In an age of always-on internet some publishers have leapt at the chance to use online passes as a way to snuff out the pre-owned market. Usually these passes lock out the online play but recent releases have been more and more aggressive in trying to make sure you feel
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is an open world RPG coming from Big Huge Games. In welcome RPG fasion it’s a game that’s all about its big quests and storyline. However EA have made their customary online pass mandatory for the game, despite it being wholly single palyer.
Reviewers who have recieved their copies of the game have confirmed that an online pass is included in brand new versions of the game with a code to redeem seven of the games quests. The quests locked under the pass are the ‘House of Valor’ factions questline.
Of course this isn’t the only time that EA have locked out single player content behind an online-pass. Mass Effect 2’s Cerberus Network was an online pass that locked out a squad mate, his related mission and some other miscellanious conent. While I haven’t experienced Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning I think it’s safe to say that EA are only getting more aggressive in locking single player content.
This again raises questions concerning the pre-owned market and the legitimate use of online passes. How much content are players willing to have nixed from titles before publishers cross the line? While there’s an argument for the validity of this practice, it’s also simply an invoncenience to have to connect to the internet and manually plug in a long string of letters to get the game you just paid for. While some publishers like EA and Activions maintain that online passes are the best way to combat the used game market, Valve have gone on record to say that the best way to overcome these problems is simply to offer a better service.
Personally speaking, forcing me to redeem a portion of my game manually isn’t a great method of offering a better service.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is out February 7th in North America and follows in Europe on the 10th.
Source: Destructoid
Bossner
January 27, 2012 at 2:55 PMhttp://forums.reckoning.amalur.com/showthread.php?3063-Did-you-push-back-at-EA-at-all-over-this-Quest-content-gated-by-online-pass.&p=52393&viewfull=1#post52393
Turns out folks who buy the game new are simply getting the first DLC for free.
Desfunk
January 27, 2012 at 10:55 PMWhat saddens me about all of this. Is the fact that there are STILL a bunch of people out there who don’t have internet access.
I actually know quite a few. Who live out in the country area, and it just isn’t economically feasible for them.
So what of them? Just completely shaft them of their complete game. Just because they can’t afford/get internet?
Grant Gaines (大将)
January 27, 2012 at 11:45 PMEh lets be fair you’re bringing a “the glass is half filled” reply to a situation that is highly debatable.
On one hand they miss out on DLC, but on the other hand they’re more than welcome to sell the code for a slight profit. Additionally they’re free to buy used as the details are a complete nonfactor to them.
usrev2
January 27, 2012 at 11:59 PMit sounds like more of a free dlc… its much better then other games that don’t let you play online and such.
the game looks huge even without these 7 quest.