High Dollar Hijinks
By: Scott Gerhardt 

10.13.04  Those of you who read my Vs. System article yesterday know I'm in a griping mood.  One of those moods where I'm finding things that are irritating me and I write about them.  Well, there are definitely a few of of these issues in MegaMan, so why not take some time to get a few things off my chest.  Okay....here goes:

Number one - the price of the cards.  Yes, I know that Decipher does not control the secondary market - that is done by the players.  But, when you print cards that you're only going to open one of in approximately 230 packs (these numbers based on my opening of a few cases, and the chances of finding any particular ultra rare from Power Up! in a booster packs), how can you expect the prices for these cards to be reasonable.  You can't, and that's a problem.  In other games, you can reasonably try to get lucky.  Even the hardest to find Magic cards (non-foil) can be found by a 1:88 chance - about 2.61 times better than getting any Ultra Rare, and about 1.30 times better than getting any Super Rare.  If you want a game to have any real tournament viability, you need to make the cards more accessible to the players.  I have no problem with supply and demand on a normal card driving it's price up to the $20 or so range, but that's due to extremely high demand on a very popular CCG.  Like it or not, this is not the most popular CCG, and even the really bad ultra rares are running $15 and up.  That says something about the game.

Number two - secret rares.  I hate this concept.  For those of you unaware, there are 2 secret rares in both Power Up! and Grand Prix.  They are Clear Victory and Reckless  in Power Up!, and Attentive Opponent and Do-Si-Do in Grand Prix.  These cards are apparently SO secret, that Decipher doesn't even list them on their website?  What's with that?  On top of that, they're non-foil, and not that good.  I don't so much mind them not being amazing - they'd be hard to find....or are they?  Well, in the last 2 cases I have opened, I have found 9.  That's a ratio of 1 in 64.  Split them up, and now you're looking at 1 in 128 odds of finding either one.  That's still better than the 1 in 230 of finding any Ultra Rare.  So....what's the big secret?  You printed 2 extra cards per set and made them non-premium, not good, and hard to find.  Wheeee.....

Number three - the art.  If this game never really takes off, I can tell you one thing - the art is a HUGE part of it.  It's a bunch of show clips slammed on cards.  You know, I hate that.  BUT, I will go so far as to say it's acceptable.  They wanna do it, sure - that's fine.  Just do me a favor....AT LEAST CHANGE THE ART SOMETIMES.

Examples:

Here we have Spikey.  Spikey is one of the new viruses you can find in Grand Prix.  He's not really that good, but it's a neat new picture of a cyber-dog-looking-thing, right?

Oh yeah that's right - it's just the same artwork that already existed on Heatshot, with a barely changed background.

Come on.  If you're gonna make a real game, please at least make it look like you're trying with the art.  You really do have a good game here - don't screw it up by making your game look like it was assembled by Ms. Wiliiams' Third Grade class.

Now I'm not all negative.  Well, I am this week. :)  Next week I'll come down off my soap box and provide a little more strategy and a little less rant.

Now onto the, "The views and opinions expressed by Scott Gerhardt do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Pojo.com" section.

Begin political rant

I just got done watching this pompous windbag named John Edwards on The Tonight Show.  For those of you who don't know what the Kerry/Edwards ticket is based on, Edwards laid it all out on the line.  It's nothing but a bunch of personal attacks with a random mention of wanting the government to run health care.  That's all we need - to be Canada.  When about 45% of your pay goes to taxes so you can get some really bad medical care, I say no.  I kinda like having a competent, well-paid doctor.  Not sure I want to go into work and deal with some doctor making about the same money I do, who doesn't really care about his diagnosis because his 10 years of college schooling went into a job that can barely pay back their student loans.

On top of all this, John Kerry keeps talking about "A Plan".  Let me tell you the Kerry/Edwards plan.

Step 1 - Lie to you and tell you he won't raise taxes

Step 2 - Tell you Bush is incompetent in foreign affairs, and continue to attack any way they can, regardless of if it means making stuff up.

Step 3 - Get elected, raise taxes, cut military funding, and make a REAL mess out of Iraq.

Step 4 - Start the lies all over again in 2008.

Guys, there are two people out there running for President.  One has a proven track record of going in and taking care of what needs to be done.  We haven't had a terrorist attack since 9/11, and it's because we have a president willing to kick ass and take names.  The terrorists couldn't do something if they wanted to.  We have a hunter - a president willing to go in and take care of the business of keeping us safe.  He knows what is in the best interests of the American people, and he works day in and day out to keep our country safe. 

I would be very scared to live in this day and age with John Kerry as president.

Let me say this again.

I would be very scared to live in this day and age with John Kerry as president.

He can't keep a position, and has shown that he is very weak on Global policy as it pertains to the evil in this world.  Al Queda, Iraq, and North Korea stand to run us all down if Kerry is elected, and I hope to god that doesn't happen.  Right now I don't wake up in the morning scared for my life.  I fear that a Kerry presidency would do just that.

For those of you who can vote, I urge you to vote Bush.  For those of you who can't, I urge you to talk to those who can and get them to vote Bush.

it's been said the youth of America are what will decide this election.  Prove you have the power.  Prove you have the convictions.  On November 2nd, go tell those terrorists that they can stick it right up their ass.

Please check out http://georgewbush.com/  They will tell you better than I possibly can how terrible Kerry is for us.

End of political rant.

Oh yeah - buy your cards from www.ShuffleAndCut.com.  Support small business. :)

Until next time, keep playing!