I feel so sad reading this thread over the weekend as it has progressed.
It's been a really great, informative read, something that I'm happy we've been able to have here (thanks Yak and Giles for contributing) I've been getting concerned this place is a little too frivulous or agressive to have any meaningful discussion.
It's really sad to see Yak and Giles so beaten up by this whole incident. I'm sure I'm not the only one that saw XBLA as the perfect vehicle for Llamasoft's continuing new millennium return to superstardom and finally shunning the corporate control that had gripped the industry. It should have been perfect and a sitter for getting maximum revenue in for minimum lost control etc. etc.
I have a few theories about where the issue lies or could lie, but it's only speculation - but the interesting point for me is that while the cert process was an absoluet killer for Yak and Giles it really hasn't affected the bigger issue which is the take up rate.
Over the weekend I thought of myself and my buying patterns to see if I could offer any insight for them.
I dropped 400 points on SG the minute I saw it, but to be honest I'm like everyone on here in that I knew I would do anyway, I'd have lashed out NZ$100 on a DVD version if that was how it would have been released (for exactly the same game and not felt ripped off). Like I said though that isn't representative, so look at some of my other purchases.
I bought Geometry Wars Evolved when I first bought my 360, it had a huge groundswell of gaming opinion and just had to be bought as a system demonstrator. I'm shit at it and it caned my arse, and still does, I don't regret the purchase, I still play it. This game had PR everywhere in the early days, it couldn't really have failed in my view, I recon it would have a harder time today as the noise floor is much higher.
I've bought Zuma and lost a lot of time to it, enjoyed playing it, got a long way but not monsterously far. I got this again because friends were playing it and it's throwaway gaming at it's best for me. Thsi falls firmly into the Casual gaming bracket.
So it's all about casual gaming? not really, I played Hexic that I got free, don't really like it, never play it. I never bought Lumines, the prospect of having to put out and keep buying add in content to get everything put me off, especially as I would need to to get the achievements. I haven't bought bejewelled, yet I would buy Zoo Keeper in an instant (I love the DS version) as long as the demo convinces me that it's easy to play with joypad rather than mouse or touchpad.
I've dropped for a few "MAME games", but not every one. Odd selection as well, Joust (loved that game back in the day), Robotron (everyone plays it, I'm shite need practice), Frogger (no idea why I bought this, loved it got a lot of teh achievements), Scramble (brain fart day when I bought it, but suprisingly enjoyed it). But I haven't bought Defender (I'm shite), Pacman (heard the 8 way control was shit), etc.
All this stuff is disposable income stuff, not even worth thinking about, but I do! I know what I'm getting with Arcade emulations and it's rose tinted specs time. I still see stuff as a rip off though (lumines etc.) regardless fo whether it's still great value.
And original games? I haven't bought Mutant Storm, yet it would be perfect on two sticks, I almost got to love it on the mac but couldn't get the mouse and keyboard to click, but I know this would work on dual stick. Why haven't I bought it? Can't be arsed? would I just buy it on the right day? have I wasted too much money on MAME stuff? I need nudging over the edge I think, by friends, and the promise of some easy achievements maybe to nudge me forwards.
Stuff I'd love or am looking forward to-
Ikaruga, I'm shite at it, but I'd like to play it on 360 with nice pads again.
R-Type, I'd love this from back in the day
Nemesis (Gradius), I'd love this from back in the day
GR+++ - yep, I'd love this as the PC was a great game. (I'd like it to be a little easier for me, and maybe to be able to get half the achievements
)
Katamari - I'd love the originals on XBLA
It's all emotional stuff, I just have to been made to want to buy it.
One tiny thing that I think caught me about Space Giraffe, is that the game logo that appears in the little square on XBLA isn't as strong as some of the others on XBLA, it's a tiny thing but maybe that's part of the tiny subconscious thing for people?
Llamasoft stuff is so cool, always has been, always will be, I recon it needs PR PR PR, well really it needs coverage coverage coverage, so anything to help will be great. I think Yak is on the right track when he talks about keeping the pipeline full of smaller stuff, but it has to be playable (which I'm sure it will be), and I also think it needs to target the mythical "Casual Gamer" which the restart system on SG does brilliantly BTW.
Then it's about making it all desirable, just need to push people over the edge to spend their 400 or 800 points on a whim.
Maybe not such a comprehensive demo mode? more of a teaser?
This isn't any critiscism of LLamasoft right now, I think they have done brilliantly and published a great title, I just think the commercial dynamics of XBLA are a long way from understood right now. There is some valuable research and ideas punting buried in here yet. Probably like the whole Shareware thing back in the LLamatron days. If anybody can crack this I have faith in Yak and Giles, I just don't want them to go through as much pain as they have been doing.
).
