Virtual Console prices and ports?

[Grmmish]

I always wondered how people viewed this as.

We know Virtual Console prices are cheap as dirt. Instead of buying that bag of chips, we can get a literal masterpiece from our childhood on our favorite consoles.

... But does anyone agree with me that this is uh... Unfair?

I understand people don't want to really pay a huge price for something they played 15+ years ago but to be honest, not everyone has played it? I also know people don't really want to pay for "Such an old game" because apparently the time period/year a game came out matters on its value... Apparently.
But anyways what if Nintendo came out, for example, with Super Metroid for Switch. New box art, a cartridge packed maybe even with a bit of new content like Nintendo usually does all for, you know, $59.99 sitting with the rest of the cases in Gamestop next to Splatoon 2, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and etc. I know it would feel weird but what if that because the normal thing? Or what if Nintendo or anyone REALLY DID this kind of thing? Sure we wouldn't really want to pay for a game we payed so long ago... But so long ago it was equivalent to what 60 dollars is equivalent today when it launched, right? And not everyone has played it.

Now let us look at an ACTUAL example of this. BETHESDA has been doing that and many of us find it horribly scum-worthy, right? ... Launching DOOM for Switch for 59.99 while it lacks like 60% of the PS4 game that is priced at like 14.99 now... Yuck! Coming out with Skyrim VR for the same price we bought Skyrim... For 5 years in a row prior. Skyrim could probably just have had an update to support VR controllers instead of a brand new full priced game, right? Resident Evil 4 gets ported to everything and the at this point is not even because "It's a gem", but because Capcom loves their money, come on. We know that. But I mean... At least it's usually like 20 dollars every time?

Looking at all of this up there, it does indeed seem indecisive and hypocritical to say "Old games should be full priced" indeed. But the what if it was half priced? Would yo pick up an official Super Metroid for Switch, complete with it's own Switch Advertisements with the Switch Logo, box art, cartridge and trailers etc. as if it's a new game for 29.99?
In standards, we know we can just get Virtual Console on our Wii U or Super Mario World on our 3DS or Crash Bandicoot on our PS3's PSX thingy all for less than 10 dollars.... Probably altogether. XD But would you support this standard of releasing insanely old games, giving them official box art etc. as if it's the next big thing? If it happened, then what? Sure we could be happy we got official case covers and cartridges for games we once loved instead of the horrid thing that Nintendo Online NES Application gives us or the boring PSX/2 classics on our PS3/4 home screen but is it worth it to satisfy our cravings for our deep love for certain things, materialistically or not? (Come on. We know it is just materialism. If we really cared about the game itself THAT much, you know. We would just be satisfied with playing the old games that are easy to play on every chap device these days. XD)

What do you guys think and why?

 

[Originality]

It’s a business strategy. They’re in it to make money, not out of the kindness of their own hearts or some misplaced loyalty to their fans. They don’t care what you think, only if they can get your money.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

Not for $30. Maybe if it was a collection that came with multiple games in the series for $20-$30. Say you get Metroid, Super Metroid and Metroid 2 on a Switch cart with some bonus features (a la DVD/Bluray movie releases), new boxart and all. Wouldn't be a terrible deal, and collectors would love it.

 

[EmulateLife]

I think, why is this in the computer section.

 

[The Minish LAN]

I'd pay $60 for a regular unchanged Super Metroid SNES cart, but I'd be reluctant to for a Switch remake, no matter how good it is. Am I an idiot?

 

[Grmmish]

This was moved and I was notified. I come here and see ALL of these comments that I was never notified by. ._.

Yes I know they don't care what consumers think. They want our money and will do things that will get our money, not our hearts. LOL But it would be cool...

True about the collectors. But I'm looking OUTSIDE of a collectors' viewport. Just looking at the art itself. Not the time it was made or the nostalgia. But yes. A Metroid "Classic Pack" or whatever would get so many buys simply for collectors. And mainly collectors would buy it. xD

And The Minish LAN, you're probably skeptical it would be better. AND you're probably in fear it would make the original look bad... Like Other M did with Super Metroid. LOL All logical thoughts but think of it as "It's a completely different game." and respect it for what it is, not for what it couldn't be.

Such an old post... LOL

 

[Taleweaver]

TBH I can' be bothered with it. I remember super metroid being given for practically free at one point on wiiu (3 games for .3 euro's or something). I otherwise would probably never have played it (not even on emulator...when you've got all the games, your inclination to play one is nearly nil). But I don't see that as a disadvantage. In fact, I can argue it's more the reverse...

Video games were still relatively young in the nineties. There were certainly masterpieces then...but these masterpieces have inspired an entire generation of game designers. My free time (nor anyone else's for that matter) haven't increased in the same exponential way, so we are much more likely to miss out on current gems than on gems of the past.

To take super metroid as an example again: what's the point of arguing what price point it should be when you've already played it? Yes, there's plenty of replayability in it, but how would you react to a movie buff who buys citizen cane on VHS, DVD and on blueray? Or a music lover who buys mutliple records of the same album "just because"? Add to that a discussion on the price point they should be willing to pay for it, and we would think they spend way too much on their hobby. Likewise: rather than replaying super metroid over and over again, perhaps try Axiom verge? Maybe?
(last time I mentioned something similar...nobody had even heard of the game. So so much about gamers knowing something about...well...games).

 

[Grmmish]

LOL yeah even on Wii U if you had VWii Super Metroid installed, it was only 1.00. AND I had the Black Wii U so I had like a free 5 dollars. (Nintendo stopped that, sadly. )

So it was free... xD
Either way it is true. The Virtual Console can get it to more peoples' attention, even if it's super low priced.

And for the last two paragraphs... Seems more like a personal thing. Yes developers take into consideration that not many people have free time to play games...
But what's next? Games having a "Beat all button for people who don't have the free time to play" and the developers say "See? We please everyone!" Quite ridiculous... so it is CERTAINLY understandable you don't have much time these days but it DEFINITELY doesn't mean the price should be lower because it would be over priced since you can't play it much. LOL
And you are exactly correct. Why in the world would I pay 60 dollars for a game I played before/beat a hundred times?
Remove the fact I PERSONALLY have played it. Look at the GAME. For a person to pay 60 dollars for, for example, Super Metroid, they CERTAINLY get their money's worth for a firs time play. Sure NO ONE wants to pay a full price when like half of the experience (Of not knowing the game) is no longer able to be bought so why pay full price if the entire package (Mentally) isn't there? It isn't about whether I move on to new games or if I played old ones, whatever. It's just about the game itself. The content, etc. Certainly can be considered a full-fledged game. The age doesn't change how long it takes to beat, doesn't change if it's a good game or not, etc. Literally.. There's no difference from Metroid (NES) to The Last of Us. They just have different mental perspectives on gameplay, etc. A.K.A., two completely different games.

Finally, of course we all want to pay cheaper no matter what. Why would I RATHER pay more? I honestly don't care about supporting developers because I KNOW their are ALWAYS other people who care about that, so that WILL get their money, from me or not. LOL So sure. no one wants to pay more. But it's not about the game itself. It's just about how people view these games. "Their age = whether I want to play it or not." When that really shouldn't be the case... I feel it is a very inferior way of thinking, and making the prices for these games cheaper and even porting these games as "Oldies" instead of porting it like Nintendo just ported Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is REALLY just encouraging the thought process of "It's old. It's obsolete. It's not fun." Or whatever... Not everyone plays "Old" games for nostalgia, but literally because they like the game itself. Sure some people don't have time to play. Some people don't like games enough to dig around for masterpieces than just the first thing they come across, which is the more popular ones. But it's no excuse for a game "Deserving to be in the trash with the rest simply because they are old and people wouldn't spend money on them anymore anyway."


Oh and a quick thought... If Nintendo DID port over some SNES game on Switch. Advertisements, Cartridge, maybe some new features, etc. Regular port on Switch like any other game, and it was full priced (For games that REALLY deserve it.) or 39.99... Do you REALLY think it would backlash? I think people would view it super funny... And maybe even say "Nintendo is being greedy." and refuse to buy it... but there will be people, maybe even some kids for example, who just got it just like their got Minecraft or Shovel Knight which is stylized the same way. If they did not even KNOW it was originally made on SNES, I'm sure they would love it like Shovel Knight because they don't have the idea it's old and obsolete in their head.

 

[Ryccardo]

The full price for every console I have bought new games for was 45.99, btw

Personally I rarely if ever care for the artwork/boxes/manuals after an one time curiosity, in fact they are a waste of space and materials as far as I am concerned

And the big name games for popular consoles are generally the easiest to find used; combined with the fact it's practically impossible for the rerelease to be accurate to the original (epilepsy filters, different age rating standards, different controllers, imperfect emulation, etc) I would be no big fan of them

(I did buy Xenoblade for Wii after 100%ing the N3DS version, but that was part of my plan to sell the N3DS which of course I didn't end up doing )

 

[Taleweaver]

And for the last two paragraphs... Seems more like a personal thing. Yes developers take into consideration that not many people have free time to play games...
But what's next? Games having a "Beat all button for people who don't have the free time to play" and the developers say "See? We please everyone!" Quite ridiculous... so it is CERTAINLY understandable you don't have much time these days but it DEFINITELY doesn't mean the price should be lower because it would be over priced since you can't play it much. LOL

The thing is that more than any other medium, games can take a long time. You buy a song or even a full album, and you've heard it soon after. A movie is normal when it's between 1.5 and 2 hours, and "long" if it's three hours. Depending on length, a book can take around 5 hours of dedicated reading. But AAA-games are considered short if they're anywhere near that amount to complete. So if you divide the cost with the hours spent on it, you've got a pretty good deal...assuming you take the time to finish it.

Yes, it's a personal thing. I don't see much reason to replay old games on new consoles. To me, it's akin to buying the same book in a new cover: I can understand why the maker(s) charge the amount they charge, but not why someone already experienced it wants to buy it again.

And you are exactly correct. Why in the world would I pay 60 dollars for a game I played before/beat a hundred times?
Remove the fact I PERSONALLY have played it. Look at the GAME. For a person to pay 60 dollars for, for example, Super Metroid, they CERTAINLY get their money's worth for a firs time play. Sure NO ONE wants to pay a full price when like half of the experience (Of not knowing the game) is no longer able to be bought so why pay full price if the entire package (Mentally) isn't there? It isn't about whether I move on to new games or if I played old ones, whatever. It's just about the game itself. The content, etc. Certainly can be considered a full-fledged game. The age doesn't change how long it takes to beat, doesn't change if it's a good game or not, etc. Literally.. There's no difference from Metroid (NES) to The Last of Us. They just have different mental perspectives on gameplay, etc. A.K.A., two completely different games.

Erm...if you're using sarcasm, would you please use some smileys? I honestly can't say how much of this you mean, and as such can't really understand what you're saying. Sorry.

Finally, of course we all want to pay cheaper no matter what. Why would I RATHER pay more? I honestly don't care about supporting developers because I KNOW their are ALWAYS other people who care about that, so that WILL get their money, from me or not. LOL So sure. no one wants to pay more.

It's purely coincidental after @Ryccardo 's post, but I too have purchased xenoblade for the wii to support the developers (heck...the game is still in wrap sheet).

Also...It's a different discussion than the price for VC ports, but as far as I am concerned: I want shorter games (if you take a look at my past top games of the years, you'll see they're mostly indies). They're cheaper because they have less 'filler' in them, by which I mean things that distract. I don't want to repeat the same scene over and over, or practice the same skillset over and over with just minor variations, and I definately don't need long drawn out cutscenes.

But it's not about the game itself. It's just about how people view these games. "Their age = whether I want to play it or not." When that really shouldn't be the case... I feel it is a very inferior way of thinking, and making the prices for these games cheaper and even porting these games as "Oldies" instead of porting it like Nintendo just ported Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is REALLY just encouraging the thought process of "It's old. It's obsolete. It's not fun." Or whatever... Not everyone plays "Old" games for nostalgia, but literally because they like the game itself. Sure some people don't have time to play. Some people don't like games enough to dig around for masterpieces than just the first thing they come across, which is the more popular ones. But it's no excuse for a game "Deserving to be in the trash with the rest simply because they are old and people wouldn't spend money on them anymore anyway."

It's an interesting thought. One one hand, I'd say that people are idiots when they dismiss a game based on its age. On the other hand: I already said that there are simply too many video games out there to play everything (on top of the fact that video games take longer as a medium to 'consume'). We all have to draw the line somewhere. Attempting to play everything leads to us enjoying nothing, so...I really can't fault people from dismissing games before they tried it. They don't do it because they won't like game X, but it's because they probably have a backlog of other games they want to play instead.

Oh and a quick thought... If Nintendo DID port over some SNES game on Switch. Advertisements, Cartridge, maybe some new features, etc. Regular port on Switch like any other game, and it was full priced (For games that REALLY deserve it.) or 39.99... Do you REALLY think it would backlash? I think people would view it super funny... And maybe even say "Nintendo is being greedy." and refuse to buy it... but there will be people, maybe even some kids for example, who just got it just like their got Minecraft or Shovel Knight which is stylized the same way. If they did not even KNOW it was originally made on SNES, I'm sure they would love it like Shovel Knight because they don't have the idea it's old and obsolete in their head.

Of course it'll backlash. Not because the games are bad or anything, but because there are games with equal and sometimes even better quality out there for much less (e.g. shovel knight). The fact that nintendo already brought all their all-star line-up to all previous generation consoles for much less money would also fuel the fire. As such: that publicity would refrain it from selling much (if at all).

 

[AdenTheThird]

I think its all in marketing. There are so many games for Switch and etc. out now, that there's something for everyone. Nintendo doesn't need to price them at $5 when they can price them at $50 for the same game. This has always been an issue for Nintendo: If you want this game, it's our price or nothing. They know that people will absentmindedly pay through the nose to get their game, so they re-create the prices to their own standards. Yes, when spread out like this, it's unfair and very obvious, but when it is just the here and now, Nintendo gets their dollar. That's just how it works.

 

[Lumstar]

Commonly, the people complaining about ports are short sighted. They fail to consider the feelings of those new to gaming or otherwise didn't get to play the games. Perhaps never even owned, and could not reasonably be convinced to buy, any other system the game was on.

 

[Deleted User]

Wild Guns on the SNES got re-released on the Switch at a discounted price. I remember people handing over big bucks to scalpers for Super Mario All-Stars on the Wii which didn't even fix the physics glitch present in Super Mario Bros. and The Lost Levels. As far as Mario, Zelda and Metroid games go people probably will pay full-price for a physical copy of a Switch port. I personally wouldn't but I don't have influence over a statistically significant number of people.

 

[Grmmish]

Commonly, the people complaining about ports are short sighted. They fail to consider the feelings of those new to gaming or otherwise didn't get to play the games. Perhaps never even owned, and could not reasonably be convinced to buy, any other system the game was on.

Exactly why the ports should be full priced. XD

 

[Lumstar]

Exactly why the ports should be full priced. XD

Upgrade and loyalty programs should be done much better than they are.
But maybe, just maybe, sometimes ports are full priced because they're not intended for existing owners.