Microtransactions: potential threat to console games and gamers? |
Ó
Microtransactions are here to stay. By providing after-retail options to customers, game companies could add additional features and content to games. This has not come without issues, however. It appears some folk, like Adam, have a few bones to pick with console microtransactions.First off, he says they will retract from the fun of the gameplay. To illustrate, he puts his girlfriend in the limelight. She was playing Need for Speed Carbon on the 360 and was barely winning races. In touch with that, she couldn't earn enough bucks to keep her car upgraded.
So how was she able to get all of her trophy cars upgraded? She bought one super-duper model at Xbox Live Marketplace. It allowed her to breeze through any race she had to participate in. Now where's the fun in that? That's like opting for a cheat mode, except you had to charge it to Visa.
Next up: GRAW. Yep, while GRAW 2 may never make it to the PS3 Europe launch, much hope spurs from the fact that it won't be hounded by a microtransaction issue like with GRAW. Most of you covert tactical FPS fans might know this already. After you purchase the expansion pack to GRAW and try to invite your "unexpanded" friends for a little fraggin' action, you find that you can't.
It's like all those who have installed the expansion just gets a whole new exclusive room to themselves, leaving their retail buddies in the dust. As Adam said, "This is outrageous! The publisher and developer are basically forcing gamers to purchase the add-on if they ever plan on playing with friends who have already upgraded."
Ubisoft claims that the incompatibility stems from the new features and content available in the expansion. But Adam thinks otherwise. Still some companies have been successful in their microtransaction schemes, provided they gave away the original game for free.
It's hilarious to note that it seems like their turning the game console into an arcade machine - with credit. Sad to think that there are gamers out there who bought consoles so that they wouldn't have to lose all their quarters at the local arcades. Got some gripes or praise for the growing microtransaction trend? Discuss here.
Via GamersReports
35 Jumps PSP homebrew - MHUSPEED v3
25 Jumps Sony helping fix Bayonetta for PS3?
21 Jumps PSP homebrew - MacroFire v3.0.12
Contact Us:
The QJ.net Network |
 |
| Site | Feed |
| QJ.NET | RSS |
| Nintendo DS | RSS |
| PlayStation 3 | RSS |
| PSP Updates | RSS |
| Wii | RSS |
| Xbox 360 | RSS |
| MMORPG | RSS |
| Personal Computer Games | RSS |
| iPhone - iPod Touch | RSS |
| QJ.NET Forums | RSS |
Add QJ.NET
User Favorites - December
User Favorites - December
Categories
Archives
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
Comments [refresh]
It's all EA's fault. They are the main publisher abusing the Microtransactio ns feature. Anything that is 108kb in size in the Xbox Live marketplace shouldn't be bought, it's content already on the disc. Buyer beware, the publishers are after your bucks.
If somebody without the expansion hosts the game, anyone can play. Doesn't seem to be that big of an issue.
Anyone who buys into the Micro transaction paranoia is a fool. If content is already on the disk that doesn't mean it was original intended to be given to you. Some of you guys act like their is this invisible cap that only you can see on content you believe should be given to you. Grow up. No one is making you buy the extra crap and not having it doesn't cripple the game. I repeat, NO ONE IS MAKING YOU BUY THIS EXTRA CRAP!
If the content exists already on the disc and they only let you unlock it by paying for it, you have paid for the content twice and are being ripped off. Period.
I think microtransactio ns can be very good to gamers. Let's face it, how many games have you bought and left on the shelve after finding that it isn't amusing at all. If publishers sold the games for something like 20$ and then leave it to you to download more features if you liked the basic it would be really nice. You could buy much more games and pay more only fore the ones you really like.
I think it's all about the way it's done. Don't blame the whole microtransactio n stuff only because publishers and developers make crap out of it.
If its stuff already on the disc, I would much rather buy an action replay/game shark and hack the heck out of the disc to get the content than be conned into buying the data i could already get and giving the money to EA or whoever again.
However stuff like Nintys virtual console or the xbox live arcade things, i would support.
if its getting worse ill quit playing consoles. console got their advantage in plug and play. no patching and noo buying. if i put my hard earned money on the desk i want a full scale game with everything in it. if additional content follows up its ok. its not in my liking to get raped from a major gamestudio. lumines for XBLA for example ^-^
If the game companies get too carried away using this by holding back game content just so as to make a profit later by having us download it, the we got a problem. If you have to download and pay for content TO GET THE FULL GAME EXPERIENCE. Well........might as be better off getting a PC.
i don't see the problem it's only the people who can't finish the game that buy the upgrades and online its your fault if you can't beat someone with downloaded parts when the parts are all ready on the disk for the taking
this whole micro transaction thing is really annoying! There is only a limit to that 'feature' that i can agree with. That is, where the people who want a certain feature to make the game easier for example, but, where that same feature actually is in the game you just have to be good enough to unlock it yourself for free. Also, these extra things that are made with the game that you have to pay for is rediculous... Expansion packs and such should be an after thought and the game makers should have to work at it and make these things separetely... if they are able to make them during the rest of the game, then they are kind of riping us off and should be in the game for free.