Do you find overpriced classics to be massively overrated?

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joe50000

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The other day I was playing through Suikoden II again, and I began to wonder why the game costs so much. I wouldn't say it's the greatest game ever, and the recent RPG/Strategy games by Nippon Ichi definitely surpass it in terms of quality. I paid $30 new a looooon time ago, and I thought that it was a little too much for it even then.

So on to my main point...sometimes I feel that games that are rediculously overpriced in the aftermarket are only so because of their status as being rare, and not because of any inherent value that they posses. I honestly would not pay upwards of $100 for a copy of Suikoden II nowadays, and I scoff at people who do.

I just remember an old adage: the price tag comes off when your playing your system.
 
suiko 2 owns, people that are paying $100 for it deserve to for not recognizing great games while they were playing tomb raider 4.

picked up my copy for $25 ^^
 
[quote name='joe50000']The other day I was playing through Suikoden II again, and I began to wonder why the game costs so much. I wouldn't say it's the greatest game ever, and the recent RPG/Strategy games by Nippon Ichi definitely surpass it in terms of quality. I paid $30 new a looooon time ago, and I thought that it was a little too much for it even then.

So on to my main point...sometimes I feel that games that are rediculously overpriced in the aftermarket are only so because of their status as being rare, and not because of any inherent value that they posses. I honestly would not pay upwards of $100 for a copy of Suikoden II nowadays, and I scoff at people who do.

I just remember an old adage: the price tag comes off when your playing your system.[/quote]

Yea... There are probably a lot of shitty games that are worth money just because they only made 1000 or so... However... I think the expensive classics like CT, FF6, EB, Suikoden, mario RPG.... theyre all more worth their prices than the new games today are. I paided 40 for Chrono Trigger and I think its a great deal because its a game I've played ~20 times and I know I could play it again.

Most new games couldnt catch my attention with a bear trap.
 
More like overhyped usually just because they're rare. I mean if you look at the reviews some of the rarer games get scores around like a 7 or maybe an 8. They are above average no doubt, but during their time they were never touted as something extraordinary, but now they are simply because of the asking price and not the game itself.
 
You kind of answered your own question there, joe. It's not $100 because it's the best game ever, it's that much because it's a great game but more importantly is really rare. People who pay that much are collectors, and playing the game is only a fraction of why they want to own it. Plus, a good thing about those big-money games is: Once you're done, there's likely someone willing to reimburse your money to get their shot at the game.
 
[quote name='Duo_Maxwell']More like overhyped usually just because they're rare. I mean if you look at the reviews some of the rarer games get scores around like a 7 or maybe an 8. They are above average no doubt, but during their time they were never touted as something extraordinary, but now they are simply because of the asking price and not the game itself.[/quote]

not really a fair thing to say, reviews are always biased. three of my favorite games this gen (culdcept, arc the lad, suikoden 4) all got mediocre reviews and in my eyes they are all amazing games.
 
Reviews are "opinionated," punq, not "biased." That's what they're all about; it's someone's opinion. I freakin' hate that word, "biased." It's such an ugly word, and really isn't fair to use in this case.
 
Konami should release Suikoden Collection, with Suikoden 1 & II, maybe even 3...
 
[quote name='Rozz']Konami should release Suikoden Collection, with Suikoden 1 & II, maybe even 3...[/quote]

Damn straight! I refuse to pay ebay prices for Suikoden 1 and 2
 
I wouldn't say their biased either, they are indeed opinions, just like it's your opinion to love those games (I very much liked the new Arc the Lad too, can't wait til it goes online).

I was simply pointing out that when some rare games came out nobody talked about them or bought them because they weren't that amazing, but now simply because of amazing price tags, instead of amazing gameplay, some of them get overinflated reputations.
 
[quote name='ViolentLee']Reviews are "opinionated," punq, not "biased." That's what they're all about; it's someone's opinion. I freakin' hate that word, "biased." It's such an ugly word, and really isn't fair to use in this case.[/quote]

They actually are biased.....reviews are subjective in nature and therefore represent any inherent biases that the reviewer holds.

As an example, sports games would probably receive lower ratings from those that aren't really into them, while die-hard fans of the genre would be more inclined to rate higher.
 
Suikoden II is the greatest game ever made. Ever.

I would pay $100 + for it easy. Fortunately for me, I paid $37
:)
 
I dunno about Suikoden II, but I can't stand Valkyrie Profile. Got it, tried so hard to like it, but in the end, I just couldn't bring myself to finish it.
 
[quote name='clariste'][quote name='ViolentLee']Reviews are "opinionated," punq, not "biased." That's what they're all about; it's someone's opinion. I freakin' hate that word, "biased." It's such an ugly word, and really isn't fair to use in this case.[/quote]

They actually are biased.....reviews are subjective in nature and therefore represent any inherent biases that the reviewer holds.[/quote]
Ultimately a score is subjective in nature, yes. But you're a shallow moron if you just scroll to the score and don't read the text first. Indeed, I rate the "believeablity" of an article by how many objective points the reviewer makes.

That being said, subjectivity is not "pure evil," indeed, it can be a very accurate tool. You just need to find your site/review team/reviewer which "clicks" best with your gaming tastes.

As long as the reviewer makes it clear what parts of the review are objective and which are subjective, I see no need to get scientific or anything when it comes to reviewing games.
 
[quote name='Trillian']I dunno about Suikoden II, but I can't stand Valkyrie Profile. Got it, tried so hard to like it, but in the end, I just couldn't bring myself to finish it.[/quote]Strange, I'm the opposite. I love Valkyrie Profile and detest anything Suikoden. Those games just bore me to death.
 
[quote name='Rozz']Konami should release Suikoden Collection, with Suikoden 1 & II, maybe even 3...[/quote]

They might, but you'd HAVE to pre-order because they would sell out quick.
 
[quote name='clariste'][quote name='ViolentLee']Reviews are "opinionated," punq, not "biased." That's what they're all about; it's someone's opinion. I freakin' hate that word, "biased." It's such an ugly word, and really isn't fair to use in this case.[/quote]

They actually are biased.....reviews are subjective in nature and therefore represent any inherent biases that the reviewer holds.

As an example, sports games would probably receive lower ratings from those that aren't really into them, while die-hard fans of the genre would be more inclined to rate higher.[/quote]

I already brought up this issue in another thread (EGM in Portable forum), so I don't feel like repeating myself, but "biased" infers unfair prejudice, whereas most reviewers (the good ones, anyway) make informed, educated reviews based on their knowledge and opinions. Otherwise, you can call any opinion under the sun "biased." If you did that, there would be no standard in which to base them on.

As for your example, any outlet that has someone review a basketball game who doesn't like basketball is really dropping the ball -- pun intended. It's usually the editor-in-chief's or managing editor's job to make sure the right game gets in the right reviewer's hands.

[quote name='Trillian']I dunno about Suikoden II, but I can't stand Valkyrie Profile. Got it, tried so hard to like it, but in the end, I just couldn't bring myself to finish it.[/quote]

I own and love them both. Suikoden is probably my favorite PSone RPG series; unlike any of the PSone Final Fantasys, I beat Suikoden. Valkyrie Profile has a really steep learning curve. It took me a good 8 hours to realize what the heck I was doing. Very complex.
 
it might boarder on illegal, but I would find a rom whenever you can to test out a game before dropping $50+ on it. If you are going to shell out $100+ you'd be silly not to.
 
What's ironic is that many of the RPGs I have in my collection - Valkyrie Profile, the Tales of Destiny's, Dragon Warrior VII, Xenosaga, etc. - I got just for collecting's sake. I didn't pay a fortune for any of them, but still, I didn't get them to play. Suikoden 2, I'd love to play again (rented it back in the day & beat it a couple of times), but I can't find it anywhere for a reasonable price.
 
It amazes me that none of the big publishers pay much attention to what of their older titles become hot items on eBay. Suikoden doesn't need a collection. Although updated graphics would be nice the games play as is on the most common game system on the planet and its still very numerous predecessor. Konami just needs to realize there is a market and get another 50,000 unit produced by Sony. Plop them on EBgames as a $40 set with a cardboard wrapper (like the GTA collection for PS1 and many others) and they should blow out reasonably fast. The saturation point may be reached before they sell the whole lot but I doubt it would come before they were in profits for the 50K.

It's ridiculous how companies are leaving money on the table in an era where very small production runs are not a problem. Has nobody at Nintendo noticed the market that has sprung up around some of the GC Resident Evil entries? Surely it's worth the trouble to offer EB or GameStop a few thousand units, especially when the series has produced a major hit after being in the doldrums for a while.

For a smaller publisher with numerous items on the rare list like Atlus, I'd take a different approach. I'd get Sony to produce perhaps 10,000 units and assign an employee to move them on eBay. The worst that can happen is they sell for the proper price. If they sell high it's fitting revenge on the market for not recognizing their quality the first time around.
 
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