Is Resale Really Killing The Industry?

The subject has come up on several websites, a few podcasts, and most likely your head a few times. Is the resale market killing the game industry as we know it? See, when you buy second hand the developers don’t make any money on the game as if you had bought it brand new.

When you look at that alone, then yes it can be said that resale is probably taking a toll on a developers profits. But here’s my first argument. Would you buy the game if it WASN’T second hand? Games are extremely expensive when they first come out, often around the $70-80 range. If your second-guessing your purchase do you really want to spend that much? Games become much more appealing under the $30 range. Often so many games are being released, that we can afford to wait for a game to lower in price because its quite possible your still playing your last purchase. This could be greatly influenced by how long games are in the first place.

My second argument is this: If its in resale, is the game any good? Often you take a game back if it sucks or it’s time is up whether from age or completion. Now, if the games time is over or the game is bad, it’s not going to get bought again anyways unless a niche gamer comes along looking specifically for it. So even with this, the company wouldn’t be making money ANYWAYS. A game that is bad deserves to lose the company money, maybe they had some great idea’s but rushed the game, this will (harshly) teach the developer to take their time and add some tender care to the game itself.

So what do you guys think? How do you figure this is affecting the industry? I don’t think it has any effects we should be worried about!

Going Back To Hell

    

In a recent turn of events I have been looking into older games that I can play, preferably over LAN with a few friends. Someone threw out the idea of Diablo, and so I got the game and installed it, after some fighting with Vista I got the game working right, in all its glory!

I missed the whole Diablo thing back in the day, along with Starcraft and Warcraft. I tried to get into Diablo 2 but I was bored, it didn’t draw me in. There’s something about playing Diablo 1 that just draws me in. Maybe its the simplicity? I haven’t even completed one quest, I just rushed into the cathedral and started growing my body count. Not many games have made me want to play them more, I can probably count them on one hand, and they have all had simple basic premises.

I think modern games need to stop hyping over graphics and audio, and start focusing on the basics. Once you have the foundation, THEN build on the extras. I hear Titan Quest is similar to Diablo but I think I would rather wait for Diablo 3. If your looking for something to hold you over, I would recommend installing this old gem and playing through if you can, not only is it available for cheap but it can bring you back to when games were known for their gameplay.

Dawn of War 2

There's some new Dawn Of War 2 footage showing some Tyranid buildings in action, a little bit of customization, and a whole lot of gameplay. I like how the game is focused on smaller squad battles instead of massive armies, and I also love the customization. I really can't wait for this game to get released. Between this and Diablo 3 I may just come back to PC gaming.

Heres the trailer!

Monday! Monday!

There is two more weeks before school goes into Christmas break and quite honestly, I haven't been working or gaming as I usually do. In school debates and conversations often leave me thinking late at night, and my gaming time has been spent with mostly casual games.

If you haven't heard of Kongregate, you should really try it. Simply create an account, and start playing. Most games have badges and achievements that help you keep on playing, and I found all the games very entertaining. One of my favorite games is Tactical Assassin. It requires some thiking, but the end result is satisfying. So hit up Kongregate and add me as your friend!

username: musichawc
link: Kongregate.com

Quality Vs Content, New Vs Old As It Relates To Gaming

With the general world in an economic recession, gaming could become a costly hobby. Would you rather pay $60 for a game that is mediocre but lasts twenty hours, or would you rather pay the same amount for a game that is very well done but only lasts ten hours or so.

I think I would rather pay the price for quality, and hope the game has a good replay value. My life is getting busier by the day and a fairly short game can turn into weeks of playability. Along comes games such as The Orange Box that packs FIVE games onto one disc, and for a cheap price of $30 it is impossible to turn down. Mind you two of them are episodes related to Half Life 2, the value is amazing.

Do you mind waiting a few months for a game to drop in price or are you one to line up and buy a game on launch day? With the price of games these day I cannot justify buying a game on day one anymore. I'm sure you all have a pile of games that are half finished, I know I do! Out of all the games I've owned I've only completed something like two for my Xbox 360. Although you can trade a game in at anytime, the value of games is greatly lowered and for trading in four or five games I only got $27. Mind you, thats half a brand new game right there.

What are your thoughts? Would you rather a long game, or a short game with quality. Do you mind waiting for a price drop or would you rather buy it day one?

5 Ways The PSP2 Could Overtake The DSi/DS2

With the news that the PSP2's processor is in production its time we took a look at the little guy. The current PSP has seen two revisions since its release and while it is certainly viable in Japan, the DS overall killed the PSP. Mind you there's still a place in my heart for Sony's handheld and here's my thoughts on how they could improve and take over the DS in the next handheld race.

1. More Games The PSP had some good games, but they can be counted on one hand. Monster Hunter, Daxter, Ratchet and Clank, etc. Maybe if Sony could pull off some original IP's they could improve the game variety. Otherwise, a Little Big Portable and another Monster Hunter released as a handheld seller, maybe in a combo and this little system could shine from day one.

2. Better Controls/Design The original PSP2 was really uncomfortable after extended play. My hands were cramped numerous times trying to reach the dpad. Maybe a more ergonomic design could help coupled with another nub so we can control the camera in half the games.

3. Online The thing had a web browser, but how come not every game if any could be played online? Why did we need a third party hardware like Wi Fi Max to play online? Why doesnt Sony tie it to your PSN account from your PS3 so you have all your friends right there.

4. Simplify Most games I saw for PSP were games trying to use the PSP like a console. It;s a handheld, so wheres my casual handheld games. Mind you the sleep function worked great. Not everyone wants a library full of casual, but throw a few in there so we can complete a few goals while sitting at the bus stop.

5. Keep XMB If theres one thing I miss about my PSP its the XMB. The hub really fit the system and allowed access to everything a person needed. keep the same simple design, maybe change it up a bit or allow for customization through themes, but keep the general system!

If Sony followed these I know I'd be buying a PSP2 day one, whats your input? What would it take to sell you on the PSP2?

The Future of PC Gaming 2

Online Distribution.

People are saying that the life of buying games in stores is nearing the end. With services like Gametap and STEAM this is almost believable. Both offer online distribution but in two different ways. STEAM is exactly like a store, you pay the price and you can download a game which is then tied to your account and can be downloaded anywhere else. Gametap is more like a rental store, where you pay a flat fee and in turn you can download any games you want and store them on your hard drive while playing them through the Gametap application.

I have experience with both systems and I would say they are both equal, but the extra features of STEAM win overall. Steam also has community and mods for all the games you buy. Gametap does have a larger selection of games, especially older ones. The one thing I do not like about Steam is the need for a credit card. I wish you could buy some sort of Steam card in stores like HMV or EB Games and add these to your account as this would widen their audience largely by including all of us that do not have our own credit card.

Online distribution is a perfectly workable situation as long as you have a high speed connection and is going to be instrumental in to brining PC gaming back. With places like Gametap allowing anyone to play older games like Fallout, theres so many titles to play regardless of the computer your playing them on.