Online Pass Required to Play as Arkham City's Catwoman

[Xanthious]

I have a "friend"that is of the belief that if the gaming companies want to make buying games an adversarial process then so fucking be it. The gloves are off. They want to treat "my friend" like a criminal? Fine, "he" decided he may as well fucking become one since that's how "he" was being treated anyway and he says "fuck "him" if the prices weren't a shit ton better when you buy by via torrents".

"My friend" thinks it's as plain as day that the only thing they care about is getting as much of our money as they can get away with while giving us as little of their product as they think we will accept. "My friend" is of the belief that if these pricks want to play the game where each side sees how much of the other guys shit they can get and give the least in return then "my friend" may as well give em what they obviously seem to want. He says "it turns out these companies really suck at that game when the other side actually plays back against them and "he" comes out WAY ahead".

The thing is, "my friend" wasn't always this way. When "my friend" was in college and high school some time back when money was super tight and "my friend" could only afford a game every other month or so "my friend" never thought to pirate games. "My friend" enjoyed being a consumer and enjoyed getting a product without jumping through a bunch of hoops like a trained dog or being called a criminal because "my friend" would dare to buy used.

These game companies need to stop acting surprised when more people would rather torrent their game than pay for it. They are the ones that turned this into an adversarial process so they shouldn't be surprised when gamers start reacting in ways they don't approve of. These companies don't seem to have the slightest ounce of respect for gamers anymore so why on God's green Earth do they think they should be shown any in return. They don't seem to understand that people are more likely to get busted pulling a tag off a mattress than stealing their games and they can steal the games without leaving their house. Maybe they should keep that in mind and start treating people with some god damned appreciation when they needlessly dish out sixty dollars for their product when they could just as easily get it for free with a mouse click.

As for me? Well I pay full price for all my games, new the day they come out, and would never think to even to torrent even the smallest of public access files. No, I'm nothing like "my friend".

 

[Low Key]

See, it's this kind of shit that is getting me out of gaming. I buy a 360 three years ago, barely play it. I build a gaming computer this February, only have one game for it. It's almost as if companies like Warner Bros. want to piss people off, you know, just for kicks. Why not, right? Fuck the customer. I wish I could treat customers like that at my job and not only keep it, but see massive profits.

If you only have a single game for a gaming computer you have been doing something horribly wrong.

I have bought atleast 12 games in the same time frame as you, all new on my PC, without paying as much as a brand new console game.

Good for you. Irrelevant.

But the way I see it, I just laugh this off, seeing all the rage over having to input a code for a single character! ZOMG! its like watching my little cousins complain about the fact that they have to pull weeds for a day before their parents will buy them each a game.

Probably one of the worst analogies I have seen on this site. Pat yourself on the back.

This thread is about game companies killing off the used games market and charging people unjustly, not a funding issue or the difficulty of entering a code. I assure you, both my fund making and code entering skills are excellent.

Try having to put in the code for 100% of the single player game like PC gamers. I will smile when developers realize that they can do that with consoles as well and just make console gaming the same as PC gaming has been for years.

Most PC gamers buy their stuff digitally. As far as I know, you don't need any code when doing that. Who knows though? Maybe Steam is completely different from when I bought that one and only game a couple months ago.

The part about the fund making bit wasn't directed at you, just in general. I have seen the "waaaahhh I cant afford the 5 extra dollars for a new game!" argument far too many times.

And a number of PC gamers buy digital on Steam and Impulse (or whatever Gamestop calls it now) and dont need to enter keys.

But pick up a game like spacechem, or the humble indy bundle and you will have to enter codes into steam, sometimes twice. Or a lot of the collectors editions of games I have bought for the PC have me go to steam and put my key in the validate the game.

Okay, thanks for clarifying. In that case, sorry for being an unwarranted dick. But sure, if you get a physical copy of a game or buy one digitally on one site to use through a service like Steam, authorization codes are common practice. I've been gaming since 1989, so I've had to deal with it plenty. It's like a checksum of sorts. The same could be said about practically any piece of software, be they gaming, leisure, or professional.

 

[thahat]

What if you got this game free when you bought a nVidia GPU over the last few weeks will you get it then? Well they gave me steam code so I am hipefull but still in doubt.

steamcode = 'oh. so this game is for pc too'
meaning at least for pc gamers. there aint no problem. there is bound to be a hidden setting somewhere whenre you can just change a 0 to a 1 and bam, catwoman. its only software after all.

you'd think, but they didnt with joker in the last game. So it likely the files won't be stored on the disk (or a crucial file to be specific).

well i must state good thinking on their end. bravo!.
but if someone does have it, and shares, your still done XD stupid anti re-buy measures.

 

[Slim-Shot]

I don't understand why everyone is getting up in arms about this... the Publisher is rewarding people who by the game new with BONUS content. This strikes me as an excellent and intelligent way to approach the second hand game industry and piracy.

Game developers and publishers are a business for christs sake. They make ZERO money off people buying their games second hand. The only difference between this and piracy is that it at least supports the stores themselves. Instead of being all big and corporate and suing and complaining etc, they have developed what seems to me to be an intelligent approach to it.

People need to stop QQing and realize that they are running a business, not pandering to your entertainment requirements. If you really have an issue with it, just pirate the damn game, or rent it.

 

[Epona]

I don't understand why everyone is getting up in arms about this... the Publisher is rewarding people who by the game new with BONUS content. This strikes me as an excellent and intelligent way to approach the second hand game industry and piracy.

Game developers and publishers are a business for christs sake. They make ZERO money off people buying their games second hand. The only difference between this and piracy is that it at least supports the stores themselves. Instead of being all big and corporate and suing and complaining etc, they have developed what seems to me to be an intelligent approach to it.

People need to stop QQing and realize that they are running a business, not pandering to your entertainment requirements. If you really have an issue with it, just pirate the damn game, or rent it.

How do you know it's not cut content? Since they have been advertising this content for months, I would say it's cut content, not bonus content.

So the reward is that now people have to type in a code to prove they bought it new instead of, you know, not having to type in a code. What a reward!

So, are you saying you are ok with pirating if a game has an online pass or project $10 or some other activation code attached to it?

 

[dickywebster]

So as i dont have a psn account, i wont be able to get catwoman even if i buy the game new.
Ok fair enough with the new copy thing, but what about if u dont have an online account? (ok yes i know im the minority here, but still, i think its a valid complaint).

Also i dont like how they were making this out as a big feature then basically dont include it with the game except as what amounts to dlc, not too sure this will lead to good things...

 

[AgentBJ09]

You'll need either a new copy or an online pass if you want to try that whip out for yourself.

"Don't buy used if you want to use that whip on Batman." That's actually not %100 true.

http://www.geeky-gadgets.com/gamestop-giving-out-batman-arkham-city-catwoman-codes-with-used-copies-10-14-2011/

http://www.destructoid.com/gamestop-to-put-arkham-city-catwoman-pass-in-used-copies-213711.phtml

Apparently, Gamestop will GIVE you a code for this content if you buy the game used from them, so the $10 charge becomes moot and means you don't have to buy new to get that pass.

 

[Saucycarpdog]

And here we have a list of the publishers who think this stuff is a good idea:

EA
Take-two
THQ
Sony
Ubisoft

How long do you suppose before Activision and Microsoft give in?

 

[Anodos]

"Players who purchase previously owned copies of Batman: Arkham City can access the playable Catwoman content [by buying the Batman VIP Pass] for £7.99 [around $12]/ 800 Microsoft Points."

Well, she is an ex-prostitute after all.....

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

How major a feature is Catwoman going to be in the game? Because if she turns out to be a significant part of the game I am going to be pissed.

The Catwoman content is 10% of content according to Rocksteady.

Wow. Didn't see that. Holy crap. They're cutting out 10% of the game if you don't buy new?

For new users, they're locking 10% of the game, which isn't even necessarily online, behind an online pass?

Ah, but remember, the poor publisher is the victim here.

 

[Epona]

I don't understand why everyone is getting up in arms about this... the Publisher is rewarding people who by the game new with BONUS content. This strikes me as an excellent and intelligent way to approach the second hand game industry and piracy.

Game developers and publishers are a business for christs sake. They make ZERO money off people buying their games second hand. The only difference between this and piracy is that it at least supports the stores themselves. Instead of being all big and corporate and suing and complaining etc, they have developed what seems to me to be an intelligent approach to it.

People need to stop QQing and realize that they are running a business, not pandering to your entertainment requirements. If you really have an issue with it, just pirate the damn game, or rent it.

How do you know it's not cut content? Since they have been advertising this content for months, I would say it's cut content, not bonus content.

So the reward is that now people have to type in a code to prove they bought it new instead of, you know, not having to type in a code. What a reward!

So, are you saying you are ok with pirating if a game has an online pass or project $10 or some other activation code attached to it?

Actually, I more or less pirate every game, and in particular, single player games. (Mind you, this is because if I didn't, I literally wouldn't be able to game)

Also, the product you buy is a complete game. You don't NEED to play as Catwoman. Its not called Batman & Catwoman: Arkham City. Its also not the same as Homefront did for instance, where you had to buy the game new to play online. They aren't withholding key game mechanics or equipment or even story. They are providing EXTRA content for those who by the game new. People who rent or buy second hand will just have to make do with kicking ass as batman.

You flat out steal games and then tell us to buy new. Hilarious!

 

[Something Amyss]

Well congratulations on saving yourself some money then, most people take it to the garage to get things fixed up, and the more expensive the car, the more likely it will be a branded garage, which is income for the company.

And you're clinging at straws. increased probability does not mean assured income, which is the comparison. Since you cannot make that jump, it falls apart.

Price differential? Still doesn't matter. Actually, with the rather disposable nature of vehicles these days, it's a silly assertion to make, as more and more cars are being designed to last less time. Kind of like the design cycle, but again, it's wholly irrelevant. If you're propping up your counterclaims on failure to address price per unit differential, then you're doing something horribly wrong. If anything, the "low" turnaround on cars should be MORE a concern, yet somehow, automobile manufacturers manage to stagger on.

Well, that is until they try and sell cars that are 30+K and get 2 miles to the gallon in a recession, but there's a parallel to gaming there, too. That's another story.

But especially when you consider current DLC models, which are "pure profit," it's hard to prop up your flagging point. Profits per unit aren't really all that low, only the retailer has that issue (it's retail MARKUP that's low).

If this is what companies have to do to keep making the games i love then go for it.

Except, again, false premise. They don't. Go find a games company that's actually losing money. Preferably one making "AAA" titles. go on, I'll wait.

...Well, no I'm not, because I'm not holding my breath here. Arkham City doesn't "need" this to keep the company afloat. That's absurd and I should hope you know better.

i would point out that if used sales didn't exist the price point on in store games wouldn't be so rigid as it is

And you'd be lying, since the rigidity of prices is a modern construct that post-dates the used market and even Gamestop by years and years.

Okay, maybe lying is a tad harsh, but you'd be ridiculously wrong, making a statement with no evidence to its credit.

Being a pc gamer and seeing it from this side games have dropped half their value in less than a year, because they know they have sold all the would at that price point, its fun food for though

Funny, they used to do that even with the used market. It's almost like you could take the "used market" portion and disregard it, because it's not what's changed.

Oh wait, it's EXACTLY like that.

 

[CronoT]

I don't like it based on this fact alone. They should have revealed this at the same time they showed catwoman. I myself am not allowed by my parents to have any console online. so if I had pre-ordered this game based on playing catwoman as well I'd be screwed.
before you ask, my parents don't allow online games because they think it'll give the computer viruses.

*realizes how backwards those people must be*

I feel for you, my son. My step-dad used to say we couldn't be on the pc after midnight, and his justification was that we were keeping those other people up by calling them in those chat rooms. Technological Troglodytes are such a pain in the ***. They installed a web blocker program, so I bought an uninstaller that removed most of the core components that made it work.

Oh, and in case you're wondering, I was 21 at the time.

 

[Strazdas]

next up - you need VIP pass for oxygen.

 

[SoulSalmon]

The funny thing is; if they weren't giving Catwoman free to new buyers, the argument here wouldn't be HALF as long >.>
It would be day 1 DLC, not a 'used games' thing, and no-one (sans a few trolls and pirates) would care. But because they're offering this DLC as a bonus to new buyers, the flamewagon started rolling already...

 

[Denamic]

How is it not required to complete the game when you do not even get the complete game?

 

[Mikeyfell]

What's the problem with buying a new copy?

"Too expensive."

And the problem with waiting for a price drop?

"I want to play it now."

So you're cheep and impatient.

"I'm not cheep I'm broke."

So you're broke and impatient.

look people I didn't want to pay $60 for Arkham Asylum and you know what I did. I waited for a price drop.