Simpsons Arcade on XBLA this Friday [Joystiq]

[DP ServBot]

PlayStation Plus users are getting Konami's 1991 classic, The Simpsons Arcade Game, for free, while XBLA users get it a few days early on February 3, according to Game Informer. The side-scrolling beat-em-up will set you back a cool 800 Microsoft Points ($9.99) and will also include new modes, the (rumored) Japanese version of the game, as well as four-player online co-op and bonus promotional material from the game's original release.

The last time we played this game, it was in the back of a Circle K next to the ICEE machine and a Street Fighter 2 cabinet. We'll be trying our best to recreate that experience by covering every surface of the office with a thin, sticky film. Mmmm, nostalgia.Simpsons Arcade on XBLA this Friday originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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[PapaStu]

About.fucking.time.

[wallydawg]

About.fucking.time.

This, and a million times more. I remember playing this just once when I was younger and I'm too stupid for MAME so I'm definitely stoked to finally be able to play this again.

[drthielegood]

Good game. Glad to see it released. A couple of things.



PSN+ = Sony's Pay Service = Members get it for free.
Xbox Live = MS's Pay Service = $10

I have LOVED my 360 for years but I am getting sick of being treated like I'm in an abusive relationship that I keep, stupidly, returning to.

Really Microsoft.....Really?



Bob

[Bojay1997]

Good game. Glad to see it released. A couple of things.



PSN+ = Sony's Pay Service = Members get it for free.
Xbox Live = MS's Pay Service = $10

I have LOVED my 360 for years but I am getting sick of being treated like I'm in an abusive relationship that I keep, stupidly, returning to.

Really Microsoft.....Really?



Bob

Not exactly a fair comparison. If you don't have PSN+ which is basically a paid game rental service where you don't necessarily choose what games you get to play free at any given time, it's $10 and you don't need a Xbox Live Gold (i.e. paid) membership to buy the game for $10 on Xbox Live. Also, if you cancel PSN+, you no longer have access to the game. So, it's nice if you are already a PSN+ member, but it's not like Microsoft is being any more unreasonable than Sony in this situation.

[Kitsune Sniper]

So this is why the views on my Simpsons playthrough soared.

[drthielegood]

Not exactly a fair comparison. If you don't have PSN+ which is basically a paid game rental service where you don't necessarily choose what games you get to play free at any given time, it's $10 and you don't need a Xbox Live Gold (i.e. paid) membership to buy the game for $10 on Xbox Live. Also, if you cancel PSN+, you no longer have access to the game. So, it's nice if you are already a PSN+ member, but it's not like Microsoft is being any more unreasonable than Sony in this situation.

Fair enough...but its getting harder and harder to justify my Gold subscription. From the ads, to the most recent dashboard update (which I'm not a fan of) to this sort of thing. I've probably bought more games for my 360 than I have for any system I've owned since the NES. This just makes me questions whether or not I'm going to stick with MS in the next gen.


Bob

[Bojay1997]

Fair enough...but its getting harder and harder to justify my Gold subscription. From the ads, to the most recent dashboard update (which I'm not a fan of) to this sort of thing. I've probably bought more games for my 360 than I have for any system I've owned since the NES. This just makes me questions whether or not I'm going to stick with MS in the next gen.


Bob

Sure, but the reality is that in the next console generation, Sony will likely require a paid subscription model as well, especially in light of their massive loss reported today. I actually don't have either XBL Gold or PSN+ anymore as I just don't like playing on-line very much, but I still buy plenty of download titles from both services.

[The 1 2 P]

PSN+ = Sony's Pay Service = Members get it for free.
Xbox Live = MS's Pay Service = $10

Well if you cancel PSN+ you can no longer play it. But if you buy it on XBL and cancel your gold membership you will still own this game and can play it anytime you want. As for the price, $10 isn't bad but if you don't feel like paying that much then wait alittle bit as there will definitely be a sale eventually. Last year a few months after X-Men: Arcade came out on XBL(also for $10/800 MP) it went on sale for around 75% off($2/160 MP I think). If you're patient the deals will come.

Fair enough...but its getting harder and harder to justify my Gold subscription. From the ads

You know you can turn those off right?

I must be the only core gamer that never played The Simpsons Arcade back in the day. I played all the other 4 and 6 player games but not this one. I suppose it didn't help that I also haven't liked the Simpsons since the first season of the show. But I will still pick this up once it hits a nice sale, if only for the Japanese version.

[kupomogli]

Not exactly a fair comparison. If you don't have PSN+ which is basically a paid game rental service where you don't necessarily choose what games you get to play free at any given time, it's $10 and you don't need a Xbox Live Gold (i.e. paid) membership to buy the game for $10 on Xbox Live. Also, if you cancel PSN+, you no longer have access to the game. So, it's nice if you are already a PSN+ member, but it's not like Microsoft is being any more unreasonable than Sony in this situation.

It's a paid rental service, yes, but it's a paid rental service that you get each and every item you've ever downloaded through. Even if your PSN+ ends and you later restore it, you can still redownload and play anything that you've previously had downloaded through PSN+.

Final Fantasy 5, Far Cry 2, Simpsons, and others are free this month. Spyro, Crash, and Syphon Filter series have all been free the last few months, as have Back to the Future episodes, Tomb Raider, Marvel Pinball, etc. I'm not a fan of digital download, but $50 for a year of free content, despite being rental only is a damn good deal.

What do you get with XBOX Live Gold? Deal of the week, cross game chat, the ability to play games online, and use Netflix(as long as you also have the subscription.) Microsoft is making bank on what you should already be getting for free.

[Bojay1997]

It's a paid rental service, yes, but it's a paid rental service that you get each and every item you've ever downloaded through. Even if your PSN+ ends and you later restore it, you can still redownload and play anything that you've previously had downloaded through PSN+.

Final Fantasy 5, Far Cry 2, Simpsons, and others are free this month. Spyro, Crash, and Syphon Filter series have all been free the last few months, as have Back to the Future episodes, Tomb Raider, Marvel Pinball, etc. I'm not a fan of digital download, but $50 for a year of free content, despite being rental only is a damn good deal.

What do you get with XBOX Live Gold? Deal of the week, cross game chat, the ability to play games online, and use Netflix(as long as you also have the subscription.) Microsoft is making bank on what you should already be getting for free.

With PSN+ you only get to use the games for as long as you are subscribed. So, yes, if you quit and then pay to join again, you get access to those previously downloaded games, but again, you can only play the downloads if you are current on your subscription. The only exception to this is games you purchase with the PSN+ discount which you keep regardless of your later subscription status. I just think that buying a subscription plan to a game rental service where I don't even get a choice of what I can rent seems really silly.

Microsoft didn't trick anyone into buying their console on the premise that on-line services would be free. In fact, they were very upfront about the fact that it would not be free. The reality is that servers and the support and development work that goes in to an effective on-line service cost money. Sony knows this and yet decided that they would cover those costs to gain some kind of competitve advantage over Microsoft. At least in the United States their gamble failed.

You can applaud Sony all you want, but without a viable financial model for video gaming, they will not be able to provide anything to anyone. They are planning on a $2.9 billion loss this year. This is the fourth year they have had massive losses. According to their financial disclosures, a significant contributor to those losses was cutting the price of the PS3 to $250. Those kinds of losses aren't sustainable and you can bet on the fact that the PS4 will have a pay on-line component just like the next Xbox will. Sony can't and won't keep losing money and if they can't find a way to become profitable, there will be no more Sony consoles and possibly no more Sony down the line.