It just makes zero sense to charge more for a game rental than full ownership, yet this issue litters PS Now in its current form. Dead Island: Riptide? $24.99 for a 90-day rental on PS Now, but only $21.20 to buy your own disc on Amazon (opens in new tab). Darksiders 2? Same price for a rental, compared to $18.86 (opens in new tab) for a physical copy. Even Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition is edged out when it comes to cost. A 90-day rental for $22.90 is a weird price in and of itself, and that’s also undercut at $20.98 by Amazon (opens in new tab) for the whole shebang. This forces the consumer to choose between hunting down a physical copy for cheaper, or paying more for instant, time-limited access.

Those are the most egregious price disparities, but there are some decent values here. Alone in the Dark: Inferno will cost you just $4.99 for a 90-day rental, while buying it Amazon (opens in new tab) will run you around $40. As long as you can finish a game within 90 days, a rental like this is a great value. And this doesn’t just apply to full-price retail releases; downloadable games like Bloodrayne: Betrayal and Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 are just $3.99 for a week-long rental (plenty of time to finish either) versus $9.99 for full purchases.

Thing is, several titles are priced so unwisely that just springing an extra few bucks will get you the full game. Killzone 3 is $14.99 for a 90-day rental, and just $18.99 on Amazon. (opens in new tab) Twisted Metal has the same rental price, and only $15.80 online (opens in new tab). This slight price difference is enough to sway many away from a rental.

This pricing disparity must be overcome because, simply put, there are better ways for PS Now to function. Is the answer a subscription model? That could work–a flat, monthly fee for unlimited rentals, like Gamefly’s model, can sate even the hungriest Sony fanboy. And a flat subscription fee would make the value of individual rentals irrelevant. An all-encompassing price versus standalone rentals is just a smarter way for gamers to spend their hard-earned money. It’s a value proposition that appeals to both thrifty gamers and hardcore fans.

But whose responsibility is it to keep these prices fair and balanced? Who has to decide among individual rentals, subscriptions, or deepening the catalogue? Sony. PS Now isn’t something you look at and think, “Look at all those Way Forward games” or, “Wow, Square Enix titles!” This is a Sony PlayStation venture. Sony is a used car salesman here, and only the worst salesman in the world would charge more for a rental car than a brand new car of the same model.

In its current (and yes, still beta) form, PlayStation Now just doesn’t seem like all that great of a deal. It’s Sony’s responsibility to remedy this by simply offering reasonable, competitive prices across the board. Otherwise, PlayStation Now might never get off the ground–and that would be awful news in an age when digital downloads are so much more convenient than physical media.

The post Why inconsistent pricing is Playstation Nows biggest hurdle appeared first on Game News.

And that’s all we can say while remaining PG about it. For the full, secret, sexy ulterior motive behind the game’s release date check out the video.

This is just one chunk of our full interview with Jaffe, which will be posted later this week. Be sure to swing back then for the full thing to find out more, including why Jaffe would compare Twisted Metal to Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

The post David Jaffe reveals the sexy secret motive behind Twisted Metals Valentines Day release date appeared first on Game News.

It’s a given that Twisted Metal will be returning to redefine destruction and mayhem, but should it do so against the backdrop of a flaming cityscape? Some tasteful rubble, or a sexy Dollface pose? Or some combination of the above? Jaffe’s currently displaying all the options on his blog (opens in new tab), alongside a poll to help decide the best candidate. You won’t win anything if you choose wisely… aside, we suppose, from enticing more players, with whom you can then match-up when the title’s released in February of next year.

The post Twisted Metal: Jaffe appeals to players for help with the box art appeared first on Game News.

The game was originally due on October 4, 2011, and as co-director of the project Jaffe was able to speak on behalf of the Eat Sleep Play team saying the move “will allow us the extra time needed to polish our demented baby until it shines.” And although it’s disappointing when any game gets pushed back, it’s better that Jaffe’s baby come out with maximum shininess a few months late, rather than lackluster and premature.

On the bright side, Twisted Metal will have a strong presence at PAX Prime and Gamescom, where Jaffe promises the team will be showing off a new Team Hunted mode, a new level called Thrills & Spills Amusement Park, and the Dollface story trailer. Until we learn more from the conferences, you can check out the extended gameplay trailer (opens in new tab), which ends with a very confident — but now very wrong — “10.4.11.”

Aug 5, 2011

Source:PlayStation Blog (opens in new tab)

The game was originally due on October 4, 2011, and as co-director of the project Jaffe was able to speak on behalf of the Eat Sleep Play team saying the move “will allow us the extra time needed to polish our demented baby until it shines.” And although it’s disappointing when any game gets pushed back, it’s better that Jaffe’s baby come out with maximum shininess a few months late, rather than lackluster and premature.

On the bright side, Twisted Metal will have a strong presence at PAX Prime and Gamescom, where Jaffe promises the team will be showing off a new Team Hunted mode, a new level called Thrills & Spills Amusement Park, and the Dollface story trailer. Until we learn more from the conferences, you can check out the extended gameplay trailer (opens in new tab), which ends with a very confident — but now very wrong — “10.4.11.”

Aug 5, 2011

Source:PlayStation Blog (opens in new tab)

The game was originally due on October 4, 2011, and as co-director of the project Jaffe was able to speak on behalf of the Eat Sleep Play team saying the move “will allow us the extra time needed to polish our demented baby until it shines.” And although it’s disappointing when any game gets pushed back, it’s better that Jaffe’s baby come out with maximum shininess a few months late, rather than lackluster and premature.

On the bright side, Twisted Metal will have a strong presence at PAX Prime and Gamescom, where Jaffe promises the team will be showing off a new Team Hunted mode, a new level called Thrills & Spills Amusement Park, and the Dollface story trailer. Until we learn more from the conferences, you can check out the extended gameplay trailer (opens in new tab), which ends with a very confident — but now very wrong — “10.4.11.”

Aug 5, 2011

Source:PlayStation Blog (opens in new tab)

The game was originally due on October 4, 2011, and as co-director of the project Jaffe was able to speak on behalf of the Eat Sleep Play team saying the move “will allow us the extra time needed to polish our demented baby until it shines.” And although it’s disappointing when any game gets pushed back, it’s better that Jaffe’s baby come out with maximum shininess a few months late, rather than lackluster and premature.

On the bright side, Twisted Metal will have a strong presence at PAX Prime and Gamescom, where Jaffe promises the team will be showing off a new Team Hunted mode, a new level called Thrills & Spills Amusement Park, and the Dollface story trailer. Until we learn more from the conferences, you can check out the extended gameplay trailer (opens in new tab), which ends with a very confident — but now very wrong — “10.4.11.”

Aug 5, 2011

Source:PlayStation Blog (opens in new tab)

The post Twisted Metal delayed till early 2012 appeared first on Game News.