Game Pricing

Hey Microsoft and Game Developers, here' s how you should be pricing games:

Great Single Player Experience = Up to $20. Example: Oblivion.  In this generation Single player is still important, but it's not everything. No significant single player?  Make the game less expensive (I'm looking at you , Shadowrun).

Great Multiplayer Experience = Up to $20. Example: Rainbow 6: Vegas.  Should have a ton of replayability, balance and continued support (patches to fix issues). There is no excuse for multiplayer to suck now a days, it should be as well thought out as the single player.

Great Gameplay Mechanics, interface, etc. = Up to $15.  This should be a given in every game.  If you choose to ignore this, your game won't sell anyway. If you game suffers gameplay or interface problems, it should immediately get a discount of $10-15. Examples of bad gameplay: Bulletwitch and the "Loading Area" screens on Oblivion

Great graphics/sound = Up to $15. I'm talking immersion here.  Gears of War type graphics or F.E.A.R. type sound (disclosure: I played FEAR on the PC with headphones, your milage may vary).  I am willing to pay more for great graphics and sound, but don't neglect one or both of these and expect me to pay "next-gen" prices.

Under this pricing scheme, I'd be willing to pay $70 for "The PERFECT game," but I've never seen the perfect game.  I have seen a bunch of games priced at $60 just because they are "next-gen."  Developers need to realize that they will make more in the long run if they are realistic about their games and what they are worth.