There's a preview in the newest Game Informer that states that the 360 version will ship with some exclusive songs, as well as the PS2 version tracklist. They also stated that extra songs will be available on the marketplace for $1-5 a piece, as well as song packs for a discount.

I'm new to this 360 thing, and know that microtransactions can nickel and dime someone to death, but if it adds content to a game that wasn't originally planned (ie, new songs), then I'm totally down with it. I'm still playing the original GH every couple days, and it's still not old.

If a single song costs $5 on the Marketplace there is no way in hell I will bother with the 360 version.

Okay so it comes with exclusive tracks plus the PS2 tracklist. But because they're offering you extra songs on the 360 for some cash you're not down with it. gotta love that logic

I'm sure the "packs" will be more reasonably priced. Maybe $10 for 3 or 4 songs. I can see myself and many other diehard GH fans not minding paying $5 for a single new song. A single song can extend the life of the game a lot, especially if you play a lot of multiplayer.

I don't know how this bodes for Live play, if that's even going to be implemented. I'm sure both people would have to own the extra content in order to play it. Could make things weird.

I think I still just get the basic game and the advanced pack when it comes out. I may get those other add-ons later. A dollar per song is too much. It's not like I can put these on my mp3 player.

Since you can do custom soundtracks with the 360, couldn't you just, you know, add your own tracks? or am I totally off base. I played Lumines once on the PSP as a rental, but it's been a while.

I don't think it will work that way. The songs are synced with the graphics.

ahh.... gotcha.

My Lumines Review is up for those interested: http://www.videogametalk.com/read.php?ID=503

Short version: Excellent Game, Vastly Overpriced for Xbox Live Arcade.

does anyone think that over time, XBL content will price drop like hard media does? I'd never thought of that before...

Nice review. The fact that they are charging 1200 points for what sounds like a demo of the full game has really soured me on this one. It's even worse that there are 3 separate add-ons required to get the full experience. If they eventually drop the prices (1200 points for the basic game plus all add-ons), I might pick it up, but their current approach seems really shady to me, especially for those who are not as savvy as us and might not realize that they are buying a very limited version of the game.

I've yet to see any drop in price (even stupid things like horse armor in Oblivion) and i personally can't imagine they will. It is not like they need to clear out physical inventory or something, the files just take up some small space on a server somewhere and if they later on get some suckers to bite - so be it.

That being said did the Outfit do something like make their pay maps free after several months?

I really wish I hadn't gotten this when it became available .. since the base game is little more than a demo .. perhaps L&O can contact someone at M$ and find out why they are handling this product in this manner.

I'll drop him a note and see what's up... don't expect much other than your standard marketing reply though...but I'll pry.

Um.. Prolly because running a business is all about the mighty $$ and if people will buy it that's they way they will do it. What kind of answer are you looking for?

noise noise noise...........man you got a shitty attitude

Let's allow L&O to make his little phone call and feel important for a minute before he comes back with nothing

My hope is that this game fails compared to what they are hoping to achieve with this release.

Maybe then they would see that they can't get away with the direction this microtransaction stuff is going.

I was excited about this game when I first heard about it.

When I read the news that it would cost 1200 and then 600 to get the full expeience, I was still excited, but less so.

With the revealtion that you have to spend 2500 points to get the full experience, my excitement turned to disgust. It's too bad... I really wanted to purchase this game as well.

And before I get jumped on, no, it isn't totally because of the cost. That is a factor, but it was the implementation that left a bad taste in my mouth.

Had they come out and released the game as a whole in the arcade for 2500 points, or better yet for that much, put out a $25-$30 Disc of the game in retail stores, I would have had a better feeling about this release.

You know, I have no problem buying a Disc with games like this. I don't know why but buying them as a download for X amount of points just doesn't do it for me.

Wait for my review next time.

I'm a cheap bastard when it comes to points, even if L&O works his voodoo magic for a review copy.

Totally agree. It's all about the value that we perceive. A $29.99 Xbox 360 disc in the midst of all those $59.99 releases naturally seems like a much better deal than an intangible $30+ Arcade game.

BTW, the 400 point pack with the Puzzles / Missions can easily be skipped. Those are the two lamest modes in the game, IMHO. But it pains me that the other two packs aren't already built into the game for its high cost.

What is the file size of the barebones Lumines? I wonder if the Live Arcade file size requirements had anything to do with the way they released this (in addition to the obvious milking-people-for-money reason)?

Yes, that's a strong possibility. It's a little over the Max size of 50 Meg.

All this new marketplace talk stuff is depressing me

Here's the response from Microsoft...

“Lumines Live!” is a complete, finished game for Xbox Live Arcade. All of the game modes, Live-enabled features and Achievements are in the game, along with brand new features like a Skin Edit mode and Mission mode. Below is a full feature list of the base game that is available now on Xbox Live!:



* Full online and offline multiplayer play on the same console OR over Xbox Live – battle your friends head to head in VS Mode
* Classic Lumines gameplay, including Challenge, Time Attack, Puzzle, VS, and VS CPU modes
* All-new Skin Edit mode allows you to re-mix the order of your unlocked skins to create a custom Lumines experience
* All-new Mission mode presents player with pre-designed Lumines puzzle scenarios
* Dynamic skins, sound effects and music optimized specifically for “Lumines Live!” in high-definition graphics and 5.1 channel surround audio
* Extensive downloadable content support over Xbox Live Marketplace – add new skins, puzzles, missions, artist packs and more
* Full suite of online leaderboards – compare your score against a wide audience and find out how good you really are, including the ability to download the top entries on the Time Attack leaderboard and view them on your Xbox 360
* Achievements and Gamerscore





Xbox Live offers both free and premium content on Xbox Live Marketplace to enhance and extend your gaming and entertainment experience.



In addition to the premium content, Microsoft continues to offer free content on Xbox Live Marketplace and Xbox Live Arcade, including “TotemBall” and “Texas Hold ‘em,” which was free for the first 48 hours following launch. “Lumines Live!” is a full Xbox Live Arcade game priced at 1200 Microsoft Points. The Advance Pack and other downloadable content are optional packs that extend particular components of the gaming experience that gamers desire.

Wait... what? XBLA games can only be a max of 50MB per download?

That max download bit because the core lacks a hard drive i have a feeling is going to come back to bite them when the "core" PS3 doesn't have that restriction due to actually having a harddrive. The two skus thing sucked in the beginning and sucks now.