Recently, Square Enix released Final Fantasy Dimensions and Demon’s Score to iOS devices. Both are high-quality games, but marred by frequent, expensive — and required — extra purchases.

I discuss why this is a bad idea on today’s episode of Game|Life: The Video. Put simply, players are most likely to make and feel good about in-app purchases when they’re already enjoying themselves during a game, and when the prices are relatively low. Conversely, Square Enix wants people to pay mere minutes into the experience, and pay up big.

Final Fantasy Dimensions , a role-playing game, is divided into chapters that cost up to $10 each, making the full experience cost over $40. That’s about what a Nintendo 3DS game costs, and this isn’t so polished as to merit that huge cash outlay.

The way Demon’s Score is being handled breaks my heart the most. It’s the latest music game from Inis, creator of Gitaroo-Man and Elite Beat Agents . You pay $7 for the app, then have to pay $3 each for all but the first two levels. In fact, I didn’t mention this in the video but it seems from looking at the “Top In-App Purchases” section of the game’s iTunes page that you have to pay $4 and $5 (and more?) for later levels.

Demon’s Score is quite a fun game, just what you’d expect if you’ve played Inis’ other work. But the majority of its iTunes ratings are one star, with most of those calling it a “scam” and “paying $7 for a demo.”