I bought Bust a Move for 5 bucks.. I dont know why either
Because it was 5 bucks. I bought it too. Honestly, I don't think this game is that bad for $5 though. Yes, $10 is too much, but $5 is pretty well priced considering what you're getting.
I ask myself WHY this and "Pixel" aren't official XBLA while a decent amount of mediocre things, some games I'd even go so far as to call junk, get a release. Can someone explain it to me?
I feel sorry for Indie games, since Microsoft clearly shows they care the least about them. Indie games being on sale seems to be a first this time around, as I've never noticed any Indie games being on sale in the past (more likely because most Indie games cost $1, and the ones beyond that don't sell too often). For one thing, there are no achievements for Indie games, and while I don't want to be one of those people that say "achievements are one the key reasons people buy games in the first place", there is a degree of truth to it. As I see it, there are only 3 kinds of Xbox gamers: casual/apathetic towards achievements, people who really enjoy specific titles and want the achievements to show how much they liked the game, and achievement whores. Indie games cater to only the first of these groups.
That and Microsoft does nothing to promote Indie games, so there could be amazing stuff being produced, and most gamers would never know. I've asked at least 10 people on my friends list about Indie games, and most of them didn't even know there was an Indie Games section on the Marketplace. Yes, its that bad.
Izod already gave you the financial reasons, and the above is more my opinion.
If Microsoft really wanted to fix Indie games, they would:
- not require a subscription just to upload them
- take less money from the uploader in the case where they decided to have a free upload service (with quality checks of course)
- advertise good Indie games and promote the scene more
- give Indie games achievements, so casuals can mark their progress and achievement whores can 200/200 the games
- utilize some form of better quality control
The only positive thing about Indie games is the price, but truthfully, most Indie games that I've played (and I've played a hell of a lot at this point) don't really reserve to be on Xbox Live. While I think things like 'Xbox Controller Massager' and 'Virtual Fireplace' might have their niche market (bored people who need a party favor?), there is a lot MS would have to do to make this viable for the Indie developers.
PS3/Wii, step in and show them how its done. (/fanboy?)
Sorry for the rant, its something that sticks in my mind, and I feel the worst for Indie developers who are actually trying to make a dime off of it. After all the fees, poor publicity and effort convincing people to just try the game..