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FEATURE Going Up In Steam When it comes to pricing on Steam, different publishers take different approaches. JAMES PINNELL brings us a rundown on which publishers are the friendliest to your wallet. The Steam Christmas sale has been and gone, and many of us are playing catch up with quite a few titles that we otherwise would never have bought. While digital distribution is building in popularity, Australians still face some hefty mark-ups on the Steam store, due in part to regulations that prevent publishers undercutting brick and mortar competition. In an attempt to solidify our frustrations, we decided to take a stroll through the Steam Store and critique publishers on their ability to charge fair and equitable prices to Australian users. All prices are correct at time of writing, although things can and do change quickly online. (All prices listed are $USD). STEAM Report Card Bethesda FALLOUT NEW VEGAS Comments: The guys behind Fallout 3 and Elder Scrolls have picked up their game as of late. While their original Fallout 3 pricing was a little silly, they have moved back towards the centre and matched price parity for most titles between the AU/US stores. The main exception is Fallout: New Vegas, which sits at a rather expensive $89.95. Of concern is that New Vegas initially appeared on Australia’s Steam store at $49.95, equal to the American pricing, only to receive a $40 bump close to release. Bethesda’s two main upcoming titles, Brink and Hunted: The Demon’s Forge, are both $49.99 to pre-order. If you’re interested in either we’d suggest you pre-order them now, as the same price bump is likely to occur closer to release. Grade: A B C D E F STEAM Report Card 2K Games BIOSHOCK 2 Comments: 2K is one of the bigger players on Steam and takes full advantage of its market position, with some significant price differences. While Americans can purchase Civ V for $49.99, Australians pay $79.99. While Americans pay $29.99 for Mafia 2, Australians pay $79.99. While Americans pay a paltry $19.99 for BioShock 2, Australians pay $49.99. Discounts are few and far between, except during Steam-instigated sales. Release date differences are also a cause for concern, with those who purchased Civ V at retail in Australia unable to play the game until it was unlocked for Australians the next day. 2K is easily one of the worst performers on Steam. This kind of pricing gives the consumer little reason to lay down their credit card. Grade: A B C D E F 12 www.pixelhunt.com.au JANUARY 2011
TRANSFORMERS: WAR FOR CYBERTRON STEAM Report Card Activision Comments: Although nowhere near as bad as 2K Games, Activision won’t exactly have you running for your credit card. James Bond: Blood Stone sits at the same price as retail, whereas Modern Warfare 2 is still on $89.99, at least $20 above retail, more if you don’t mind buying second hand. Other titles like Transformers: War for Cybertron and Prototype thankfully match US store pricing. Despite being an unpopular player, Activision isn’t too bad. However, their offerings are slim, and they tend to hold onto higher prices for popular games. Grade: A B C D E F STEAM Report Card Sony Online Comments: A Veteran MMORPG developer, Sony has released their entire set of still currently running MMORPG’s for download on Steam. Sony always group AU based accounts with their US counterparts, and as a result, there is no difference in price, or release date. Feel safe in your purchase of the upcoming DC Universe MMO, for you will not be ripped off. Grade: A B C D E F STEAM Report Card Capcom Comments: Capcom have definitely improved their stock over the past year, dropping their pricing back to US standards, running fantastic periodic discounts and generally presenting as a poster child for a fair go. Almost all of their games match their US pricing, and are cheaper than retail – nothing in the store is more then $40, including games like Street Fighter IV, Resident Evil 5, Bionic Commando and Dark Void. Even the fairly recent Dead Rising 2 sits pretty at $39.99 Grade: A B C D E F STEAM Report Card Lucasarts Comments: Lucasarts had a shaky start on Steam, with many of their games originally locked out to AU players. But, since a lot of publishers began re-evaluating their digital catalogue, all of their games have been released to users and price parity is spot on. They also offer some great periodical discounts and have some great packages available. Grade: A B C D E F STEAM Report Card Codemasters Comments: A relatively large UK based publisher, Codemasters has a mixed record when it comes to fair pricing; F12010 is more expensive on the AU store, by about $20, but the majority of their popular back catalogue (GRID, Dirt Series, Overload, Op:FP2) are more fairly priced. Credit where credit is due, their AU levy is lower than most on new releases, but the fact it happens is still poor. Grade: A B C D E F Australia’s best gaming -zine www.PIXELHUNT.com.AU 13
Page 1 and 2: PS3 360 Wii PC MOBILE OPINIONS FEAT
Page 3 and 4: contents ISSUE 13 JANUARY 2011 Publ
Page 5 and 6: Garbage Tips Around the World Appea
Page 7 and 8: NIER Developer Cavia Publisher Squa
Page 9 and 10: YORDA If the player is to care abou
Page 11: like Cortana in Halo, the dependabl
Page 15 and 16: STEAM Report Card Paradox Interacti
Page 17 and 18: Always call ‘shotgun’ in MAFIA
Page 19 and 20: Only Nintendo got it right, offerin
Page 21 and 22: For our money, this console generat
Page 23 and 24: ASSASSIN’S CREED BROTHERHOOD Deve
Page 25 and 26: QUESTIONS & ANSWERS PROFESSOR PIXEL
Page 27 and 28: ON THE HUNT PATRICK LANG Deadly Pre
Page 29 and 30: it was enough to make me fling a hi
Page 31 and 32: ASSASSIN’S CREED BROTHERHOOD MEDA
Page 33 and 34: When I say that games are getting l

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