Since when did micro mean big

So I've put quite a bit of spare time into Marvel: Avengers Alliance on Facebook, but I have now hit a point where it takes days to make any progress. I send my heroes off on missions for a day so they net me a bit of cash, but it's only enough to do some very minor thing. I have a load of training and research to do and cool stuff to buy, but it takes a few days now to do even one thing.

Not to worry though as there is currently a “sale” on for gold. For “just” $100 I can get 700 gold, which will probably get you most of what you need but that's almost the cost of two brand new AAA console/PC games. I really can't see who would spend that sort of money on a game that clearly has not had as much time and effort put into it as the latest console/PC release. And I personally prefer to put money into the big games and hopefully reward the people who have put so much time into something that is more rewarding than any of the Facebook games.

For instance Harvest Moon is much better than Farmville, or in the case of the Avengers game mentioned above you can get Ultimate Alliance a great Marvel RPG. There are many such comparisons and the only extra expense is a console or more powerful PC to play them on. In the long run that's a much better use of your money.

The “micro” transactions that make up these games really don't work out to be “micro” in the long run. Just imagine if you had to put up with this in games from your youth. Like in Tetris you get the two S shape pieces but had to pay for the others. Or Mario goes to rescue Princess Peach but you had yet to pay for her character. It's just silly really.

You don't get this in other media either, like reading a book and not seeing the verbs until you pay to have them unlocked, or watching a movie with all the faces cut out and having to spend 10 gold per celeb.

I like working my way through a game and being rewarded for being good not for being rich. It's not playing the game, it's paying the game, like a filthy whore. And really that's what “micro” transactions are, the whores of the gaming world.

It makes me as mad as when I see the full game prices on Xbox Live and Playstation Store, even a new store copy doesn't cost that much let alone a second hand one, which idiots are buying them. More money than sense is the only explanation for why the less fortunate get screwed over while the rich piss away their money.