Micro-transactions not so Micro

[Shayne]

Well, the boys over at 1UP can't help but rant about this micro-economy and micro-transactions that make up the Marketplace on XBL and the whatever its called on the PS3.  Small little things to buy for small little dollars adding up to big dollars.

Well, the list of content for Need For Speed Carbon has been released, if you want to download all the stuff you will be looking at 3,940 points.  Yup, rough math puts that at $63.00 in micro-transactions.  On top of the $70 game price tag.  So to play NFS:C with all the uberness that it is will cost you over $130.

On the same note, Major Nelson (Microsoft employee and uber Xbox 360 nerd and blogger) actually had the nuts to say that with Oblivion being so much content and being so good that it should have cost a lot more. What a tool.

EA has all sorts of goodies going into games using this.  Take for instance Godfather, for a few points you can unlock some excellent guns within the game, and for a few more points you can unlock some ingame money to buy these guns.  *shakes head in shame*

[Lazybones]

Sounds like what the phone companies do with cellphones.. Damn ringtones and wallpapers cost a pile! Good thing I can edit those directly on my phone.

[Brendan]

Cost more?! What the hell? I only paid like $30.00 for my copy, but for those who paid $70, im sure it would be a pain in the ass to spend more on it.

As for NFS:C. The game does take a while to complete, and with the $63 price tag on the extras encourages you to do the story. Although if they want to encourage the small goodies, that is a hefty price tag.

My idea is that MS gets that other thumb outta there ass, and start actually trying to encourage their new 'extras' instead of overpricing them. OF course, I dont really care for the new NFS game, but still, if I was a lazy bastard that didnt want to play the game, I'd definately want to unlock everything quick, but at the $63 price, even those lazy people will be turned off.

Booo!

[Shayne]

Keep in mind microsoft doesnt price anything and doesnt monitor it.  Basically they are running the system for the other companies to make cash.  As long as people buy the stuff, companies will sell it.  Their will be a point where it's too high, but Im not sure they have hit that point yet.

[Brendan]

Still, they are releasing these goodies to encourage people to buy them, but by pricing them so high, aren't they really just turning people away? kind of pointless, isn't it?

[Adams]

Well what if a carbon fiber hood scoop with a red tint was 2 bucks, do you think that is expensive?
What if they had 30 parts you could buy for 2 dollars each... then its not expensive.

[Lazybones]

Well what if a carbon fiber hood scoop with a red tint was 2 bucks, do you think that is expensive?
What if they had 30 parts you could buy for 2 dollars each... then its not expensive.

As long as those kinds of things can be unlocked through game play as well, then it seems reasonable. However I thing downloadable content should be in the form of levels or something that really adds something new to a game, not just bling.

[Darren Dirt]

Deja vu...

There was an older thread, where a few people discussed/debated the pros and cons of paying to get extra content vs. the old fashioned way of unlocking it... it was called "Pay to Cheat" (with a poll)

[Lazybones]

This thread is a little more about the cost of doing so, and if it is worth it.. Not if it is a good idea at all.

[Adams]

I guess if the add-ons are not essential to the game then its ok to purchase it but if you need to purchase it to beat the last race then its wrong.

Bad Bad EA. *Smacks a rolled up news paper on there collective noses*

Soon you will have to pay to get Better Hockey sticks in NHL 2008