There are Too Many Good Games, and when this happens gamers look for any reason not to buy a game. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is the latest to give reason for gamers not to want to buy the game. From coarse advertising to controversial content, a lack of dedicated servers to a short single player, following the success of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, the spotlight shone on this game was never going to be dim.
I make no secret of preferring single player to multiplayer. I like to play a game and move on, then if I’m compelled enough, buy the game again in the future. (Listen to this weeks podcast to hear what the other broke gamers think of this.) With reports of MW2 being less than 6 hours, there is no way that I’d pay full price for the game, especially when that price is inflated £12 above what I normally pay. I usually get a game for £33, MW2 is £45 ($75) at most retailers. It had to be a rental.
As brilliant and fond my memories of MW1 are, I’ve never been compelled to play through it again. The single player is too memorable. All that changed when I heard of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Reflex Edition on Wii. Wishing to support good games on Wii, this was a must buy at some point. Despite it being a remake, 40 bucks was a fare price and reason enough to experience the game in the immersive way that pointer/motion control allows.
Modern Warfare Reflex
MW2 was set to be rented once I’d finished with MW1 Reflex – until:
Monday, news of a supermarket price war – like Fifa 10 in October, MW2 would be sold for as little as £26. With the hype that comes with the launch of such a major release, I was compelled to buy this game. That price is what I’m happy paying for a game I will likely play only once, more than likely selling it on for what I paid. Maybe next year I’ll buy the Reflex Edition.
A 6am alarm call to stand in line behind 50 people, with another (more than likely) 200 behind me, was surprisingly easy to respond. I felt no excitement for playing the game, as I will be playing through MW Reflex first. I was simply in the cue because this was a bargain price, a fare price, a price that was subsidised by the supermarket alone.
Ultimately, if MW2 sells 10 million copies, the next game may well cost even more, but as long as there are supermarkets using games as loss leaders, my resolve will be broken, because it’s not about what the Recommended Retail Price is, it’s about what I can buy it for. So in the end, Bobby Kotick, Activision and Infinity Ward get their money from the sale of this game. I’m ok with that, because the price is right!
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image by a broke gamer
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I get that the price was right, but I can’t reward publishers or developers for cashing in on success the way they have anymore. I just can’t do it. I don’t see a reason to support them when there are more unique and interesting games that are worth both my time and money. I just started playing MW2 (a friend brought it over), but I’ll save my comments for another time. I’m not disappointed, but only because I knew what to expect. Cursed Mountain and Assassin’s Creed 2 are much more interesting to me at this point.