Topic: Budget Games

[joeamis]

Each console see's its share of budget games whether
they be released at the $20 or $10 price point.
They usually surface about a year after the console's
debut and then come up like hotcakes when the console
is on its way out.  The amount of people who buy these
games when the console is on it's way out is a very small number.

My suggestion is to release budget titles when a console
launches.  When people lay down $200-$300 for a new console
they have little money left over for games priced at $50 each.
Now wouldn't more people buy budget games if they were released
when a console launched?  Say you pay $300 at launch, and
you buy 1 game for $50, wouldn't you be willing to spend another
mere 20 bucks for a game that is decent.  I know I would.
I would much rather have a low-brow game for a brand
new console than the same for a console that is 5 years old...
So it might not be great but it's better than alot of games on
a console from the previous generation.  

The only problem is that development is more costly at
launch, but even so they could release budget games
at $25-$35 in that case.  What are your thoughts and opinions?

[KDR_11k]

I like the idea but I think the suits don't.

[Ian Sane]

I think that's a great idea though as you said games cost more to make at launch.  However I think there's an alternative that would still be cheap at launch.  Instead of releasing new games at a budget price they could release compilations at a budget price.  Obviously porting old games would cost less than developing a new one.  Now there have been comps released near launch before.  Namco for example releases Namco Museum with like every console ever.  However I'm suggesting comps people actually would want to buy.

Konami: Gradius Collection or a Castlevania comp that comes with the never-released in North America Rondo of Blood.
Square Enix:  Anything that included FF3 or DW5 or 6 would sell quite well in North America.
Capcom: How about a comp of all of Capcom's arcade beat-em-ups like Final Fight and Captain Commando?

Another possibility is to re-release obscure titles like Shinging Force III or Radiant Silvergun.  For $20-30 those titles would be a steal and if they're released at launch they would get noticed more than if they were released in the middle of a large game library.

[joeamis]

i like that idea too, and it would be awesome if
they incorporated some of the new console's
features into the games.  like adding online play,
dvd quality music, etc.

ports would be good, but remakes better.
as long as it uses the console to do things
that previous generation consoles could not.

[Shift Key]

*insert "Being An Aussie Gamer sucks" rant here*
You guys are bitching over $50 games? Man, you DO have it easy.
When the GC came out, it had already been reduced to $250-odd, and then throw another controller for $50, memory card for $45, and then Burnout and Rogue Leader at $100 each and thats almost $550. I can't even remember where I got the money together from. I've now got about 20 games, a silver PS2 and multiple controllers as well! I'd hate to think how much money I've spent over the years on computer games and the like!?!?!?!

I'd support any kind of Budget game release, but I guess publishers are going to want to get the maximum income from the games, so there's little chance of it happening in any real situation.

[joeamis]

I wouldn't say we were "bitching" but I do feel sorry
for you having to pay such outrageous prices.
Could you import games or does Australia use a different format?

Yes the bigtime publishers like EA are out for the almighty dollar
but some publishers only release budget games
and just about every publisher releases games for 10 to 20 dollars
cheaper quite a bit.  Therefor it's possible.
The added benefit for the publisher would be that tons of
people would pick up a budget game at launch because
they want more than 1 game for their brand new system
and launches usually have a very small library of games
and many aren't worth the $50 (AU $100) price point.  

[KDR_11k]

Shifty: If it was 100 US Dollars, you'd have a right to complain. However, AUS Dollars aren't worth as much as US dollars and with exchange rates and everything Australia is about as expensive as Europe or Japan (come to think of it, they should raise prices to 70$ in the US to put them on par to the other markets).

[Ian Sane]

"come to think of it, they should raise prices to 70$ in the US to put them on par to the other markets"

SHUT UP.

Anyway new games are $70 here in Canada and I think Can and Aus dollars are pretty close in value.

[Uncle Rich AiAi]

Quote
Originally posted by: Ian Sane
Anyway new games are $70 here in Canada and I think Can and Aus dollars are pretty close in value.

CAD$70 = AUD$70.77

And we Aussies pay $100 for a game.

Close in value?  Yeah right.......

[Ian Sane]

"Close in value? Yeah right....."

Yes they are if $70 CAD = $70.77 AUD.  You just confirmed what I said.  I didn't say the game prices were comparible just the value of currency in the world market.

[KDR_11k]

Yeah, and 100 AUS dollars are 60.sumthin Euros (or around 70 US dollars), the price of most new console games here.  

[Uncle Rich AiAi]

Quote
Originally posted by: Ian Sane
"Close in value? Yeah right....."

Yes they are if $70 CAD = $70.77 AUD.  You just confirmed what I said.  I didn't say the game prices were comparible just the value of currency in the world market.

Opps.  I should have read your above post more carefully.  My bad.