a different story. If they're able to do the same thing with COD and string it out for years that says a lot more about the competition's product. I tried branching out to a few other FPS (Homefront, BF3, Resistance, Halo, Warcraft) and they're just not as fun. Maybe that new shooter the 'new' Infinity Ward is making will be decent.

Huh? And no it doesn't say anything about the competition actually. The reason they sell is because the community moves on to the next installment, nobody buys CoD games for the single-player so they're forced to buy the newest iteration so they can continue playing the multiplayer. Really has nothing to do with the quality of the product or the competition's product at all. If everybody pulled a Counterstrike and stuck with a particular release because they didn't like the latest version then Activision would be forced to make changes, but that's not going to happen because they literally make the same game every year so they can't fuck it up if they don't change anything.

Not to mention the skill ceiling in CoD games is extremely low compared to the other shooters you mentioned, which appeals to more people because they can get online and feel like they're fairly good at the game. People generally don't like feeling like they're bad at the games they play, so if you take any risk of that away then of course it's going to be more popular with the masses.

As for fun, I disagree, because the skill ceiling is so low on the CoD games I get zero satisfaction for playing well because it takes almost no effort to do so. That, however, is an opinion.

There was an interview with Infinity Ward that talks about what I'm describing, believe it's titled something like "How CoD ruined this generation of FPS gamers" or something. It's not bashing CoD, simply stating why it's so popular and how that has lead to, in general, people who don't learn good FPS mechanics.

[hey]

They're pretty much the same game with a different story. I

So basically they're not the same in any meaningful way.