Phantasy Star Online gets pricey
We had reported earlier on in the month that PSU was not going to be free. Since then, Sega has come out and announced the exact price.
That price is $9.99, which I deem expensive. However, compared to Final Fantasy XI, which I deem a rip-off at $12.95 (then if you create more characters, they charge you $1 for each), this seems like a good deal. However, it’s not all bad news. In the statement released by Sega, they mention something that everyone will get excited about:
Users will have to make an account with Sega and pay a $9.99 monthly fee for the game. It should be noted, however, that Sega intends to place a demo on the XBOX Marketplace that will demonstrate both online and offline modes.
That’s right folks. You get to try the game before it is released, with your mates! That is pretty generous of Sega, and, if they pull the demo off, they could win over many who refuse to pay to play. And have you recently bought a PS2? Well, you’re in luck, because they could be getting a 14 day trial. Why is it that we 360′ers get shafted on everything, when we have the better console?
Playstation 2 users will be happy to know that a 14 day trial for the online service is being currently negotiated (no final word). Unfortunately, due to issues with the Japanese trial, some ways to exploit this system were discovered and it may not be included in the US release.
Of course, you don’t have to play to pay. The game also ships with a 40 hour long single player, offline mode. Final Fantasy XI certainly never had that, so this is refreshing to see. Perhaps they will sell considerably more copies than Square did with FFXI, since it opens the door to so many more people.
If online mode isn’t your thing, Sega is boasting a 40-hour long offline mode for the game that is a “separate experience.”
I will however still not buy this game regardless of the offline, because I don’t like the idea of having to pay to play. I understand why they do it, but there must surely be some other way to generate the money needed to support the server(s). And unless you have the time to invest in the game, then it really doesn’t work out very economical. But each to their own, I’m sure there are millions of people very excited about this.
The game is released “later this year”. Very specific.
I didn’t quite understand your writing.
So we get a demo on the marketplace so we can try out the game with our mates yet we get shafted somehow because PS2 owners get a demo also?
Maybe I’m tired but I didn’t quite understand the whole text.
I guess Rossko is trying to say that a 14 day trial is better than a demo.
If FFXI is a rip-off at $12.50 a month (which I don’t mind paying) Then WoW is a wallet breaker at $15 a month, yet millions pay to play that game I couldn’t stand one bit.
wow… $15 is wallet breaking?
I’m just going by how much the article is saying what is a rip off. To me it’s FAR from a wallet breaker.
It is for some people. Some people would rather not pay on top of their Live connection, also
I would agree. I know ffxi doesn’t require gold. Not sure about this game though. >_>
Worth it. $20 is worth it.
I bet they pocket 90% of all that money given to them, there getting 10 or 15 bucks from thousands off people, I mean come on, it cant cost that much, there just rolling around in the money saying “IM RICH BITCH”!! XD
Blizzard is getting 15 bucks a month from 6 million subscribers (!!!).
I also left out that I meant it cant cost that much for them to run some servers…
I don’t think any game is worth the initial purchase price plus $120.00 a year
To make it easier on those of us who can’t spend 6hrs a day playing an MMORPG, they should price it like cell phones, you buy a certain number of hours/month, and heavy users can buy unlimited hours.
I received word from Sega’s Greek distributor that Phantasy Star Universe has a release date for 24 November 2006.
Not sure if this is final of course but its the date i currently have as “official”.
Don’t know if it’s already known how to pay for online gaming with PSU?
Because ONE BIG BAD THING about those games where you have to pay to play online is that they need a … CREDIT CARD!
Now we CAN have XBL by using Prepayd Cards, you still need a CC for this kind of games
Why isn’t it possible for people to use their Microsoft Points to pay? Please?
For that money, you should get the game for free (ok, maybe you’d have to subscribe to their service for x months, but still)…
i’d pay 9 dollars for this…..its one of my faves games…..so its worth it…..and 50 dollars a year for xbox live is nothing…..so it isnt really that hard to pay for both….awesome game!…..
Rossko, get a blog to moan about prices, isn’t this meant to be a news site? And exactly how are we getting “shafted” by the PS2 getting a 14 day trial? Not particularly well written imo.
To clarify: I am allowed, when posting news, to exprees my own opinion, and in my opinion $10 a month is alot. I don’t say you have to agree with me, I just prefer not to pay to play games. I say about the shafted part because I assume the Marketplace demo will be limited, otherwise no-one would pay for the game.
I apologise to those who didn’t like the article, it was late, but it expresses my dis-like for MMORPG and the way they charge
Fair enough mate, cheers for responding. It just seemed to me that the article was a higher percentage of moan than news, although surely if you don’t like MMORPGS, someone else should have written the article?
“I say about the shafted part because I assume the Marketplace demo will be limited”
And what do we all know about assumptions?
OK, let me re-phrase. It’s not that I don’t like them per se. They have alot of potential. I just don’t like the fact that I pay £40 a year for a subscription to Live, and then what will probably be another £10 per month on a game that I have no time to play that often.
I’m sorry if it cam across as moaning, I didn’t intend for that. And yeah, assumptions aren’t always the best way to go, but when they don’t mention free trial as they did for PS2, it makes you wonder…
I’m completely with you Rossko.
MMORPGS’s are fine and well including the price of them if:
You are an anti-social spotty fat kid who can afford to spend 23 out of 24 hours glaring through your thick milk bottle glasses at your screen, in the dark (so even you don’t have to look at yourself) masterbating over pixelated images in your little online universe. Neglecting to go outside because you cannot deal with the sun, interaction with other humans, open spaces not resembling fantasy landscapes.
If you have a job, girlfriend and a life outside you MMORPG then $120 per year is a waste.
I have a life outside the 360 fantasy worlds and so for that reason I will not be participating in this pish.
Well it really sounds to me like you disagree with the way MMORPGs work entirely, and as such I really feel that someone who actually cares about the subject matter should have written the article. I don’t really appreciate MMORPGs either btw, WOW has turned my wee bro in to a zombie, so please don’t think this is just someone blindly defending MMORPGs.
“I just don’t like the fact that I pay £40 a year for a subscription to Live, and then what will probably be another £10 per month on a game that I have no time to play that often.”
Nice bit of exageration there, I’m fairly sure Sega won’t use $1 = £1 when they are determining fees
but that’s beside the point. the real issue is that you don’t have to play it. No one is forcing you to subscribe, and surely you can agree that it is only a good thing to expand the 360’s range of games? You might not like them, but MMORPGs are HUGE business, and I know a few people who will be buying a 360 just for Phantasy Star.
I’m pretty sure they probably will convert it pretty close to that, which is how most things seem to get priced in the UK.
Oh and the real issue is that as Rossko submitted the article he is in a position to give you his “biased” opinion.
You as an adult using the power of common sense and deduction should then be in a position to read the article process the points and facts and make your own desicion on it, instead of coming on and bitching about how you would have done it better.
If is better to have someone that is already sold on a game do the review, the only difference is that review would be bias in a different way.
So if you ain’t happy about how an article is written, write your own and give your opinion to the world, currently you are doing the internet equivalent of bitching about a show on TV to the networks after sitting watching the whole thing complaining throughout.
Change the fucking channel other peopl can then make their own choices on the options available to them. Instead of getting everything you disagree with slated.
Chill your pants there chief. I don’t believe I once claimed I would have done it any better, and I never said that to have “someone that is already sold on a game do the review” would be better either, I just think having someone who has an obvious disklike of MMORPGs writing the article wasn’t a very good call editorially.
SO FUCKING SUE ME.
What an awful analogy too. What the hell does this:
“after sitting watching the whole thing complaining throughout.”
have to do with anything?
I don’t really want an argument, I just thought the “comments” section was for like, comments. How fucking stupid of me.
Your insistent comments moaning about Rossko’s writing style were boring me, so yes the comments section is for comments mine and yours a like don’t dish it if you can’t take it, an what is wrong with the analogy? You read the whole article then done nothing but moan about it’s content not very different from the hundreds of people that complain about TV shows to try and get them pulled because thy don’t agree with the content rather than just changing the channel.
My point, don’t moan for the sake of moaning, the article is there, it is what it is, if you don’t agree do something about it, don’t just sit and moan litke a little bitch.
And I won’t be going to “SUE YOU” as this is the reply I would expect from a 10 yr old retard spastic fuck, so go get your cycling helmet on and wheel yourself away in your chair, fuck nuts.
“10 yr old retard spastic fuck, so go get your cycling helmet on and wheel yourself away in your chair, fuck nuts.”
Nice comeback. I’m clearly dealing with some higher form of intelligence here.
“don’t dish it if you can’t take it”
What does that even fucking mean in relation to my post?
You seem to have some problem here with me, and I’m not entirely sure what it is. I have made my criticisms obvious, and I don’t think they are particularly unreasonable. You know what I think? You’re an ass-kissing prick who is a bit annoyed I had something negative to say about the site.
Want to prove me wrong by actually pointing out to me where I “moan for the sake of moaning”?
And surely “if you don’t agree do something about it, don’t just sit and moan litke a little bitch” would involve making my criticisms known? Are you suggesting I start my own site just because I don’t like the way this story was written? Get a fucking grip.
OK guys thats enough.
Blunted: I never said that it wasn’t a big business, because I know it is. I do care about the subject matter, but not in the same way as you. The fact is, if I hadn’t of written at the time, with all the news today, it probably wouldn’t have got written (no offence Crew, you are all busier than me!). Everything that is ever published will always have some bias, it is unavoidable. My comment on the £10 is a valid one. I don’t know if you are from the UK, but we get screwed for prices, on EVERYTHING. If you do have a problem with my writing, please say so, as long as it’s constructive. Hell, you can even email me at rossko@xboxic.com and let rip
Glovner- I appreciate your backing, though the personal insults took it a bit far. I understand what you’re saying, but there are better ways of expressing yourself.
Lets keep it cool guys, it’s only a post, everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but don’t go attacking each other, lets all be friends!
Cheers!
Fair enough mate, cheers for your intelligent response once again. I just felt the tone of the whole post was massively negative, but I understand where you are coming from with the point about the veritable news avalanche occuring today
Oh, and I do live in the UK, so I know how you feel about getting scammed over prices
The_Glovner - Let’s agree to disagree. Nuff arguing.
I dont think 10 a month is horrible. What im wondering though is if you can say… skip a month here or there throughout the year and come back to the game with the same character/stats/etc….? Its all stored on the 360 right, not their servers? Ive never played an online rpg before.
I love phantasy star games and i cant wait to get this one and add it to my collection.
I thought that this game came out in October? Or is that just in the states?
Somethings to note.
1. We already pay for online gaming.
2. We pay for updates (content)for our games. So you could pay your monthly subscription only to have to pay for an update (content) to play online.
3. I agree with the pay as you go option. Some of us have to work to pay for our enjoyment and do not have the option to play 24/7.
4. We in Europe already pay far more for our games than other countries ie Test Drive. Unfair. I can remember the days where it was justified by the PAL statement. Heres your game months later and costs more. Thanks. Will this game cost £29.99. Bet it doesn’t.
FFXI has been out for years so PSU will have some catching up to do. Back when it first came out it did very well sales wise.
FFXI will cost more because its a bigger game that PSU. FFXI is an mmorpg and though ive heard PSU been called an mmorpg its not set in a huge world of thousands of gamers.