Many outspoken figures in the videogame business have been vocal about their need to get rid of second-hand sales. Many have gone as far as likening gamers buying second-hand games to pirates.

Eurogamer has a pretty good overview of the situation, with a bent on seeing things from the consumer’s point of view.

Let me tell you a story. I used to be a poor student, like most of us. Despite this, I was a heavy gamer – all thanks to the second-hand market. I could afford maybe one (1) brand new game per year, but I bought dozens of games, fueling my passion for the videogame market. When I begun to make some money for work, I spent more and more on new videogames. In the end, my passion took me to working in the field, making games.

Very likely none of this would have happened without the second-hand market. Yes, I could buy some discounted titles and borrow stuff from friends, but we wouldn’t be talking about anywhere near the same magnitude. Then of course there’s piracy. A lot of internet-savvy young people wouldn’t cry about their inability to buy games if they could just turn to Piratebay.

The naysayers do not see that the second-hand market is keeping a lot (a lot!) of financially challenged consumers interested in gaming, very likely buying some brand new games on the side, and eventually making enough money to support their hobby, which they’ve grown attached to.

And it’s not just about being limited in spending. I could afford more brand new games than I’m buying these days. The fact is that despite working in the field, I do not see very many games being worth the entry fee. Games are too expensive – they should be impulse buys! Second-hand games are.

Now, couple the high price with the fact that most gamers never (anywhere near) complete their games and you have a situation where people are paying too much for something they feel leaves them unsatisfied. At the same time, the developers and publishers are spending ever-increasing amounts into making ever bigger games, which a tiny fraction of their buying public ever sees through. Why are we wasting all this effort? Why are we asking the consumers to support this practice, even though it gives them zero value?

I have a feeling the industry is far too interested in a fraction of the actual game playing and buying public, making no moves towards accommodating the actual masses and their wallets. They have no right crying about consumers not giving them money if they’re just not offering something the consumers actually want. The problem with only sure-fire hits with massive marketing being a reliable source of profit is all down to this. Consumers can’t take any risks because they’ve been priced out of their hobby.

Heavenly Sword is getting criticized for its short length. Many reviewers are being considerate, but the public isn’t quite so understanding, as seen in this Ars Technica comments section. The game’s length has been said to be in the 5-6 hour range, which does sound short. When younger, game length mattered to me, too. These days, I’m mostly interested in whether I can experience the game fully, which usually means completing it.

Let’s take Far Cry for instance. I’ve played it a lot, yet it doesn’t feel like it’s ending anytime soon. The game hasn’t really been giving me new stuff to go through, it’s been more of the same. I like the game and I would like to complete it, but I can’t be bothered to be going through the same things over and over again. Had the game ended by now, I think I would be more satisfied with it. I would get closure. All of the uncompleted games on my shelves (maybe some 90% of them) are dead weight – they feel like something I want to put a lid on, yet I can’t, because I haven’t completed them.

And the goddamn designers keep making the games appear longer by making the endings more difficult. This is just wrong. I loved Dead Rising, all the way up to the final fight, which is just stupidly hard compared to everything that’s gone down before. Now it keeps sitting there, uncompleted.

So when games are criticized for being (say) 10 hours long or shorter, I immediately take note. “This is a game I can complete”, “this is something I can do”, “this won’t leave me frustrated”.

Heavenly Sword’s been class A entertainment up to where I’m currently at. I’ve been playing it for three nights, I think, and I’m about three quarters in. Supposing that it would end with my next gaming session, that would be a good thing. It’s repetitive to the degree that I wouldn’t want it to stretch further, yet right now, I’m in a good place. The story moves on, I care about what’s happening. Now, if the experience leaves me wanting more, I can just go back to it, as it lets me play each scene independently, giving my performance a rank. This is just the way I want my games.

Lengthy games are all fine when the content actually warrants it, but this is very rare indeed. Most long games simply dilute the experience to the point that it destroys itself. Who in their right mind would prefer that? Add to this the fact that playtime is so limited when you’ve got a job, a family, friends and other media to consume. A “five-hour” game will probably last me a week or two, because I rarely have the time to sit down with it.

Another thing I need to bring up is the recommendation of renting Heavenly Sword due to its length. I don’t know about that. The game is beautiful enough to keep around in order to wow your gamer friends with the power of the PS3 and I feel that it has considerable replay value. But even if this wasn’t so, I would definitely buy the title, for the same reason I buy movies: I need to have the quality titles in my library in order to keep the experience intact. They’re not dealt with once the credits roll. The same with books and comics… I never could understand people who sold their books and movies once they’d consumed them.

Microsoft is releasing a SHMUP to Xbox Live Arcade, titled Aegis Wing. It does sound good, although no screens or video to look at yet. It is free, too!

Gripe one: my bloody Xbox 360 is still in Germany being fitted with a new DVD drive or lined up for exchange. The free distribution is for limited time only, which is of course good marketing.

Gripe two: Aegis Wing is only available in the United States. What’s up with this region nonsense? It just doesn’t make any goddamn sense to region lock online material. It’s counter-intuitive. It pisses off a lot of your market. Figure it out and solve it please. I want to like your service, I’m still paying for it, but here you go again, pissing me off.

I need this game. Playing the average run’n'gun game there’s usually a ton of inane exposition and preparation to go through before you get to the meat of the game. It’s like developers are ashamed to keep things simple. Like the 50€ price tag means you need to spend time getting excuses to have fun.

I’m also so naive that I very rarely skip the cutscenes, cringe-inducing as they are. Who knows, maybe there’s a real gem among all the crap? Yes, unlikely. One of my favorite games, Max Payne, was very much spoiled in the sequel with its greater emphasis on storyline: you can’t replay the thing, no matter how much you love the gameplay, because it makes you shift through so much sotrytelling sections. Why not include an “action cut” with only the actual, you know, gameplay scenes? And this is with a game with a very well-thought storyline which I actually enjoyed the first time through.

Apparently budget titles aren’t affected – Earth Defence Force 2017 costs less than 30 €. If only the big budget games would pick up on this. Weird as it may seem, I want to get in on the good stuff as fast as possible and I find your average videogame story painful to witness. Hell, most games do not need stories.

I’ve ranted about this a great many times, but the issue doesn’t seem to go away.

I’ve recently thought about my favorite games a lot. Some of this was sparked by buying the 360, which made me think if there even was anything truly new to play to justify the purchase. Some of it is due to looking at the videogame spines on my shelves every day. And yet another part is growing up: what is it, exactly, that I’m spending my time on? And why?

To address that 360 concern: yes, it’s been a worthwhile purchase. Oblivion alone has gotten so much playtime it’s worth it. Then there’s Battlefield 2, which is the only Live game I’ve played a lot of, and continue to do so. However, there’s always that nagging feeling that my wins or losses don’t count towards anything. I’m still waiting for someone to make console online warfare amount to something and not just individual matches. Give me territory to conquer! Wars to win! Gamerpoints to achieve!
Not big on analysis for its sake alone, here’s a list of some of my current favorites and a quick go at why I like them so much that I keep coming back to them. Your comments are most welcome.

Jet Set Radio Future (Xbox). I find the gameplay a bit too difficult and cumbersome for extended play, but the overall aesthetic just drags me in. It features perhaps the best videogame soundtrack ever built and some of the best visuals.

Soul Calibur II (Xbox). Sometimes you need a good beat ‘em up, and in my limited experience, Soul Calibur II is the best. It continues to look very good despite its age and the gameplay is pure gold. If only it had online play!

Amped 2 (Xbox). The best snowboarding game out there. Just riding flawlessly gives a good buzz. Add to that a fully customizable soundtrack (these days a given, not so back then) and you’ve got a relaxation game second to none. Oh why did they butcher the sequel? I’ve played the career mode through four or five times – the last ten leaderboard positions notwithstanding, sadistic as the requirements are.
Otogi (Xbox). The world is full of third-person action, but none I’ve played execute it as well as Otogi. Audiovisually it’s so beautiful it hurts and nothing feels as good as flying through dozens of enemies in one grand aerial melee.

OutRun 2 (Xbox). Great for a short chill-out, but also very demanding and good for improving your records. OutRun 2 is feel-good on a DVD. It’s the perfect arcade machine, somehow shrunk onto a shiny disc. You can’t not smile when playing it.

Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (Gamecube). DK is the only platformer I play these days and the drumming control is just so much fun. No other game is like it. Too bad they never made a proper sequel, feels kind of dumb to have this gigantic controller for just this one game.

Ikaruga (Gamecube). Making the perfect 2D arcade shmup this fiendishly difficult ensures my continued interest in cracking it. It helps that it looks and sounds stellar, but really, I’d be all over it if it was 8-bit graphics.

I see that all of the games on this top of mind list are very different from each other. This is not intentional, but it does enforce my observation that I keep going to new (or different) experiences. My interest in the new Battlefield is close to zero, ditto Soul Calibur III. Hmm. So let’s hope the studios continue to churn out truly new stuff to play.

My next items in the “must get” list are Viva Piñata (360) and Dead Rising (360). Nothing is like Dead Rising and while Viva Piñata shares a lot with Animal Crossing, Pokémon and Harvest Moon, I hear it’s a more varied mix of these rather more monotonous offerings. I’ve played me a lot of Animal Crossing, but it does get boring. Here’s to hoping the upcoming Wii version has more features and especially more community stuff.