I know, this is a subject that has been discussed a bazillon times, and the game isn't exactly new, but I've just found this example so jarring, I belive it's a perfect example to explain it to those who still refuse to see EA doing anything wrong at all (and belve me, there are many, many of those guys out there).
Alrigth, so this summer I adquired the Sims 3 thanks to the Humble Bundle pack. Otherwise I wouldn't have, since Sims 2 was such a time sink, I didn't want to spend my money AND my time like that again. Yesterday I finally installed it, and oh boy, what did my eyes see (after 5 or 6 patches). The most excruciating experience of the "EA's way of doing games" I've ever had, for a number of reasons:
First - To begin with, you can't just doubleclick the desktop shortcut and there you go, oh no. That will open Origin, then you click on the game, which will open the launcher game, where then you have to click the play icon, which then will send you to the in-game launcher and DRM your ass. THEN you will be able to play.
I don't think this all was necessary. In fact, I suspect that nobody carred about checking how this would turn out for the user, they just keep adding things from different teams.
Second - Dates. I tried to date people. Half of the time they wouldn't come home when I invited them and they said they would come, or they wouldn't be where my char went to meet them, or in a certain case when I invited a chess player to my home, he wouldn't stop coming back in even after I kicked him out for 5th time, until I blocked the doors.
Such a bugged mess on one of the most important mechanics of a game is both sad and gamebreaking. I just don't care anymore and have stoped trying to meet people in my very first Sims 3 day. If I need social meter, just solve it with some PC chatting.
Third - Microtransactions. Ok I understand that games don't pay for themselves out of thin air. And I can accept that they sell an awful lot of expansions, because after all that's how The Sims have always been. But do I REALLY need to see that there are this number of chairs/cities/whatever that I can't use until I pay real money, slapped in my face and forcing me to scroll down if I just don't want to pay more?
Ok you will say "oh but-but humblebundle!". Yes the game costed me about 1?. The Sims 3 is this way even if you paid full price for it, tho. That excuse is a cheap as saying that bad movies aren't bad because they are exactly what they were designed for.
All in all, I've only played 1 day and I'm already irritated with the game. Frankly, I hope EA will stop buying franchises I like(d), because their marketing philosophy makes me want to punch kittens.
Good night, and good luck.
Alrigth, so this summer I adquired the Sims 3 thanks to the Humble Bundle pack. Otherwise I wouldn't have, since Sims 2 was such a time sink, I didn't want to spend my money AND my time like that again. Yesterday I finally installed it, and oh boy, what did my eyes see (after 5 or 6 patches). The most excruciating experience of the "EA's way of doing games" I've ever had, for a number of reasons:
First - To begin with, you can't just doubleclick the desktop shortcut and there you go, oh no. That will open Origin, then you click on the game, which will open the launcher game, where then you have to click the play icon, which then will send you to the in-game launcher and DRM your ass. THEN you will be able to play.
I don't think this all was necessary. In fact, I suspect that nobody carred about checking how this would turn out for the user, they just keep adding things from different teams.
Second - Dates. I tried to date people. Half of the time they wouldn't come home when I invited them and they said they would come, or they wouldn't be where my char went to meet them, or in a certain case when I invited a chess player to my home, he wouldn't stop coming back in even after I kicked him out for 5th time, until I blocked the doors.
Such a bugged mess on one of the most important mechanics of a game is both sad and gamebreaking. I just don't care anymore and have stoped trying to meet people in my very first Sims 3 day. If I need social meter, just solve it with some PC chatting.
Third - Microtransactions. Ok I understand that games don't pay for themselves out of thin air. And I can accept that they sell an awful lot of expansions, because after all that's how The Sims have always been. But do I REALLY need to see that there are this number of chairs/cities/whatever that I can't use until I pay real money, slapped in my face and forcing me to scroll down if I just don't want to pay more?
Ok you will say "oh but-but humblebundle!". Yes the game costed me about 1?. The Sims 3 is this way even if you paid full price for it, tho. That excuse is a cheap as saying that bad movies aren't bad because they are exactly what they were designed for.
All in all, I've only played 1 day and I'm already irritated with the game. Frankly, I hope EA will stop buying franchises I like(d), because their marketing philosophy makes me want to punch kittens.
Good night, and good luck.
