DS Daily: Exclusives
by Alisha Karabinus 
{ Jun 27th 2008 at 8:00AM }
Doesn't it just drive you nuts when a game is an exclusive, like the recent Soul Bubbles seems to be? It seems like a poor choice for the studios; their game may get an extra mention or two, but people still have to go out of their way if they want it, and the chances of stumbling across a game that's exclusive to a particular retailer are smaller. But we've seen a lot of dumb decisions, so it doesn't really surprise us. What we want to know this morning is: do you ever go out of your way to buy exclusives? If yes, when was the last time you did so?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
jax @ Jun 27th 2008 9:11AM
I don't think it is a "choice" from the studios. It's more a lack of money or lack of motivation for marketting/distribution that leads to exclusives. They are easier to sell, there's only 1 distributor to convince. Looks like a lack of confidence or intelligence from Eidos.
Pizza Pasta @ Jun 27th 2008 9:45AM
I got Chibi-Robo Park Patrol from Wal-Mart.
bombchu @ Jun 27th 2008 10:56AM
Same~
raindog @ Jun 28th 2008 1:24AM
Ditto. I don't know if I would do the same nowadays because getting help in the Wal-Mart electronics department is kind of like a less structured DMV experience.
Sakura3210 @ Jun 27th 2008 9:46AM
If I buy an exclusive is based on whether a) I can access the store, and b) If I like the store.
I liked the sound of the Chibi Robot game, for example, but because it didn't fit either a or b, I never bought it.
jax @ Jun 27th 2008 11:59AM
Sakura: that's pretty sad not to buy an exclusive game because of reason b).
Chibi Robot and Soul Bubbles are both quirky and interesting games with limited backup from conservative publishers. They should be bought by all means to encourage this kind of game and tell the publisher they can publish more of those.
Red @ Jun 27th 2008 12:39PM
Ditto on your A/B criteria. Chibi Robot...kinda-sorta interested me, but there's honestly not a Walmart for miles around where I currently am, and the store itself wasn't thrilling enough for me to get in a car and drive for a couple of hours. (And that's not getting into the sleaziness/unfortunate slice of humanity/business practices element.) I'd drive if the store in question was really awesome, and at least one store comes to mind. But, Walmart is many things, but really awesome it ain't.
That being said and done, there's a Toys R Us pretty close to where I'm at, so if I get funding going I'm likely to go grab Soul Bubbles.
Roto13 @ Jun 27th 2008 12:25PM
I've never actually seen an exclusive game I wanted to buy.
LocalToast @ Jun 27th 2008 12:44PM
Soul Bubbles is only at Toys R Us? I'll have to keep my eyes peeled... I can't wait to get that game.
Oh, and I'm pretty sure Chibi-Robo was sold at Walmart for some "green" "eco-friendly" campaign with planting trees or something. I read something like that in Nintendo Power.
Morose @ Jun 28th 2008 12:07PM
Chibi Robo: Park Patrol was the first exclusive game I can recall buying. it wasn't a huge hassle for me, as wal-mart is nearby and I was shopping there anyway for other things, but Raindog is right about how hard it is to actually get the game in your hands once you're at wal-mart. I waited for 20 minutes while they tracked down the one person in the store with the key to the game-cabinet. still, it was a great game, so it was worth it.
Toys R Us, on the other hand, is slightly out of my way, and the last time I went in there it had a creepy dilapidated-amusement-park vibe to it that made me have doubts about shopping there and explained why it was prettymuch devoid of children. As interesting as Soul Bubbles is to me, and as much as i want to play it, it isn't enough to get me to go back in there.
Thankfully, it's available through Amazon.com, so I'll still get to play it.