XBOX 360 Games on Demand Sorta…

Ok so MS has finally revealed the launch line-up of games and what they are going to cost which you can get below.

But it wouldn’t be a DaveDaGamer article if I didn’t express my beef.

First of all the line-up. While it’s almost a given that a download service would try to make money off a back catalog of games first (long tail economics for ya), but please explain to me, why these long released title are coming at a price of $19.99 – $29.99? Isn’t that the same price that we can find these games at in retail stores?

Please tell me where the “cost” savings of not having to produce packaging, printing, pressing, advertising, shelf space are going? Definitely not to the consumers who are paying exactly the same thing.

I remember long ago that Nintendo was criticized for using higher costing cartridges in their systems which didn’t allow the cheaper disc format to be used. Cheaper? Let’s see… in 1997, John Madden 64 for the Nintendo 64 cost a whopping $59.99 AND if you lived in NYC it came out to be $64 and some change. Here we are in 2009 and Madden10 for the Xbox360 and PS3 will retail at what? Yup you guessed it $59.99.

So in over 12 years of games being released on different ‘formats’ from Cartridges, to cd’s, to dvd’s, to blu-ray, to now we are coming to Digital Downloads. The cost of games (for the consumers) are still the same. This of course doesn’t include the arcade titles.

Below is the list of US and UK launch titles coming August 11th.

Downloadable titles sold via the service will cost between 1600-2400 MS Points ($19.99-$29.99 / £13.60-£20.40)

US
* Assassin’s Creed (Ubisoft)
* LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga (LucasArts)
* Rainbow Six Vegas (Ubisoft)
* BioShock (2K Games)
* Mass Effect (Microsoft Game Studios)
* ridge racer 6 (Namco)
* Burnout Paradise (EA)
* Meet The Robinsons (Disney)
* Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis (Rockstar Games)
* Call of Duty® 2 (Activision)
* MX vs. ATV Untamed (THQ)
* SONIC THE HEDGEHOG (SEGA)
* Dance Dance Revolution Universe (Konami)
* Need for Speed Carbon (EA)
* TEST DRIVE: UNLIMITED (Atari)
* Fight Night Round 3 (EA)
* Need for Speed: Most Wanted (EA
* The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2K Games/Bethesda Softworks
* Kameo: Elements of Power (Microsoft Game Studios)
* Perfect Dark Zero (Microsoft Game Studios)
* Viva Piñata (Microsoft Game Studios)
* Karaoke Revolution American Idol Encore (Konami)
* Prey (2K Games)
* Viva Piñata 2: Trouble in Paradise (Microsoft Game Studios)

Uk
* Assassin’s Creed (Ubisoft)
* Burnout Paradise (EA)
* Call of Duty® 2 (Activision)
* Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
* Fight Night Round 3 (EA)
* Kameo: Elements of Power (Microsoft Game Studios)
* LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga (LucasArts)
* Mass Effect (Microsoft Game Studios)
* Meet The Robinsons (Disney)
* MX vs. ATV Untamed (THQ)
* Need for Speed Carbon (EA)
* Need for Speed: Most Wanted (EA)
* Perfect Dark Zero (Microsoft Game Studios)
* Prey (2K Games)
* Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis (Rockstar Games)
* Sega Rally (Sega)
* TEST DRIVE: UNLIMITED (Atari)
* Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas
* Tomb Raider Legend (Eidos)
* Viva Piñata (Microsoft Game Studios)
* Viva Piñata 2: Trouble in Paradise (Microsoft Game Studios)

MS is saying that new titles will come out weekly but we all know they aren’t going to be the latest. Even Shane Kim said they arent finished milking the cow yet.

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