Remember when EA didn't completely suck?

[neppakyo]

Uhh, just to let you guys know...

Mass Effect 1 was before EA. Microsoft published it for Bioware.

Dragon Age Origins was completed just as Bioware was in the final stages of being bought by EA (at the time they wre shopping for a publisher for DA:O). It was held back further by to port it to the consoles.

So scratch those two games off your list, as EA wasn't involved in it's development (aka, interfering)

I remember Medal of honour waay back being good...

 

[SecondPrize]

I thought they were pretty cool between the Mirror's Edge 2 announcement at E3 and a few minutes ago when I read that the first one was "too hard" and people didn't like "running away" so they're making it an action adventure game. Now I'm back on the hate train.

 

[trollnystan]

Spoiler: 100 post special! Learn something new about me by clicking this box!

My mother's name is Hope Rising. Due to issues with being named after my father whom I dislike, I'm going to be taking on her last name. However, I couldn't do it without changing it to something suitably ridiculous. So, shortly after I can get the funds together, my name will legally be Phoenix Rising! Awesome, no? (I already have an engraved flask )

THAT is pretty awesome. Kudos, dude! +10 Internets for you =)

OT: There are plenty of EA games that I love! I just can't abide their business practises any more so I no longer give them my money unless I either 1) Forget the game is published by EA like a big doofus (looking at you Dead Space 1&2! Damn Steam sales...), or 2) Want to support the franchise (I might get Mirror's Edge 2). Or rare option 3) Find an old game on GOG.com now published by EA (bought Jade Empire the other day).

Other than the aforementioned games above, I haven't bought an EA game - that I know of; Steam sales can make me lose my head sometimes - in three years, give or take. Missed out on a lot of games. *self-pity party commences*

 

[AzrealMaximillion]

I honestly don't think EA's problem is their business practices. To be honest, you'd be hard press to find a publisher as big as they are that hasn't done very similar tactics.

EA just has some really bad PR problems.

They make better games overall than Activision and have similar business practices as them. EA also doesn't milk franchises literally to death like Activision has (Guitar/DJ Hero). EA also doesn't milk a single franchise to stay relevant (Call od Duty).

They make better overall games than Ubisoft and have similar business practices as well. EA also doesn't need a franchise to milk, unlike Ubisoft. (I'm looking at you Assassin's Creed.)

As a publisher, EA does very well, the attitude about EA seems to stem from people (even gaming media to a large degree) looking for things EA does with their business practices. EA also has a problem with PR, and I think them replacing their company president a few months ago helped a lot with that.

"Other people did it too" is not an excuse for the blatantly anti-consumer practices EA likes to engage in.

Like I said, EA reliably publishes decent-to-fantastic games that are shackled to horrid business practices like Project $10, always-online DRM, and (occasionally) incredibly short development times. They definitely have a PR problem, but that problem wouldn't exist if their executives didn't try so hard to twirl their mustaches. A better understanding of marketing and the consumer would only help them, but it wouldn't stop them from being hated until they let go of most of those practices. They're starting to make steps in that direction, which is a good sign, but it remains to be seen if they'll stay the course.

Not trying to say that EA is in the right with their business practices, but the attitude that gamers generally take when talking smack about EA is fascinatingly hypocritical. If you hate EA for the wrong they do (and they do plenty of wrong) then you have to get mad at everyone else the same.

The only reason we don't is because executives in other companies keep their mouths shut. Remember when Bobby Kotick's mouth was open 2 years ago? The crap coming out of his mouth was so bad people forgot EA's bullshit for a good long while. Activision seemed to put a gag on him and now people are back to hating on EA like usual. I think it'd be safe to bet that most other execs from game companies think in very similar manners as EA's, but like I said, they don't talk publicly because they know the consumers would hate what they have to say. Especially when it comes to what they want to see happen in the future business of gaming.

Part of the blame does have to go to the gaming media as they do kind of single out EA when it comes to DRM policies and Season Passes. Activision, Capcom and just about every other major publisher does the season pass, yet EA is the lone company catching shit for it. Part of the blame also goes to us, the gamers who constantly eat up all of the negative rhetoric. Voting EA the worst company in America just served to make the gaming community look silly as a whole. Especially with companies like Monsanto around.

EA bad practices are going to stay, the question is, have they learned that bad practices and idiotic public statements don't mix? Time will tell. Until then I ask people to take a step back and look at the business practices of more than just EA and see how it's not just them who buy studios and close them when they "under-perform".

 

[AzrealMaximillion]

UMMM

Ok, been nice enough to EA in my previous post, Bioware are brillant but why do i hate EA? well there current practices don't help, Introduction of that blight which is "online passes", taking "free to play" models and trying to use that to milk more money out of Buy to OWN games, always online bullshit but even before these there was reason to HATE those Evil Assholes. Why? ULTIMA 8, and if that wasn't enough reason ULTIMA 9!!!!!!!

BURN IN HELL EA

Besides the Ultima situation, everything you mentioned has been done by Sony, Capcom, Activision, and many other companies. Where's the extensive hate for them?

 

[Agayek]

Not trying to say that EA is in the right with their business practices, but the attitude that gamers generally take when talking smack about EA is fascinatingly hypocritical. If you hate EA for the wrong they do (and they do plenty of wrong) then you have to get mad at everyone else the same.

The only reason we don't is because executives in other companies keep their mouths shut. Remember when Bobby Kotick's mouth was open 2 years ago? The crap coming out of his mouth was so bad people forgot EA's bullshit for a good long while. Activision seemed to put a gag on him and now people are back to hating on EA like usual. I think it'd be safe to bet that most other execs from game companies think in very similar manners as EA's, but like I said, they don't talk publicly because they know the consumers would hate what they have to say. Especially when it comes to what they want to see happen in the future business of gaming.

Part of the blame does have to go to the gaming media as they do kind of single out EA when it comes to DRM policies and Season Passes. Activision, Capcom and just about every other major publisher does the season pass, yet EA is the lone company catching shit for it. Part of the blame also goes to us, the gamers who constantly eat up all of the negative rhetoric. Voting EA the worst company in America just served to make the gaming community look silly as a whole. Especially with companies like Monsanto around.

EA bad practices are going to stay, the question is, have they learned that bad practices and idiotic public statements don't mix? Time will tell. Until then I ask people to take a step back and look at the business practices of more than just EA and see how it's not just them who buy studios and close them when they "under-perform".

Oh absolutely, all the big name publishers are anti-consumer twats that need to be beaten with the ugly stick. It's just, as you said, that EA makes themselves the most visible target. People pile on them because they like to continually make noise about how blatantly anti-consumer they are, while the others are generally content with silently being anti-consumer. Honestly, we shouldn't be tolerating it from any of them.

That said, EA is the one that is the most egregious about it. Mostly because they're the single biggest publisher in the business (not so much in sales/revenue as number of titles though). It's really easy to single out EA when half your library has their logo on it along with a list of steps the size of War & Peace that you need to follow to be able to play.

 

[Lightknight]

Liking EA games is hardly liking EA. EA just buys a bunch of developing companies with deep pockets because the companies are good ones with great IPs. EA then proceeds to monetize the hell of each brand as much as they think they can get away with it.

They're a pretty cold and calculating company that has made some seriously bad calculations regarding the "human element" and how to treat them (you know, how to treat customers like they aren't dirty little peasant thieves). So no, I don't like EA for a myriad of reasons. Their games? They can certainly pay other companies they've purchased good money to make some great ones. But the business of EA is monetizing those things and not really making them. So saying, "Hey, I like this game they put out" is a little like thanking a mall owner for something a business renting space in the mall produces that you like. The mall owner is certainly responsible for helping them be there, but is hardly so directly related to their product.

 

[Mr C]

As an old bugger, I recall when EA was a sign of quality. Back when they were practically a Sega developer for the Megadrive they developed and published classics like Road Rash, Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday, Desert Strike, The Immortal and Starflight plus many more.

 

[FoolKiller]

NHL 94

The greatest hockey game of all time and possibly the best sports game of all time. This was during the infancy of EA's sports dominance.

 

[Daygall65]

No one remembers Freedom Fighters?? For shame on all of you!!

For shame I say! Best game I've ever played by them. I have to have over 3k hours in that game... That's more play time then Oblivion+Skyrim for me... Might be about almost equal to if you add in Morrowind...

 

[Anthony Corrigan]

UMMM

Ok, been nice enough to EA in my previous post, Bioware are brillant but why do i hate EA? well there current practices don't help, Introduction of that blight which is "online passes", taking "free to play" models and trying to use that to milk more money out of Buy to OWN games, always online bullshit but even before these there was reason to HATE those Evil Assholes. Why? ULTIMA 8, and if that wasn't enough reason ULTIMA 9!!!!!!!

BURN IN HELL EA

Besides the Ultima situation, everything you mentioned has been done by Sony, Capcom, Activision, and many other companies. Where's the extensive hate for them?

So what?
Sorry no one says that customers must be equal in there contempt, if you act unethically you don't get to stand up and say "but they do it too" that's not an excuse

EA started the online pass trend and so bare the bed they lie in, Capcom get nothing but my contempt for that piece of rubbish they called RE6, so I don't care what they do because I don't buy there games. Ubisoft get a little benefit of good will from me for the moment because I liked AC, Activision GOT gamers ire when they made Diablo 3 always online but then EA jumped on the idea and it crashed even worse on SimCity. As for Sony, sorry dude but Sony don't actually do that or if they do its not much and not on the games I buy. There was nothing in any of the R&C games I bought, not to mention Sony came out recently to stress that the PS4 will support gamers rights so yes they have a lot of good will currently

If EA want to get peoples good will then whinging that other people do it and why don't you pick on them is not going to get it for them, STOPPING these practices and releasing good games is the only way people are not going to view EA like this:

 

[RicoADF]

They made Soviet Strike right?
I liked that game, it was fun.

Yes they did, and Nuclear Strike. I was planning to play that again sometime soon, good series IMO and hope another is released someday.

 

[Aeonknight]

You know what I'm really getting sick off? All of the EA hatred, I get 99.99999999% of all the hatred for it but come on guys, being hateful all the damn time is not going to lead to anything positive, if anything it will make us all feel very sad and miserable.

Really? Being hateful won't lead to anything? It lead to Microsoft completely changing their DRM policies for the Xbox One.

If anything we should hate MORE.

Don't pat yourself on the back, your hate didn't do jack.

The #'s are what made them change. 11 to 1 PS4 vs Xbone pre orders was the deciding factor, not your whining on an internet forum.

Why do you think they tried so hard to justify these DRM methods? They were calling your bluff. And why shouldn't they? "Outraged" Gamers are a hypocritical bunch. Like the gamers who hate on EA but continue to buy their games (even used.)

Turns out gamers actually stuck to their guns for once, and that shocked Microsoft and made em backpedal. But by all means, keep thinking your cynical views on everything are making a difference.

 

[Breywood]

I have a large number of EA titles up to and including Need for Speed Underground II. At the moment,I have Black and White, NFSU and Emperor:Battle for Dune also installed and take those out for a spin every once in a while. But that makes it almost 10 years since I've bought a title from them.

I have very fond memories, but they're just that: memories. I think it would be great for them to slack off on deadlines, and try a little less hard to eek out every single penny they can out of their customers. Fat chance of that happening, though.

 

[Headdrivehardscrew]

For about twenty years straight, EA has bought up studios, ran them into the ground, killed off franchises or ruined them at their own leisure... believe me when I say my hatred is delivered cold, it's just that EA keeps nuking it in some industrial strength microwave.

A lot of the good games that spring to mind were not developed by EA, they were developed by a team surviving under the thumbs of EA. Just sayin'.

Just look what they did to/with Battleforge. It's a game that is neither alive nor dead, an abomination unto God and the very basic laws of nature.

 

[Headdrivehardscrew]

As an old bugger, I recall when EA was a sign of quality. Back when they were practically a Sega developer for the Megadrive they developed and published classics like Road Rash, Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday, Desert Strike, The Immortal and Starflight plus many more.

I enjoyed some of those titles, actually still do.

However:

Road Rash - I remember loving the first one. Did they really develop this one? I wouldn't know.

Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday - SSI developed, SSI published. No EA as far as I know.

The Immortal was designed by awesome cool mofo Will Harvey, EA just did the publishing.

Desert Strike - surprise hit dreamed up and made by mainly one guy that probably couldn't have done it without EA's support and assets. I'll give you this one. However, them being EA, they've been milking this success for just about the duration of the 1990's, and I do remember that some of those titles were quite shitty and soulless in nature.

Starflight was a Greg Johnson/Binary Systems joint, published by EA. Do bear in mind that my experiences with Starflight were a 1986 wild ride, when EA still seemed to have a vision and a heart, so I don't know how the ports half a decade later turned out.

 

[Snotnarok]

Road Rash 3, if you disagree you get a chain whip to the face and run over by a motorcycle followed by on coming traffic....What that's how it works in the game!

Don't have favorites, but I really do enjoy me some road rash.

 

[infohippie]

Yes, I remember when EA didn't suck. That was back when they were still calling themselves Electronic Arts and releasing games on the Amiga. They've sucked pretty solidly over all the years since then, it is simply the level of suckage that has varied.

 

[piinyouri]

They made Soviet Strike right?
I liked that game, it was fun.

Yes they did, and Nuclear Strike. I was planning to play that again sometime soon, good series IMO and hope another is released someday.

But it'd be all gritty and super srs.

The PS Strike games had a wonderful sense of humor that set them apart a bit.
"EVIL HELICOPTER!"

 

[00slash00]

i think most EA games are quite good, thats the problem. if they had fucked up business practices but most of their games sucked, no one would care, because they wouldnt want to buy the games in the first place. but a lot of EA games are really quite good and people are forced to put up with EAs policies in order to experience them.

i guess probably the EA game that stands out at the one i had the most fun with, was mass effect 2