Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer Requires Online Pass

[CotF1692]

I already pre-ordered, the only thing that would piss me off about this would be if they don't provide split screen. I so desperately want to play with friends and family rather than random internet people.

 

[theonecookie]

Haters, I direct you to this: http://penny-arcade.com/patv/episode/project-ten-dollar

The discussion of fixing the problems is nice, but crucial is the fact that there is an extremely reasonable justification for charging this and that justification isn't just "we can totally get away with screwing customers more".

I think you missed the end point of that episode, then, dear reader. It says you should not try to hurt the consumer, you should try to get around Gamestop. There is a difference. A big difference. What this is, is charging all people who got an item second hand.

Well in a way this is getting around gamestop because it forces the price of a used copy down by at least the price of the online pass otherwise gamestop will end up in the shit like thay have before with this (see dragon age)

So basically people who buy used but don't care for multiplayer get a better deal and people who want multiplayer end up paying the same as a normal used copy but more profits go to the devs not gamestop or some other middleman. So in essence the only people this screws over is gamestop because if you end up paying more for a used copy with the pass than a new copy the only person screwing you is gamestop for failing basic economics

 

[Shoggoth2588]

Awesome! I stand to make a few extra bucks now when I auction off my online pass!! I was never really in favor of the multi-player access of ME3 but now EA is giving me a means to profit off of it (if only once). Can't say this is surprising though, considering this is a game being published by EA. I'd be pissed if the online pass was for a vital aspect of the game but this time it doesn't look like that's the case.

 

[Redd the Sock]

You know my issue, I could see this online pass thing for some games. For example, games like Disgaea, or Dynsaty Warriors Gundam, ie: things that are niche properties, might need the added boost or safety net from the used market. This is Mass Effect. It is going to sell, and sell well. Arkham City, again, wasn't going to slouch in the sales department. I don't follow all of these, but it seems that this idea is hitting the big successful francises, not the ones that may legitimately struggle if too many sales are lost.

Can you say "cash grab"?

Besides, I pre-ordered mine for the right way to deter used sales: a collectors edition with a shitload of extras.

 

[MegaManOfNumbers]

*scratches head* say, wasn't Mass Effect 3 advertised as an epic SINGLE-PLAYER experience? Hell, doesn't single-player DEFINE Bioware experiences? (besides Star Wars The Old Republic, its an MMO, doesn't count) Why the HELL would I buy ME3 for the multiplayer?!

 

[radioactive lemur]

This is total bullshit, but seeing as this is likely going to be one of the best games ever made, I can't even imagine not picking it up first day. As much as I hate to admit it, I literally can't think of a marketing device that would deter me from buying this game. They could end the game right in the middle while the Reapers are still fucking up Earth with nothing resolved and then sell the "thrilling conclusion" as DLC and I would still buy it. I'd ***** about it, and I'd hate myself and them when I buy it, but I still would. So in conclusion, fuck you EA, but shut up and take my money anyway.

 

[Kakashi on crack]

Online passes are a great idea. If you want to pay a reduced price, you get a reduced product, and no amount of parroted Jimquisition quotes are going to convince me it's wrong.

Please explain this to me as I don't watch Jimquisition (I prefer extra credits) but what other product can you think of that you get reduced product out of it you buy used? Damaged product and reduced product are not the same thing. Cars don't count. I bought a car used at a reduced price and it was in better condition then when the previous owner had bought it new aside form slight damage (I.E. scratches).


On that note, I'm buying this new simply because I like bioware, and since I think ME should be single-player I'm likely going to give away my online passcode to one of those people who would prefer to pay a sensible amount of money for the game.

 

[Seventh Actuality]

Online passes are a great idea. If you want to pay a reduced price, you get a reduced product, and no amount of parroted Jimquisition quotes are going to convince me it's wrong.

Please explain this to me as I don't watch Jimquisition (I prefer extra credits) but what other product can you think of that you get reduced product out of it you buy used? Damaged product and reduced product are not the same thing. Cars don't count. I bought a car used at a reduced price and it was in better condition then when the previous owner had bought it new aside form slight damage (I.E. scratches).


On that note, I'm buying this new simply because I like bioware, and since I think ME should be single-player I'm likely going to give away my online passcode to one of those people who would prefer to pay a sensible amount of money for the game.

Buying a "physical" used item (say furniture, books, yes, cars) carry the implication that it's older, more beaten up and generally inferior to a new product. That might not always be true (or matter that much), but there's a tradeoff at work there which is the reason behind the lower price. It may be more of a case of pot luck than flat-out inferior, but with software (which used games are, the actual disc is just a storage device that doesn't represent any significant portion of the cost of production) there's no difference at all between a used and a new product except what companies build in.

 

[Jaime_Wolf]

Haters, I direct you to this: http://penny-arcade.com/patv/episode/project-ten-dollar

The discussion of fixing the problems is nice, but crucial is the fact that there is an extremely reasonable justification for charging this and that justification isn't just "we can totally get away with screwing customers more".

I think you missed the end point of that episode, then, dear reader. It says you should not try to hurt the consumer, you should try to get around Gamestop. There is a difference. A big difference. What this is, is charging all people who got an item second hand.

I think you missed the part where they repeatedly pointed out that the fee is completely understandable. Yes, there are better ways to do it without it feeling like a punishment, but my primary point is that the fee exists for a reason beyond trying to screw customers out of more money. And actually, if you look at the proposed solution in the video, it's identical to the current situation for people who buy the game used. The only difference is that by doing the same thing for people who buy it new, it somehow feels more "fair". So in the end, the problem they're confronting in the video isn't that it unfairly hurts consumers, it's that it feels like it unfairly hurts consumers. They do mention that the focus should be on getting the money from GameStop, but their proposed solution has absolutely nothing to do with that.

 

[Sangreal Gothcraft]

EA putting there huge Spiked Strap ons where it does not belong.. *Sigh* Yeah Doubt Multiplayer will be that good, just a feature that was shoved last minute kidna like Dead Space 2 Multiplayer which Sucked...a lot.. Now making us buy the game and prove that we are not theives, Jeesh alright EA you won't have my money, I will just throw it at Skyrim. Then again I i will most likely get it for pc....So yeah may have to Input Dam code anyways -_-

 

[Metalrocks]

what a surprise. but well, i already had to connect to cerberus network to even activate the DLCs.
maybe i will play the MP one day but i stick with the SP.

 

[Eccentric_Jon]

OT: Here's an idea: You allow the people to play the multiplayer secondhand, but if they don't put in a code, you sell ad space in the loading screens?

Common: New players don't have to bother, used players still get to play the game, and the company gets revenue from ads to pay for server upkeep because there will always be new people selling their games, and new players coming in.

This is actually a great idea. Unfortunately it's never going to happen. They'll just start inserting ads for extra revenue on top.

 

[Andy Chalk]

I find myself wondering if people who ask what other products suffer from reduced functionality if they're purchased used are the same people who say that videogames aren't like other products because they're not a physical "thing" and therefore copying and giving them away freely doesn't cause any harm because nobody's actually losing anything. Piracy ain't stealing, and all that.

I don't think it's reasonable to expect consumers to have the right to treat digital products differently, but not publishers and retailers. Digital products are different, but it's a two-way street.

 

[Dalek Caan]

I'm glad they're doing this. Stop being a cheep ass and buy the game new or stop bitching about it

Not everyone can buy the game new. That's the problem. If you don't have the money you will have to wait nearly 5 months for the game. Then you find out you need to spend even more money.

OT: I wish publishers and developers would stop doing this. It's really going to hurt the second hand game market.

 

[BelfastSpartan]

Played the first thought it was awesome.
Played the second on and off for a few hours and couldn't get into it/thought it was shit.
Won't be buying the 3rd partly because EAs online pass thing is pissing me off so I'll fund them no more.

 

[Frostbite3789]

Have to laugh at all the raging people. Just buy it new. Or don't be such a cheap ass and pay the small amount for the pass if you buy it used. Problem solved.

Or show an iota of patience. Every week retailers have a sales ad that goes out and there is almost always a selection of games that get a reduced price. Not to mention Steam sales. Or even Origin has sales, as much as people would hate to admit that. It'd probably hurt their soul or something to say so.

 

[shado_temple]

I find myself wondering if people who ask what other products suffer from reduced functionality if they're purchased used are the same people who say that videogames aren't like other products because they're not a physical "thing" and therefore copying and giving them away freely doesn't cause any harm because nobody's actually losing anything. Piracy ain't stealing, and all that.

I don't think it's reasonable to expect consumers to have the right to treat digital products differently, but not publishers and retailers. Digital products are different, but it's a two-way street.

Who said people on the internet were reasonable?

OT: Already preordered the game, so I won't be minding this; and even if I hadn't, I wouldn't mind paying that extra $10, since I wouldn't be buying a used game with a price less than ten bucks away from that of the new title. I'd still be saving money on the game, and EA/BioWare would be getting something in return.