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I don’t really do micro-transactions.
For the most part, I’ve not seen the draw of spending real money for cosmetics on top of what I’ve already spent on the game itself. For example, Arkham Knight‘s many costume options would have hurt the completionist in me if they were not all included in the season pass, but I don’t see myself spending $2.99 for the Dark Knight movie skin alone. It has no impact on the game, so why drop the dough?
Yes, I did spend money on Amiibo NFC chips so I could get all the limited gear in Breath of the Wild, but that’s Zelda. Different story, and I’ll write that explanation some day, and you will tremble at my attempt to rationalize, but bygones.
With the news on Friday that Shadow of War was going to include a Market, I found my eyebrow raising. Now, don’t jump ahead. I have no problem with micro-transactions, or content included in the game but not accessible, blah blah. The days of games being fully tested and set in stone by the time they reached your Super NES are not coming back through that door, and if the game makers like Monolith can get a few thousand more purchases by dangling some unobtainable content, good for them. That’s sales and marketing 101, and they’re not in business to give games away.
The single player aspect is what is curious to me here, because in Monolith’s own words: “No content in the game is gated by Gold. All content can be acquired naturally through normal gameplay.”
Again, this is a single player game. I’m not understanding the internet rage that seems to be bubbling around this announcement right now.
Multiplayer? Oh man, I feel the rage. Halo 5, Overwatch–hell, any shooter of the past few years, and when I see some punk stroll by with the armor/gun/rare item I wanted, I immediately assume it’s a 17 year old with a trust fund who dropped 4000 dollars on loot boxes or a 12 year old who’s been playing every waking hour instead of RAKING THE GOD-DAMN LEAVES LIKE I TOLD YOU TO KEVIN.
“He is in there my orcs! Kevin is back on the menu!”
Micro-transactions in multiplayer piss people off, and I’m on your side.
Single player? Who cares? There are pretty much two groups of people who will be purchasing these unlocks with real cash: overworked dads and moms who don’t have time to spend 100 hours to get the horse armor they want with in game currency and the above mentioned Kevins who’s got a solid K/D spread, but whose parents are raising to be horrible drains on society.
If you’re like me and have a few rugrats crawling around and chewing on controllers, you loved the hell out of Shadow of Mordor and don’t have that much free time anymore? Go for it! Drop that cash, support a dev you like, and play the game with a little of the pressure off!
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Personally, I like the grind and the sense of accomplishment of beating a hard game. Microtransactions like this take the edge off a bit, so I avoid them, but I also don’t demonize those who do. Game creators have a hard gig. If they can make a few extra dollars and justify the crazy long hours and angry internet schmucks second guessing their every decision, then god bless ’em.
They’re super pissed that Shelob is a hot goth lady now too.
And if this game is as fun and as crazy as the first orc slaying, nemesis making tale was, then hell. Maybe I’ll buy a few swords to show ’em I care.
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