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Tiny Diggers – An iPad Construction Truck Game for Kids Age 2-5

February 20, 2012 – 12:39 pm | 3 Comments

Tiny Diggers has just been released on the iPad and soon the Mac computer. Here’s the details on this fun, educational game from TouchTilt Games.
Tiny Diggers Delivers Learning With Construction Trucks For Kids on the …

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Home » XBOX 360

1UP Puts The Hard Questions to Microsoft on Lumines

Submitted by on October 24, 2006 – 7:55 am4 Comments

microsoft_xbox_360.jpg1UP has a great interview with Greg Canessa, Group Manager of Xbox Live Arcade, about the Lumines debacle. Naturally, like in almost every other situation, Microsoft blames the other guy for pissing people off.

1UP: Who sets the pricing structure for Marketplace stuff. For a game like Lumines Live, who decided to push the product this way?

Greg Canessa: That’s actually done by the developer. As a platform, we provide a list of available price tiers. And we work very closely, of course, with the developer. We provide suggestions and it is a consultation between the two companies, but ultimately it is up to the developer to set the price.

Uh huh. And it has nothing to do with Lumines being over the 50 MB limit, either, eh? Cripes, I get so sick of Microsoft’s “it’s never our fault” attitude. It’s nice of them to throw Q Entertainment under the bus like that.

You know about Arcade, but, you know, for Marketplace, we have over 1,500 pieces of content in Marketplace; we have over 70 million downloads. Clearly, there is a lot of stuff that’s resonating with gamers. I know there’s some people that are frustrated from time to time about a particular piece of add-on content, but, on balance, the market has voted with their feet and they love the thing. So, you know, I’m pretty optimistic about it. And if there are kinks, we’ll work out the kinks.

Whatever, Greg. Another common Microsoft practice. Take statistics that do nothing to prove your point, and cite them in a way that seem to support you anyway. 70 million downloads? But how many downloads have there been of Lumines? How many downloads of the 1200 “point” GRAW add-ons compared to the number of times the free trailers and videos have been downloaded. OF COURSE the marketplace will resonate with gamers when there’s free stuff!

The real problem I have with these supposed “micropayments” is that my understanding of the concept is that you pay $.10 to $.25 on stuff like an extra level or extra skin. Not $5, $10, or $15. So, I kinda wish people would stop citing this as an indictment of micropayments, as well.

  • Ive Been Jipped

    I tried talking to Greg Canessa at X06 but the man is a highly trained media ninja and manages to slip away from anyway question you ask him.

    I asked him about Marble Blast Ultra 2, he told me how excited Garage Games were about the sales Marble Blast Ultra and how successful marketplace has been.

    I asked him why Street Fighter II’ HF didn’t come out in Japan given its popularity over there, he spun the “it’s up to developers” line, almost ad verbatim what you’ve quoted in this post.

    I asked him about Space Giraffe, he said he hadn’t even heard about it!

    I asked him what his favourite Xbox Live Arcade game was, I think he listed about 20.

    He then threw a smokebomb and escaped out the nearest window.

  • Richard (AeroPause)

    Personally I am tired of hearing people compain about stupid things like this. If you want to downlodd everything its still a good deal for a great puzzle game and it’s the same price as the psp version. Should game companies make less money for a good game just because it’s on XBLA?

    I think the way they handled the pricing structure is bad but complaining about the price is a bit childish.

  • http://www.aeropause.com George

    Complaining about the price is childish in every case, or just this one?
    When you look at the amount of content included in the PSP versions, the price point that Microsoft/Q Entertainment put on Lumines Live looks even worse.
    And I don’t think the price is a problem. The problem is how much value you get in return for that price. It’s literally like paying for the trial version of something like Zuma, and then paying AGAIN to get all of the levels and skins. By Microsoft’s explanation, the trial version of Geometry Wars is a “full game”.
    Everything about this Lumines travesty stinks to high heaven. I disagree that complaining about the prices involved is childish. That reeks of something Ken Kutaragi would say… “It’s probably too cheap.”

  • Kyle-H

    Wow guys. True articles are non biased. I’m finding this isn’t a site for articles, its more like editorials.