Dead Space 2 xbox version requires activation codes for online use?

[Skel]

When did this start? I thought one of the major points of Live was to do away with such things.

 

[herkulease]

Before someone attempts to claim its due to the ps3 being hacked since its also on the ps3.

this is EA. They are doing it so that when people buy a used game. they have to pay for the online pass to be able to play online(assume original owner used the code). they did it with madden too, probably with all their other sports game.

 

[Queasy]

Yep, publishers are moving toward this to try to combat the used game market.

 

[Thraxen]

When did this start? I thought one of the major points of Live was to do away with such things.

Yeah, it's EA's attempt to get money out of the used market. The first buyer gets the code for free, but if they sell the game each buyer afterward has to pay $10 to get the game to work online again.

 

[Phobic9]

Before someone attempts to claim its due to the ps3 being hacked since its also on the ps3.

this is EA. They are doing it so that when people buy a used game. they have to pay for the online pass to be able to play online(assume original owner used the code). they did it with madden too, probably with all their games.

Fixed. They're more than likely going to do this with all their games from now on. I rented the latest Need for Speed game from Gamefly and I couldn't even play online unless I wanted to pay $10 after a 2 day trial period.

Meh.

 

[purbeast0]

brilliant job by EA, i'm sure other companies will soon follow.

 

[Thraxen]

Seems if EA is going to do this BS they should stop shutting their servers down after a year or so.

 

[purbeast0]

Seems if EA is going to do this BS they should stop shutting their servers down after a year or so.

well they don't really have to do with anything.

you aren't paying $10 for their server fees.

people who buy their game brand new aren't paying anything extra at all, and people who buy the game used are paying $10 for the feature to play online.

 

[Thraxen]

well they don't really have to do with anything.

you aren't paying $10 for their server fees.

people who buy their game brand new aren't paying anything extra at all, and people who buy the game used are paying $10 for the feature to play online.

Ostensibly that's exactly what it's for since it's for online use.

[edit] Also, how would you feel if you bought an EA game used a year after it was released, paid the $10, then EA shut down the server a month later?

 

[purbeast0]

Ostensibly that's exactly what it's for since it's for online use.

[edit] Also, how would you feel if you bought an EA game used a year after it was released, paid the $10, then EA shut down the server a month later?

well i wouldn't buy an EA game use a year after launch because i typically know what games i want to buy months before they are out.

and if i DID buy one a year after release, it would not be for multiplayer at all, because the multiplayer scene would most likely be dead by that point, and again, if it was a popular game that i wanted to play multi, it would have been purchased at launch.

and on top of that, they don't shut servers down a year after the games launch. it is multiple years after launch when it happens, and it is announced beforehand.

most EA games are down to around $20 brand new anyways after a year on the market, so again, buying a used a year later is kind of a moot point.

 

[Thraxen]

What you do on an individual level really doesn't matter. Personally I think this is an issue waiting to happen. They really haven't been doing this all that long yet, but it won't be long before they shut down some servers and screw people that just paid their $10. Hopefully they've got some plan in place to stop accepting new code purchases at a set time period previous to server shut down.... but I wouldn't count on it.

 

[purbeast0]

What you do on an individual level really doesn't matter. Personally I think this is an issue waiting to happen. They really haven't been doing this all that long yet, but it won't be long before they shut down some servers and screw people that just paid their $10. Hopefully they've got some plan in place to stop accepting new code purchases at a set time period previous to server shut down.... but I wouldn't count on it.

if it doesn't matter then why did you ask me what i would do?

and you are acting like they are shutting down servers on games like madden 2011 and battlefield bad company 2 tomorrow.

 

[Thraxen]

if it doesn't matter then why did you ask me what i would do?

and you are acting like they are shutting down servers on games like madden 2011 and battlefield bad company 2 tomorrow.

I was just asking how would you feel if you got screwed by it, it was a theoretical scenario. So when you made some excuses about why it wouldn't affect you, that was missing the point. Clearly there will be people that get screwed, I was asking you to be put in their situation.

 

[Wolfpup]

This, like the "Cerberus network" stuff and the like is back-door activation.

I hate it, but I hate it a lot less than full activation. (Of course in this case it doesn't affect me at all since I don't play stuff online...or buy used games for that matter, but still.)

 

[AstroManLuca]

With most EA games (hell with most games, not just ones from EA), if you wait a year to play online, you won't find anyone to play with. Even if the servers are still up.

I think it's kinda shitty for them to charge extra for online play if you buy the game used, since the first person ostensibly already "paid" for it yet is no longer using their servers... but it doesn't affect me at all. I usually know before a game is released whether I'll want to play it online or not. Call of Duty or Halo? Yeah, I will be playing those online. Dead Space 2? No, I don't care about online. If I want a new online game, I'm not buying Dead Space 2.

And besides, if you wait six months or a year before buying a game, you'll probably get it for way under the $60 full retail price, even if you add $10 for the online code. In fact, moves like this might make EA a bit more money for now, but it'll push down the prices of used games even more. It could actually hurt them more than it helps. I remember buying CoD 4 over a year after its release, and it still was selling for about $40 because it was a very popular multiplayer game. Then again, the CoD series is sort of a special case because it's SO popular and always in demand. I don't see DS2 having the same long-term appeal in its multiplayer mode.

 

[warcrow]

brilliant job by EA, i'm sure other companies will soon follow.

You can count on it.

 

[I4AT]

This is why I don't buy EA multiplayer games, especially ones that have the 30 day online feature retirement notice. I may miss out on a few good titles, but there are plenty others out there for me to play. If you don't like it, vote with your wallet.