Steel Battalion (Free market or profiteering)

B

blackbull

Guest
At the end of last year I "spoke" in a thread re this game I am now pleased to say I was one of the lucky few who did pre order a copy of the PAL version and got it on the day of release (well I ended up with two!! but I declined one from Another World on mail order for £170 inc. P+P) I got one from a local independent store for £130 much better!!.
Steel Battalion/Tekki was the single biggest reason I went for the Xbox as opposed to the PS2. I was wondering how any of you've found the game in the long term? also I must say I am really ****** off with what looks like blatent profiteering to me with the amount of factory fresh examples on sale on ebay, at one point I really wasn't sure I would get a copy of the game at all, and then I had the opportunity to profit but declined to knowing how ****ed off I was when I thought would have to go to the 2nd hand market to get one at inflated prices.
Surely as the game was of relatively "limited" appeal all these factory fresh examples were bought buy retailers or staff to then be sold on without any intention of playing them while genuine puchasers have been left high and dry and at the hands of these profiters. I was wondering everyone take is on the situation?
 
I think its ridiculous that people are selling used PAL versions for up to £300 (on Amazon marketplace, anyway)

But...what can we do about it? Retailers won't say '1 per household' and developers don't have the power to do the same. Nothing the consumer can do either - if you want it, you pay what you can afford, within reason, if you think its worth the money. If not, you don't buy it.
 
£300 bloody hell!! I hadn't looked on Amazon I wonder how many actually came into the country but as you say people pay what they are prepared to.
 
Just had another look on Amazon and there are no 2nd hand copies left - and 16 people are waiting for one :rolleyes:

I don't know how many were released (don't own an Xbox and don't really keep myself up-to-date with it) but I know it was a low figure (maybe 20,000?)

Its a ridiculous marketing move by Microsoft IMO to create a false-demand so that so many customers are left wanting a unit. How many times has this happened before? Radiant Silvergun? Samba De Amigo? The list is probably endless...

IMO it'll get re-released in under a year (without being in limited figures) and watch it shoot to the top of the charts and stay there for weeks :mad:
 
Originally posted by RL123


IMO it'll get re-released in under a year (without being in limited figures) and watch it shoot to the top of the charts and stay there for weeks :mad:

Hopefully. Because then ill buy a copy. No way would i pay that much for one
 
There is no excuse other than greed and money-grabbing for hyping a game so badly, then trickling out a few thousand copies over here. Its a slap in the face for gamesplayers who then have to shell out double the rrp (and more) just to play a game that they may not even like (a lot of reviews said it was too difficult and very flawed)

There's nothing wrong with limited edition versions of games (ie special artwork, bonus discs etc) and then selling a regular version but to make a game in such short supply is totally wrong IMO.

Imagine if 50,000 copies of the Lord Of The Rings DVD were released - there would be so much public outcry and protesting from the consumer. But it happens in the gaming world every year or so and is just 'one of those things' :rolleyes: :mad:
 
I did hear that only 1500 copies of this title were produced, I may be wrong tho` :rolleyes:


Spoony.
 
1500 is the figure I keep hearing coming up but I do not know if this was for the UK or all of Europe? Still no comments from fellow owners I know its rare but surely not that rare!!
 
Yes it is rare, but i`m damned if i`m having that monstrosity of a controller in my living room! :laugh:

Joke by the way, just not my cup of tea mech` stuff.


Spoony.
 
I know what you mean I really don't have anywhere to keep it. To be honest Mech stuff has never interested me before but I was swayed by the sheer ambition of the product after reading about it in Edge about a year ago.
 
There was 2000 PAL copies of SB shipped into the UK. Most of the pre orders seem to have been filled by shop employees who have bought multiple copies at discounted rate and proceeded to flog them for a hefty markup on EBay.
I was fortunate to get my copy ordered early from Amazon.
It's a unique gaming experience even compared to VO:OT on the DC with Twin Sticks.
Longer term playbility may not be so good but there is a sequel to look forward to and there is a third party game that uses the peripheral in the works.
 
CMcK, thanks for the info. Do you know who is the other developer involved in making a game for the controller? thats great news, more justification for my purchase Lets hope they do a good job. Of course if more such games are developed it should increase the chances of the controller being manufactured and retailed as a product in its own right and becoming some sort of standard for such games.
 
Its a free market thing, supply and demand, happened with the PS-2 when it came out in the UK.

Neil.
 
Well,

If anyone is interested, I think my mate might be selling his copy, if anyone is interested, let me know and I will pass on the information. Cheers.
 
Originally posted by NeilMcRae
Its a free market thing, supply and demand, happened with the PS-2 when it came out in the UK.

Neil.

Also happened with just about every major hardware release over the last 10 years or so - remember the N64 PAL launch?

20,000 units at launch, naturally sold out in minutes, and Nintendo hail it as the biggest, fastest selling pal console of all time. :rolleyes: I bet 2/3 of those were pre-orders as well.


I think I heard 1500-2000 units as well. Certainly sounds familiar but I can't be certain.
 
Those Mech games don't appeal to me and I'm sure don't usually sell that well in the UK usually either.

If I was running a software company in Japan making a game that requires a huge £100 controller I don't think I'd ship that many to a country that has previously shown little or no interest in the genre.

The exclusivity of it has, without doubt, pushed up demand. I found myself thinking 'humm, limited availability.. collectability.....might just buy that fella'. Until I realised I don't actually like the genre.... and It would only collect dust for a day or so until I decided to sell it at an inflated price :)
 
Hey I have nothing against the limited run (I may feel differently if I didn't have a copy of the game) it is, and always a game with a limited market in the US and UK and from what I've read they could well be making a loss on each one (is that true?) but it was the fact that people involved in retail obviously saw a way to make even more cash for themselves at my expense.
 
stunning experience.:) I've been throgh a coule of US version but now have one to keep for the sequel (online goodness hopefully)
As for the rip-off..well if people really wanted it then they should have pre-ordered from somewhere at the R.R.P, I did and got it on day one (I bought a UK one aswell) at £129.99.
Anyone that had interest would have had a pretty good idea how rare this was going to be - this is tightwad Britain remember so I dont blame MS/Capcom for not allocating thousands of units..

My understading was 1400 units were shipped into UK and 1100 were allocated to GAME.

BUT..for those that dont know, a second shipment was due into GAME over the next coule of weeks from what I hear..(unless it has already happened of course)
 
museumsteve have you completed the game if so how many missions are there? 3 copies of the game must be some sort of record!! Having got my copy and enjoyed it for a month I realise I am not so angry at Capcom/MS as you are right as someone who took a relative long term interest in the game I did see inflated prices ahead and thats why like yourself I chose to pre order but I am still upset with the members of staff of GAME and other retailers who could take advantage of their jobs to a) definately be able to get them cheaper than the RRP and b) then sell them off for profit to potential saps like me!!:)
 

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