How Much is Alan Wake Worth?

[SenseOfTumour]

Firstly, I've got a friend who's doing quite well for himself, in terms of his income, but he's married with a young child, and leaves the house at around 7am, getting home at around 7pm. He just doesn't get much free 'gaming' time, despite still being in love with games.

For him, and I imagine many people, it's not so much about what it's worth in 'dollar per hour' stakes, but how enjoyable they'll be per hour, and he really can't afford to buy a game that will take 100 hours to complete, as he'll never see the end.

For me, I'd sum up my argument with one word. Portal.

Long version - Would Portal really have been better if they'd padded it out another 30 or similar levels of grind just to increase the play time? I think not, personally.

(and don't forget folks, Portal is free on Steam, hurry up and get it, even 3 hours gameplay for zero money is infinity fun per dollar, beat that!)

 

[drkchmst]

Could be FFI and FFII they've been raped thoroughly enough but I don't think anyone would by them four times maybe after 2 they would stop and say thats enough. FFVII is likely, 1 or 2 copies to keep shrinkwrapped on the shelf, another copy to play psx style and one more psn style.

 

[BehattedWanderer]

You said one of them in a column once...what was it? Soul Caliber? And I'm gonna hazard Super Mario Bros, in any of it's various 2D(or 2.5D) variations. And it's hard to say how I value my entertainment. Games like Dragon Age and Paper Mario were worth full price, because of near-unlimited replayability for me. Super Mario Galaxy was worth it for the 10 hours or so I played it. There's things off of Steam that were cheaper than my $6 slippers, that had I known I would have paid full price. There's other games I immediately returned for about 90% retail, and regretted those last few bills. Rather why I picked up a Gamefly membership--I know what I'm buying now.

 

[UnusualStranger]

And so the real problem I have with newer games comes to light.

Sometimes, I don't care of the game doesn't have multiplayer. A lot of the time, I am not playing games so I can fight with other people. I am playing them for personal enjoyment, and I don't get it from multiplayer.

I want a good game. And that is one hell of a sliding scale. But also pointed out, its my money, damn it, and I'll spend it how I think is best.

And if multiplayer is the biggest draw on your game, don't expect me to want it, cause I own Left 4 Dead, and that is ONLY a multiplayer game.

 

[Flight]

Nice article. I usually buy the games I want (and I do want to get Alan Wake) when prices goes down, so I suppose that, for me, the game's value actually goes up.

I'm going to guess one of the Pokemon games (how many times has the first one been re-made, what with the Yellow version and the Fire Red and Leaf Green ones?), and... Maybe Silent Hill 2 for the other, since there are different versions.

 

[cricket chirps]

I'm really intereted to know what the two games were. Not to judge or anything but just to know so i can think "ohhh i was so close" if i was, or "wooooow never would have guessed" if i'm wrong.

My guess: A Pokemon game and >< grr i want to say the second game is some arcade game you have across alot of platforms.

Please post what they are soon

 

[bleh002]

Excellent article, I feel like you capture a lot of my feelings as to the worth of a game. My personal decision on purchasing a game is based on how much disposable cash I have for spending on things, whether there is something I want more than that particular game, how much my personal value for dollar I will get from the game (factor of enjoyment per hour played, cost per hour, prestige of playing game and who I can talk to about having played the game) and other factors that can't be quantified.

I will guess the Puzzle Quest games (because they are on several systems, and well, it's great fun) and umm...Settlers of Catan because it's both an awesome board game with many expansions, and has been ported to the PC, XBox Live AND the DS.

 

[FinalHeart95]

Well, I'd rather buy a game for $60 if it were 50 hours than if it were 12 hours. That being said, if a game is 12 hours long, there is a better chance that I'll replay it than said game that is 50 hours long, especially if I really like it.

It's for that reason I'm probably getting Alan Wake.

 

[Nightfalke]

(and don't forget folks, Portal is free on Steam, hurry up and get it, even 3 hours gameplay for zero money is infinity fun per dollar, beat that!)

Actually, you'll be dividing by zero and cause the implosion of the universe.

Thanks a lot...

 

[Susan Arendt]

"You play it, you finish it, you put it on a shelf and quite probably never pick it up again"

The hell? May not be right away, but lots of people replay their old games again 2-3 years down the road. Ocarnia of Time is a good example of a game that many people pick up and play through again, 2 years or so later. Also, lets not forget games that have great replay value like Fallout 3.

As for how much games are worth, it's more of a personal opinion. If you're satisfied with a game and feel the price was right then it's all good. I for one do not suffer any buyer's remorse dishing out $60 for the Fallout 3 Game of the Year Edition due to endless hours of enjoyment it's given me.

Depends entirely on the game's story. Once you know the end of the mystery in Alan Wake, it's doubtful you'd enjoy a replay, because the story is so intrinsic to the game. (That's assuming you're like me and really take stories you like to heart and remember them very well even years later.)

Ok, as to those two games? You ready? Phantasy Star Online (PSO Episode 1, PSO Episode 2, PSO Episode 1 & 2 plus, on Dreamcast and then again on GameCube) and Resident Evil 2 (PS1, Dreamcast, GameCube and N64).

Phantasy Star Online I bought because each version was at least slightly different than the others. Resident Evil 2 was, for a very long time, my absolute favorite game in the world, so I wanted to have every version of it there was.

 

[shemoanscazrex3]

As much as I wish I wasn't so cheap I'd probably just rent Alan Wake when I get my 360. I hate paying full amount for a game then beating it in two days. That's what Gamefly is for amongst other things

 

[MysticnFm]

Dunno about her, but I have bought Morrowind about 5 times I think. Mostly due to the various incarnations of the game, on Xbox or PC, and GOTY versions and such. Totally worth it though.

 

[hansari]

I can't imagine what game's you've bought 4 times. That's excessive.

Yeah, hard to argue with that, really. In the one game's case, it makes a certain amount of sense because each version was somewhat different. In the other game's case....I was being at least somewhat loony.

Pokemon

 

[microwaviblerabbit]

"I've paid full price for game that I never even finished, yet still felt completely satisfied with."

Can anyone ever honestly say that they have finished a game like Obilivion?

I have honestly finished Oblivion. I'm pretty sure it took about 300 hours, but I became the top of every guild, and I think I did every sidequest and the main quest.

Interesting fact, since I save so much I had 1.1 gigs of save data.

Me too. I got almost everything (locations, exploring caves, mines etc), did all the quests and then stopped cause it wasn't fun anymore.

 

[BeamSplashX]

PHANTASY STAR ONLINE! It is one of the greatest games ever made. I played it over a period of eight years on Dreamcast and Gamecube without ever getting to play online. Thanks to the free servers for the most recent version I've finally gotten around to it!

Sadly, I now hold all online games to the standard of having to be theoretically fun to play offline/single-player and practically none of them hold up. Oddly enough, I've never paid for PSO since the Dreamcast version was a gift for my brother, the Gamecube version belonged to a friend and unofficial Blue Burst is, like I said, free. Had I ever paid for it though, it would've remained worthwhile.

Oh and Resident Evil 2 is fun also. Code: Veronica still holds the record for most playtime, though, thanks to item experiments with GameShark.

 

[Shamanic Rhythm]

Your article makes a lot of sense, but you're missing part of the picture here. Developers don't set the price: publishers do. I'm sure most developers would happily see the price of their games reduced if they thought doing so would compensate for its brevity, but publishers have this desire to market every single game at the industry standard price.

Besides, this is Alan Wake we're talking about. The game has only been in development for how long? They surely have a lot of costs to recoup.

 

[DustyDrB]

Some games I love to death but am glad they aren't 30 hours long. That's the bad thing about fixed game prices (for non-used games). It makes many people think the length of the game is the only (or the principal) way to get their money's worth.

 

[duchaked]

well that's why I learned to make some games...a rental

haha but time definitely does not equal more worth, as some games are short but will ultimately satisfy while some games are long but simply drag on for too long (not always, depending on my mood, I can have a long attention span lol)

but speaking of Borderlands...lotsa fun but it simply got boring after a while =/ I even wrote a nice review in the school paper for it (but only after having played anywhere between 6-8 hours of it)