Psychonauts - Please don't buy it..........yet

[fishbowlhead]

whoever started this thread is quite frankly a complete pratt. Its people like you that cause these games to do badly and then never get released again in this country. Pyschonaughts, We Love katamari and Shaddow of the Collossus should all be bourght, on day one for whatever price they are, and not only because they are all fantastic peices of software but because they should be supported as well.


ok, ill take my angry cap off now .

[fallenangle]

The only "pratts" round here are those who are making hypocritical comments about being happy paying 'full' price for any game. There's a very well subscribed thread above dedicated to just such bargains. I bet that the majority of people here haven't bought a 'full' price game in years, if ever.

Everytime you pay full price for a game you're actually paying for all the tat and mass market games which have undersold and all the other marketing mistakes the publishers have made. This is what is stifling creativity not discerning consumers looking to save money by hunting out quality bargains. Do you really believe that making publishers richer is going to mean more originality?

[Cobertizo]

I don't believe that there is necessarily any hypocrisy involved. Purchasing a game at a bargain price when it is released is arguably the best way of furthering your argument. Go out now and buy loads of copies of Psychonauts at the low price point of ?24.99. That reinforces the fact that this is a favourable price point for the consumer, whilst also providing feedback to the publisher that they have a popular game on their hands. If copies only start selling when they hit the bargain bins due to not having sold before, then publishers will assume that people aren't buying the game because it is good, but because people will buy any game at ?10. Quite apart from the fact that the delay in the return on their investment will put them off gambling on such a game in future.

[fishbowlhead]

The only "pratts" round here are those who are making hypocritical comments about being happy paying 'full' price for any game. There's a very well subscribed thread above dedicated to just such bargains. I bet that the majority of people here haven't bought a 'full' price game in years, if ever.

Everytime you pay full price for a game you're actually paying for all the tat and mass market games which have undersold and all the other marketing mistakes the publishers have made. This is what is stifling creativity not discerning consumers looking to save money by hunting out quality bargains. Do you really believe that making publishers richer is going to mean more originality?

i sudgest you read a post properly before commenting on it.

why the hell shouldnt i pay full price for a game?, i paid full price for SOTC on US import, i paid full price for it on jap and ill dam well pay full price for it on pal shortley.

i paid full price for Psychonauts which was only ?24.99 but so what, its such an original and well crafted game i would off happily paid ?40.00 for it.

why shouldnt i buy these games at full price, the money only goes back to the development studio which in turn helps them make another game (addmitedly not all the money)

the angry cap is now back on

[IanE]

Arrogant attititude that mate. ?5+ might be chicken feed to you but to some us it's a bit more significant.

Gaming is expensive, you don't need to tell me that. As said, I do more than my fair to keep game publishers and their shareholders happy. But I find it utterly bizarre that some people here are criticising this thread just because it's suggesting a way of saving money.

I would argue that if games were actually priced more reasonably from the start (around ?20) they would sell more, encourage consumers to take risks on less familiar game types and, maybe make more profit in the long run..

Are you having a laugh? The game IS around ?20. It's ?24.99 on Play.com. It's RRP is less than most new releases which go out for ?39.99, this is ?29.99. Showing how they're putting the price down to enable more to afford it and get in on the action.

Putting off buying the game now means it stands a chance of getting hard to get since everyone else is now determined to buy it, and because of the lower price.

[IanE]

The only "pratts" round here are those who are making hypocritical comments about being happy paying 'full' price for any game. There's a very well subscribed thread above dedicated to just such bargains. I bet that the majority of people here haven't bought a 'full' price game in years, if ever.

Everytime you pay full price for a game you're actually paying for all the tat and mass market games which have undersold and all the other marketing mistakes the publishers have made. This is what is stifling creativity not discerning consumers looking to save money by hunting out quality bargains. Do you really believe that making publishers richer is going to mean more originality?

This is possibly the most hypocritical post I've ever seen.

Don't pay "full price" (?24.99) for Psychonauts, wait and deny it the sales this excellent game deserves, just for what could be a five pound difference!

Yet you say buying massmarket games stifles creativity? Not buying original games ****ing stops it!

[fallenangle]

More people who don't understand or haven't read the thread. I'm not saying don't buy the game, doh.

If half of you who've jumped on the bandwagon had put your money where your mouth is and actually bought the game on import I would have trouble arguing with your obvious financial commitment and desire to encourage original games. It also might not be languishing in US bargain bins at $20 a time and have encouraged the publishers to release it here sooner, with some effort put into it's promotion

It is my belief that the best way to encourage publishers to support more creative developers is not to give them more money to fritter away. The best way is to ensure that as many gamers as possible take the risk and buy a copy of those original games when they appear and, surely, the cheaper it is the more likely that is. Hence the thread.

[sj33]

It is my belief that the best way to encourage publishers to support more creative developers is not to give them more money to fritter away. The best way is to ensure that as many gamers as possible take the risk and buy a copy of those original games when they appear and, surely, the cheaper it is the more likely that is. Hence the thread.

True, but you seem to be arguing a different point. Other posts argue that ignoring the title on release and waiting for the game to be cut in price is only going to discourage publishers from snapping up such titles, they'll turn to safer bets.

The buying of left field games doesn't necessarily encourage developers to be more imaginative directly - it's not the developers you've got to convince. It's convincing the publishers to be interested in releasing such titles. Slow sales and they won't bother.

I understand what your point is, and I don't disagree with it. I just look at the situation from a different perspective. It's the publishers we have to convince at the end oif the day.

[Brats]

It is my belief that the best way to encourage publishers to support more creative developers is not to give them more money to fritter away. The best way is to ensure that as many gamers as possible take the risk and buy a copy of those original games when they appear and, surely, the cheaper it is the more likely that is. Hence the thread.

I suggest you read:



Boycotting an very original title at launch is not the way to encourage development of more original titles. Neither is refusing to buy games at full price. Your assumption that buying games at full price pays for mor tat and the gaming failures of publishers is utterly false. Any basic economist will tell you that market forces will work on titles individually. Psychonauts doesn't have a cheap release price because the developer had some previous success, likewise EA 360 titles are not ?50 a pop because EA are short of a few bob.

Price has nothing to do with quality. However cost (to the publisher) does. Original titles tend to be expensive to make. Knocking off an average clone game is relatively cheap. If you artificially reduce the price of games and don't allow market forces to take place, then this will stifle development, I guarantee it. This was the fundamental mistake of the Fairplay campaign, that forcing price points doesn't work in a market economy. Only the market matters.

Which is why people buying from a bargain thread are not hypocritical. They are buying games at the price the market dictates. You instead are trying to influence the market for your own personal gain and some misguided notion that it will improve things (which it won't). If everyone boycotted games on release, do you really think publishers would think 'Hey no-ones buying our games at full price. Quick lets start developing some really expensive original titles!'? Hell no. More than likely they would sack their more talented and expensive staff, cut back on quality control, release more tat cheaply and go for more shock marketing tactics. And it would sell.

By all means boycott games you think are unoriginal in order to try and convince publishers to fund more orginal development. Hell if you start up a crusade, I'll join. But drop this current thinking that waiting for Psychonauts price to drop will help. It won't. Your logic is completely backwards.

[Sketcz]

I agree with everyone else. Is the topic starter one of those corporate plants perhaps? The kind paid to give positive or in this case negative publicity to a title?

People not buying cool games like this, and WLK, and all the other great games which I've personaly liked this generation (none of which have sold well), is the reason I have to contend with mountains of utter ****e when I walk into a games store. The market produces more of what sells, so for the love of pies, make these quirky titles sell more. It's in your hands.

How about not buying all these identikit FPS, sports and racing games at full price?

Man, what a depressing thread.

Gaming is doomed I tells thee, doomed to the fiery lakes of HELL! Every gamer for himself!

[fishbowlhead]

mods please delete this thread, its harmfull to the future of creativity.

thanks.

[superstarbeejay]

I kinda have mixed feelings over this. At this moment in time I don't have the money to buy katamari, psychonauts and SoTC but I know I really should be. I don't like paying more than ?20 for any game but considering I paid ?25 for the generic crap that was burnout revenge I don't think ?25 for these games is unreasonable.

However ?40 for Katamari is just wrong.

I also disagree with the persons comparison of ?40 games giving 20 hours of entertainment and a ?20 DVD giving 2. Who buys DVDs for ?20? You're an idiot if you do to be honest. I buy lots of DVDs and the most expensive I've ever paid is ?9. Most new DVDs can be bought online for under ?10.

If I don't enjoy a game then It'll get played less than a DVD I love. I am awilling to pay ?20-?25 flat for games, no more.

[fallenangle]

I think it is other people here who need lessons in economics and market forces.

My point is: Psychonauts has already been shafted by it's publisher's lack of support. A slightly lower than normal release price isn't going to save this title from sinking into obscurity. I was in 4 major games' sellers yesterday, not one had a copy of Psychonauts on display . It's doomed on the high street. Fact.

The only thing that might at least save something from this mess is if the price is further reduced and lots of copies are sold, particularly online where margins can be cut to the bone. The publishers might get the message that there is a market for such creativity even if, in this case, profits are non-existent.

And, yes, I admit it, this price drop will suit me just fine. Why should anyone throw good money away in some idiotic gesture when simply buying the game will achieve exactly the effect?

[charlesr]

The only "pratts" round here are those who are making hypocritical comments about being happy paying 'full' price for any game. There's a very well subscribed thread above dedicated to just such bargains. I bet that the majority of people here haven't bought a 'full' price game in years, if ever.

LOL
Most of the people on this board are excited about gaming and most of them go out of their way to import games from Japan or American to get the best version and before anyone else, buying huge quantities of brand new and 2nd hand games. I've just spent ?55 on a band new Dreamcast game.

You are clearly not excited about games and I suggest you take up gardening or something instead.

Worst thread I've seen in a long time.
Congrats.