GameStop Listing Hints at High Diablo III Price Tag
- Thread starter Tom Goldman
- Start date
It's the principle of the thing mate, whether or not you can afford it isn't the issue.WhiteTigerShiro said:
They've put up 20~ minutes of gameplay [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYK2u5Fsh5w&feature=related], along with a few other bits and pieces such as The Wizard [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LMtsVREeVQ&feature=related]. Not really sure what you meant by "teaser" but 20+ minutes doesn't qualify as teaser material in my book.stinkychops said:
Primarily, it's because the games are far, far more complex. They're larger, and much more graphically and computationally intensive. Just look at the Unreal Engine. Consider the man-hours and knowledge that are required to go into the high-res self-shading normal mapped graphics. Consider the intensity and number of the PhysX entity interactions. Even the AI has been vastly improved - making use of cover, flanking, and choosing weapons more effectively. Every single aspect of making a game has increased in all of difficulty, time, and cost.stinkychops said:
That large businesses have emerged or descended to intervene, control and exploit game production and development is undeniable. Their heavy meddling undoubtably leads to cookie-cutter games, and advocates profitability over almost every other kind of sense in some situations.
However, to claim that we've not seen enough media to judge the craftsmanship, or to say that the price of printing DvD's is even reflected in the sales price of a game, both of these things are indefensible. The amount of media, interviews, and systems dissection/explanation provided so far indicates an exemplary title which will provide many, -many- hours of enjoyment. Did you even see the Blizzcon trailer where a -player- was torn in half? Where skills can be modified by loot? Where pets were summoned, infected with contaigons, and passed it on to enemies?
I've been upset with Blizzard of late. Decisions made regarding Battle.net 2.0 and StarCraft 2 have angered me. But to claim that paying half the price of the latest 360 or PS3 games is highway robbery... how could you possibly expect to have ground to stand on?
Not to bother you while you're in your 20-minute special timestinkychops said:
3), but while I agree that raising the price for the sake of greed is appalling, I don't think that this raise is to be condemned and abhorred.If I may ask, which nation do you reside in? In Australia, I'm paying ~$100AUD (that's approx $92USD at the time of writing) for a new-release PC game at retail. I know for a fact that Modern Warfare 2 (and thus likely SC2 and D3) will be/are more expensive than that, at around $120AUD ($111USD) on release. This is mitigated slightly by Steam, but none of the three games I just mentioned follow the convention of lower prices via that medium.
But even seeing games at $120, while infuriatingly double the price of games in the US, I am willing to concede. I -like- supporting good developers. It's why I buy indie games so frequently. To see a developer (I care not for publishers - be damned for all eternity, the lot of ye) succeed and manufacture more gaming bliss is all that I yearn for.
Though, having said that, I'm as angry as you, if not more, at what I percieve as corporate greed. To raise the price on Diablo 3 past the expected (which would be in excess of $120 AUD in my opinion) would cause me to seethe with anger at Activision-Blizzard. Seeing how EA, Ubisoft, and worst of all Act-Blizz display themselves on an impartial medium (Steam) is downright appalling. EA releases a small fraction of its library. Ubisoft tends to release games later than usual, and occasionally for higher prices. Act-Blizz commit the worst crime - regionalised pricing on the regionless internet. I feel that that borders on geographical discrimination in a distanceless medium. So I hope you don't think I'm supporting any of these things, or the companies that perpetrate them.
All my opinion is is that you're overreacting slightly. Diablo III looks impressive, and is appropriately priced, I feel.
Meh, as long as Europe isn't affected by this I don't care. Using the current euro>US dollar conversion listed by google(1.4999~, increased to 1,5 for simplicity) then PC games have been averaging 75-83 dollars and console games have been 90-100+ dollars for years with "big" titles usually starting at 65-70 euros for consoles(97-105 dollars, higher end usually for PS3) and 55-60 euros for PCs.
If I did my math right, that's a flat out 20% increase in price, which is beyond an inflation adjustment as far as I can tell.
Anyway, it makes me more likely to "wait till the price drops" or wait till I can get it on discount. If Activision only counts on-release sales as important (which I always thought was a stupid practice, mind, as well-informed gamers often--though not always, of course--wait to buy games until after reviews, bug reports, and patches come out), then they may have hobbled themselves a bit.
Though I can see why they'd figure the increase would be more lucrative--this thread alone shows there are people who won't even blink at dropping 20% more than they usually pay--I agree with the reporter that this is not necessarily a good trend for PC games as a whole. PC game sales often struggle versus console game sales, and one of the selling points PC games had (amongst others, of course) was that they are generally cheaper than console games. If the price equalizes, that's not going to be a win for PC games or PC gamers. Well, I suppose one could take it to mean it legitimizes PC games even more or that they are now equally competitive..... but I doubt it.
Sure, Diablo III specifically will sell and probably sell well if it was even more expensive, but as a trend for PC games in general--in the middle of a recession no less, when people go for the cheaper source of entertainment--I can't see it as a very good idea.
And BTW, I can't see this as a GameStop ploy, because a higher price will just move more people to buy it from Amazon where they can get a bit of a discount.
Anyway, it makes me more likely to "wait till the price drops" or wait till I can get it on discount. If Activision only counts on-release sales as important (which I always thought was a stupid practice, mind, as well-informed gamers often--though not always, of course--wait to buy games until after reviews, bug reports, and patches come out), then they may have hobbled themselves a bit.
Though I can see why they'd figure the increase would be more lucrative--this thread alone shows there are people who won't even blink at dropping 20% more than they usually pay--I agree with the reporter that this is not necessarily a good trend for PC games as a whole. PC game sales often struggle versus console game sales, and one of the selling points PC games had (amongst others, of course) was that they are generally cheaper than console games. If the price equalizes, that's not going to be a win for PC games or PC gamers. Well, I suppose one could take it to mean it legitimizes PC games even more or that they are now equally competitive..... but I doubt it.
Sure, Diablo III specifically will sell and probably sell well if it was even more expensive, but as a trend for PC games in general--in the middle of a recession no less, when people go for the cheaper source of entertainment--I can't see it as a very good idea.
And BTW, I can't see this as a GameStop ploy, because a higher price will just move more people to buy it from Amazon where they can get a bit of a discount.
I never buy a game for its full retail price anyway, I always find a way for scoring it at about half. CoDMW2 for £26. Score.
Besides, as soon as the prices hit high for PC gamers it'll be the last straw for many, you just watch as pirates appear in droves because they refuse to pay the 'greedy bastards' tax. And frankly, I don't blame them.
Besides, as soon as the prices hit high for PC gamers it'll be the last straw for many, you just watch as pirates appear in droves because they refuse to pay the 'greedy bastards' tax. And frankly, I don't blame them.
Diablo III will be worth it anyway, It'll probally be the first PC game ill buy in a long time.
Its a bit early for prices to be set already, but if it is, I doubt the fans will put off by it.
Diablo II lasted me a long time before i got bored of it, which is unusual for me =P
Its a bit early for prices to be set already, but if it is, I doubt the fans will put off by it.
Diablo II lasted me a long time before i got bored of it, which is unusual for me =P
