News > Lumines Live 360 download incomplete, micro- transactions strike again!
October 19, 2006
Content taken from 1UP:
Mission/Puzzle mode and the VS CPU pack each contain five missions in the Base Pack (1200 point) download of Lumines Live. For another five missions of VS CPU mode (as the above image indicates), players will have to download the upcoming pack on XBL -- how much will that cost? If we (safely) assume that these two additional packs will cost 600 points, that's another 1200 points ($15.00) added to the $22.49, and all of the sudden Lumines Live! has cost gamers $37.49 -- just a couple bucks less than the original Lumines on PSP and almost 10 bucks more than Lumines 2 will cost when it ships next month (MSRP: $29.99). Gamers who purchase Lumines Live might think they are getting a complete product, which they aren't -- Lumines Live's expandable nature isn't advertised or clarified in the game's description (maybe since it's called the Base Pack, consumers should know better?). What Lumines Live is doing, however, is allowing customers to nickel and dime their way to owning the type of game they want to. Maybe I'm not someone who cares at all about Puzzle/Mission mode, then I don't have to buy it. Or maybe I'm a gamer who can't stand VS CPU mode, then I can skip that pack when it comes out. For the completionist, models like Lumines Live's will cost them more money, but ultimately maybe Q's Entertainment's pricing model is just an opportunity for gamers to express freedom of choice? Or is it just this week's Xbox Live Marketplace faux pas? Capcom and EA say 'hello.'
