f13.net

I've been thinking a bit about downloadable games, specifically the cheaper XBLA / PSN / WiiWare / episodic stuff. (As in not full-priced Steam games) I keep hearing that these games at the future and while I agree in part we've been hearing that for ten years.

It seems that nobody has figured this stuff out at all so far. The length / quality / price is all over the place. Right now we have:

1. Rachet & Clank: Quest for Booty games: full retail game just much shorter in length. I'm not convinced that spending 1/4 as much for 1/4 the game length appeals to me, especially when there are full retail version available at full length.

2. Virtual Console: Old games.

3. Bionic Commando: Old game redone. In some ways re-doing an old game strikes me as messing with the nostalgia aspect of the original.

4. Megaman 9: Old-style new game. I have no opinion on this, honestly it blows my mind.

5. Braid: Short length game that probably wouldn't come out at retail even at a longer length.

6. Geomtry Wars: retro arcade game.

7: Final Fantasy: My Life as a King: a game that isn't really shorter than a retail game as much as smaller - it's not truncated just shrunk.

Money vs. value has always been a little complicated. Many people won't pay for a really fun game if the game doesn't appear to to be "worth it" on a production-value level, for example if Geometry Wars is something they have great fun with they still won't pay $60 for it because it doesn't look like it took a ton of resources to make.

These downloadable games a further complicating things. I wonder how people see this shaking out.

Depends, Q Games had a rough start with that racing crap, but with PixelJunk Monsters and Eden, they've hit their flow (flOw lol). And I think they all come in at $10 and are built for replayability. And in their style, they've managed to make gorgeous minimalistic affairs with maximum result. I think downloadable games really have to aim for style more than anything else. At the same time, PSN just got Siren: Blood Curse - which while a COMPLETELY retooled remake (and a fucking great survival horror game at that) - only ran $39.99 for the whole thing.

Microsoft seems apt on overcharging because hay, points aren't dollars. And Nintendo is, as you said, all over the map. Between VC and Wiiware, the pricing makes no sense and they're totally milking their loyal drone customers for every penny. It is, in fact, disgusting. The VC costs too damn much. Nintendo games should be a dollar given how easy it is to type a game name + rom or .nes into google.

My big problem is and will remain the total lack of original content. While Sony seems apt on even having first party studios make original content, we see nearly none of that from Microsoft and Nintendo, and it's a shame. Anyway, yea, that's my thought on it. Oh, right, and quality control for this shit is lower and that's irksome.

Not convinced that most providers think much about downloadable games, putting them into the casual category in their minds if not in the budget sheet.  Maybe Sony thinks "downloadable" and "AAA" are not mutually exclusive, but I get that feeling from most other places.  It's apparently due to the retail-channel line of thinking where suits assume if a game was any good then they would be able to put boxes in Wal*Mart, and if they aren't going to do all that work/get those retail sales then it doesn't deserve full attention, even going so far as to be given to the Milton programmers down in the boiler room.

I've probably put more time into games off XBLA than full-retail games I've bought.

A lot of those games are ports of PSP/DS games and I think most of the high-quality stuff we'll see from downloadable games is going to be in that space.  I'm okay with that.

Episodic stuff is something that I would like to see happen, but haven't really seen done well.  I really liked SiN Episodes, but that never got off the ground, and while I'm sure we'll see the PA stuff come to a proper close, I don't really know if anyone's actually going to get it "right".

I don't know if downloadable games are "da future"  but i do play my PSN arcade games more than any disc-based games i've bought so far...(well, maybe not SC4, we'll see how long that holds my attention)

PSN arcade games seem to fall in a few catagories:
1.remakes of classics (1942, SF2HD, etc)
2.dual stick shooters (superstardust HD, novastrike, blast factor etc)
3.tech demos (super rub a dub)
4.new games that feel like remakes (WoB:commando 3, PJ racers, etc)
5.somewhat unique takes on games (PJ monsters...tower defense game syle)
6.unique new games (PJ Eden, Last Man Standing)