Bizzare Creations' Geometry Wars is everywhere -- on your XBLA, Windows XP, Wii and DS -- and Steam, Valve's Golden Boy digital distribution service. With all of the other options availble to play that math-hating jumble of shmupy goodness, why should any body care about the Steam version? Well, because, like a good whore, its cheaper than all the rest.
Let's see ... you can pay for a fully-priced Wii or DS version, MSN Games version for $8, the original XBLA title for about $5, or give your hard-earned $2.50 to Steam. (You'd better hurry though -- the price jumps up to $3.95 Friday, which is sitll cheaper than XBLA.) If you don't have XBLA, there's no excuse not to snatch this hot piece up.
This, however, raises another question. Why is digital distribution to Microsoft as exclusive titles are to Sony? Ok, that's pretty flimsy, but think about this: Steam is in almost direct competition with Microsoft's Games for Windows, each of them providing digital content.
However, when Capcom signed on with Steam, Lost Planet went with it, and Geometry Wars is the second Xbox game in the past week to do this. Granted, Lost Planet will hit Games for Windows later this month, but why even give people the option of giving their money to another comany? No word yet on whether or not Geometry Wars will eventually end up on GFW.
What do you guys think? Are achivements and gamerscore enough to keep you loyal to Microsoft? Or are you going to get your shmup fix the cheapest way possible?
[Courtesy of Joe "Had to change my Gmail account" Burling, as well as Clogger extrodinaire, Tempus]
Contest:
6:17 AM on 06.20.2007
| 
This isn't a "Microsoft" game, it just is available on their platforms. This is a bizarre creations game who wish to maximise profit by pimping the game out to multiple platforms.
Bizarre seem like a pretty "hip and with it" sort of company, jumping at each chance to distribute one of their finest creations to date. Good on 'em I say.
But wouldn't you think that MS would make some kind of effort to hang on to those types of games? It just seems like something that MS would want to keep in-house.
Ultimately, it is up to Bizzare Creations. You're right about that.
And there was an XP version, released on the MSN Games portal zone thingie.
I'm still the only person on my friends list who's broken the 1,000,000 mark in Geometry Wars.
Orcist me thinks you're being a little paranoid.
I'll check out the Wii version though, if it holds out to be a decent title with the controls.
Yeah I do, its called Grid Wars and it's free.