By the end of this month, Rusty's Real Deal Baseball will be unplayable. I have no doubt savvy emulation gurus will make every bit of this game's code available, but there is one thing they will probably not be able to recreate: the fact a pathetic middle-aged dog is manipulating money away from you.

As the Nintendo cognoscenti know, RRDB is a game where you buy timing-based baseball mini-game collections from Rusty the Dog, all while aiding him in his pathetic little life.

Nintendo is now no stranger to microtransactions, but this early integration is wrought with discomfort. The game actively dissuades you from paying full price for these games, giving users tools to buy Rusty's wares for often 60% below the asking price.

This is far from a rejection of microtransactions. Since playing the game gives you better opportunities to buy more of the game, it creates a cyclical pattern of manipulation. Getting discounts on games becomes the game, both narratively and through entertaining dating-sim-esc haggling segments.

It is worth saying: the mini-games are good. They feel like less irreverent versions of Rhythm Heaven games. Most of them require the 3D feature to master their brutal timing and often expand their mechanics in exciting ways.

Despite the craft, the entire experience left me feeling swindled. It's not an expensive experience. After discounts, one can purchase all of Rusty's games for $16, but despite awareness of all the tricks the game played on me, I found myself unable to resist them. For once, a game was playing me.