Ah, the gaming community, where folks will spend an arm and a leg for a sliver of nostalgia. But even nostalgia has its limits, especially when it comes to "Shark! Shark!"—the game that dares to redefine the price-to-playtime ratio in all the wrong ways.
Let's talk numbers. A recent playthrough by good friend of the channel Slopes Game Room lasted around 35 minutes, with others clocking in at roughly the same time. And how much does this quick aquatic jaunt cost you? Not a mere five bucks as you might hope, but a hefty $15 ($20 in Canada!).
Math isn't my strong suit, but that's like .60 cents per minute of gameplay. Who knew virtual sharks could be so pricey? Shark! Shark! on Steam is embarrassingly overpriced.
Now, before we dive any deeper, remember that "Shark! Shark!" was once promised as a $5 exclusive for the mythical Intellivision Amico—a console that seems to exist more in rumors than in reality. Ah, the good ol' days when "Shark! Shark!" was poised to be affordable and exclusive. Now it's neither.
But let's get back to the outrageous pricing. In the vast universe of Steam, where exceptional titles like Bioshock and GTA come bundled for less than $10, it's bewildering that this flash game reject is going for $15. Even the cult members advocating for this game are off their rockers. They claim it harkens back to the "good old days" of gaming, but there's a cornucopia of retro-styled games on Steam that are both cheaper and, dare I say, better.
So, whether "Shark! Shark!" is a lesson in questionable value, a glaring case study in marketing blunders, or a cautionary tale about misplaced nostalgia, it's clear that this game has swum into waters far too deep for its own good. And let's not forget: this was supposed to be a budget-friendly exclusive on a console that now seems as real as a unicorn. Ah, what could have been.
~Smash
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