Arcade: Puzzle Arcade

re: Arcade: Puzzle Arcade

Silk1313 — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 20:48:03 GMT

I know that many have chimed in about the price point, but it's not clear that they've actually played the game or not. I've bought and played the game and would like to offer the following opinion:

If you have kids and you're looking for a very tame game to play with your kids, then this is a good pick. I have a 4 year old and he enjoys it. One key problem though is that it doesn't seem that every puzzle 'dumbs down' to the number of pieces that I think would keep him interested long enough to finish the puzzle. Not every puzzle breaks down to 12 pieces.

If you're looking to build out your puzzle 'library' extensively, it looks like the only way to do that will be to empty out your wallet to pay for future puzzle packs. As has been mentioned already, the puzzle of the week can't be saved in mid-progress. I could be wrong, but I don't believe it can be saved from week to week. Additionally, if you take a picture with the vision cam it doesn't seem to save the image in your puzzle library. This may have been fixed, but I got the game on day 1 or 2 and after completing the puzzle I turned off my 360 and when I logged back in to look for it again, it was gone. These comments don't even take into account the oft-mentioned criticism involving the inability to take family photos from your USB drive and make puzzles out of them. If I can use a .jpg as a background I don't know why I can't build a puzzle out of it (well, I do know that it's because of the way the program was written but I don't know the reason behind the decision to exclude this feature).

When I paid my $10 I was expecting the ability to use pictures of my own or at least be able to expand the available puzzles saved to my HDD without having to pay for DLC. If the Eidos business model for this game involved capitalizing on DLC, then it stands to reason that it would make far more sense to release this game at $5 and then release puzzle packs for a couple bucks each (at most). Considering the feature set built into the puzzle with regard to the available puzzle images (many of which are of little or no interest to me) the game is not worth its $10 price tag.

re: Arcade: Puzzle Arcade

Warrengonline — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 12:15:25 GMT

@As The Sun Dies [Continued]

And as for development for such a small game, I know it takes skill and talent and resources, but what about creative input? Meaning, I've played a load of games - found say a few bugs either in the controls if you look into a corner too long, access menu and you are idle too long (eating lunch) and your controller auto-turns off the game freezes, to spelling errors in the grammar of speech (noticed in Prince of Persia's dialogue). Are those things worth the price you're paying? I think I'm taking this a bit further than it should be. By all means, I'm not a cheap skate, but I can be fickle as I pay top dollar (like an idiot, as friends sometime say) as long as I'm truly happy in the end thy understand. Last, with the price of arcade games going up, will we have the option of EVER giving the game to a friend that we no longer play? Or transferring it to a media (USB Flashdrives or preferably SDHC Cards)? I've never had to think of such issues in the past.

re: Arcade: Puzzle Arcade

Warrengonline — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 11:52:27 GMT

@As The Sun Dies

I was confused with 'wanting games for free' or 'for cheaper'. I'm a collector, so finding the old Sega Genesis original cart with book and box is a pleasure - if it works, AWESOME. Now as for emulation on Xbox360 - I somewhat expect 'more'. Either game-wise (online multiplayer with voice) or the ability to let a friend 'borrow' the game like I would a SNES cartridge. Myself, NEVER thought I'd EVER buy a game that was DOWNLOAD ONLY. When I purchase software from Adobe, eRain, eFrontier, etc, they have the options of buying Download Only and Boxed (I purchase download and include the box and pay the difference). This rolls right into Arcade games price. Some smart buyers here know to look up the game on an auction website or retailer website and buy the game for dollars less AND save HD space regardless if they have a 120GB HD or not. Arcade games' statistics shows what sells and what does not - even though I've seen a lot of comments that were negative of the game. As Schoon stated, people say "This game sucks!", but why? Or "This game rocks?" How so? Price wars seem to be a concern sometimes for myself, but rarely. It's the trials that mislead that bug me the most (Wits and Wagers, Spyglass Board Games, etc).

re: Arcade: Puzzle Arcade

Schoon — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 15:21:21 GMT

Guys, why all the complaining about pricing? The same rhetoric was spouted when the "Next Gen" games went from $49.99 to $59.99. I was just searching some Xbox Live Arcade statistics to find some numbers to prove my point but let's just say that a Developer makes $75k per year. At 400 Points or $5.00 they'd have to sell 15,000 copies just to pay the guy's salary and this does not even take into consideration the fees that I'm sure Microsoft is charging to put it up there. So let's say MS Charges $1.00 in this case, or 20%, not unreasonable considering Apple Charges much more from what I've heard. So at $4.00 gross per game that means they have to sell 18,750 copies to pay that guy. Now throw in one other dev, say a graphics designer and then a sound guy so now we've got 3 guys making 75k per year or $210,000 to break even. Now we're up to almost 60,000 copies. You see where I'm going with this?

You give me a quality original title that I can get 4-5 hours out of and I'm happy to pay 800 points or $10.00 for it. Old Arcade games I won't pay more than 400 or $5.00 for because I can play them for free on my PC. Ports or Xbox games I won't pay for at all since I've played most of them anyway.

According to this article...

news.vgchartz.com/news.php

See. a lot of these games don't even make $250,000. I'm not trying to justify charging for crap games but if the games are halfway decent and they are only charging $10 for them, what's the big deal? All of these games have Trials and you can certainly read reviews on IGN and other places. If you don't like the game, simply don't purchase it. Or check out the trial and come here and voice your opinion. But, this game is not worth $10 is not really telling us much, tell us WHY it's not worth the $10.

Rant Off.

re: Arcade: Puzzle Arcade

X Ray Hamburger — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 22:31:26 GMT

This was a pretty fun game actually, although I only played the trial. If I was really into this thing and not saving my points for R-Type and Fallout 3 DLC, I'd probably pick this up. Definitely see how 800 points is justified for this title, a lot of features and support.

re: Arcade: Puzzle Arcade

metallicorphan — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 21:39:40 GMT

major-any news on the Lord Of The Rings:Conquest demo yet?..its been available on North America PSN since last week..and when we do get it,is it gonna be just North America only?

re: Arcade: Puzzle Arcade

KP ScuzzyBunny — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 20:30:37 GMT

I'm hoping that the above post was by someone severely drunk, in the dark, without an illuminated keyboard...if not, you might be better served investing some time in school (English or Grammar classes preferably), or at least use SPELL CHECK!

This game is great, and was priced accordingly. In case everyone forgot, or hasn't been keeping up, the "price point" for XBLA has changed, but NOT like everyone thinks. Remade "arcade" titles (Pac Man, Mrs Pac Man, Frogger, Time Pilot, etc) are 400 points...they have kind of exhausted that pool, so not too many of those are coming out any longer. "Original" games are 800pts (still...like this one). The change is that now the space limits have changed, and there are now price points determined by size/ content, and that is where the 1200 and 1600 (very few) point games come in. If you want 400 pt games there are a ton on the Community games section.

Puzzle Arcade let's you do puzzles with 4 people local or online, co-op or "battle", and even supports making your own puzzles with the Vision camera. There are 3 modes of puzzles, 39 unique included pictures that you choose the puzzle size for, and there is also a "weekly puzzle", which is free. How anyone can argue that this is not worth 800pts, I do not understand.

re: Arcade: Puzzle Arcade

Anonymous — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 20:22:58 GMT

I still dont get this 400-800 point thing. All the damn games that are 400 points are primarily emulations of games made over 20 bloody years ago. Why can't people understand that a game like SF that is 1200 is that because of the build of the game. It looks like a retail title from the menus, to the re-drawn sprites and music and the well done online. Frogger was the same thing as 20 years ago and that was that, how does that compare to SF for example? It doesn't.

re: Arcade: Puzzle Arcade

Dakrkplayer2 — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 06:54:38 GMT

Why you complained about the prices. The developers and the pubishuer have the right to make money on the game. Even it dig dug. Becoues they have to speend the money to port it from it oringal from. And in Dig Dug caes it was the arcade version. And it tiake money to make something like that. You are just as bad as the SONy fans. thinking SONY should give everything free. Inclueding the disk games you get in the stoer. The poeple that make thoese games have famliy too you know. They have mouths to feed. And they have kids to take cear as well. If you want ever thing for free. then make my day. And still HALO WARS from Best buy. I do not cear what you do. As long I know What i doing is right. And that is paying for the asking prices. And not complained about it. Or you can just get a job. You got thoese two choese. Is to still or get a job. You the one can choese and not me or MICROSOFT.

re: Arcade: Puzzle Arcade

VideoGames4Life — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 05:22:08 GMT

i had to Re-Buy three Aracde Games and a download pack and it cost me all my new 1600 points and a extra 250 to play them on my main account but it's cool i guess.........:(

re: Arcade: Puzzle Arcade

MainCityImp — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 22:09:49 GMT

Sorry Anon 26, you can't save your progress for the free weekly puzzle. So even though it's free, it's useless. They want you instead to spend money on their puzzle packs.

re: Arcade: Puzzle Arcade

Exu — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 21:08:14 GMT

And just WHERE is our Boxing Day sale, Major?

re: Arcade: Puzzle Arcade

UkuleleSHIMA — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 19:25:35 GMT

also, if you were to buy a good puzzle in the store, it'll run you $8-10. FOR ONE PUZZLE! With PA, you get 40 puzzles for $10, can scale the difficulty, and you don't have to worry about lost pieces. (plus you don't have boxes of puzzles stacking up in your closet...) forget you haters!

re: Arcade: Puzzle Arcade

UkuleleSHIMA — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 19:20:20 GMT

This game is excellent! Perfect for me to play with my 3 year old. We put the settings on 12 or 24 pieces and put together 6 puzzles in one sitting. She loves it and it works her fine motor skills by having to drop the piece in just the right spot.

More games like this where small children can play coop with a parent please! :-)

thanks!

re: Arcade: Puzzle Arcade

litheon — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 18:36:34 GMT

Anon 25, you might try looking here: http://m.majornelson.com

re: Arcade: Puzzle Arcade

Dragoness Muir — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 16:56:05 GMT

@ MainCityImp: Yes, you CAN save your progress on a puzzle. I did just the other night. "Quit and Save" is the option you want. Simply press the start button when doing a puzzle and choose the quit and save option. Easy. :)