Do you know how hard it is to explain to your spouse why your monthly allowance for groceries shows up on the bank statement as a transaction to Microsoft Corp.? When she confronted me about it, I frantically scrambled for an excuse to cover up the embarrassing truth of where the money had gone. “I spent it on porn!”.
As of NOW, the new NXE (are we still calling it NXE?) update is available to gamers everywhere. And amongst all the wonderful features ushered in with its coming is avatar items. For a nominal fee you can PIMP your avatar with items, from shirts to shoes to dumbbells. If anyone had a chance to watch the live show of Respawn Radio last week, you got to watch Knuckles look like an idiot and waste some hard earned cash on some dumbbells for his avatar. As if his avatar wasn’t ripping with virtual muscles already!
The best part about all of this useless crap is the PREMIUM useless crap that they’re cheating gamers with. Just to give you a taste of what you can get: Clone Wars Trooper uniform ($5), Trooper helmet ($2), a real virtually working light saber ($5), Gears of War COG uniform ($4) (and apparently $1 less cool than the Trooper uniform??), BioShock Big Daddy doll ($3), a slew of BioShock branded clothes ($2-$4) and of course other stupid things like popcorn and Q-tips ($1-2).
So what’s all this junk used for? Well, apparently Microsoft thinks we’d rather be playing with our avatars than real games. This move to me seems to be a good indication that we’re going to start seeing a lot more avatar integration in games and any other online socializing ideas that Microsoft has up its sleeves. Going to the virtual party with my online friends, dressed up as Obi Wan Kenobi? Count me in!
So get your scientific calculators out and crunch a few numbers to find out how many Microsoft Points you need to purchase to rock your avatar out like Marcus Fenix. Just don’t let your wife catch you doing it. If she asks, blame it on Doc.
| Related Posts:
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
I have no problem with purchasing good DLC. But the Avatar Marketplace is nothing more than a TAX on the F***ING STUPID.
Anyone who buys that usesless ‘digital’ clothing is an advert for natural selection.
Rob
Tax = required (unless you have really good accountants.)
I think this stuff is stupid, but I also think the whole avatar thing is sort of dumb–once I created mine (because you have to), I haven’t changed it.
At least these are totally optional. Some people obviously like to do things like this. I never understood why someone would pay 35/year for a perrsonalized license plate that says “MYCAR” either.
I recall an Ask the Dev in OXM pre-NXE where someone allegedly asked “Will we be able to buy clothing for our avatars?”
I’m more concerned about the whole concept of digital downloads, as evidenced by things like the fine print in Battlefield 1943: “EA may discontinue support of this game at any time with 30 days notice.”
I might be wrong, and I usually am, but didn’t Major Nelson state that they would never for clothing?
opps missed the word ‘charge’
even if MN did say that, they’d be crazy not to. Passing up all that money that Sony is easily making off of their avatars in Home.
All I want is a Big Daddy: Bouncer armour to go with my helmet, and my interactive item could be a murder-crazed splicer with fireballs that I could stick the big daddy’s bad-ass drill in.
Over half my friends brought clothes. Itold them it was a waste of money and they said to me “you cheap and poor the gears of war gear look great” the clothes are a waste of my money who is going to look at my anyway.
Thanks for the comments guys.
I think the idea of dressing up my wimpy avatar as marcus fenix would be “fun”, but for money? Eff that.