Aquaman

[Rogmeister]

Does anyone have any info on the upcoming Aquaman game? I heard it was announced and then not much more but I looked it up at EB Games' site a few days ago and was surprised to see it coming out in mid-July and priced at $20. $20 for a brand new game isn't exactly common so I'm now figuring it's probably not that great a game. Perhaps they figure it's so crappy they couldn't sell it at full price? The company making it is TDK that I remember mostly for making blank audio & video tapes...not exactly one that I think of as a video game company. I've not seen any screenshots for this game either...so I'm obviously very cautious here. Will it be mediocre or even "super-hero bad" as only Superman 64 or Batman: Dark Tomorrow have been able to get?

[Dobie]

You could pre-order the Gamecube version (not sure if there are others?) at Gamestop for $15. I think its out now, as the release day was at the same time as Megaman Network Transmission. I saw some screens on Gamestop's site, and I think its kind of a fighter-type of game, like SF2. Only they're underwater. It was described as an "adventure," game, but it looks pretty lame to me.

[geelw]

i got to see it, play it for about one buggy minute, and saw it played at a TDK press event last year- it was only about 30% done, but it was pretty..."fmeh". well worth the $15-$20, though. but it'll most likely be better than batman: dark tomorrow and just about as good as the xbox superman game. oh yeah, TDK mediactive has published quite a few games, notably the recent robotech game (all 3 consoles and a GBA version), and a mercedes racing title (which has the most amazing draw distance i've seen- you can actually drive to something waaaaaay off in the background)...

[hamburgler]

I can tell how bad this game is going to be just by judging the cover art like the worst ever game, Batman: Dark tommorow

[zmeston]

Does anyone have any info on the upcoming Aquaman game? I heard it was announced and then not much more but I looked it up at EB Games' site a few days ago and was surprised to see it coming out in mid-July and priced at $20. $20 for a brand new game isn't exactly common so I'm now figuring it's probably not that great a game. Perhaps they figure it's so crappy they couldn't sell it at full price?

You've figured out the pricing strategy that publishers have wholeheartedly embraced in the past couple of years: ship crappy games at impulse prices and offset the blistering reviews with the simple fact that it's hard to resist a $20 (or $10) game, no matter how awful. I blame it all on the Spec Ops series of chart-topping turds.

The brand-new low-priced games have posed a dilemma for me as a reviewer. Should price point factor into a review, or should I focus strictly on the game's quality (or lack thereof)? Many would say the latter, but I don't think it's that simple. At $50, Evil Dead: A Fistful of Boomstick would be an atrocious purchase; at $20, it provides just enough entertainment to be worthwhile.

The price-point issue disregards hardcore collectors, of course, for whom "value for money" isn't a factor.

-- Z.

[geelw]

actually, not ALL budget games are terrible- there have been some good to great titles released at affordable prices. it seems as if some of the higher profile big name cheapo titles are more likely to be awful at a low price point, however...

[zmeston]

actually, not ALL budget games are terrible- there have been some good to great titles released at affordable prices. it seems as if some of the higher profile big name cheapo titles are more likely to be awful at a low price point, however...

Oh, of course there are exceptions to the rule, but you're right in that the best budget games have been the low-profile ones, usually Japanese or European imports (Worms World Party, Road Trip, Top Shop), not the would-be double-A entries that ship at $20 because the publisher realizes they're turkeys (Big Mutha Truckers, Evil Dead: A Fistful of Boomstick).

-- Z.