It's no secret that I don't like microtransactions. I down right hate them. They might be the worst thing to happen to gaming overall since the death of NCAA Football which caused EA to spiral downwards. But, that's another theory. No, today we're talking about Capcom and their new idea of spinning microtransactions. They're spinning it as a feature of the game. A feature, like you should be happy about it and people are running with it like it's a good idea.
In the new Devil May Cry game they have given the option to purchase red orbs to players. Red orbs allow you to purchase upgrades for your characters. Now, you can certainly gain red orbs the good old fashioned way, slaying enemies. But, who has time for that? You can just buy the orbs. Capcom's logic behind this was some people don't have time to play the game. Well, they should probably get another hobby. But, more importantly Capcom shouldn't force players to grind or pay for content.
Then again, Rockstar has taken this to a new level with Grand Theft Auto V, even if some people don't want to admit it. They've lowered payouts for mission work and raised the price on every new update. Effectively giving players two options spend over $100 in real cash to purchase the new whatever, or just grind away for days at a time and hopefully you can purchase it before the next update comes out. That's not a feature, that's extortion.
If you pay $60 for a game, you should not have to pay more money to access all the features of that game without a hassle. That's what happened to NBA2K, also from Take Two, owner's of Rockstar. They started making it a grind to earn VC and level up your player. This caused a resurgence for NBA Live, a series many people had written off. That's not to say EA isn't down right criminal with their microtransactions in Madden that mean you can't reach a 99 overall in Ultimate Team unless you purchase some exclusive cards.
It's almost criminal, in fact some places are attempting to make it criminal if they haven't already. China and it's territories for instance require that you must display the odds for loot boxes. Belgium, however has taken a different approach. They've moved to flat out make it illegal under their internet gaming rules. How did 2K respond? They told their fans they were being punished and launched a campaign to fight against the act.
Despite the fact that people are making them illegal, they're still being spun as a feature by companies. I get it, you want to make more money for your games. You're a business after all. I have another option for you. Make better games. Spider-Man, God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn, and even Crash Bandicoot, have become some of the best selling games recently. Do you know what they all have in common? Not just being on PS4, but they all lack microtransactions. They're just good games that move millions of units in a week then keep moving millions afterwards. They don't have to beat people over the head with microtransactions to make money.
Microtransactions are not a feature, they're a crime. There's no reason you should pay a company $60 for a product and then get a product where you keep having to pay to progress or enjoy everything it has to offer. That is crazy. It is the furthest thing from a feature.
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