Hey guys, remember when we had that big #NoWiiUDRM campaign around E3? When Nintendo worked to push the WiiU as a general multimedia box with always online DRM, and the camera on the Gamepad could never be disconnected or completely turned off? I'm not the least bit surprised that Nintendo, whose consoles have always been positioned as "Trojan Horses" for non-gaming features, thought this was a good idea; I'm still surprised they had the balls to do it. Good thing we were loud in our demands to keep the WiiU a games console first, right?
Obviously I'm being facetious here. But looking back, that whole episode with the Xone's DRM does disturb me for a different reason.
Even with E3 over, there is still a lot of information to take in and soak on our minds about the coming gaming years ahead for consoles. PS4 wise I think its gonna be some great years. Sony has kept me happy enough that Im totally ready for a PS4 now. I still got a ways to wait but no less excited. While Sony is making online pay to play through PS+ they are doing the right thing by telling publishers no online passes. They refuse to accept the passes on any PS4 games. PS+ will also carry over on all Sony systems. While I use to play online on the PS4, my PS3 will still have access to it and its benefits. As far as I know, they dont plan to discontinue instant game collection for the PS3 or Vita. They have also said that the free to play games Warframe, Planetside 2, and Dc Universe online will not require PS+ to play. They have also announced that within the first year of the PS4, they will launch 20 exclusives on the system. Now, this doesnt mean Im counting the Xbone out, they so far have stated a change in policies for the system and as long as that stays Ill consider getting one sooner then I previous thought of. Im still gonna wait a time before I have one in my room. It will also be unplugged when I am not playing on it. Also Fable 4 has seen no announcemt yet so that def helps hold off waiting for it.
What’s this? Three posts from me, in ONE day?
EA has been in the news a lot lately, and it’s been pretty much all negative. Between the advent of the Online Pass, the botched launch of SimCity, and the appearance of micro transactions in full retail games like Mass Effect 3 and Dead Space 3, it’s really easy to dump on the company. I’m not here to do that, though. I have a complicated relationship with EA; one that moved from hate to love to apathy. So turn down the nerd rage for five minutes, because I’m about to present a different opinion on what a vocal minority consider to be the most hated company in America.
So there's been a lot of ruckus on the web over this issue lately.
Last Wednesday, I noticed an unusual bombardment of the evils of the world and the negativity that infests our daily lives. The world is by no means perfect but we all are relatively desensitized in order to handle the usual problems we deal with everyday and the bad news constantly at the top of the docket in the news. However, with the news of a person who used Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 to train for mass-murder, the sad news of Adam Sessler leaving G4 and my fellow PixlBit writer Angelo Grant feeling that IGN is bad for gamers (along with other non video game related things like my friend complaining about the lack of diversity in television with me over Facebook), I had to take a step back and do something positive because I had by this point became rather glum and depressed. To quote one of my own tweets, "Need some positivity right now. Listening to my 70s Summer Breeze mix while writing some video game announcement news." That was no mistake either. I purposely chose to write up the Uncharted 3 GOTY and Resistance trilogy story because those were positive stories. Also, listening to America, Seals and Crofts and Ambrosia will always mellow you out.
Sometimes there are news stories that aren't too important to report on. Sometimes some stories take priority over others. That's why I welcome you to the inaugural edition of Back Page News. This will be a weekly blog compiling stories from the past week that were less than big news. Without further ado, let's get to it!
Online passes have become something of an inevitability in the gaming industry as of late. Just like home console titles, PlayStation Vita games include the infamous passes solely within new copies of the game. Or so you'd think. After recently picking up a used copy of Unit 13, PixlBit discovered that Gamestop is providing its consumers with a free online pass with a purchase of the game.
A pretty heavy topic that branches into other problems has been on my mind a lot recently. I have been unable to resolve it myself in my own head so this blog will serve as both an opinion piece that I hope will fuel a discussion and evoke a collection of different sets of opinions as well as a means for me to more or less dump all of my disjointed thoughts on this matter onto one place and make sense of them. So I apologize in advance if this blog is all over the place with no real concise point or focus.
Angelo Grant joins the heroes this week as we take on another evildoer in the industry of gaming … Online Passes! With the recent controversy revolving around Kingdoms of Amalur’s (which is amazing by the way) day one DLC, people are in an uproar. Are publishers wrong for using these crude tactics to protect their big bucks? Or are we gamers simply idealists who refuse to acknowledge the video game industry as a business? You decide this week on PixlTalk.
It’s no secret that publishers are not fans of the used games market. They’ve attempted to sway gamers to buy new whether it’s through online passes, the promise of a free downloadable game or pre-order DLC. With Prototype 2, Activision is taking another route to incentivize gamers. Those that preorder the game will get free access to Radnet – a program that will reward users with additional content.
Online passes are a touchy subject in the realm of gaming. Initially explained as a way to defer costs of running and maintaining servers and community for online multiplayer focused games, the pass has become something else entirely. Batman: Arkham City hid away the much-publicized Catwoman missions behind an online pass, and it seems like Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is going the same route. Or is it?
The user blogs here at PixlBit aren’t en masse quite yet, as it’s a new feature. I’m here to help change all that.
David Jaffe has long had a reputation for being an extremely outspoken developer. This is rare in an industry where so much information comes from a multitude of PR reps that are scared to let the game makers talk directly to the press. Jaffe has earned his right to speak his mind, considering that he’s responsible for two of the biggest selling PlayStation franchises in history. Those franchises would be God of War and Twisted Metal, which was the focus of a recent interview. There were some interesting revelations in this talk, including the fact that Jaffe isn’t too keen on the idea of shipping Twisted Metal with an online pass.
There has been a recent trend of publishers implementing Online Passes in a lot of their games with online play. Whether you agree with this practice or not, when it comes to buying games brand new, you expect your code to work and to be able to play online.
As publishers try to circumvent the whole used market rigamarole, some ideas fall flat and anger consumers (see: Batman Arkham City) while others seem to stick. The online passes have been a controversial step taken recently, and you can read our thoughts about that subject in our roundtable discussion. But the Season Pass is a relatively new concept that has gained traction recently thanks to Mortal Kombat and Gears of War 3. Saints Row the Third will be going the Season Pass route as well, and we have the first details on what you’ll be getting and how much you’ll pay.
Jesse: Since people apparently don’t want to spend $60 on every game, publishers have pinned their hopes on taking a bite out of the used market.
While we’re all very excited that Mass Effect 3 will feature online supported multiplayer in the form of “Galaxy at War” there is one little thing that gamers may take issue with: the support of the Online Pass program.
In an interview with The Vault, Juan Jimeñez, Sony’s software manager for Spain, confirmed that gamers wishing to utilize the online multiplayer features for Uncharted 3 will have to enter a PSN Pass access code in order to do so.