Yuripaw said:
I don't really play many of these games, and from what I've seen of both of them, they're very similar in terms of presentation and gameplay. I don't know if it comes down to number of levels, but I heard the first deathsmiles was fairly short.
What makes a release like this worth pricing at $30, and yet you can find other games in the same genre release at $10?
Like what other people have said, it's about quality. It's not the amount of levels at all. If anything, having too many can be considered a drawback for some games in this genre--it's just about quality. For people used to spending a whole lot more to import these kinds of games, $30 dollars is as much a bargain as $10 is, too.
These games, like fighting games and other arcade-style games, are meant to be played many, many times over. They slowly evolve as people get better and learn more and more. Because of this, some eventually hit a wall, fizzle out, and die, while others continue to blossom, opening up in the hands of skilled players and remain entertaining. I'm not comparing DSIIX and TWN! specifically, but this is the easiest way to describe variances in quality without going into details about other factors such as gameplay mechanics, scoring systems, level and enemy design, bullet patterns, audiovisual presentation, additional modes and features, port accuracy, accessibility, etc.
Considering this genre's roots, it's important to think of quality a little differently. In an actual arcade, you have to carefully design your game. It has to be alluring, immediate, challenging but fair, satisfying, and deep enough to keep players coming back for more. Basically, it must good enough to keep players off other machines
forever. It isn't like how many modern console-style games are meant to be consumed one after the other, priming you for the biggest and baddest sequels yet.
