Alot of this Microtransactions furore seems to be 'Oh I never played the first one' things. All of the things they're charging for like fast travel, getting out of jail, changing your character etc. were in the first game.
Alot of this Microtransactions furore seems to be 'Oh I never played the first one' things. All of the things they're charging for like fast travel, getting out of jail, changing your character etc. were in the first game.
Predatory game design 12 years ago is not a justification for predatory game design now though, even more so when they have been coming out with quotes like "we won't travelling to feel dangerous" to justify the relative lack of fast travel (which I have no issue with personally), only to then undermind their whole mentality through microtransactions.
In fairness, I do think it has been overblown, but that's also because the game launched with bad performance and the whole "can't start a new game" debacle on PC, which just compounds the frustration.
But it wasn't predatory then, its just 'youre not supposed to be able to fast travel everywhere, it's hard to break out of jail, youre supposed to be comitted to your character despite how hideously awful he is' etc
Single player games offering solutions to problems they create on purposes via microtransactions are by default predatory game design in my opinion. It would be something else if they were offering cosmetics or some such (which I still find somewhat absurd for something that is not a live service game), but that's not the case.
To be clear, It doesn't affect me in the slightest, I can get behind the design philosophies of "the world is dangerous/you are stuck with your choices" and I will be enjoying the game (technical issues permitting), just as I did the first one, but I do understand people's frustration.
You get them all for free by playing the game!
So I finished the game, true ending included. Obviously there's a lot more to discover (didn't get to the sphinx for example), but I'll leave it for a subsequent playthrough (or a ng+). The game is a lot of fun, but I have to say, it almost feels like a detailed remake of the original. Mostly similar story, enemies, systems and mechanics. Now not every game has to be innovative, and with how fun the original was, it still makes for a great game, but it feels like a bit of a lost opportunity.
Last edited by Adramelch; 26-03-2024 at 12:58 PM.
Balatro is addictive.