[quote name='mykevermin']Well, then, tough shit. "Them's the breaks."
What else do you recommend? Shall we organize and stage a die-in at EA headquarters?
It's easy to act outraged and claim that all microtransactions are cynical and/or malicious; the problem is, they're finding out the market at the same time we are. There are lotsa unanswered questions:
What is the pricepoint at which people won't pay for *any* downloadable title?
What items/products will people not buy?
Will they buy "disposable" items?
Do they expect some things for free?
Are gamers so compulsive that they must buy/download everything associated with this game (such that a piece of turd with "Master Chief" on it would sell like hotcakes)? Or, are they particular?
Nobody knows the answer to these questions yet, as this is a brand spankin' new market. It has its upsides and downsides. We're seeing it play out in realtime is all. It's easy to think EA is purely sinister in everything they do (and the EULA about spyware included with Battlefield 2142 does EA no favors in that regard, either); I want to give them the benefit of the doubt.
It's free money for EA, sure. But it's not your money if you don't buy it, and that's the only goddamned power you have. Unless you wanna do a die-in.[/QUOTE]
This is the end of the thread, right here.
I really can't add anything more to this, it's perfect as it is, so I will quote it so everyone can read it a second time.
I mean, maybe you or me won't buy the cheats, but casual joe gamer might say "300 points, that's not alot to unlock the entire game from the get go" will love the idea. Plus, the stuff can still be accessible the old fashioned way.
Now, 300 points per retro stadium for Madden 07, that's some bullshit right there, since that was stuff that was free for years.