XBL Deals|7/4 Only- Witcher2, OrangeBox, More | 7/5 Only-Hitman:Absolution $10, More | ME3: Omega | BL2 DLC (Gold) | FREE Defense Grid (Gold) | MORE

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tylerh1701

tylerh1701

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Here is a list of all the current and upcoming Xbox Live Marketplace Sales for the USA. This includes the Deal of the Week, KINECT Central sale item(s), and any other 3rd-party sales or promotions. We have also included the upcoming Xbox Live Arcade releases in the 2nd post. Most sales are for one week. Feel free to post if you see anything not listed here.

Please note:

  • All known sales and information on sales are in the OP. Major Nelson usually updates us with new sales information every other Tuesday. When offers are validated by Moderators, it will be added to the OP as time permits.
  • ALL OFFERS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE! No information within this thread can or should be construed as accurate (or still valid), therefore ...
  • Always verify Xbox Live Marketplace prices before your purchase!
  • Some sales are intended for GOLD MEMBERS ONLY, as noted within each section.
  • Spend wisely, have fun, and enjoy!
________________________________________________________________________
XBOX Live (Gold) Deal of the Week
GOLD MEMBERS ONLY ... neither a 48hr GOLD trial nor free GOLD weekends will give you the sale price. You must
either be a paying Individual/Family subscriber or within a console-activated "1 month complimentary GOLD trial" account.
________________________________________________________________________

7/2 - 7/8 ... Borderlands DLC


7/9 - 7/15 ... Dishonored and Metal Gear Rising DLC and More

  • Dishonored Games on Demand - Price Unknown
    DLC - The Knife of Dunwall - 400 MSP (50% off)
  • DLC - Dunwall City Trials - 200 MSP (50% off)
  • DLC - Void Walkers Arsenal - 160 MSP (50% off)

[*]Metal Gear Rising Revengeance DLC
  • Jetstream - 400 MSP (50% off)
  • Raiden Custom Body - 80 MSP (50% off)
  • Bladewolf  - 320 MSP (43% off)

[*]XBLA - Battle: Los Angeles - 400 MSP (50% off)
________________________________________________________________________
XBox "Games with Gold" Promotion 
GOLD MEMBERS ONLY ... neither a 48hr GOLD trial nor free GOLD weekends will give you the FREE price. You must
either be a paying Individual/Family subscriber or within a console-activated "1 month complimentary GOLD trial" account.
________________________________________________________________________

  • Confirmed as future free games: Halo 3

_______________________________________________________________________

Sales & Specials: Open to Everyone!
NOTE ... if the start & end dates are not well-defined, ACT FAST! since these
"sales" could end anytime. However, they may also be permanent markdowns.
_______________________________________________________________________
 

Ultimate Game One Day Sales:

7/2 ... Day One:


7/3 ... Day Two:


7/4 ... Day Three:


7/5 ... Day Four: (will last through 7/7)


7/2 - 7/8 ... Ultimate Games Persistent Sales:

* =  Want to Buy Games On Demand Using Microsoft Points? [customspoiler="GonD with MSP"]
Often overlooked, GoD are by default displayed in dollars both on Xbox.com as well as on the console, but on the very-first confirmation screen of the download process is the option to use Microsoft Points in place of real-world currency.

Through the console, after first selecting to download a GoD you are greeted by a familiar gray confirmation screen that pops up displaying the size of the download as well as confirming the price. At the bottom of this gray pop-up is the instruction to press the "X button" in order to change the payment type to MSP. Pictured below with an arrow:
confirmation.jpg


On Xbox.com they've made it much more obvious, the confirmation "extra step" pop-up after clicking the download link displays a link that simply says "Use Microsoft Points" directly under the price in dollars at the top of the page.

The more you know....[/customspoiler]

 
Kinect Central sales

7/2 - ??? ... Unannounced Rocksmith DLC Markdowns


7/2 - ??? ... Other Unannounced Markdowns


7/2 - 7/8 ... Robocop and Fast and Furious Avatar Sale

  • Please check the avatar store on your Xbox 360 for more information

7/9 - 7/15 ... Just Dance 4

  • Price and content unknown
______________________________________________________________________

Monthly Marketplace Markdowns
Announced ... as confirmed on the Xbox 360's own dashboard, or corroborated from other sources (PSN, dev/pub, etc).

Unannounced ... from Xbox.com scrapes. *These may or may not be permanent, so judge accordingly.

_______________________________________________________________________

Unannounced Price Drops for July:

* =  Want to Buy Games On Demand Using Microsoft Points? [customspoiler="GonD with MSP"]
Often overlooked, GoD are by default displayed in dollars both on Xbox.com as well as on the console, but on the very-first confirmation screen of the download process is the option to use Microsoft Points in place of real-world currency.

Through the console, after first selecting to download a GoD you are greeted by a familiar gray confirmation screen that pops up displaying the size of the download as well as confirming the price. At the bottom of this gray pop-up is the instruction to press the "X button" in order to change the payment type to MSP. Pictured below with an arrow:
confirmation.jpg


On Xbox.com they've made it much more obvious, the confirmation "extra step" pop-up after clicking the download link displays a link that simply says "Use Microsoft Points" directly under the price in dollars at the top of the page.

The more you know....[/customspoiler]

 
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[quote name='lilman']You have to download some of these on your xbox. Most did work through website. Thanks for sharing ZombiesWorld![/QUOTE]

Yeah. I tried to download Cerberus Network on xbox.com on my iphone and it wouldn't let me. I just got it through my 360.

Thanks ZombiesWorld.
 
Well I guess that makes some of these passes I have worthless. "Cool" of EA to do this though. Some of those passes have more than just online stuff attached to them.
 
[quote name='cancerman1120']Well I guess that makes some of these passes I have worthless. "Cool" of EA to do this though. Some of those passes have more than just online stuff attached to them.[/QUOTE]

EA is abandoning online passes ostensibly because the Xbox One and PS4 will have built in DRM.
 
[quote name='FurryCurry']Word. Dark Souls is so amazing that it makes people talk about it like its a life changing journey.[/QUOTE]

It really is... if you have the patience to beat this game it should tell you a lot about yourself. If you don't, again, should tell you a lot about yourself.

People who play this game and die a few times in the first 10min or die 5-10 times in the first major area then quit just don't understand the point of the game. As I said earlier you really need to rewire your brain. Also like Sath666 said the actual "difficulty" is a bit misleading. It's only difficult if you try and play it your own way instead of how it was meant to be played...
 
[quote name='n4styn4t3']EA is abandoning online passes ostensibly because the Xbox One and PS4 will have built in DRM.[/QUOTE]

Yeah...definitely aware of the situation. Still did not mean EA had to eliminate old online passes for this generation so I was surprised they made this stuff "free". Should increase resale value of these games a little now that people won't worry about paying for a pass.
 
[quote name='ZombiesWorld']According to xbldb, A bunch of EA's season passes are free now to download.

Mass Effect 2 - Cerberus Network
Skate 3 -Skate Share Pack
Battlefield Bad Co. 2 - Bad Company 2 VIP
Dragon Age Origins - The Stone Prisoner
Kingdom of Almalur - Reckoning Online Pass
Alice: Madness Returns - American McGee's Alice
Dragon Age 2 - The Black Emporium
Shift 2 Unleashed - Online Pass
Bulletstorm - Online Pass
Medal of Honor - Online Pass[/QUOTE]

Wow. Several of those are not just access to online multiplayer stuff but contain a significant amount of single player content (Alice, Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Kingdoms of Amalur).
 
[quote name='Ryuukishi']Wow. Several of those are not just access to online multiplayer stuff but contain a significant amount of single player content (Alice, Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Kingdoms of Amalur).[/QUOTE]

You can add Dead Space 2 to the list of games.
 
Thanks! Too bad I already gave away my BC2 copy (didnt have VIP) and have nothing else on my to-buy list, but I had an issue: when I tried to "buy" ME2 Cerberus Network and MOH Online Pass, it gave me an error like "you can't buy this from this device", I had to get them from the console.
 
[quote name='Cleaner7']
If anyone has BBT and missed the Behemoth chicken head star character then you can get it now as part of the company's 10th birthday. No beating Furbottom requirement.[/QUOTE]

Details please. I have yet to play my copy of the game, and would like to grab any temp "perks" like this while they're available.

Edit: Nevermind, found this on their site. Hopefully it's really straight forward and takes a couple of minute (again, I haven't played the game).

For those of you who did not get a chance to unlock Behemoth Chicken in the first Furbottom’s Features when the game was released, here’s your second chance. We’ve made it really easy for this anniversary week! All you have to do is log in to the full version of BattleBlock Theater and the prisoner will unlock!
Click to expand...
 
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[quote name='cancerman1120']Well I guess that makes some of these passes I have worthless. "Cool" of EA to do this though. Some of those passes have more than just online stuff attached to them.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I had an Alice online pass that I was going to try to unload on ebay for a couple bucks. Oh well, my fault for hesitating.
 
[quote name='tylerh1701']Yeah, I had an Alice online pass that I was going to try to unload on ebay for a couple bucks. Oh well, my fault for hesitating.[/QUOTE]

Still try, right now! i bet not many people have this knowledge yet. I remember when the transformers pre order skin packs came out for all to buy and people were still buying SINGLE skins off eBay for $20+.
 
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[quote name='ZombiesWorld']According to xbldb, A bunch of EA's season passes are free now to download.

Mass Effect 2 - Cerberus Network
Skate 3 -Skate Share Pack
Battlefield Bad Co. 2 - Bad Company 2 VIP
Dragon Age Origins - The Stone Prisoner
Kingdom of Almalur - Reckoning Online Pass
Alice: Madness Returns - American McGee's Alice
Dragon Age 2 - The Black Emporium
Shift 2 Unleashed - Online Pass
Bulletstorm - Online Pass
Medal of Honor - Online Pass[/QUOTE]

Yeah this just hit Polygon and I was going to post but you beat me to the punch.
 
[quote name='ooga']Details please. I have yet to play my copy of the game, and would like to grab any temp "perks" like this while they're available.

Edit: Nevermind, found this on their site. Hopefully it's really straight forward and takes a couple of minute (again, I haven't played the game).[/QUOTE]

Yeah, it takes no time at all really. Just boot up the game and go to the Furbottom Feature is what I did. Didn't require any actual playing or anything.
 
[quote name='gldoorii']I'm thinking about picking up Dark Souls...but we just got Demon's Souls on PS+ and I haven't played it yet. Which one came first? If I enjoy Demon's Souls will I enjoy Dark Souls?[/QUOTE]
FWIW Demon's frustrated and bored me away from it after just a level or two being beaten, but dark has me addicted. i think it's bc in demon's , at least early on, when you die it feels like you need to go back to the same place. but in dark when i die, i think 'oh i can go down this corridor, maybe i'll try the one before that i couldn't handle earlier, etc', idk, the open worldness just seems more inviting to trying new things and failing as opposed to demon's where i felt more like 'i have to keep trying this and getting better because i'm too weak to try any other areas of the game', whereas in dark it just seems like there's always someplace new to try that isn't as annoying. and the bonfire system is so much better than going to that nexus imo. i loved the idea of demon's souls, just hated the execution. dark fixes the things that bored me quickly in demon's.
 
[quote name='ZombiesWorld']According to xbldb, A bunch of EA's season passes are free now to download.

Mass Effect 2 - Cerberus Network
Skate 3 -Skate Share Pack
Battlefield Bad Co. 2 - Bad Company 2 VIP
Dragon Age Origins - The Stone Prisoner
Kingdom of Almalur - Reckoning Online Pass
Alice: Madness Returns - American McGee's Alice
Dragon Age 2 - The Black Emporium
Shift 2 Unleashed - Online Pass
Bulletstorm - Online Pass
Medal of Honor - Online Pass[/QUOTE]

I appreciate the gesture by EA, ranks right up there with offering every Dragon Age 2 preorder DLC for free on the holidays last year. Most of the listed games there does me no good since I purchased them in a brand new condition (but on clearance prices ^^). It is nice to see the tick/checkmark on the dashboard for my Dragon Age: Origins by The Stone Prisoner (since the online pass is redeemed in-game, and was not marked that I have it through the dashboard for download history). Are there any differences in online passes since my Bulletstorm online pass is called "Epic Edition Content" and Shift 2 Unleashed online pass called "Limited Edition Online Pass" on the hard drive, but the dashboard online passes are listed differently?



[quote name='Ryuukishi']Wow. Several of those are not just access to online multiplayer stuff but contain a significant amount of single player content (Alice, Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Kingdoms of Amalur).[/QUOTE]

I like how those contain content, allows for those getting these online passes for free to gain more play with the games. Conversely, online passes like the Skate 3 one offers nothing because the (website) server associated with it is gone, which still locks away the achievements attached to the online pass. [NOTE: One can still go online and play on Skate 3 without the Skate Share Pack, that "online pass" is just to upload gameplay pictures/videos to the now non-existant website.]



I hope this does start a trend of reparations for online passes for any other game publisher that attempted the consumer unfriendly policy. The passes just drove up the cost for used titles and potentially added needless complication before starting a game (I actually had a game which the online pass card had a misprint, so the code did not work, fortunately the situation has been rectified).
 
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[quote name='Jay']Knowing ea they will probaby shutdown the servers for these passes they're giving away.[/QUOTE]
Surely not the BC2 server, since the first one is still up and running ;)
 
[quote name='Jay']Knowing ea they will probaby shutdown the servers for these passes they're giving away.[/QUOTE]

Are people still even playing Shift 2???
 
[quote name='kill3r7']You can add Dead Space 2 to the list of games.[/QUOTE]
Can't seem to find that online pass, what's the name? I only see Outbreak for free, and it's only multiplayer maps (so it seems at least).
 
[quote name='ZombiesWorld']According to xbldb, A bunch of EA's season passes are free now to download.

Mass Effect 2 - Cerberus Network
Skate 3 -Skate Share Pack
Battlefield Bad Co. 2 - Bad Company 2 VIP
Dragon Age Origins - The Stone Prisoner
Kingdom of Almalur - Reckoning Online Pass
Alice: Madness Returns - American McGee's Alice
Dragon Age 2 - The Black Emporium
Shift 2 Unleashed - Online Pass
Bulletstorm - Online Pass
Medal of Honor - Online Pass[/QUOTE]

So... you can just download the original Alice, no questions asked? I'm assuming you access it through Alice: MR and it doesn't operate as a standalone game, otherwise I'd be on that like stink on shit. I'd love it if someone here could clarify.

I've been wanting to buy the Alice sequel for quite some time but haven't lucked out in finding/noticing it at $15 or below, and I didn't get a chance to snag it through the EA retail partners program. Alas.
 
[quote name='dark_inchworm']So... you can just download the original Alice, no questions asked? I'm assuming you access it through Alice: MR and it doesn't operate as a standalone game, otherwise I'd be on that like stink on shit. I'd love it if someone here could clarify.

I've been wanting to buy the Alice sequel for quite some time but haven't lucked out in finding/noticing it at $15 or below, and I didn't get a chance to snag it through the EA retail partners program. Alas.[/QUOTE]

Kmarts near you? 9.97 there if you can find one.
 
Wow, when EA said they were dropping online passes I thought they just meant future games, but this is rather generous of them:D

And just to toss it out there, I really don't recommend Madness Returns:headache:
 
[quote name='dark_inchworm']So... you can just download the original Alice, no questions asked? I'm assuming you access it through Alice: MR and it doesn't operate as a standalone game, otherwise I'd be on that like stink on shit. I'd love it if someone here could clarify.

I've been wanting to buy the Alice sequel for quite some time but haven't lucked out in finding/noticing it at $15 or below, and I didn't get a chance to snag it through the EA retail partners program. Alas.[/QUOTE]

You access the original Alice through the menu of MR, so you have to have MR. I bought MR basically just to play the original on my Xbox. MR is...tedious. Not terrible, but I felt like I played it for 100 hours when in actuality it was probably 10. Just couldn't do it anymore after that.
 
[quote name='BrolyB593']Aw I have been waiting to finally be done with work and download Alice but didn't know you have to have MR... I have it on Steam... : /[/QUOTE]

Yeah, it's an online pass. Just like all the other games listed, you have to have the actual game to get the online pass benefit.
 
[quote name='MrNinjaSquirrel']Wow, when EA said they were dropping online passes I thought they just meant future games, but this is rather generous of them:D

And just to toss it out there, I really don't recommend Madness Returns:headache:[/QUOTE]

Im the opposite. Alice Madness Returns was awesome.
 
As I said, Madness Returns is not a bad game, but it is severely lacking in presentation. It only has 5 chapters, each of which can last for 3 hours or more. It's hard for me to get chunks of gaming time longer than 1-1.5 hours, so this really didn't work for me. I would have really rather preferred more chapters of a shorter length. Also the environment is mostly the same for the entirety of each chapter. With the same enemies. This only further lends to the tedium. This is actually one of the only games I can think of that would benefit by being shorter. I liked what was there, but it is the same stuff constantly. Half of the game felt like filler to me.
 
[quote name='Feeni']As I said, Madness Returns is not a bad game, but it is severely lacking in presentation. It only has 5 chapters, each of which can last for 3 hours or more. It's hard for me to get chunks of gaming time longer than 1-1.5 hours, so this really didn't work for me. I would have really rather preferred more chapters of a shorter length. Also the environment is mostly the same for the entirety of each chapter. With the same enemies. This only further lends to the tedium. This is actually one of the only games I can think of that would benefit by being shorter. I liked what was there, but it is the same stuff constantly. Half of the game felt like filler to me.[/QUOTE]
I agree with this, and I actually liked the game (finished it twice for 1000/1000 GS). It is long and very repetitive. Plus the presentation is very uneven-- some models and environments look great, others are extremely rough with very low-res textures, weird clipping in the level geometry, and stuff like that. The basic gameplay is solid though, and the art design is awesome.
 
[quote name='dark_inchworm']So... you can just download the original Alice, no questions asked? I'm assuming you access it through Alice: MR and it doesn't operate as a standalone game, otherwise I'd be on that like stink on shit. I'd love it if someone here could clarify.

I've been wanting to buy the Alice sequel for quite some time but haven't lucked out in finding/noticing it at $15 or below, and I didn't get a chance to snag it through the EA retail partners program. Alas.[/QUOTE]

Yeah it's only playable as a menu option through Madness Returns.
 
I found it incredibly repetitive and felt that levels were about twice the lenght they ought to have been. There are also a TON of bugs and glitches, and controls can be awkward. The art style is very unique, but there is also a ton of pop in, some framerate issues, and just really muddy textures. The story was really messed up and disturbing, which I guess was the point, but I just really didn't enjoy it.

I can see why some people really like it, but I wouldn't recommend it for anything but the art style. Everything else has been done better elsewhere. Note that I did play the PS3 version, so I'm not positive if all the bugs exist on 360.
 
I know it belongs in another thread but you never know if people check out other threads or not so forgive me for mentioning it here, but the Humble Weekly Sale is pretty damned amazing again this week it's hard not to want to spread the news. Plus it's about supporting indie developers and charity, which is worth spreading on any thread. But pretty much 90% of TellTale's games:

Back to the Future
Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures
Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse
Puzzle Agent 1 & 2
Poker Night at the Inventory 1
Hector: Badge of Courage

And right now if you pay more than $4 you get The Walking Dead: Season 1 as well. I already own it on my Xbox but I bought it thinking I might gift it to a non-console owning friend so he can play it on his Mac.

Here is the link: https://www.humblebundle.com/weekly

*Note: all games other than Wallace & Gromit are Mac/PC compatible - Wallace & Gromit is Windows only
 
[quote name='MrNinjaSquirrel']I found it incredibly repetitive and felt that levels were about twice the lenght they ought to have been. There are also a TON of bugs and glitches, and controls can be awkward. The art style is very unique, but there is also a ton of pop in, some framerate issues, and just really muddy textures. The story was really messed up and disturbing, which I guess was the point, but I just really didn't enjoy it.

I can see why some people really like it, but I wouldn't recommend it for anything but the art style. Everything else has been done better elsewhere. Note that I did play the PS3 version, so I'm not positive if all the bugs exist on 360.[/QUOTE]

I think from memory the PS3 version had more issues with framerate and other textures. The game, like many console games, was likely built for the Xbox and then ported to the PS3 so that might explain some of why you had many issues with bugs and glitches as I didn't have any, other than maybe once getting stuck on a texture. A far cry from some of the other games I've had issues with lately (I lost count of the times Red Dead Redemption froze on me or the times at the airport in Max Payne 3 when the world disappeared - but I loved the hell out of those games).

While I don't think the game is going to be on my top 10 or even 20 list of games to play. It's not awful. I'd probably give it a 7 or so. I tried to play through the original Alice first but man that game has not aged well. And I found it really hard to play through it. I'd only grab it if you have run out of 360 games to play. If you have a backlog just keep chipping away at that. But I do have to say that there aren't a lot of good 3rd person platformers in this current generation, so for that reason Alice: Madness Returns does earn a few stripes for at least trying to do something that very few other games have tried the last few years. Any game that isn't just a 3rd person cover shooter deserves a look.

Plus any game that has a non-sexualized female protagonist who kicks ass is also worth a look.

If memory serves me correct the game is rather cheap ($12 or 960 msp) on that foreign Xbox marketplace that people often use. That's where I grabbed it.
 
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June 30 seven songs will be pulled from the Rock Band dlc store. Not only will it be the end of the ongoing Rock Band sale for these songs, you won't be able to buy them at all. This news was posted at the Rock Band forums.

Crooked X - "Rock 'n' Roll Dream"
Die Toten Hosen - "Hier Kommt Alex"
Les Wampas - "Manu Chao"
The Material - "Moving to Seattle"
Them Terribles - "Bullets & Guns"
Tokio Hotel - "Monsoon"
Vesuvius - "Promised Land"

"Promised Land" is actually a free song, but it will still be pulled on June 30. The other songs are 80 MSP.

"Moving to Seattle" and "Bullets & Guns" are also part of a three pack with one other song. Chances are that pack will be pulled as well. All three songs are 80 MSP individually, and the three pack is 240 MSP.

"Hier Kommt Alex" does not play in Rock Band 3. It only works in Rock Band and Rock Band 2. I'm guessing it won't play in Rock Band Blitz either.
 
^You can download it. But you can't play it. But if you've got a free gig to give up on your hard drive, then you can definitely download it.
 
[quote name='gotdott']Now you just need MR to play it :lol:[/QUOTE]

Yeah you're right, I didn't realize that.

Oh well, maybe someday I'll see it on sale.
 
[quote name='tylerh1701']^You can download it. But you can't play it. But if you've got a free gig to give up on your hard drive, then you can definitely download it.[/QUOTE]

There's no need to rush and download all these EA passes and whatnot. It's not a glitch in the system. They have confirmed that online passes are no longer part of their company's policy and that they are retroactively getting rid of them on current gen PS3 and Xbox 360 games over the next few weeks. All this ever applied to was if you had a used version or planned on getting a used version of a title as GoD and retail purchases always included these codes. But yes, for all these codes you would need a used copy of the game. But this does make it easier to borrow a game off a friend and hopefully might increase a bit of multiplayer traffic on some titles that have now opened themselves up to non-pass holders. Basically it puts to rest one of the ugliest trends in recent gaming history as we all await whether an even uglier trend is coming with the next-gen consoles.

I didn't mind certain passes like Alice: Madness Returns where you had to pay a little bit more for something extra that wasn't part of the main game - or Rage where you had some more dungeons that you could visit but that you really didn't need to. But games that locked you out of multiplayer, especially in games that were built for multiplayer (Medal of Honour) that was just wrong. Glad to see that's changed. Hopefully all other studios will stop the madness now too.
 
[quote name='skonson']I didn't mind certain passes like Alice: Madness Returns where you had to pay a little bit more for something extra that wasn't part of the main game - or Rage where you had some more dungeons that you could visit but that you really didn't need to. But games that locked you out of multiplayer, especially in games that were built for multiplayer (Medal of Honour) that was just wrong. Glad to see that's changed. Hopefully all other studios will stop the madness now too.[/QUOTE]

I feel almost the opposite. I like the extra step of authenticity for a game with a huge focus on competitive multiplayer. I guess I hope it makes the players a more devoted audience and prevents people from renting a game for a weekend and grieffing. Whereas I find it ostentatious when a game has a tacked on multiplayer minigame (FarCry 3) and locks that behind an online pass. It does add another $5-10 to the asking price for a game, but I just shop around more or wait for the new copy to have a nice sale.

I do like it when any game bundles some single player and multiplayer DLC for a cheap price tho. Encourages you to check out the other side of the gameplay if you had neglected it.

It is odd tho that EA would just start giving out online passes, despite the new wave of DRM consoles. I mean, 360s & ps3s are going to have multiplayer support for a long while yet so there really wasn't a reason to do anything besides stop adding online passes to new releases. It does make them seem a lot more credible about getting rid of online passes if they actually go back and get rid of the old system entirely; I just didn't think they were really planning to "get rid of online passes" as much as transition to a new form of DRM/used marketplace monkeywrench.
 
[quote name='dutch72']Wish it would've lasted longer[/QUOTE]

Sanya: "The problems with Microsoft... I can't fix Microsoft."
Gronk: "....I don't think anyone can."

heh

The chat kept refreshing on me, but I caught that they will try streaming again on Monday, don't know what time though.
 
[quote name='maesto_bungle']
It is odd tho that EA would just start giving out online passes, despite the new wave of DRM consoles. I mean, 360s & ps3s are going to have multiplayer support for a long while yet so there really wasn't a reason to do anything besides stop adding online passes to new releases. It does make them seem a lot more credible about getting rid of online passes if they actually go back and get rid of the old system entirely; I just didn't think they were really planning to "get rid of online passes" as much as transition to a new form of DRM/used marketplace monkeywrench.[/QUOTE]

It's weirder in that some of the DLC (Dragon Age 1 & 2, Mass Effect 2, etc) isn't even evil DRM to be honest as all it does it contain some extra content and added achievements that's not much different from what Alan Wake did with adding the Signal to retail purchases or even Batman: Arkham City and the Catwoman DLC they used in that is doesn't affect you playing the main game as it was meant to be played. So ostensibly, in my opinion, in cases like these they're giving away free DLC now, which is lovely.

Where I had an issue with the Alice: Madness Returns "online pass" is that the achievements for playing through American McGee's Alice were in the 1000 pts. My own personal feeling is that if I own a game I should (barring the closing of online servers) be able to access all the achievements of the original game whether I bought used or new. If they had made it an extra bit of achievement then great I'd have had no problem with them gifting the extra game to retail purchases. Though I think they dropped the ball as I'm sure that if they just would have released the original Alice game as a stand-alone XBLA game for 400-800 pts they would have had huge sales and it could have served as an unofficial demo for Madness Returns in much the same way that Dead Rising: Case Zero did while doing some fan service. I'm sure a lot of people who would never buy Madness Returns would still buy that on it's own. And they could have still gifted a code for it with Madness Returns to reward people for buying new.

I guess that's my point really. The problem with online passes is that they're fine when they are a reward for buying new, just in the same way that people who buy collector's editions, or who participate in beta tests or who do pre-orders often get rewards. And that's fine as people should be rewarded for paying $60 for a game and I don't mind missing out on the reward when I eventually buy it used for $10. But you shouldn't punish people for buying used. In any event, it's nice to see EA finally get their shit together. Though, why do I get the feeling that this is just the calm before the shitstorm?
 
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