Already Own an Arcade Game? Microsoft Say Buy it Again
Do you own Tempest, Asteroids Deluxe, Millipede or any number of other classic arcade games for the Xbox Live Arcade? Well good news because those games will be available to you in the new Xbox Live Arcade Simulator Game Room! All you have to do is buy them again for little to no added benefit. Gosh darn Microsoft are nice.
Some more cynical than I would suggest that the on-rails Game Room (not at all like a virtual arcade, which would basically be meaningless as the Xbox already has a self-titled “Arcade”) is a shallow attempt from Microsoft to get you to spend all your money in tiny increments on some hastily re-packaged products. Those people would likely point to the use of Microsoft Points, micro-payments and Avatars as evidence for this.
I shun such cynicism and am grateful for Microsoft for allowing me to once again pay for games I can not only already buy via the Xbox Live Arcade (as it’s the older of the two arcades, is XBLA now retro?) but also get for free on the internet. I thank them for unburdening me from my money, which in this tough economy is only weighing me down.
Their reasoning for the re-buying, that the XBLA titles are remakes and updates whilst these are the originals is 100% sensible and honest. If anything the Xbox 360 needs more variations on individual games, each one being individually priced.
Sarcasm aside, and in the words of our beloved Halfleft, I’m not surprised just disappointed.
Via: GameInformer
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It’s nice to live in a world where re-purposing existing and available content is seen as a viable revenue stream. Saves people the trouble of creating something new.
@Ouched, the FIFA/MADDEN/NFL series’ seem to have that concept down to a t. I don’t think there’s even a dev team anymore, just a macro that writes the entire new game with slightly improved graphics and updated team information.
It’s a shame there isn’t a world wide communication and data stream that already has ROMs of many of these classic arcade games for free.
…oh wait.