Online Pass Required to Play as Arkham City's Catwoman

[StriderShinryu]

The developers are, very often, paid in advance for their work or paid along the way. If a game sells well, they get a bonus. So this whole "Support the developers" think is a false dichotomy

True, but when it comes down to the decision on what game(s) for the publisher to fun next they need a metric to judge things by. Generally, this metric is sales. If a game loses a large percentage of it's standard sales to the used market, then sequels or further titles from the same development team are less likely to be greenlit. While developers are getting paid in advance for one title, if it doesn't sell well enough they won't get paid in advance for the next, which basically ends up with the same result.

 

[Eve Charm]

Well second hand sales also help a developer, look how many trade bonuses are running rampant through any place that also accepts trade ins and will sell this game. How many people do you think trade in their old games now in this economy to help pay for a new game.

Considering all the games coming out this month and next i wouldn't be surprised to see this game drop a few notches due to the fact the trade in will also be poor due to a used pass.

 

[MegaManOfNumbers]

Usually, I would fanwank this kind of BS, but its Rocksteady, so it'll be worth it.

Well, worth it when I find a cheap copy of Batman: Arkham City. U MAD, Developers?

 

[Agayek]

If only there was some way of having single-player locked content be accessible to offline players...

There's a fairly easy solution to that:

Don't be a dick about used sales.

They don't hurt anyone, there's nothing wrong with it, and it's god damn ridiculous that there's even a debate over it.

The best possible way they could combat used sales is with a tiered pricing structure, where games' prices drop regularly and quickly as they get older. Such a move would quickly dry up GameStop's profit margins and encourage people to buy new games. Start off at $60 or whatever and drop $5-10 off the price every 2-3 weeks until it hits $20-30. The people who really want the game will buy it right off the bat, and others will buy it as it reaches their budget.

The effect on used games is that it will force GameStop's prices lower and lower to keep selling, dropping their profit margin significantly. You wouldn't see $55 used games next to a $60 brand new copy anymore. GS would have to be selling for $20 or less, and with the overheard involved, they'd barely turn a profit on it. Not to mention if a new copy was only $25, it's much easier for people to justify the amount of money spent.

TLDR version: Stop fucking with content, start fucking with prices.

 

[darthotaku]

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.

Seriously? Damn... Are your parents Luddites or something? It's not actually possible to get a virus from a video game except in one of two scenarios. 1) You download a file with it someone not the developer modified/created (custom maps in games like TF2 are a good example) and 2) the developers want to give you a virus.

The former can be easily avoided by not downloading custom maps, and the latter can't really be avoided at all. Fortunately, any developer who pulls the latter is going to be looking at a class action lawsuit for everything they own, and possibly a couple of organs as well, so it's not very common.

Try telling them that. while my mother is scared that the escapist is going to break the computer, she is quite fine with downloading bootlegged music and e-books, even after it has broken the computer once already. I didn't even bother getting a PS3 or 360 because they don't understand computers.
but what bothers me is that someone in the same situation could have already pre-ordered it. no online means the online pass won't work. there is somebody, somewhere, who will not get to play as cat woman even after ordering it months ago.

 

[agent_orange420]

gonna love when the film companies get hold of this. avatar 2 on blu-ray will only play in fast forward unless you went to see t at the cinema. and it will be in black and white unless you saw the 3d version at the cinema.

 

[Wicky_42]

OH MY GOD THE IMPACT ON PC SALES ... will be completely irrelevant. Go go second hand sales market...

 

[CM156_v1legacy]

The developers are, very often, paid in advance for their work or paid along the way. If a game sells well, they get a bonus. So this whole "Support the developers" think is a false dichotomy

True, but when it comes down to the decision on what game(s) for the publisher to fun next they need a metric to judge things by. Generally, this metric is sales. If a game loses a large percentage of it's standard sales to the used market, then sequels or further titles from the same development team are less likely to be greenlit. While developers are getting paid in advance for one title, if it doesn't sell well enough they won't get paid in advance for the next, which basically ends up with the same result.

But here's the problem: if a game is losing THAT much to second hand sales within the first few weeks, something went wrong, and it's not the fault of GameStop.

They're just filling a need that publishers aren't, namely: being able to get rid of a game you no longer wish to own.

 

[Farotsu]

Funny part is, I went almost nuts when I watched the gameplay trailer with Catwoman's parts. Holy crap she really needs to shut up, and most importantly, forget the awful puns! I'm almost glad that I can skip that.

 

[Boom129]

they flaunt this feature for months and now say its premium!?!?!!!

THIS REQUIRES MOAR RAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Eve Charm]

but what bothers me is that someone in the same situation could have already pre-ordered it. no online means the online pass won't work. there is somebody, somewhere, who will not get to play as cat woman even after ordering it months ago.

Can't find it anymore but there was a big thing with this junk when Resident evil 5 gold came out for the 360 with download codes instead of the content on the disc. Someone in the military's family bought him this and sent it out to him overseas and he could never get the extra content not having internet he could hook up his 360 to where he was station. was all over kotaku and other sites demonizing capcom for not including the content on disc, how far we've come now to accept this ;p.

 

[B-Rye]

Anyone remember the days when games were sold as a 100% experiences and any DLC added to the experience? In my humble opinion, it seems like a mistake to sell 75% of a game to consumers and withhold 25% (sometimes more, sometimes less) of the content that actually is part of the full intended story or experience.

 

[4173]

All what, 2, 3 female characters?

Selina Kyle: Gameplay wise - Makes sexual remarks while beating pepole up with a cleavage-tastic suit.
Pamela Isley: Wears next to nothing - poison kisses.
Doctor Harleen Quinzel - Dresses up as a fetish nurse and stays next to her man who she's useless without. And - with respect to Tara Strong - isn't voiced by Arleen Sorkin.
(And had an "affair" with Pamela - which then gets redacted in Arkham Asylum - grrr)

Rather than their normal archetypes of Thrill-seeker, Eco-Terrorist and Spacecake Acrobat, they all become sexy sex for fiends but secretly love Bats.

Bleurgh.

Catwoman's suit is dumb, but Catwoman's had a sexual edge and flirted (or more) with Batman for what, 70 years? Poison Ivy's been perhaps more varied, but certainly had numerous sexual interpretations. It manifested a little differently, but even in "Mad Love" Harley is pretty clearly a) sexual (dontcha wanna rev your Harley) and b) crazy, mentally ill and obsessive about Joker. Calling Harley a spacecake acrobat is almost as bad as calling The Joker "eccentric."

Certainly, they could have gone with less sexualized versions, but this is hardly out of left field or abnormal.

I'm not sure what the reboot has to do with anything. It's always been separate canon, if one cares about such things.

Because if you're taking history from canon, it has to be the right one - not just a hodge-podge without meaning. Joker isn't a fighter and had Bane venom in him - you don't get better easily from that.

Joker has ranged from being able to go toe to toe with Batman to being completely helpless in a fight. We know Joker spent time in between Asylum and City very injured in a wheelchair. The promotional materiel I've seen, Hugo Strange thinks Joker is dying and so does the Joker.

Creating a separate canon means exactly that, retaining what the artist wants and altering or inserting anything they want.

 

[viranimus]

What about us who said:

"Yeah they have every right to charge for their entertainment. If you think they screw you use money on something else"

Those are either willingly or inadvertently ignoring the adverse effect of their actions and ignoring the effects the most ignorant group of consumers will end up having over all consumers as a whole.

Though, I guess I truly expect too much for the general populous to understand anything more advanced in economics than Keynsian or Hayek centric economic models, cause yanno, they didnt make a rap video about them.

 

[Ham Blitz]

I don't know if this is a neutral thing or a bad thing. See it seems bad to me because based on half the advertisements and the front cover of the game (and game informer article) I thought that Catwoman was going to play a big part in the story, even if it is only about 10% of the gameplay. That, and they had videos months ago boasting about the change in fighting style of catwoman and showing off one of her missions.

 

[Andaxay]

I can't say I'm terribly fond of this, but I must admit this is one of the least dickish anti-used-games things they could have done.

It's a code that only affects single player and to my knowledge is a rather small part of the game as a whole. It reminds me a lot of RAGE and the sewer things it had. It's the same style at any rate.

I'd like it a lot more if publishers stopped being completely retarded and realized that used games are not a problem, but this is definitely an improvement over the other shenanigans they pull.

Exactly this. It's a bit sad for the people who can't access the Internet to be penalised but in this day and age I suppose devs just assume everyone has the Internet. And it's true only a slice of the world is without, now. At least pre-owned buyers haven't lost much.

Game devs see pre-owned as a problem 'cause they make no money from pre-owned sales. But, come on, how hard can it be for devs/publishers and retailers to come to some sort of agreement where everyone gets some of the profit?

 

[Twilight_guy]

Sometime I wish I could post some stupid crack at DLC and leave like other people do. Then I realize had sad and empty that would make me feel for not actually expressing my real opinion.

Anyways, don't really have an opinion, at least she's not a pre-order exclusive and is available to everyone. (wait until the game costs 5 dollars and buy the pass and save tons on the game). Hope that people at leastr see this as a little better then it could have been.

 

[Dr. wonderful]

Oh well. Who cares? Just buy it new.

And if you feel the need to buy is used, 800 microsoft points is wicked cheap, so not really a problem. It is just a little bonus that the code is for, so its not like it effects the story in any way.

I like this Guy style.


seriously, who cares? I'm getting it new anyway.