All of that is run-of-the-mill pricing stuff. Of course, you still have to buy the actual game, which is $50... unless you want the collector's edition, which gives you some extra doodads for a total price of $60 for a downloadable version and $80 for a physical copy, which comes with a fake communicator and some concept art.
Again, nothing out of the ordinary here. It's the two other payment options that are throwing me for a loop. These are limited time deals that are only available until February 1... you know, the day before the game actually comes out? If you opt for these, you can lock yourself in at a yearly rate of $119.99 (that's just under ten bucks a month) or you can just do away with all of this monthly fee crap and give Cryptic $239.99 for a lifetime subscription.
Keep in mind that's the lifetime of the game, not the lifetime of the player.
At this point, I'm essentially trying to talk myself out of dropping $300 on an MMO. But the notion of paying once for a game that normally has a monthly fee associated with it is incredibly appealing. What if the game's a hit? What if the late-game stuff is amazing? What if my latent Star Trek nerddom takes over and I get fully hooked on it? Regardless of all that, I have to make my decision before the game is even officially available. Sneaky. Very sneaky.
At this point, if I'm going to play it at all, I'm going to get a lifetime subscription. The other option, paying a monthly fee, would feel like an endless ripoff with what I know now. In the back of my mind I'd always know that, for the price of 16 regular months, I could have eliminated the fee thing entirely. It also removes some of the pressure of actually playing an MMO. Half the time, I played World of Warcraft out of guilt, just because I knew the meter was running. There's something weirdly liberating about eliminating the regular fee.
Christ, this is starting to sound like an informercial.
Maybe that's the worst part about all this. It's a very salesy sort of thing. By forcing players to make a decision based on time in a decidedly shaky open beta, players are asked to place a certain amount of faith in the game's developers when making this decision. I guess City of Heroes was/is well-supported. Seems like Champions Online has seen some meaningful updates since its launch. Surely a big licensed thing like Star Trek Online would at least get that level of support, if not an additional layer to keep the license holders happy, right?
Fine. OK. I've talked myself into it. I like Star Trek. So I am going to buy Star Trek Online. End of story. This, people, is why they still make licensed games. Because occasionally someone will get suckered in without paying any attention to the quality of the actual game. Now I just need to decide which pre-order bonus I want...
Steam. Done. I don't need a concept art book or little communicator badge that'll just sit in its box forever. $300. God, it's like I just bought a whole new console or something.
Dear Star Trek Online,
Please be good.
XOXO,
Jeff
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