VB - We all like to get good value when we buy a game. How many times have you brought home a fresh new title and been absolutely frustrated with it, finishing it in just a few stiff, unenjoyable hours? I know that I have fallen victim to this several times in the past, particularly in the days before the Internet and having dozens of reviews within easy reach. With the release of BioShock Infinite earlier this year, I have seen a lot of discussion (again) about the concept of the length of a game directly relating to its value and price. This is a discussion that has always annoyed me and made me feel like writing something in response.
Twinfinite: “War may never change, but the prices of rare games do!”
"And lastly, famous Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling helped to create the action-RPG’s setting. What’s really fascinating, though, is that the game was partially financed by taxpayers from Rhode Island (which allegedly lost the state millions of dollars). Yikes!"
1. Now infamous Schilling
2. No allegedly, it did. And they couldn't pay it back.
3. What really lost the money wasn't the SP release but the MMO they were working on. This was supposed to be an introduction into the MMO world.
I hate counting limited editions for these lists. I mean, they're made to be rare and expensive. It's far more interesting to hear about the NCAAs (even if most people know that one already) and the El Chavos than some massive hit that came with a $200 statue at retail.
Me too. Here's the best I can do:
El Chavo Kart $90.14
NCAA Football 14 $87.72
Spiderman: Edge of Time $75.94
Spiderman Web of Shadows $75.09
Spiderman: Shattered Dimensions $67.76
Wow, El Chavo Kart is not at all what I expected by the name. 100% looks like a Sackboy Kart game.
It's so odd that so many Spider-Man games are seemingly given lower print runs, even if they're not the best games.
Most Xbox games don’t hold as much value compared to other systems. Kameo, Blue Dragon, Last Remnant , and a handful or 2 of other games that I kept.
One of the biggest TV and movie tropes in the last decade has been the multiverse, the idea of exploring multiple dimensions to uncover alternate versions of existing ideas. From both a business and creative perspective, it makes sense why established franchises are shaking things up in this way.
However, there aren't many video games latching on to this trend, as rendering multiple worlds in real-time is a difficult feat and the medium is relatively young in comparison to its contemporaries, making crossover opportunities more difficult. Still, there are a few great titles that manage enough to overcome these challenges, and here are some of the best examples.
While I love someone mentioning Planescape, not really multiverse. Planes and dimensions, yes. But, they are typically their own locations and are very rarely tied to another 'verse' let alone another plane. The only things that are directly tied are the ethereal and material planes. Otherwise, they are dimensions created of their own design and goals by the creator/owner and not comprised of 'their own version of another dimension'.
See what a side-by-side comparison of Clockwork Revolution vs Bioshock Infinite looks like.
I disagree.
Length has large impact on the value of a game to me.
When I was deciding if I would spend $60 on Last of Us I only did one search "how long is last of us". When it said about 15 hours I decided to buy it at $60 versus waiting for a price drop. If the reviews had said 6-8 hours I wouldn't have bought it.
I feel like a lot of people would not have felt it a 10 game if it had been 6 hours myself included.
Value and quality are tied together.
Okay, sure, if we want to play the semantics game, a 1-hour quality game is still a quality game, but how much would you pay for it?
Plus, "quality" is subjective. "Value" is more or less objective. When it comes to value, you can match up how many modes it has, how much the game costs, how many hours it lasts, how replayable it is, you can look at the graphics, you can watch the gameplay, and then you can come to a rough estimate as to the game's value.
Quality, on the other hand, is a very ephemeral term. It means very different things for different people.
On the flip, just because an 8 hour game is artificially padded with thousands of pointless, repetitive side missions, it does not mean you have added quality to the game because it is longer now.
Some games that are short are worth the value, simply due to the amazing gaming experience it delivers. TLOU for example, lets just say it had 6-8 hours of amazing quality instead of 14, I would still buy it simply due to the amazing experience it delivers.
Then you have other games like Borderlands 2 which delivers many many hours (100+) of gameplay which is fun, if you choose to explore True Vault Hunter Mode and Ultimate Vault Hunter mode and CO-OP.
Those 2 games deliver VALUE in different ways
TLOU through sheer quality gameplay/story and an amazing experience
Borderlands 2 through countless hours of fun factor gameplay.
Both GREAT value.
Well when your main draw for replay value is unlocking a 1999 difficulty setting your gonna have a bad time.