Jar Time w/ Jeff: My Morning Jarcket Is A Terrible Name For This Video - 02/22/2012

Jeff the lighting in this video makes it look like you have a tiny Hitler mustache.

@freshym said:

Jeff the lighting in this video makes it look like you have a tiny Hitler mustache.

What I have now seen... cannot be unseen.

Goooood mornin' Jeff's Jar!!!!

@Trilogy said:

Jeff, I agree that games should not outstay their welcome but what you're missing is that the cost of a game totally matters to most people. If a single player fps is 4 hours and is an awesome experience at that hour count then that's great but I'm not going to throw down 60 bones to play it.

This is where I'm at as well. Syndicate looks like fun, but not so mind-blowingly awesome that I'm going to pay $60 for a game that I'll be done with in a weekend, especially since I'm not into co-op. I'm one of those old-fangled adults that doesn't have as much time to play games as I used to, but that doesn't mean I'm going to pay full price for a game that isn't worth $60. I still try to maintain at least some reasonable gaming budget of a game or two a month. I don't have time for every game to be 30+ hours, but I also don't want a bunch of games that are incredibly short.

Again, I think that's partially a reaction to Syndicate, which looks like a fun FPS, but still an FPS. If this was the original Bioshock we're talking about, or an otherwise unique experience, then it might be different. But it's also a reaction to the length. If it's not going to take me at least a couple of weekends to go through, I usually don't consider it worth $60, and it's very easy to wait for games to drop in price these days if I'm still interested or have some free time months from now.

Man, I feel like an old man reading these comments. I understand money is tight for some of you, but to others $60 is no big deal. And no, its not because we're rich, its just because we're older and know what things cost. Every time I go out to dinner with my girlfriend or out to a bar with friends, I spend about $50. I have a mortgage and utilities that cost me about $2,000 a month. I have season tickets to the NFL that cost me $80 a month. I golf a few times a month for $45 a round. Hell, it costs me $70 to fill up my gas tank every two weeks.

I wish games were cheaper, sure. But when you compare the 6 hours of enjoyment you get out of that $60, to everything else life costs, its a pretty good value.

To tie this all back to reviews though, I think the review should represent the quality of the game, not the value proposition. Everyone has different financial situations and $60 means more to some and less to others; but a quality, well-made game like Syndicate is, deserves to be reviewed for the game it is, not the value it gives you.

One Jeff One Jar is a much better name.

@ll_chilidogs said:

You make some fine points but the problem I have is there are A LOT of games coming out this year that I would love to own day one. Bioshock infinite, Mass Effect 3, Darksiders 2, Borderlands 2, Diablo 3, GTA 5, SSX, ect. Sixty bucks a pop starts to really add up after a while and I realistically have to make some choices because I can't justify spending that much on games. I wish I could but I have to decide what I want to rent and what I want to buy full price. The reality is that I'm more likely to throw down the money for a GTA or a Diablo because I know I'll get a ton of value out of it. Games such as The Darkness 2 and Syndicate look pretty awesome but for a 4-6 hour experience that I'll play through once, it's more likely to be rented by me. I understand that some people, like yourself, can just buy whatever peaks their interest and that's totally fine.

So maybe you're right about reviews. Maybe they should never mention price or cost value because it's going to be different for everyone but I'm speaking more to Jeff being put off by people not wanting to spend 60 bucks on a 4-6 hour game. He seems to think that the length of a game is the issue people are having but I think it's more the price.

Jeff also mentioned in this video that he's thinking about changing the format of reviews and that' very interesting to me. Maybe that's not really related to what we're talking about here but just some food for thought. I agree with him that reviews format could use a good revamp.

@Depth said:

@HowDire said:

Still my favourite subscriber segment.

@Jeff, have you tried connecting your PC to your monitor with a DVI cable/adapter instead of HDMI? I use a 27" Samsung monitor and get that banding effect with HDMI as well, but through DVI it's fine.

what do you mean no jar? there is one clearly in the picture right around the 18:30 mark. cmon guysssssssssssssssss

@Trilogy said:

Jeff, I agree that games should not outstay their welcome but what you're missing is that the cost of a game totally matters to most people. If a single player fps is 4 hours and is an awesome experience at that hour count then that's great but I'm not going to throw down 60 bones to play it.

Yup, I was a little disappointed that Jeff just glossed over the price/value part of the question.

What about those of us who are still only interested in the single player component of games? How does $60 for a 6 hour experience work out for us?

First time I've ever heard Jeff say he was actually fired. Great vid!

@Quarters said:

I agree on the length thing too. I'm extremely grateful for short games. Sure, you might think it's not worth the money or whatever, but I just don't have time to play crap like Skyrim. In fact, I actually consider obscene playtimes a significant negative towards games now. I like games that last just long enough, tell their story well, and get the crap out my way so I can go live my life.

This. I'm a surgery resident and I barely have enough time to be alive, much less finish long games. Unless the earth starts spinning a little bit slower, things are not going to get better for me, so I love short, quality experiences.

@UlquioKani: Works for me.

I really hope dubstep ISN'T in BL2....

So does Ryan come over ?

@Sweetz said:

@Trilogy said:

Jeff, I agree that games should not outstay their welcome but what you're missing is that the cost of a game totally matters to most people. If a single player fps is 4 hours and is an awesome experience at that hour count then that's great but I'm not going to throw down 60 bones to play it.

Yup, I was a little disappointed that Jeff just glossed over the price/value part of the question.

What about those of us who are still only interested in the single player component of games? How does $60 for a 6 hour experience work out for us?

I will play a little bit of multiplayer, but single player is what I get games for, and I have no problem paying $60 for 4-6 hours if that 4-6 hours is a solid experience. If you really don't want to pay $60 for a game, wait till the price drops. That is what i am doing with most new games as I have little video game buying money.

I want to see a road trip Jar time featuring Jeff and Ryan doing their morning commute. :D

short

i want jeff to give a game 1999999 and say it wasn't quite good enough for the extra star.

OMG i see sunlight.... i thought they were only surrounded by darkness and are saved by artificial light.