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I was born in the late 80s, which makes me a little too young to have been a part of the arcade scene. Just missed the boat on that one. The only memory I really have of playing arcade machines is the MKII cabinet that was in the Pizza Hut my family used to frequent. Which is why I'm not all that excited about Microsoft's newest xbox live scheme: the "Game Room"
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At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas yesterday, Microsoft revealed several new details concerning the "Game Room." It will allow users to play over 1000 classic games as well as provide a new place for your avatar to wander around. Microsoft will be offering an option to players who must decide if they want to buy a particular game, so they can play it whenever they want, or just pay to play it once. Buying the games will cost anywhere from 240 to 400 Microsoft Points. One play however only costs 40 points, which translates to 50 cents.
I can see why Microsoft thinks this would be a great idea. If I had come up with it, I would probably think it was brilliant, but I don't think it will do very well in the long run. Firstly, the pay to play system pretty much translates into paying for a demo of a 20 year old game. If you want to buy the game outright, you have already wasted 40 points on it. (Unless you could pay fifty cents to play it until that added up the price of buying the game, at which point you would automatically owne it. Are you listening Microsoft? Probably not.) My point is just that there are better (and cheaper) ways to play those games. If you look in the clearance bin of your local used games store, I'm sure you can find a dusty stack of "Classic Game Collections" for under 10 dollars because nobody bought those either.
Secondly, I get the fact that Microsoft wants to expand what you can do with your avatar, but does anyone really care? I know I don't. I feel like the Xbox 360 is really the console of the "core gamer." Most people in that demographic don't really care about playing the cutesy avatars that come along with these types of casual experiences. If that's what you are looking for... then buy a Wii.
I can see why Microsoft thinks this would be a great idea. If I had come up with it, I would probably think it was brilliant, but I don't think it will do very well in the long run. Firstly, the pay to play system pretty much translates into paying for a demo of a 20 year old game. If you want to buy the game outright, you have already wasted 40 points on it. (Unless you could pay fifty cents to play it until that added up the price of buying the game, at which point you would automatically owne it. Are you listening Microsoft? Probably not.) My point is just that there are better (and cheaper) ways to play those games. If you look in the clearance bin of your local used games store, I'm sure you can find a dusty stack of "Classic Game Collections" for under 10 dollars because nobody bought those either.
Secondly, I get the fact that Microsoft wants to expand what you can do with your avatar, but does anyone really care? I know I don't. I feel like the Xbox 360 is really the console of the "core gamer." Most people in that demographic don't really care about playing the cutesy avatars that come along with these types of casual experiences. If that's what you are looking for... then buy a Wii.
