Game prices

[Anjow]

What do you think of them?

Not sure about in the USA but a new game here in the UK costs £35-40 so that's probably around $65-75. Do you think that a game is actually worth that money? I think that prices like that have really fueled the fires of piracy, but have in turn been driven so high because of it.

With most games, does one actually get £40's worth of entertainment from them? I know there are a select few where the answer is an obvious 'yes', but almost all games come out at that price including the poor ones. Some would compare the amount of time you can spend on them with the amount of time you'd spend at a movie, along with the prices - however I don't think movies are good value either :P

I buy very few games because of the high prices. For the price of one game I can fuel my car for a month (yeah I don't drive far) or eat for a week and I just don't see them as such good value.

Now think about the likely price rise (http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/06/29/1956232&from=rss) (I call it likely because I think if they don't deny it then it's gonna happen) for PS3 games, where other companies may follow suit.

What say you?

[soulfly1448]

Game prices are pretty ridiculous. That's why I don't but them unless it is something I really wanted. Like Oblivion. I can qualify $50 for that. Console games on the other hand are usually $60 each and may be even higher on some cases. I just plain don' play my consoles any longer.

[Anjow]

I remember when the N64 first came out, I saw Doom64 in a shop for £64...

[da_spork]

I normally wait until games drop below $30 for me to pick them up, unless I REALLY can't wait for it- something along the lines of hl2

The only game coming out soon I'd be willing to pay release price for is probably spore.

[dead_man311]

i only have a few older PC games and they where all under $20 when i got them

but for my PS2 if i see a game i like i somtimes i will rent it if i really like it i sometime's will buy it but most the time i wait till it drops to $20 to $30 its been along time since ive paid more than that for any game. alst game i got was GTA:SA which i got for $19.99

a few month wait is worth the $30 saved to me

[Enablingwolf]

Paying for game game is all abot desire. It is a multibllion dollar consumer driven industry/

If there is enough willing to pay $60 per game, they will charge that. It costs alot to make a game. Think about how many it takes to make one game and the effort to get it to us. If sales drop the price drops.

[broken_Naols]

I think the prices for games is really rediculus. it aways has been. I was looking at X-Box 360 games. at £50 each, sterling. Thats like $90 or so.

I remember seeing origonal X-box games for £60-£65 when it first came out.

[ninthebin]

you can get PC (real) games much cheaper in the UK, around £25 for a brand new release.

I don't see a problem with that price, I am not forced to buy it, if I like the look for the game or have played a demo and liked it then I will cough up...and comparing it to eating it to a week, wtf? do I need to explain the difference between a video game whose purpose is for filling a few hours and hopefully entertaining you and food, which will keep you healthy (if you buy the right stuff) and if your lucky keep you alive.

and I don't think this fuels the fires of piracy, you could sell games for £5 new release and you would still get people stealing them just because its not a hard thing to do via the interweb - its the mentality of the people who do steal things is what fuels it not the poor ******** who slaved over it and are obviously mistaken in believing hardwork pays off in this world.

Take doom3, the mass piracy of it was blamed on it being released in one continent a short while before another so people couldn't wait...not the fact the arseholes that all downloaded it would have done it regardless of when it was released where.

and as people have said here, games don't say expensive long, it doesn't kill you to hold on for a few months, if anything there should be a patch or two floating around then that should make playing it a much more enjoyable experience.

Dan

[OC Noob]

Games always end up cheap in a very short time. The only time you can't find quality $20 titles would be when a system is brand new.

But I don't know about the UK so that just applies here and console game price = PC game price here.

[FudgeNuggets]

Yeah, I realized long ago that paying new prices for games was just plain a waste of money. I'll do it occasionally for sports games but anything else I'll wait on until I find it in the used game store or used at blockbuster or as one of those $20 classic titles.

[Papier]

I think game prices are pretty good in the US so far. I've never buy a $50 dollar game myself unless it's something I really want. But let me break it down for you though.

Concerning prices, I think we USians are getting pretty good deals. We just started to see $60 dollar titles in mass bulk now (unlike the other previous games that killed themselves to do that). Concerning that the rate of inflation is around 3% a year, give or take (I don't want to go too deep), and the fact that games brand new usually have been $50 for the past decade, we're not doing half bad. Games could be priced around $90 right now in the US. Thankfully they're not.

Compare games to movies, we get more value as well. If you buy a brand new movie for $20, you only get 2-3 hours of entertainment. A high quality game like Oblivion will get you 100+ hours of entertainment for $50 bucks. Battlefield 2 will get you countless hours due to all the modes and online play. Now compared to music, well... RIAA screwed up the industry a little bit so let's not compare that. ;)

In the end, we should be really thankful for the prices we have in the states. Prices have gone up along with other industries. A gallon of milk costs 3.29, a gallon of gas costs 2.80, and bread costs 2.15. I remember those items costing ALOT less 2 years ago. Yet for years I've seen games at $50 bucks. With rising production costs for the past few years for games, we're REALLY lucky.

[redrumy3]

pc game prices aint bad at 30-40 50 pushing it lol, but i only buy games that are worth it as well, like oblivion, tonb raider legend :), i think i piad 50 for bf2 when it first came out or 40 dont remember prolly 50 lol. but other games that look good i wait till they hit 30 as well.

[maxio098ui]

Games ive bought full price

operation flashpoint
bf2
san andreas
gta3
ut2004

i cant think of others really

i hate game prices,i wait till they are 30 or so then i buy it

[tomoracle290]

the only game that i have purchased = counter strike source for £20 and it is worth every penny, and i am now looking at BF2

[fabulouscoops]

The last two games I put major time into were Far Cry and Oblivion. Both purchased on ebay for a fraction of the list price. I paid twice as much for HL2 and DOOM3 and played them once each.

[Anjow]

Do you guys think that games are at a 'fair' price? I think that in an ideal world, games prices would reflect review scores but to be honest I don't think that's going to happen :P

[zexmarquies01]

Just like computer hardware, i do my research first before buying almost ANY game ( unless its a Final Fantasy game...sorry i love square, and will always give them the benefit of the doubt, and if it sucks, i can sell it easily ).


but other than that, i check who made the game, i check reviews on it, i read PLAYER reviews on it (like at Gamefaqs), i check out what kind of action it is, how deep the story goes. THEN, and only after all that, i may or may not buy the game.

there are very few impulse buys that i make anymore. last time i had an impulse buy, was Selling a couple used games, my SP, and some movies so i could get the DS-lite.

so i make SURE that my $50 is spent CORRECTLY, on a game that is WORTH 50 bucks. I always use a very simple equation for most games.

$1 = 1 hour of gameplay. If i can get over 50 hours of real gameplay, then the game is worth it to me. ( thats for RPG's, which is what i mainly play ). Not ALL games follow that rule, but the majority does. Games that DON'T follow that rule, is something that has awesome multiplayer support ( like Mario-Kard DS, Super Smash Bros Melee...etc...), Or games like Devil may cry or onimusha. cause i know those games are good, and i really like that style. sure it doesn't take me 50+ game hours to beat it, but i know i have fun.


But as i said, i do my reasearch on games before shelling out 50 bucks.

[squads]

( unless its a Final Fantasy game...sorry i love square, and will always give them the benefit of the doubt, and if it sucks, i can sell it easily )

I used to say the same thing until FFX-2 came out. That game was absolute garbage. :bang head

[Mr.Guvernment]

I love how you all complain "game prices ar so high wha wha wha"

Okay, u go spend 2-5 years and develope one and see what it costs.

Your the same people who then go and easily, with out question drop $300+ on video cards to play a game.


game prices have remain relativly the same $40-$80 new - it has always been like this since i can remeber, at least for the last 8 years i can recall.

As many said above, wait a while for it to drop in prioce, they always will - you DONT have to buy it the day it comes out, in fact you dont have to buy it at all.

I think many who complain simply cant afford the prices, so they complain, same people who complain video card and CPU prices are too high!!! wha wha wha!

[Anjow]

game prices have remain relativly the same $40-$80 new - it has always been like this since i can remeber, at least for the last 8 years i can recall.

It must be different over there, here PC games started at ~£30, then were £35 for a few years and are now coming out at £40 in high street shops.

You're the same people who then go and easily, with out question drop $300+ on video cards to play a game.

Golly gosh you know so much about me. Or perhaps a video card purchase is something that is carefully considered and that is only done when the current one can no longer run the modern games.

As for no one forcing me to buy games, I'm quite aware of that. The last game I bought was Oblivion. Before that, HL2. Before that I don't even remember.

The best way of putting forward a good argument is to accuse the people you disagree with of whining, I learnt that from the WoW official forums - as I see you did.

[biglonstud]

I usualy buy games for $30 or less. Unless it is a game I really want, like a New mario Game, or Half Life 2, or a Zelda Game. But I really try not to buy a game at full price.

Some games are worth $60, but, most of the time, I would rather wait 2-4 months, and get them for $20-$30.(But Ill buy SuperSmash Bros Brawl, and Zelda Twighlight Princess as soon as I can)

[sike]

I practically never buy 1-player games at release price. Good multiplayer games are different though because of their extreme replay value.

[Mr.Guvernment]

To me that is what people are doing, simply whining, many people have no clue or even the slighest idea of what resources it takes to develop and game and seem to think they are just tossed together in afew days and POOF u got a new game.

Yes, many games arent worth $50, there is alot of "crap" out there and that is why it is smart to look around and read reviews first.

But you cant tell me say HL2 isnt worth $50, or oblivion as many seem to like it.

heck, for me NovaLogic games, are usualyl $30 new or lower, Joint Operations i would easily of paid $50 for, but instead i got it and it's expansion pack for $20 new!

[shard]

Just buy it when you can afford it. I have many games I picked up at the 10-30 dollar level. And it was worth waiting, becuase then, I have a nice beefy comp to play them on too :D

[Anjow]

But you cant tell me say HL2 isnt worth $50, or oblivion as many seem to like it.

Well that's why I said in my first post that there are a select few which are obviously worth the money, and that the only two games I remember buying in recent years are HL2 and Oblivion.

[Mr.Guvernment]

i got my share as well :D - just $50, well, it isnt alot to me and good games are worth every last penny, but people who wants games like oblivion for like $20 arent being realistic.

[Anjow]

I didn't start this topic to say that no game is worth the money you pay for it, that clearly isn't true. However they have games which are nowhere near as good as Oblivion/HL2 selling for the same price if not more in some cases.

[Fireside85281]

Whoa, where are games $80? Maybe some deluxe special editions, but no standard edition goes for more than $50 here. I suppose I'm not like the rest of you, but I often buy games right when they come out. It's usually only the really popular games that I've paid that much for, but if I can wait, I'll just buy them online. Online they tend to be at least $10 cheaper, and no tax or shipping costs.

Then again, I probably just place my gaming as a higher priority than the rest of you. Although for some games, I'll gladly pay full price to encourage the type of games that I enjoy. Quality rpgs are definitely lacking and the companies that make them often have problems with money, so I'll support their work.

Also, I buy enough games from the EB Games that they've given me a bunch of free stuff. I'm also the resident games expert at my electronics store. So there are some perks in it for me.:D

[Jotolicious]

Game prices are pretty ridiculous. That's why I don't but them unless it is something I really wanted. Like Oblivion. I can qualify $50 for that. Console games on the other hand are usually $60 each and may be even higher on some cases. I just plain don' play my consoles any longer.

exactly. i have no problem paying $50 for a game i know i'm going to get a lot of playing time for. as for consoles i'm always a couple/several years late, like i just bought a used PS2 :beer:

[Enablingwolf]

I had no issues paying for a few games in my time. RCT3 cost me alot. Of course it was the base game and the expansions. $40 for the game and then $30 for each add-on pack(#2). So one game.. 100 bux. I got alot of value out of it. I have no gripes groans or compliants. The previous RCT games I spent about the same.

Long as I feel there is value. I am happy to shell out my hard earned cash for a title.

Now Mechwarrior is another title I got plenty of value out of. I can think of ALOT of games I still can pop in and enjjoy to this day. Does anyone have any games on floppy they still think they got a value purchase? I know I do.

I have a few titles that suck butt in terms of how much I played them versus what I paid. It all averages out though to me.

One of the best values I have in my active collection right now is Maximo(PS2). I forked out $8 and it is a fun coin collector game. Sure it is old as heck, but me and the wife have loads of fun on it. That says alot for a game and the team who made it. Once a game hits the bargin bin and is still fun.. They did a good job. I could only imagine how the game was back when it was new.

[ninthebin]

where the hell do you shop anjow? the only place I see new pc games that expensive here are places like pc world where you can still get a GF3 Ti500 for £200+

look around a bit and you will get them well below £30

[Rydis]

Nope, I don't agree with the prices.

[Anjow]

http://www.game.co.uk/browse.aspx?cat=11271

3 games featured on there, for online purchase, all £40.

[Rydis]

To reiterate on why I disagree on the prices.

1.Almost all games come out at the same price. All 360 games are wither 60, or 50. Thats depending on the publisher only.
2.PS2 games. Unless it was a unknown, off-the-wall maker, I never seen a ps2 game start under 50.00.

Thinking about it now, my opinion is limited only to console games.

Someone said earlier that we dont know how much work goes into games, and why they cost so much.

Lets think about it logically. What else is a standard price for anything?

Vehicles? The price differs depending on the maker, model, engine. Better cars cost more. Better makers cost more.

Houses? Same thing. The price differs on what you buy. Better houses cost more. Depending who made the house, what type of house, bigger houses all affect the price.

Food? Go to the candy isle. Go to the soup and chips isle. See the same type of product sold at different prices because of quality and such.

Movies? Not even all movies come out at the same price, or after time are same as others. Good movies usually sell at 19.99 for a dvd. Medicore are 15.99 (these are walmart prices for where I live). Then you got those 2 for 7 racks, your 9.99 movies an dyour 13.99 movies. Their all movies yet they are different prices.

Gas? Anyone who drives knows how much this changes.

So why should video games fall short of this concept wen everything else seems consistent?

Shouldn't the quality of the game, the maker, the length of playtime and such be what affects the cost? I ask the person who I stated above about how much time it takes to make a game. Why should a game, such as Rumble Roses XX, or The Outfit, which quality is very poor, and gameplay is very limited cost as much as a massive, expansive game such as Oblivion or Call of Duty? The quality of the games differ, and the amount of resources spent to make the game differ, yet they cost the same.

Can uses PS2 and Xbox also. Why should games like Dynasty warriors cost the same as Final Fantasy, Xenosaga, Radiata stories. Why should a game like Alias, Charlie and the Choclate factory, Metal Slug and More Kombat Deadly alliance cost as much as Halo, Ninja Gaiden, Morrowind, or Panzer Dragoon Orta?

The amount of resources and quality of game differs so much to have a consistant price.

I dont mind paying 50-60 for FN3, DoA4, or Final Fantasy. I do however mind paying that much for a game like Kameo or Dead to Rights.

Look at how well Phantom Dust did for 20.00.

PC games prices usually reflect their game play (exception is *coughguildwarscough*). Not only are they cheaper then consoles, but they come out at different prices also.

[Redleg]

With the exception of Oblivion, all of my games are bought after they've been released at least 1 year, because of their price.

[Burninate]

Hey, I think $50.00 is fair, though I rarely pay that much for a game. I usually look around for the sale stuff. Usually on release day, here on the West coast US, you can find PC or console games for $37.99 on release day at Fry's electronics. But, those are becoming more scarce. I like Ebay and all, but I hate how you can buy a game for $15.00 then shipping is like $19.95. I wouldn't buy those out of principal alone. I mean, how does it cost nearly $20 to ship a game from New Jersey to California?

[Anjow]

That's just a dodgy method of fee-dodging though Burninate, of course the shipping doesn't cost that much but they only get charged on the list price - its against the TOS too. You'll see products with a £40 value being £5 with £35 shipping to avoid paying the proper fees to ebay.

[OC Noob]

I dont mind paying 50-60 for FN3, DoA4, or Final Fantasy. I do however mind paying that much for a game like Kameo or Dead to Rights.

Look at how well Phantom Dust did for 20.00.

PC games prices usually reflect their game play (exception is *coughguildwarscough*). Not only are they cheaper then consoles, but they come out at different prices also.

Don't lump Kameo in with Dead to Rights. Kameo is light years better. It is the most under rated game on the system. People bag on it because its not a great RPG, but thats because its not an RPG. Its a platformer and a very good one. If it was released on the GC or PS2 people would be saying how great it is, but not many people got to play the whole game because the shortage. It got consistant scores around 8.5/10 and the biggest complaints I saw were saying it isn't a long epic game (e.g. RPG qualities), but it is a 25 hour platformer and I fail to see how that is short for a platformer and I fail to see why reviews expected a 100 hour RPG, but still it got scores ranging from 8/10-9/10 from most reviewers.

For $50 its about as good as any platformer you'll play. I think Up Your Arsenal was a bit better, but not that much better and it got 10/10's and high 9/10's. Its a different story if you compare it to FFVII though, but the same would hold true for Rachet and Clank. Had 20 or 30 million people had 360's i think the public perception of Kameo would be very different.


As for PC game prices reflecting the game play that is so not true. Most titles come out at $50 and aren't worth it. Some titles that can get away with it come out at $60 or $55 and tend to be worth it because they a big name, big budget titles so those prices sometimes reflect gameplay, but the average game is $50 new and not because its good.

[Rydis]

Don't lump Kameo in with Dead to Rights. Kameo is light years better. It is the most under rated game on the system. People bag on it because its not a great RPG, but thats because its not an RPG. Its a platformer and a very good one. If it was released on the GC or PS2 people would be saying how great it is, but not many people got to play the whole game because the shortage. It got consistant scores around 8.5/10 and the biggest complaints I saw were saying it isn't a long epic game (e.g. RPG qualities), but it is a 25 hour platformer and I fail to see how that is short for a platformer and I fail to see why reviews expected a 100 hour RPG, but still it got scores ranging from 8/10-9/10 from most reviewers.

For $50 its about as good as any platformer you'll play. I think Up Your Arsenal was a bit better, but not that much better and it got 10/10's and high 9/10's. Its a different story if you compare it to FFVII though, but the same would hold true for Rachet and Clank. Had 20 or 30 million people had 360's i think the public perception of Kameo would be very different.


As for PC game prices reflecting the game play that is so not true. Most titles come out at $50 and aren't worth it. Some titles that can get away with it come out at $60 or $55 and tend to be worth it because they a big name, big budget titles so those prices sometimes reflect gameplay, but the average game is $50 new and not because its good.

For Kameo, I really dont know. I based that entierly off what I hard. I have not played the game. I could replace it with...Devil May Cry 2. I havn't played to many bad games which is why it was hard to come up with ones I thought weren't that great without listing every game made from a movie.

The PC prices must vary from region though. When F.E.A.R was first released here (St.Petersburg, FL) it was 40.00. A few months later it was down to 29.99. The only 50.00 game I see here atm is Guild Wars factions. Most others are 15 - 40 (40 being BF2+ expansion and the D&D online game). WoW being 30 and so is EQ2. While these are older games, when they were first released I dont think any of them other then Doom3 was 50.00. HL2 I got release day for 40.00.

[OC Noob]

For Kameo, I really dont know. I based that entierly off what I hard. I have not played the game. I could replace it with...Devil May Cry 2. I havn't played to many bad games which is why it was hard to come up with ones I thought weren't that great without listing every game made from a movie.

The PC prices must vary from region though. When F.E.A.R was first released here (St.Petersburg, FL) it was 40.00. A few months later it was down to 29.99. The only 50.00 game I see here atm is Guild Wars factions. Most others are 15 - 40 (40 being BF2+ expansion and the D&D online game). WoW being 30 and so is EQ2. While these are older games, when they were first released I dont think any of them other then Doom3 was 50.00. HL2 I got release day for 40.00.

Kameo is pretty sweet and worth a rent if you just want to play through it once or a buy if you like to play SP games through a few times.

Game prices must vary like you said, because non-sale price for most new PC games here are $50. I've been waiting for Call of Duty II to come down to $30 at my EB forever, lol.

I need to move to FL and the beach :drool:

[TollhouseFrank]

I just wonder where you all are buying your games at.... unless its XBox360, i have yet to see a new release be over $45 here in WV.

[shard]

I just wonder where you all are buying your games at.... unless its XBox360, i have yet to see a new release be over $45 here in WV.


Cost of living adjustment. Most WV folks make less per capita then people in say, cali. It is a mixed basket for me, depends on where I shop on how much the game costs.

[OC Noob]

I just wonder where you all are buying your games at.... unless its XBox360, i have yet to see a new release be over $45 here in WV.

Are you serious?

HL2 when it was new? New PS2 games? New Xbox games? New and even older GC games? Warcraft III @ $60 on release? Heck, it was $70 or $80 for the collectors edition.

$45? That is the oddest thing I've ever heard of. Online retailers all start at $50 too unless its on sale.

[TollhouseFrank]

No, really. Go into stores here, and new games are $45. XBox360 games are about $55-60. Most new PC Games range between $40-$49, with the 'biggest' titles like BF2 being about $49.

[OC Noob]

No, really. Go into stores here, and new games are $45. XBox360 games are about $55-60. Most new PC Games range between $40-$49, with the 'biggest' titles like BF2 being about $49.


I'm moving to yor town. That would save me about $10k a year easy:D

Well, maybe not that much.