Wii games are available at a variety of prices, from the cheapest Virtual Console offerings, to budget new releases, and on up to the newest non-budget games ... and that's without even considering waiting a few months for games to hit the used or reduced-price bins. Of course, every system has its pricing tiers, and lucky us -- we get a break on new games. But even with that in mind, the costs can really mount up! The sensible gamer, however, can usually keep things within the realm of a reasonable budget. Still, with all of the people reporting yesterday that they hunt for bargains, we wanted to ask: how do you feel about current game pricing, from downloadable titles (on the Wii and elsewhere) to the prices of new retail games? Do you feel like you're getting your money's worth when you buy a game?













Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-16-2007 @ 9:22AM
ELIJAH said...
Most of the time. I usually buy quality stuff and consider myself an educated consumer, the only mistakes i made that i can remember was buying Far Cry for the wii and GT PRO SERIES.
Reply
10-16-2007 @ 9:50AM
mark richardson said...
im really quite happy with the price of games for the wii!
ive only bought one game so far that i dont like and i want to get rid of it but thast because i was impatitnet and just wanted a new game (i have since learned my lesson).
as for virtual console games go hmm this is a hard one in some ways i think they are fairly priced but in other i dont. I think they coudl drop the price bracket for the systems a little. I dont want to have to pay more money for a game like mario kart 64 or mario64 that i bught years ago at full price. I mean for say £3/£4 id feel ok about it but not quite at what they chrage at the moment.
IO htink they have already made their money with these games and really they should be out for not much money at all, as the lower they are the more likely it is for people to buy them. I was rather hesitant in getting any vc games but now i have about 6 and there are about 20 more id get but id rather spend my money else where as it may only be a few £'s here and there but it does mount up in the end.
how about a reduced weekend when some games are cheaper than normal, or a bargin bin where games that have been on the vc for over 4/6 months reduce in price.
Reply
10-16-2007 @ 10:21AM
vidGuy said...
I rarely get buyer's remorse with video games. I usually research the game through reviews, screenshots, and videos before I pay full price. I'd buy more VC games if they were cheaper, but I don't think they are terribly expensive. I got maybe 10 hours out of Super Metroid for $8, so I think it was a bargain. Plus, you can find deals on the points cards that make games cheaper - I bought my last 8000 points for $40 at TRU, so technically all of the games I'm buying are half price!
For Wii games, I've been renting a lot. It seems like few are worth $50 right now. Then again, I only bought half a dozen Gamecube games at full price (Resident Evil 4, Melee, and a few others). Most of my GC collection was bought at $20 or less. I expect my Wii and 360 collections to be the same.
I only buy at full price if
1) I know the game is very good and
2) I cannot wait to play it, or there's an online community that won't be around in a year
Reply
10-16-2007 @ 10:35AM
BluClouds7 said...
If the game takes less than 20 hours to complete it's not worth 50 bucks.
Reply
10-16-2007 @ 11:02AM
(01) said...
Worth it
Any of the VC games I've purchased
MP:3
RE:4
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
Super Paper Mario
NOT Worth it:
Elebits
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz
Super Paper Mario is a little iffy due to the easiness of the game, but I'm pretty happy to realize that only two of my Wii games were regrettable purchases.
Reply
10-16-2007 @ 11:11AM
mark richardson said...
i thought that Elebits could be quite fun, i havent played it but i read somewhere that it was good not amazing but good!
or is it just not worth full price? woudl you be happy paying a more budget price for it?
Reply
10-16-2007 @ 11:27AM
Peter said...
I just can't bring myself to pay full price for most games (though I'll probably be tempted by Zak and Wiki). I haven't even bought Metroid or Zelda for the Wii yet - I know I can get them on eBay for ~$20-25 and it's hard to justify walking into a store and dropping $50 just so I can have it new. Even the used games @ Gamestop are $40 for the more requested titles and I balk at that.
As for VC games, I want to ensure that I'll really play the game before dropping the cash. So far the only title I've bought has been Paper Mario - a title I've enjoyed. If I could find that great deal on the points cards, I'd probably consider more titles, but am not in a hurry right now.
Honestly, with my home schedule becoming quite a bit more hectic since buying the Wii, it's been hard to find the time to play. Of course, a toddler-friendly title or two might be worthwhile - my daughter enjoys the games she can figure out and got pretty good at boxing and bowling.
-Pete
Reply
10-16-2007 @ 11:49AM
Justabaldguy said...
I rarely ever buy new games, much less a game the day it's released. I pre-ordered GTA Vice City and Halo 2, but those were about the only ones. I'm still buying used PS2 games (like Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven for $4!). There are too many great games out there to force me to pay full price.
With Nintendo wisely pricing their new games at a cap of $50, I'm much more inclined to purchase a Wii title over another next gen system's. Of course, I've yet to purchase a PS3 or 360 since their prices are too high for me. I'm a married man with two kids under two years old and a lot of bills, so my spending range is likely much more limited than my younger cohorts.
That said, I'd like refuse to purchase other highly priced items on the principle of worth. I want my games, systems and communities to last for a while. I can do that with used games or new games, whichever are cheaper.
Reply
10-16-2007 @ 12:46PM
Nate said...
I'm happy to pay full price for games I know will be good. Metroid, Zelda, Mario, SSB. Other games I research before I buy. While I don't have any kids, I do have a wife who's not an avid gamer, and bills for other things in life.
VC games really are too expensive, though I have purchased a few that I know I like. Super Metroid, Super Mario World, Mean Bean Machine, and Kid Icarus(which I want to beat, but suck at)
Reply
10-16-2007 @ 1:40PM
student said...
I wouldn't mind if nintendo started lowering the prices on their own first party titles that have been out for a while. Third party pricing so far has been great, with games lowering in price much quicker than in the gamecube days (at least it seems that way).
The problem is, I really want to buy Super Paper Mario/Wario Ware... but when compared to the new games coming out, they hit the backburner. Now if nintendo would lower their prices say 10 dollars...
Even Excite Truck hasn't seen a price drop from nintendo. come on! Everyone else is doing it.
Reply
10-16-2007 @ 1:45PM
fergmonkey said...
not that i'm saying anything new here, but australian gamers are still getting gouged. The average wii game cost $80-90 AUD brand new here (and that's less than 360/ps3 games) - with the australian dollar being worth 90 US cents these day, that means we are paying $72-81 US dollars. And that, my friend, is a ripoff. Possibly why i have only bought two games so far (strikers charged,, totally worth it, mario party 8, not worth it.) That said, i intend to buy no more hereoes, brawl, and galaxy
Reply
10-16-2007 @ 6:20PM
vrblknch said...
Because I am primarily a spoiled RPG and Fighter fan to which replayability is law, I also usually won't cop release day. My Wii exception this year was made for MP:3 which I beat with 76% completion and probably won't ever boot up again, ever. The problem with me and over 15 hour adventure quests is they are almost too much of an ordeal to complete the first time, so why revisit?
Not enough time, too many choices.
$50 is too much of an investment, and I think the industry will crash/implode over time if we don't get more of the VC, XBLA, etc instant gratification downloadable content. Pick up and pay/play like I can drive through and pick up Starbucks coffee. In fact, by next gen, physical games/gamestores will be relics. Gamestop is the carmax of games, but at least with the cars you get a fair price. The VC model also works because, I know I don't always think of the "points" as dollars until after I been burned (can you say Splatterhouse?). But for every skidmark there is a Sin and Punishment, Super Castlevania, or Punch Out. The insane difficulty of the retro titles also makes them worth the expense. If you grew up shelling out 25 cent a pop in an arcade, how can a one time purchase of Ninja Gaiden for 5 bucs be a rip? If it was coin-op I would have spent the price of a PS3 in quarters!
By the third christmas/08, there should be at least ten more top tier releases total for the core base to go along with the three or so we have now. Lets just hope 3rd party devs get some shine on the $50 releases with new IPs and N keeps the VC stocked with the best of the catalog (earthbound/mother 2 already!).
Reply
10-16-2007 @ 6:28PM
vrblknch said...
Games for all systems should be $20 cheaper $39 to start.
No longer than 15 hours.
And about twice as difficult.
Make me buy a guide, print the FAQ, AND trace the overworld from my friends N-Power like it was 89'.
Reply
10-17-2007 @ 8:44AM
SpinachConvention said...
I'm going to bleat again about price differences around the world, echoing fergmonkey.
UK prices are ~$60 equivalent for a budget game and ~$80 equivalent for a full priced game. It's relatively easy to get a better deal online (I've pre-ordered Galaxy for ~$60), but that doesn't detract from the fact that all games are way to expensive at RRP...
Reply