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Phantasy Star Online Xbox pricing announced... (1 Viewer)

Morgan Jolley

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That was funny, Dan.

If you read the GameSpot article that was linked to before (by Romier I think) you'll see that MS released XBL with PSO as a pack-in in Japan, so the game required you to have an XBL account to play anyway. They decided not to remove that feature for the American version so they could get it out quicker. So it actually was them being lazy.

And I use Windows (which I prefer over MacOS) and I like MS, so you should get a pic of me pissing on something else.
 

Dan B

Screenwriter
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Sep 17, 1999
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I kid, Morgan, I actually agree with what you are saying. I've been in the mood though to post funny pictures/captions lately, so I couldn't resist. :) I just may post some more later. ;)

PS Morgan: Serial Experiments Lain is on Tech TV right now, so you know I have to watch that...they are playing Layers 9-12 later tonight which I haven't seen yet. Then I have to wait until next Friday for the final episode 13.

 

BrianB

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They decided not to remove that feature for the American version so they could get it out quicker.
Yeah, I heard that 'excuse'. I also remember reading interviews with the Sonic Team saying they finished the game back in August & it was upto Microsoft when it was released.
 

Jeremy_Nelson

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Perhaps I'm missing something having never played PS0 on the DC. Isn't it non-persistant? Ie like Diablo? Why the hell would anyone pay a service fee for that? Don't get me wrong I've played plenty of MMORPG's, AC, EQ(briefly), DAoC, and Earth and beyond (briefly), but you get alot more from those games than just a game session.

Can anyone explain to me why you would pay a service fee beyond the live fee for a static game?
 

Jeff Kleist

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Jeremy, yup. It's really basically a matchmaking service more than anything. Bottom line it's that Sega has a lot invested in the game, and didn't get the chance to reap on Dreamcast and they want their money

BrianB is right. The game has been done since August and they had plenty of time to take out the Japanese code. I'm doubly pissed that they're locking out foreign servers, I was looking forward to improving my Japanese
 

Jeremy_Nelson

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Thanks for the response, I've got no problem with Sega covering their costs, but the matchmaking argument doesn't really work. We pay Microsoft for matchmaking. So unless Sega is constantly (ie montly) paying programers for new content (without charging us for that seperately, as is done in mmorpgs) then I don't really see what we are being charged for monthly. Obviously the comparision to diablo isn't quite fair, as Blizard gets alot of revenue from ads, and has a much larger installed base. On the other hand Sega shouldn't be paying for bandwidth as microsoft should be paying for that, assuming it isn't just p2p anyways.

That being said I probably will buy the game, and just cancel after the two months are over.
 

Oscar Saenz

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Most people will get all they want from this game within 3 months. So, if you factor in the price of the game ($39.99) with two free months and then paying for the third month ($8.95), you will have basically paid the same amount as a new game. Chances are, if you are not a hardcore player like myself, you will have had your fix and will be ready to move on.
 

Graeme Clark

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Can anyone explain to me why you would pay a service fee beyond the live fee for a static game?
That's what I can't understand either. I can totally understand the fee for games like EQ, Sims Online etc. But unless there's new content at LEAST every month, then I don't see what the charge is for.

Needing and XBL account for offline play is crazy and is going to cause mass confusion. People are going to buy it not knowing that (no matter what they put on the box, or how big) and then not going to understand why it doesn't work.
 

Rob_Pierce

Second Unit
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Apr 24, 2002
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Well yeah, so do PC MMORPG's. The idea of paying to play something per month does not sit well with folks no matter what platform. Even moreso when we are talking about a console in which these kind of charges are not common place.
I guess this whole process is new to me. I've never played a MMORPG and stick exclusively to consoles for gaming. I have nothing against a PC, but I prefer to sit my recliner and enjoy my home theater while playing. I'm also not willing to continually upgrade a machine that is worth less every day, but, that is totally my opinion and it's my loss.

I'm glad plenty of people are excited about PSO (I haven't played a Phantasy Star game since the Sega Genesis...is Nei still around?), but extra fees are just not for me. Gaming is pretty expensive as it is and I use eBay to help offset the costs; the $0 resale value kills me. But, if others are for it, we'll see more in the future.

Like someone said earier, I hope this becomes the exception and not the norm. I like to play about 3-4 games concurrently and the thought of paying $30-$40 per month is out of the question.
 

Rob_Pierce

Second Unit
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Apr 24, 2002
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A Poll Question on Gamespot.com today asks: "Would you pay $8.95 per month on top of the regular Xbox Live fees to play Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II on the Xbox?"

So far, 23,144 people say NO (91%) while 2,187 say YES (9%). Of course, this is nowhere near scientific and includes gamers from all genres, most probably don't even own an XBox, but public opinion seems to be very much against this strategy for a console.

You must not have even gotten halfway through PS2 then
Actually, I beat the game, but I was hoping for a Terminator-like resurgence. In fact, I was in middle school when her death ocurred and it has shaken me to this day.:frowning:
 

Romier S

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Well in defiance of paying any money whatsover I say everyone goes out and buys a copy of Phantasy Star Collection for the GBA. Come on? Whats that you say? You haven't already? tsk tsk.

SHAME ON YOU!

:D
 

Brian Kidd

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I guess my big problem with online gaming is the extra price. If I go pay $49.95 for a game (a lot of money for a game if you're po like me) then I want to be able to play the heck out of that game for as long as I own the system. The great thing about multiplayer shooters and the like on PC's is that the only extra charge is that of your Internet connection. MMORPG's just seem like money-sucking vacuums to me. I considered getting LIVE since I felt that $50 a year was reasonable, but with the potential for all of these extra charges, I guess I'll stick to having buddies over and playing with two controllers. Not as pretty, but also easier on the wallet.
 

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