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Microsoft justifies that $60 sticker on ODST photo

What makes a game valuable? Sorry if you're just rolling out of bed from a Saturday night hangover, and I'm dropping a major question on you, but where does value come from when we're talking about videogames? It's a question cropping up more and more as DLC and non-retail releases start becoming more and more popular. How does one decide when a game is actually worth $60 dollars? We only paid $50 for Super Mario Galaxy and that was worth more than most $60 games.

This long and pondering intro is to make you think a bit about the question before you respond to Microsoft's justification for charging $60 for a game they originally claimed was viewed as almost An expansion: Halo: ODST. Originally both Brian Jerrard and Joe Staten of Bungie said the game was not going to be full retail, with Jerrard literally spewing the words "We do not view this as a $60 title."

E3 rolls around though and suddenly we're paying $60 bucks for a game that two lead Bungie guys said wasn't going to be worth that. Why? A Microsoft rep answers all. "At the time of those statements, the overall scope of Halo 3: ODST was not yet finalized, and since then the project has grown increasingly more ambitious. We believe this standalone experience is much more than just an expansion. Halo 3: ODST provides a new campaign from the point of view of an entirely new character. Combine that with three new multiplayer maps, the entirely new cooperative mode called Firefight, and the complete Halo 3 multiplayer collection on a standalone disc, we feel this is a good value and tremendous addition to the Halo franchise."

So how do you place value on a game, and within that value system does ODST live up to $60 or did Microsoft screw the pooch on this one by telling everyone it wasn't a $60 game right off the bat.


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52 comments | showing # 1 to 50

SephirothX's Avatar
SephirothX at 06/14/2009 23:05
Well since the announcement of the project, every time they show stuff for it the game seems to look more and more desirable. So yeah, I'd put out 60 bucks for this.
Redzie's Avatar
Redzie at 06/14/2009 23:12
They priced it that way all because they can get away with it. Sad.
aaronf's Avatar
aaronf at 06/14/2009 23:22
I don't understand what all the complaining is about, you ("you" as in Halo fans) will still pay it.
Magnalon's Avatar
Magnalon at 06/14/2009 23:27
I assumed since day 1 this would be $60. It's Halo!

I will call BS on this quote though "At the time of those statements, the overall scope of Halo 3: ODST was not yet finalized, and since then the project has grown increasingly more ambitious."

No, guys, you knew it was going to be $60 from day one as well.
JLanphear's Avatar
JLanphear at 06/14/2009 23:28
$60 was always the inevitable price tag on this, once it became more than just an expansion. By all accounts this is really just its own game, which includes almost $20 worth of multiplayer maps for the original Halo 3.
T9X's Avatar
T9X at 06/14/2009 23:31
Redzie is exactly right.MS set the price and anyone who wants this game will pay it.Simple economics,why charge people a REASONABLE price when the demand is high enough to get away with charging full price.Not saying its right,but fuck it I'll be picking this one up when it comes out,full price or not.
ZombiePlatypus's Avatar
ZombiePlatypus at 06/14/2009 23:35
We won't know just how deep the campaign or anything is until it ships, but I' leaning towards the "because we can" reasoning as well. It's like the hubbub over Braid and other XBLA titles being more than people thought they should have been. I know I'll be buying it either way, so they've got me regardless of justifiable "worth".
ShuperShawn's Avatar
ShuperShawn at 06/14/2009 23:36
I wonder if he can justify the $70 price tag it's going to have here in Canada.
Snaileb 's Avatar
Snaileb at 06/14/2009 23:36
Black Nexus's Avatar
Black Nexus at 06/14/2009 23:39
what redzie said, they put a 60$ dollar sticker on it because they knew people would buy it regardless.
Dexter345's Avatar
Dexter345 at 06/14/2009 23:39
Here is the real justification of the $60 price tag: It has the words Halo on it.

I'll get it, but I know as well as they do that they can sell anything that's branded with Halo.
otogi guy's Avatar
otogi guy at 06/14/2009 23:40
The game was originally thought to be an expansion, but now apparently it is more than an expansion. sounds simple enough

anyway, all 60dollar games are too expensive
ZeroTolo's Avatar
ZeroTolo at 06/14/2009 23:45
I'll probably end up getting this as well, but my main reason for doing so is that I've never been a fan of Master Chief as a character, so the idea of playing as a somewhat normal human being in a game dominated by energy swords and plasma grenades is appealing.
Sentry's Avatar
Sentry at 06/14/2009 23:54
I suppose you could always determine value by getting 25,000 Halo fans together and boycotting Microsoft, right?
cainball's Avatar
cainball at 06/14/2009 23:56
Can he justify the $100+ we will have to pay in Australia?
mrplow8's Avatar
mrplow8 at 06/15/2009 00:02
I'm not really a big Halo fan, but to be fair, Miyamoto said that Galaxy 2 was going to about 90% new material and I'm sure Nintendo still plans on charging full price for it. So it's not like Bungie is the only company doing this kind of stuff. In the end, something is worth whatever people are willing to pay for it.
megatron0016's Avatar
megatron0016 at 06/15/2009 00:05
if you tell me this isn't a game that merits full price and then tell me that it's gonna be full price that tells me that the bean counters are back from vacation
13thDragon's Avatar
13thDragon at 06/15/2009 00:05
Why is everyone bitching? It's Halo. They could make a game where Master Chief sits in a room and farts all day, price it at $150 and it will sell 10 million copies. People are stupid. No, wait, scratch that. Halo fanboys are stupid.
Drack48's Avatar
Drack48 at 06/15/2009 00:06
This game is looking lame anyway
Dan CiTi's Avatar
Dan CiTi at 06/15/2009 00:15
No Master Chief, open world-ish, Halo 1 pistol, cool ODST normal-ish soldiers, different health system, new mode, all of the Halo 3 DLC on disc. Count me in.
Magnalon's Avatar
Magnalon at 06/15/2009 00:21
@Dan
It has the Halo 1 pistol? Somehow I missed that.

Day one purchase. But seriously, I wanted it anyways. I burnt out halfway through Halo 2, and on 3, but I might get back into it. I was too big of a Halo maniac to not dive back in at some point.
brainderailment's Avatar
brainderailment at 06/15/2009 00:25
I'm no halo fan, but this game does sound like it contains more content than some shit I see occasionally.
faultymoose's Avatar
faultymoose at 06/15/2009 00:30
[troll]
The entire quadrilogy isn't worth $60. Most overrated piece of shit EVER.
[/troll]

However why are people acting surprised at ALL over Microsoft's hardon for raping your wallet? Don't get me wrong, the 360 itself is great value. But having to pay for my internet TWICE? Awesome. Pay to change your username? Whut? Also awesome. Microsoft are microtransaction whores, and seeing that extend into using dumb catch phrases to justify a higher price is not at all surprising.

But Microsoft aren't the only ones guilty of this new wave of "Episodic content priced at full retail cost".

Make a game that only takes 10 minutes to finish? No problem, just include an Achievement to replay it 200 times and OH LOOK, VALUE FOR MONEY. Almost every game I've played recently has been disappointingly short, low on content, and full of stupid self justifications for being nothing more than a glossy shareware title with a $100 price tag (AU).
The Johnggernaut's Avatar
The Johnggernaut at 06/15/2009 00:35
"...and the complete Halo 3 multiplayer collection on a standalone disc..."

So those of us that already own Halo 3 get what we already have and pay 60 bucks for it? I'm on board... pfft
Luigi takes over's Avatar
Luigi takes over at 06/15/2009 00:35
How nice of them to include $20 in map packs most Halo players already own. How nice of them to charge $20 for maps in the first place.


God I hate monetized gaming. NEW MAPS AND GAME MODES PLEASE PAY ME FOR THEM EVEN THOUGH THE FILE YOU'RE DOWNLOADING IS SMALLER THAN MOST MODERATELY SIZED JPEGS ITS TOTALLY NOT ON THE DISK ALREADY PROMISE.
Shadowiii's Avatar
Shadowiii at 06/15/2009 00:43
I didn't buy the Halo 3 maps, so this might actually be a decent deal for me. Assuming I gave a crap about Halo. Which I really don't (I only own it because all my friends do...and I like playing with my friends).
Honestly, it probably isn't worth $60, but how many games really are? We rarely see games that aren't more then re-hashes of previous ones. Look at Gears 1 and 2, all the Halos, all the Mario Karts...they are pretty much the exact same game with a huge price tag. I guarantee L4D2 will be full priced, and how much is really original there? 90% SMG2 style?
And what bites my ass is people will still buy this while original games well worth $60 like Mirror's Edge, Dead Space, Braid, etc. will continue to get overlooked. Sad.
Pime Taradox's Avatar
Pime Taradox at 06/15/2009 00:46
I'm not sure it's really worth 60 dollars, probably closer to 40. Than again, I'd say that for most games. Oh well, I've enjoyed all of the other Halo games and I'm sure this one will be just as good, so here's hoping it manages to live up to the price tag.
Okstuke's Avatar
Okstuke at 06/15/2009 01:10
A game that you can beat in 5 hours is not worth $60. Hint: I'm talking about Mirror's Edge.
harrmonica's Avatar
harrmonica at 06/15/2009 01:13
i'm a ha(ter)lo, but i have to admit, this game looks pretty good. regardless, nobody complained when halo 3 ended up being halo 2.5.
GoldenGamerXero's Avatar
GoldenGamerXero at 06/15/2009 01:18
So it's a way of putting all of Halo's content including DLC on a single disk and some are pissed off because they've alreadly spent their money so other people shouldn't get a deal?

@Shadowiii

I'm not actually pissed at all with the 90% new levels thing for SMG2. Usually game developers do reuse alot of the old stuff but at least they're actually telling me beforehand then just letting me figure out.
Qraze's Avatar
Qraze at 06/15/2009 01:20
so it could have been $59.99 is what they're saying?
otogi guy's Avatar
otogi guy at 06/15/2009 01:34
"oh Halo is fanboys want sex with MasterChief"
"M$ is get your moneys!"

the whole fucking game industry is raping your wallet, and its just as much consumers fault when we agreed to buy games for 60dollars.
Magnalon's Avatar
Magnalon at 06/15/2009 01:52
@okstuke
Hint: Obvious misguided attempts to flame a game are obvious
Protip: The meat of Mirror's Edge is in the time trials, not the story. You'd know that if you beat the game.
shit-polka's Avatar
shit-polka at 06/15/2009 02:14
I don't see what all the fuss is about; if halo games were aptly priced, they'd be less than taking the bus.
Shoop's Avatar
Shoop at 06/15/2009 02:50
I never thought $60 was acceptable for a full game in the first place, lol.
Sexualchocolate's Avatar
Sexualchocolate at 06/15/2009 04:03
Because it's MicroSHAFT.

Bend over fanboys.
Bulkmailer's Avatar
Bulkmailer at 06/15/2009 05:42
troll
CBunn's Avatar
CBunn at 06/15/2009 05:53
Well, it's 60 buck because that's what they decided that xbox 360 games would cost. There are exceptions, but by default, it's 60 bucks. Witch makes no sense, once you realize that games don't cost the same to make, the developing team size vary wildly, and marketing costs aren't the same between titles. We let them do it and that's that.
BlackDove's Avatar
BlackDove at 06/15/2009 05:59
Ten to one the campaign will be 4 hours long.
flabzilla's Avatar
flabzilla at 06/15/2009 06:59
I think if you already bought the maps (like me..) it's going to sting the wallet alot more.

Thats why my friend is buying it and I'm just gonna steal it from him.
EdgyDude's Avatar
EdgyDude at 06/15/2009 08:15
Microsoft's excuses or not, my way of knowing if a game is worth my cash is simple: reviews. Miyamoto said Mario Galaxy 2 started as Mario Galaxy 1.5 but the team kept adding new stuff until they realized it had grown into a full new game, even so, i'll still check the reviews (Destructoid's of course) before deciding wheter to shelf cash or not.
KamikazeCactuar's Avatar
KamikazeCactuar at 06/15/2009 09:21
Quick, everyone act surprised. Wait...oh. Whoever thought this wasn't going to be 60 bucks is foolish. It's Microsoft + Bungie here. Both of these companies want your money (and your souls). Besides I think the 60 dollar price tag justifies this even though I hate to say it. You are getting a lot of content.
SephirothX's Avatar
SephirothX at 06/15/2009 09:59
lol, I do love how people are saying "it costs so much because it has Halo on it" ... and then the go and buy every game that says Valve on it.
Stealthy Robot's Avatar
Stealthy Robot at 06/15/2009 11:12
Bungie is still cool, They just like to take my money.
kingtobo's Avatar
kingtobo at 06/15/2009 11:44
This game already wasn't looking that great from the footage I've seen and that price tag (plus the feeling of betrayal) certainly doesn't make it any more attractive. Maybe you guys are right that anything with Halo on it can get away with murder, but I'm the type of Halo fan who bought the Legendary Edition Halo 3 and I'm still not buying this overpriced crap.

and
@SephirothX: Don't even pretend Halo is at the same level of quality as the average Valve product.
SephirothX's Avatar
SephirothX at 06/15/2009 11:50
@kingtobo
Valve has been making god-only-knows how many nearly identical first person shooters using the exact same engine for years. Bungie has made 4 first person shooters for only two console generations. Anyone who hates Bungie for constantly making Halo games but then praises Valve for making more Half Life spinoffs is just silly.
mOnion's Avatar
mOnion at 06/15/2009 12:24
@sephiroth

you forget TF which is literally the greatest and most balanced shooter of all time

halo is for tiny boys who have issues with their weinee size >_>
Holyetheline's Avatar
Holyetheline at 06/15/2009 12:30
I think $60 will be fine.
Necros's Avatar
Necros at 06/15/2009 12:57
@ SephirothX

It needs to be pointed out that the Half-Life 1 spin-offs were all done by Gearbox, only approved by Valve. Valve themselves only made Half-Life 1, then used that engine to put out retail versions of fan-mods like Counterstrike and Team Fortress. Now, if you're complaining about any FPS using the Source engine as a "spin-off," such as TF2 or L4D, that's ridiculous, since engines are constantly reused by many developers and these games are markedly different from the Half-Life series. (See also: Prince of Persia 2008 was on the Assassin's Creed engine.) This is not to mention the fact that Valve will license out this engine to other companies as well, making it more middleware. Unless Valve starts cranking out Half-Life, attacking the use of a common engine is not a suitable criticism.

Personally, I'm not seeing a problem with getting Halo 3: ODST for that price, so I'll buy it.
LsTr Of SmG's Avatar
LsTr Of SmG at 06/15/2009 14:30
@ Luigi takes over

Well considering the map packs are all well over 100mb your argument in this case is somewhat invalidated. Besides which I haven't bought them all and as such having them included in Halo: ODST represents added value.

Basically put, this still packs in a lot more new stuff than a lot of the crap that gets onto shelves these days, so I don't see it being any less worth full price than aforementioned other rubbish. Nevertheless I'll be picking it up second hand.
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