The Shrine

I was OK with them bribing you to buy new by including a "free downloadable episode" in their new-only copies (ie. a portion of the game held back to punish the used buyers), but to not only require people to have an EA account to play their games but to actually include a single-use code to "unlock" the multiplayer portion of the game is crossing way over the line IMO

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/108/1088621p1.html

At the end of the day, it won't affect me at all since Microshaft is the best deterrent to online play for me anyways. But for you guys that do, don't think this is going to be limited to the sports games...or the consoles. I'd be very surprised if Dead Space 2 isn't announced with the same restriction come E3. And they do have the publishing rights to a lot of the developers you might like, like id Software, through their EA Partners program. This is just the beginning.....unless their sales tank 'cause of it.

And if it's successful, how long do you think it'll be before Ubisoft and Activision at least try it? Ubi's already proven they're more than willing to fuck with the consumer with the DRM shit and Activision will certainly follow suit now that their figures aren't inflated by the music game craze and if the Call of Duty juggernaut starts to slow

*Shrug* Used game sales are a problem. They're just trying to recoup those loses.

Used video game sales hurt the industry the same (this is not me equalizing the two in terms of wrongdoing) way pirating does. Honestly I'm surprised this didn't start to happen the second this latest generation of consoles were released. The only time I actually buy used games is when it's difficult to buy the game new/unopened because some asshole bought a bunch up and is selling them for way over value. This has only really happened when I was buying old DS games a couple years ago.

Edit: Somewhat on issue Sega is doing things right with their Uniloc: SoftAnchor

• Uniloc: SoftAnchor requires an internet connection to activate, though you don't need to always be connected to play the game, and the web site offers a work-around if you don't have an internet connection on the PC you install it on. 

• The PC version of Alpha Protocol uses an internet based licensing system, where, after installation, the user is required to enter a product registration code (license key) in order to begin playing the game. 

• You do not have to have the disc in your drive to play the game. 

• The game does not user SteamWorks, and the Steam version of the game will use Uniloc DRM. 

• The game can be installed on up to 5 different computers at any one time using the license key the game comes with. 

• There is a limit to the number of computers you can use Alpha Protocol on at any one time, but Sega says that the company is not restricting the number of computers you can install the game on over the life of the product. 

• SEGA will provide a version of the game without DRM using a future patch that it expects to make available 18-24 months after the game's release.

This is very disappointing because used games were the great equalizer in the high prices of games. Face it: $50-60 is pretty damn high for a game. Obviously, games like FF13, which I put in about 80 hours into, were worth the price. But, finding a game like that is few and far between.

Is a 10 hour game really worth $60, any more? I've spent that much time on XBLA games, and maybe a little less than that on indie games that are a 1/10th of the price. Yeah, yeah, I know that value isn't rated solely on how long you play, but it's the biggest factor.

I was happy when EA used to make nothing but sports games, and I could safely ignore them. Now, they are buying companies left and right, and like Activision and Ubisoft, finding new ways to fuck over their customers and employees.

Shrinweck wrote:Edit: Somewhat on issue Sega is doing things right with their Uniloc: SoftAnchor

No, the way they would be doing things right is if they didn't include anything at all. You know, like what 99% of the games are like.

Piracy and used gaming has always been a "problem", but historically, attempts at copy protection eventually backfire. Pirates always crack the code. A-L-W-A-Y-S! 100% of the time. If they can crack Dungeon Master (look it up) or Assassin's Creed 2, they can crack anything.

And people who are fed up with the copy protection will go the route of pirating, thus feeding a vicious cycle. I thought copy protection was a thing of the past, since they gave it up during the 90's (and the stupid SPA's "Don't Copy That Floppy"). But, now old is new again.

Eventually, they will learn their lesson and sulk back into their roles as game developers.

Whatever. I'm just saying if they're going to do something then something like that is ideal. It isn't about it being uncrackable. And it took the crackers weeks to come up with something solid for Ubisoft's new DRM. That's up from the what was probably minutes for practically everything in the past several years.

SineSwiper wrote: Is a 10 hour game really worth $60, any more?

I still think the answer is undoubtedly yes. When you compare it to other forms of entertainment like a dinner and a movie is about a $60 night then i think games are usually always worth their price. The problem is people compare it to other games. You wont always get an 80 hour aweosme RPG or limitless hours counter strike kind of game for your money, but usually whatever you put into a game is worth your while.

SineSwiper wrote: I thought copy protection was a thing of the past, since they gave it up during the 90's (and the stupid SPA's "Don't Copy That Floppy"). But, now old is new again.

That reminds me games back then that you HAD to have the manual around to pass the..turn to page 23 and look at the 2nd paragraph and type in the 3rd word.

That rendered a few of my games useless since I had a habit of losing manuals.

Seraphina wrote:

SineSwiper wrote: I thought copy protection was a thing of the past, since they gave it up during the 90's (and the stupid SPA's "Don't Copy That Floppy"). But, now old is new again.

That reminds me games back then that you HAD to have the manual around to pass the..turn to page 23 and look at the 2nd paragraph and type in the 3rd word.

That rendered a few of my games useless since I had a habit of losing manuals.

The first "crack" I remember using was in fact a file where you would enter the page number and it would return the password.

Eric wrote:*Shrug* Used game sales are a problem. They're just trying to recoup those loses.

You guys do realize that used games actually lead to new sales, yes? That without the robust used games market as there exists now, new game sales would suffer greatly, yes?

Wow, they're even trying to say it's a "positive experience for the consumer"? Geez, man, you don't have to come out and say it but to try and feed gamers this line of bullshit is just ridiculous

http://wii.ign.com/articles/108/1088932p1.html

Used games classified as a problem is retarded -- Greed, pure and simple. All of it tracks back to the unchallenged belief that people don't own software/movies we purchase, we lease them.

But at the end of the day, if consumers take it up the ass and still pay full price, then you can't bitch about it. For my part, I refuse to purchase EA or Ubisoft games anymore.

Sigh I wish Ubisoft didn't own the rights to Assassin's Creed and Prince of Persia SO MUCH.

Shrinweck wrote:Sigh I wish Ubisoft didn't own the rights to Assassin's Creed and Prince of Persia SO MUCH.

Fuck it. There are other games out there, and if nothing else, pirate the shit, just to prove that their argument is flawed.

kali o. wrote:Used games classified as a problem is retarded -- Greed, pure and simple. All of it tracks back to the unchallenged belief that people don't own software/movies we purchase, we lease them.

Thank you.

Used CD sales? Used movie sales? I don't hear those camps crying nearly as bad as the video game publishers.

I go out of my way to buy used games (not from EB tho, fuck paying $2 less for a used game, I'll buy new at that price), because paying $70 CND just isn't good use of my money. I'm not cheap, I'm not poor, but I can't return a game anymore if it blows ass so I'm not going to risk that amount of money on a gamble (and demos are set up to show you the good of a game, not the boring shit you deal with in the full version).

Oracle wrote:Used CD sales? Used movie sales? I don't hear those camps crying nearly as bad as the video game publishers.

Difference is in the amount of money between the new and used sales. It's probably the same percentage, but when a game goes from $55-60 to $10-20, that's a huge savings. Much different than going from $15 to $4 for a CD.

SineSwiper wrote:

Oracle wrote:Used CD sales? Used movie sales? I don't hear those camps crying nearly as bad as the video game publishers.

Difference is in the amount of money between the new and used sales. It's probably the same percentage, but when a game goes from $55-60 to $10-20, that's a huge savings. Much different than going from $15 to $4 for a CD.

Which would also lead to a far more robust used games market in proportion to the new sales vs a CD or even DVD one