Braid

[Brats]

You lot are completely nuts worrying about the price. The game costs just over ?10. Disc based games fluctuate in price between ?30 and ?50 RRP and no-one bats an eyelid. A downloadable game comes out for 1,200 points (a massive ?3.60 above the majority of releases) and loads of people moan about the price.

I went to the cinema at the weekend and the price of a single ticket cost almost as much as Braid.

And the amount of hours put into developing a title has nothing to do with it. The stupid argument that this title took less time to develop than another title has to stop now. The ideas and concepts of a game has a value, regardless of the amount of time taken to develop them. That's what you pay for, as you do with any piece of art or entertainment.

[Family Fry]

It's a comparrison between developers, as for your opinion on Space Giraffe well it's exactly that, you can't turn around and most people will think it's a mess.
Most gaming press was positive about it from memory.

£3.00 is the difference between 800 and 1200 points, thats cheaper than games tm/edge magazine. Have NEVER understood why people moan so much about MS points!

[Charlie]

And what kind of statement are you sending out though?
That you won't support independent games development with new and original ideas?
Talk to Jeff Minter about making a new game and selling it on the cheap, let's see what he has got to say about it.

"Jesus ****ing Christ
not seeing a lot of reason to continue even trying to make games, at this point, when a remake of Frogger, one of the worst games in the history of old arcade games, can outsell Space Giraffe that we put so much love and effort into, by more than ten to one, in one week.

OK, we get the message. All you want on that channel is remakes of old, ****e arcade games and crap you vaguely remember playing on your Amiga.

We'll shut up trying to do anything new then.

Sorry for even trying."

Great for the future of development then.



And you know this how?

Seriously what is SO wrong with a game being sold for 1200 points?? (Which in real money is only £10.50!) Im sure if it was Japanese and on DS some people may have been happy spending £30 on it.
This is only done so that Jonathan Blow can get some of his money back, earn a living and maybe even go on to be encouraged to make more new and original content, unlike Minter who sold cheap and got shafted and now is discouraged by it all.

As has been proven, a number of developers are perfectly capable of producing quality arcade games for 400 and 800 MS points - games that aren't crappy remakes of crappy arcade games. Space Giraffe is one of my favourite Arcade games, it's a largely original game, it stands out from the crowd, and it costs 400 points.

In regards to Braid's development costs. I fail to see how this was an expensive game to develop. The music was obviously recorded by an orchestra and that can't have been cheap, but there was no 3D programming to fund, and they probably only employed one animator (joke ). But no, seriously, I don't believe it was any more expensive to develop than your average XBLA title.

Ultimately people are free to spend their money however they choose, and those who love Braid will feel their money was well spent, but actions have reactions, causes have effects, and I don't want to see the day where XBLA games costing 1200 points is commonplace.

You lot are completely nuts worrying about the price. A downloadable game comes out for 1,200 points (a massive £3.60 above the majority of releases) and loads of people moan about the price.

But it's all relative. If a packet of 20 Bensons suddenly went up from costing £5 a pack to £7.50 a pack, it's only an extra £2.50 but it doesn't stop it being unacceptable.

[crocky-chocky]

You lot are completely nuts worrying about the price. The game costs just over ?10.

Some of us will have to spend ?20 on a 2100 points card though. Then for me there's the fact that I've spent more than half those points on just one game.

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to splash out once or twice as Braid sounds amazing... But I can see it becoming a much more regular thing. If Fez and the like aren't priced at 1200 points, I'll eat my hat I will.

[prinnysquad]

But it's all relative. If a packet of 20 Bensons suddenly went up from costing ?5 a pack to ?7.50 a pack, it's only an extra ?2.50 but it doesn't stop it being unacceptable.

Too right - I wouldn't pay ?7.50 for a 20 pack of crisps.

[Family Fry]

Some of us will have to spend £20 on a 2100 points card though. Then for me there's the fact that I've spent more than half those points on just one game.

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to splash out once or twice as Braid sounds amazing... But I can see it becoming a much more regular thing. If Fez and the like aren't priced at 1200 points, I'll eat my hat I will.

Tesco is your friend 2100 for £13.97 at...

http://www.tesco.com/entertainment/product.aspx?R=844220&bci=4|Games

Whenever FEZ does hit XBLA im sure it will be well worth the 1200 points tag, game looks so cool.

The commonplace for 1200 pricing has already begun I feel. Dont ever think we will see price drops though, look at RoboBlitz, is that still 1200 almost after 2 years?
As the quality ramps up and file sizes and production values i'm sure the price will too.

SF2 HD will probably be 1200 as will Castle Crashers and it's all our own fault, the more we talk and hype the more they can just turn around and slap a 1200 on it and say take it or leave it people.

I didnt buy Roboblitz at 1200, I would happily buy Braid for 1200, suppose it is just all to do with the product at hand.

[Charlie]

But prices will drop if people stop lapping up whatever is thrown in front of them and employ a little will power. It's consumers who ultimately have the power to dictate prices, not companies.

[Brats]

Or they'll stop developing them.

I have no problem with the 1,200 price point for Braid. I'm not going to stop buying it just so some cheapskates want to save a few quid.

But it's all relative. If a packet of 20 Bensons suddenly went up from costing ?5 a pack to ?7.50 a pack, it's only an extra ?2.50 but it doesn't stop it being unacceptable.

Bad example. B&H are bought every day by smokers. Braid is a one off purchase. And it's not the first game that has been released at 1,200 points either.

[Charlie]

Or they'll stop developing them.

I have no problem with the 1,200 price point for Braid. I'm not going to stop buying it just so some cheapskates want to save a few quid.

Haha. Fair enough.

[MattyD]

I don't begrudge paying a tenner for Braid but if this game sets a precedent it will become a problem. Most of the games on XBLA aren't even worth the current standard of 800 points. There's two ways they can go with this now, either they make damn sure that every 1200 point game is worth the money (like this) or they'll create a massive problem for themselves and for all the developers working on XBLA. People will naturally expect something better for the premium price and if they don't get it they'll just won't buy the expensive titles anymore.

[crocky-chocky]

Tesco is your friend 2100 for ?13.97 at...

http://www.tesco.com/entertainment/product.aspx?R=844220&bci=4|Games

Whenever FEZ does hit XBLA im sure it will be well worth the 1200 points tag, game looks so cool.

Rats. I just went out and got some at full price! Cheers for that though When Fez and Castle Crashers are out, that's where I'm going for my points.

[Family Fry]

Is braid worth the money though? Some people obviously don't think so, the question is whats the difference between 800-1200 for this game?
It's all great saying MS need to make all quality games 1200 and stick to it but that doesnt seem to be the issue, even when the game is good some people still dont want to pay.

[C']

Maybe there's a psychological thing with 4 figure MS point amounts? Would there have been this conversation if it was priced at £9.99?

[peeveen]

I think there is a certain psychological thing. I read "800" as "just over a fiver", and I read 1200 as "just under a tenner", and in my head I equate one as being approximately double the other.

when the game is good people still dont want to pay

Obviously LOADS of people on here, and on other forums, have all stumped up quite happily, so I don't think that's the case. I just didn't see anything particularly special in the demo, and would have had to have taken a small leap of faith based on word-of-mouth ... I'm just saying that I would have been more willing to do that if the price wasn't 1200. As it stands, I'll pass and happily play something else instead.

[Charlie]

Is braid worth the money though? Some people obviously don't think so, the question is whats the difference between 800-1200 for this game?
It's all great saying MS need to make all quality games 1200 and stick to it but that doesnt seem to be the issue, even when the game is good some people still dont want to pay.

I don't believe most people begrudge paying 1200 points for quality arcade games that have clearly had a lot of time and money invested in them, but when there's a suspicion the price was determined because of the hype and expectation surrounding the title - rather than an effort to offset development costs - then it's an issue.