This. Is. Brilliant. Completely and utterly B-R-I-L-L-I-A-N-T.
So in a move similar to Games For Gold for Xbox systems or PS Plus for Playstation platforms, or more accurately Playstaion Now, Electronic Arts have announced EA Access: a service which will not only allow paid subscribers to play a number of older EA licensed games, but promises to give early access to upcoming triple-A productions such as Dragon Age: Inquisition and Madden Fifteen. It even offers discounts.
Its hard to impossible to look at such an offer and not see it as a good deal. But then this is Electronic Arts we are talking about. Two time concurrent winner of the worst company in the United States Award. The publisher who ruined titles such as Dungeon Keeper, The Sims and Dead Space with micro-transactions and unnecessary, forced online conditions. This sounds like the literal Devil offering free kittens and candy from his van. There has to be something up.
But no. Put down twenty-nine, ninety-nine in legal U.S. tender - or credit - for one year, or four, ninety-nine for just one month and you are in. So it is really two dollars and fifty cents a month for access to a whole library of titles which will even include unreleased sure-fire hits. A fifty percent savings, since only a complete and total idiot would pay sixty dollars over the course of twelve months for something like this. So twelve, two-fifty payments early and likely recurring it is.
And for that money you get to play games like Madden Fourteen, Battlefield Four and Peggle Two. At least as a start with later titles introduced, or removed, at EA's discretion. The entirety of the content in the advertised vault could be a relatively small and rotating pool, will certainly be small as the service starts up on a console which itself isn't yet a year old, but then even an automatic library of games isn't really EA Access' main draw.
More than likely what will bring subscribers will be early access to the latest and upcoming iterations of FIFA, Dragon Age and Mass Effect. The chance to play titles, unless fellow subscribers, five days before anyone else. With further options of continuing play where you left off if you decide to buy the game, while getting a discount on the title so long as its a digital download. The method the industry insists is the future as it makes it the future. Really, that's about the worst that can be said about what EA Access offers.
Really, nothing else can be said. Given that as a service exclusive to the Xbox One, the fanboy flag has been firmly planted.
Maybe the case could be presented that since early access to new titles is the service's main strength that demos, released once or maybe twice a year, are now officially a paid commodity, but such would only be dismissed or agreed with based on camp alignment. Likewise pointing out that the older games used to pad and hide such a deduction are wholly under the control and whim of Electronic Arts, who have only held the best interest of all gamers first. No title under their umbrella has ever been compromised because they strictly held to release dates which favored their stock price.
Which reminds me: wonder how long until Capcom, and others, copy this...
Alone in the Dark developer Pieces Interactive has been hit with layoffs a month after its release, as per the latest information.
That genuinely, genuinely sucks. The reboot has clear flaws, but it really felt like a solid first step for this team to receive *greater* investment.
Venturing into a post-apocalyptic world, Bandai Namco resurrects the forgotten treasure, Sand Land: will it capture the magic of the Manga?
I enjoyed the demo so I'll be picking this up. The gameplay made me think of Metal Max Xeno so it sold me on it.
After the release of the horrid avatar update, Pokémon GO fans are trying to get items refunded. This has led to some getting threats of being banned.
It's a Trojan Horse concept for getting more people to buy digital. The 10% off is nothing compared to the fact that it's one less person who will be selling the game to GameStop or giving it to a friend.
Also, another user mentioned and I think it will definitely come to fruition, but it's yet another way to sell DLC. I definitely see EA giving certain DLC away for all of their games if you subscribe to the service. Yet another manner in which content will be withheld from other users, which means content created for the game is not available to every user. An issue we already have in retail stores, soon to be an issue here as well, IMHO.
Personally, I don't have to worry. I don't play sports games or buy BF/COD style games. And the 10% savings would require me to buy 5 EA games new each year. I don't see myself doing that.
I also question why this is XBO only and not available via the Origin service on PC...
It only seems like good value if you are really into EA games, are prepared to only buy those games digitally (which are usually higher priced than retail stores thus negating the discount), and find value in the vault games most of which will have the next annual sequel on the way.
So to me there isnt much value in it.
When it comes to anything EA: do not trust.
If it where up to them we would be using micro transactions to buy ammo clips and a new soccer ball.
NEVER TRUST EVIL.
Meh, seems way over priced and it will have old games. Games don't carry value like they did in the past. Most games get their prices slashed after 3-6 months then bargain bin. I only get digital releases during sales but I can see that the convenience is slowly killing the physical market even now.
I'd like to see the comparison between the sales of Titan fall Digital versus physical. It would be telling that the DRM issue is getting buried by convenience. Gears 3 was five bucks on Live recently and it's one game I play all the time. Switching back to it after a few hours of Fallout 3 without switching discs is great.
Also, besides the RROD, the biggest repairs made on 360s were disc drive replacements. This essentially kills the need for it.
Digital is here to stay.