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But Microsoft, you denied that Braid would be 1200 points

1:19 PM on 08.04.2008, Colette Bennett 57 comments

But Microsoft, you denied that Braid would be 1200 points photo
     Indie

Indie darlings, prepare for much joy and fanfare: Braid is finally coming out this week for XBLA! While the game may not be everyone's cup of tea, it satisfied notoriously-hard-to-please features editor Anthony Burch, and if you make that guy happy, it's kind of, you know, a miracle.

As much as I hate to mention it, it seems like I would be evading it otherwise: Braid costs 1200 points, which is exactly the price that was spied for it last week via Japanese sources. Microsoft later denied that price, but here it is. Of course, the immediate question on the lips of all hungrily waiting for it will be if Microsoft fibbed about Castle Crashers as well. Can we really expect to pay 1800 points for it? I sense an uproar from the rabble, coming to your message boards and cblogs very soon.

[Via Gamerscore Blog -- Thanks, Joe]


Next page: More Xbox Live Arcade stories




cbebop007's Avatar
cbebop007 at 08/04/2008 13:21
That would have to be a pretty damn good game for me to pay that much...after already buying Geometry Wars 2, I doubt this purchase is in my immediate future.
eternalplayer2345's Avatar
eternalplayer2345 at 08/04/2008 13:21
also in before "Johnathon blow my cock" or so variation >.>
Surf314's Avatar
Surf314 at 08/04/2008 13:23
Well this kills it for me, instead of a reasonable amount of money you get zero from me. Great business decision.
Colette Bennett's Avatar
Colette Bennett at 08/04/2008 13:23
@naia-the-gamer -- rabbling deserved, if you ask me. Microsoft was dumb about this one.
aggro tortoise solid's Avatar
aggro tortoise solid at 08/04/2008 13:23
The price is a vulgar display of Microsoft's power.
that1dood's Avatar
that1dood at 08/04/2008 13:26
Um... I'm still gonna buy it. Even after buying Geometry Wars 2. (Which is awesome!)
Tubatic's Avatar
Tubatic at 08/04/2008 13:28
Neat. I'll grab the demo . . . but I'm pretty unsold on Braid. Between the slightly pretentious funk radiating off this thing and this inflated pricetag, I'm not too excited about this one now.
TrailerParkJesus's Avatar
TrailerParkJesus at 08/04/2008 13:29
At least if you download the demo, you get entered into that sweepstakes for 100,000,000,000 MS points. All you gotta do is win, then you can buy it without feeling iffy.
galagabug 's Avatar
galagabug at 08/04/2008 13:30
i don't understand the uproars? did MS ever say, all the games on xbla will be cheap? this game looks like it has more innovation than any of the retail titles we'll be seeing this month and its still under $20.
Villanx1's Avatar
Villanx1 at 08/04/2008 13:32
This is why people shouldn't say "It's so good I'd pay full price for it"
Knigge's Avatar
Knigge at 08/04/2008 13:35
They denied it like I denied that I wouldn't pay that much for it. Looks like we're both lying.
Timmeh's Avatar
Timmeh at 08/04/2008 13:35
They probably decided after reading all the morons saying "I'd pay this much or even full retail" to make it 1,200 points anyway.

Congratulations, I hope you'll all be happy when every game is a different price depending on the perceived value or quality, starting at $10.00 for an 'average' game.
TurboSpaz's Avatar
TurboSpaz at 08/04/2008 13:38
"They probably decided after reading all the morons saying "I'd pay this much or even full retail" to make it 1,200 points anyway."
Exactly.
zombiekiller13's Avatar
zombiekiller13 at 08/04/2008 13:46
Crap...I said I'd buy Castle Crashers even if it was 1800 points.

I take it back! I take it baaaaaaaack!!
Zerozaki Ishiki's Avatar
Zerozaki Ishiki at 08/04/2008 13:47
I love how cheap people are. $5 whole dollars! I will not be able to eat again! Microsoft is tearing my liver out with their bare hands by raising the price by less than what I usually pay for lunch.
Higher price makes me more inclined to try a demo first/less inclined to buy blind, but if the game is good, then the game is worth a little more.
I'm thinking premium pricing could be a good thing. Separate the wheat from the chaff. Price the games that aren't shovelware a little higher, and clue people in which ones are worth checking out.
RICHARD BLOCKER's Avatar
RICHARD BLOCKER at 08/04/2008 13:49
I think we can all blame Colette for this.

Thank you Ms. Bennett, you have ruined our lives.
TheGreatMango's Avatar
TheGreatMango at 08/04/2008 13:53
Time to start rucus on the Microsoft official forums? Maybe?
power-glove's Avatar
power-glove at 08/04/2008 13:55
Portal, which is $20 dollars, only provides three hours of gameplay. So, why can't a five to ten hour game cost fifteen dollars if it is good?
Anus Mcphanus's Avatar
Anus Mcphanus at 08/04/2008 13:56
Why would they deny the price, only to announce that it's true a week later?!

Arseholes
braulio09's Avatar
braulio09 at 08/04/2008 13:58
I dunno, 1200 still sounds reasonable, just don't make it the standard price or I won't buy shit.
Necros's Avatar
Necros at 08/04/2008 14:02
I'm with power-glove on this one, if you get what you paid for, it's worth it. However, Microsoft shouldn't have gotten the fence-sitters' hopes up.
wonky360's Avatar
wonky360 at 08/04/2008 14:02
Edge magazine (uk) gave this game 9 out of 10.
falinter's Avatar
falinter at 08/04/2008 14:08
It may be worth it but now I am definitely going to hold off until I read/see reviews and play the demo.

Where before I would have just fuckin bought it no question.
free touch's Avatar
free touch at 08/04/2008 14:11
Hey Zero: its $5 whole dollars. To some people that is a lot. meh, why even bother. Have fun with your new game that your mom bought you.
JavTheGreat's Avatar
JavTheGreat at 08/04/2008 14:19
Does this game have multiplayer? If not then not worth the extra moneys for a flash quality game.
HarassmentPanda's Avatar
HarassmentPanda at 08/04/2008 14:21
If this game has any length or "replay value" to it, $15 doesn't seem so bad to me at all. However, I'm slightly disappointed only because Microsoft claimed that wasn't going to be the final price.
naia-the-gamer's Avatar
naia-the-gamer at 08/04/2008 14:24
I said this in my blog and I will say it here: the point is not that the game is $5 more than a lot of titles: the point is that Microsoft is clearly testing the waters to see how much they can gouge the consumer, and thus pave the way for Sony and Nintendo to do the same exact thing. What happens when all games are 1200 points or higher, even bad titles? What's to stop them from charging 20, 25, 30 dollars for three hours of entertainment?

I don't pay $60 for 6 hour games either.
Mxyzptlk's Avatar
Mxyzptlk at 08/04/2008 14:25
$15 bucks is pretty much the limit of what I consider reasonable for most XBLA games, but $10 is the sweet spot. Although it looks interesting, I'm not intrigued enough by this particular title to fork over that much. I'll check out the demo and make my decision then. Now Bionic Commando Rearmed would definitely get 1200 points out of me...
Zerozaki Ishiki's Avatar
Zerozaki Ishiki at 08/04/2008 14:29
Hey free touch - I am 29. I do not live at home. I have a fucking job. I make more than twice what my mom makes. That is how I can afford a fucking Xbox.
People who can't afford $5 extra probably shouldn't have bought a fucking Xbox.
RICHARD BLOCKER's Avatar
RICHARD BLOCKER at 08/04/2008 14:34
Zero,

You only make twice what your mom makes? Fucking loser.
j/k
TheGreatMango's Avatar
TheGreatMango at 08/04/2008 14:44
@Zero - BAAAAAW I HAS MONEYS!!! I'M SELF-IMPORTANT CUZ I HAS MONEYS!!! SHAME ON PEOPLE WHO ENJOY THEIR HOBBY....WITHOUT MONEYS!!! BAAAAAAW!!

I can afford this. That's not the issue. The issue is that they're seeing what they can get away with. As Naia posted a few posts before , "I said this in my blog and I will say it here: the point is not that the game is $5 more than a lot of titles: the point is that Microsoft is clearly testing the waters to see how much they can gouge the consumer, and thus pave the way for Sony and Nintendo to do the same exact thing. What happens when all games are 1200 points or higher, even bad titles? What's to stop them from charging 20, 25, 30 dollars for three hours of entertainment?"

It's not the point that it's a lot of money, but what next?
Mxyzptlk's Avatar
Mxyzptlk at 08/04/2008 14:58
If MS starts pricing their XBLA games too high, then people will stop buying them. If people stop buying them, MS will have to lower prices back to a reasonable level. It's that simple. There's no magic formula that says "if game has X hours of gameplay then it's worth exactly Y dollars". Games are worth whatever consumers are willing to pay for them. If you're unhappy with the price point for Braid or any other titles, don't buy it. If enough people feel the same and it's reflected by poor sales, then the message will be sent.
Zerozaki Ishiki's Avatar
Zerozaki Ishiki at 08/04/2008 14:59
I actually addressed that point in my first post, talking about the potential for premium pricing as an indicator of quality.
UnderLines's Avatar
UnderLines at 08/04/2008 15:09
Zero sounds angry...and insecure... I hope all that extra fucking job money can pay for counsiling. By the way i don't think the argument was " can't afford 5$ more so I'm pissed boo boo" It's more the principal of the thing and XBLA constantly raising prices with no explanations or their previous standards in mind.
joemoemino's Avatar
joemoemino at 08/04/2008 15:18
Microsoft could have been just denying Castle Crashers' price, not Braid's. Still, this is $5 more than I would like it to be.
HarassmentPanda's Avatar
HarassmentPanda at 08/04/2008 15:28
@Yojimbo

There's only one problem with that, otherwise perfect, logic: In the case of Braid we have a unique circumstance. While not paying $15 for Braid could signal that gamers are resisting increased XBLA prices, it's just as likely that Microsoft will take it as meaning gamers are not interested in unique, indie titles like Braid. As a gamer, I now have to wonder if promoting quality indie gaming is more or less important than standing against constantly increasing XBLA prices -- a decision I don't want to make.

If this was some above average port or two-stick shooter, I would have no problem refusing to buy the game because Microsoft knows that those products typically sell and my message would be clear. But, the fact that Braid is such a unique title really muddles the expressed intent of my actions.
Brilliam's Avatar
Brilliam at 08/04/2008 15:28
It'd bug me less if they got rid of their fucking ridiculous "Points" system and actually charged me the MONEY.
Zerozaki Ishiki's Avatar
Zerozaki Ishiki at 08/04/2008 15:30
Yeah, I shouldn't have let free touch get under my skin, even if he was being patronizing. "Have fun with your new game that your mom bought you" ignored any actual points I initially made in favor of the sort of childish put-downs that are becoming all too common here, and what do I do? Respond in kind.
Exceptionally lame of me.
atastysammich's Avatar
atastysammich at 08/04/2008 15:35
I can't help but wonder if this is a not-so-discreet tactic of theirs to soften the blow of that next price drop that's rumored.
Does... does it work like that?
kawitchate's Avatar
kawitchate at 08/04/2008 15:40
from everything i've heard about this game, isn't it once you figure out the key to beating a level, you pretty much have no reason to go back to it? so why the fuck would i pay $15 for a game that has no replay value (i smell a monthly musing coming on!) ???
MechaMonkey's Avatar
MechaMonkey at 08/04/2008 15:40
Zero, feel free to go be an asshole somewhere else.

Some of us have schooling to pay for on top of food, utilities, and rent, so our gaming has to be done on a budget. To folks like us, $15 for a game that we expected to be less is a big deal. So how about you cool your jets and remember that we don't all make twice as much as our mothers.
robestyles's Avatar
robestyles at 08/04/2008 15:41
If this game didnt get the praise it got before its release it would have been 800 points. There actually jacking up the price because we like it so much. So please lets start "smashing" Caste Crashers now cause I aint paying 1800 for it.
KMCC's Avatar
KMCC at 08/04/2008 15:55
This is an interesting moment for the future course of DLC, what do we think is the best course of action here? Is there any way to possibly influence how this will play out? I mean, its Microsoft.

Like most of you, I already spend enough money on this damn hobby...
Dexter345's Avatar
Dexter345 at 08/04/2008 15:56
I will not pay 1800 MS points for Castle Crashers, because $22.50 is a stupid number. 1600 or 2000 would be fine.
Rockefellow's Avatar
Rockefellow at 08/04/2008 17:03
This, in my opinion, is one of the true indisputable advantages of the PSN over XBLA-- The games are almost always cheaper, of better quality(for the most part), and Sony often cuts the prices of games as well.
konchu's Avatar
konchu at 08/04/2008 17:42
I kinda feel like we have been spoiled. I'm pretty sure MS actually forced many Devs early on to price their games low and I think this is biting them now.They really even said this when asked if they would ever do anything like Sony's downloads and they said they preferred those to to be retail. But look around online for the PC and you will see many games even ones that are live as well are 20 bucks a pop(They still want 20 bucks for Zuma for pocket PC). From my observations around 20 dollars seems to be a common price for many small studio games. I bought Peggle Deluxe for 20 dollars after playing Peggle Extreme and its a fun addictive game.

The fact of the matter is this many of the games we get on Live,WiiWare, and PSN(the bargain titles not warhawk etc) are just as much quality game as the games we paid 30 to 50 dollars on last gen or even some handheld games now(some borderline better than some 60 dollar games now). I have no issue with the premium downloads on PSN so I am not at all adverse to the thought of premium games on Live. And it sort of bothers me people don't think these game can be made and be worth that sort of money that is sort of an insult to the devs. I really don't think this is a ploy by MS to make more money I imagine pricing is a two way street here that is agreed upon by both parties. Penny Arcade Advernture was 20 dollars on the PC and I'm pretty sure why that was why it was 20 dollars on live and will be 20 dollars on PSN.
Druid 01's Avatar
Druid 01 at 08/04/2008 18:20
i swear to fucking god if Castle Crashers in 1800 pts after Microsoft denied these reports when they came out . . .
Sharpless's Avatar
Sharpless at 08/04/2008 19:17
Like Mxy said, this is the limit of what an XBL game should cost. Kinda dumb, but at least the game looks like it's worth it.
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