With the new consoles just over the horizon, consumers need to get a little thrifty when it comes to spending money on games this year more than ever. Here's a look back on some raw deals that console gamers the world over had to endure to get through to the new year.
$20 XBLA Games - An argument can be made for the content provided by Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition but it was being sold for much less money on PCs long before the game was properly released. The real stinker is JoJo's Bizarre Adventure HD ver. which I enjoyed playing multiplayer quite a bit. However considering the work and polish that went into something like Street Fighter 3: Online Edition it's a damn shame Capcom released such a low sodium version of a classic fighting game.
Season Passes - It's clear that a lot of people intended to buy either Halo 4 or Black Ops 2 as their end all be all game for the year. The problem comes with exploiting the rabid fan base's desire for more content such as maps and modes. Buying a season pass would bring the total of either games to a whopping $110, perhaps even more in other countries. We need a summit meeting to determine the true value of maps in this day and age.
The Hand-Held of Tomorrow, Today! - The mobile gaming market is seeing huge swing towards smart phones and less to the hand held consoles crafted by Nintendo and Sony. The 3DS seems to be finding it's footing very slowly while the Vita is hitting a really rough start. Considering both systems release games at $40 its a wonder we keep coming back for more. Case in point Call of Duty: Declassified is $40 at this moment for crying out loud. There is no justice.
Happily Ever After - A game as niche` as Asura's Wrath should be happy that anyone paid $60 during it's launch window, but apparently that's not enough. If you want the ending that needs to be seen you need to dole out some extra cash or you can settle for the bull crap of the original end. Similarly the Levia-thong DLC for Mass Effect 3 makes both the ending and the entire universe into a much richer experience overall. The notion that someone needs to play it if they like Mass Effect is both completely true and utterly ludicrous.
Toys! Toys! Toys! - Arguably the biggest money sink this year is giant. Skylanders: Giants that is. With dozens of statuettes to buy and collect this is the most questionable value proposition this year. It felt like a fairly novel idea last year but if they need to put out a whole new line with each subsequent game then they need to check themselves before they riggity-wreck themselves.
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