Microtransactions and arcade gaming

[Never_Scurred]

With arcade gaming well in the dirt in the US, why can't the big names start adding some older arcade exclusives to their rosters? I'm not talking about those old school atari like games, but maybe some of the more popular shmups, fighters, and puzzle games that never got a home release. I know that Mame and such would get in the way, but if they were to charge 50-75 cents per play plus one on one multiplayer or some other kind of added value, I think it would be a success.
As cynical as I want to be about this idea, on the other hand, it could work and maybe lead to the development of more games for those genres. It would be perfect if Sony were to adopt this strategy to combat XBLA.

What do you guys think?

[DJ Incompetent]

lol, for the old 50-75 cents a play? Hell no!

People still view online transactions differently from live on-the-spot money exchange. People generally really don't like paying basically any value for an online intangible product (especially since so many of us are used to jacking things for free). Your idea may have a better shot if it were like 1 cent or a nickel per play if introduced like that, especially since the games are far outdated. Doesn't XBL use a "points" system for all transactions anyway? I don't have a 360, so I'm not 100%. But if I'm right, the points label is a better way to distract users from noticing that they're paying actual cash for intangible products on-impulse.

Playing off your idea, I think a profitable business venture would be to take as many old arcade games as they can along with all old 2-4+ player games from all parts of the industry and reintroduce them with lag-free online multiplayer.

I think the first company to pull that off would gain the upper hand. Online Street Fighter 2 Turbo was a good start from what I hear.

[Darkhero]

Don't forget MvC2 and MvC Origins as well as Final Fight Double Impact. Konami even rereleased X-Men and Simpsons with online co-op but sadly those were pulled due to licensing deals running out. I wish more companies did this, but I understand the cost of having to run online servers for a niche game. We can only hope.

[drauch]

12 year necro, yeahhhhhh.

[Darkhero]

12 year necro, yeahhhhhh.

I could have sworn I saw this on the first page *facepalm*

[BrianC]

12 year necro, yeahhhhhh.

I missed this topic a long time ago and expected this topic to mention Double Dragon 3, a game where you paid real money for extra characters and moves in the US version. I know it's an old post, but it's a crime to mention arcade games and micro transactions without a single mention of Double Dragon 3 US.