Tuesday, July 14, 2009

EA... NCAAF 10

Ok... I just got a note that basically says you can unlock anything or start with an advantage by bribing EA. Seriously.

Want to start Road to Glory mode with a 5 star DT or DE? 100 points (or 50 cents) will get you what you want. The same can be said for DB, WR, RB, LB, and QB.

Ok, so you can spend a little dough and get a head start on your first person football mode. No big deal, it's only 50 cents. At least Dynasty mode is pure... right?

Nope.

Adding new pipeline states is crucial for adding good players and it is normally hard to get, but now can be easily had for 150 points. Unlock new promises will also make it easier to recruit and set you back 180 points. For another 150 points, you can get bumps to your pitches which also boosts your ability to sell on recruits. How about a recruiting advisor to help with your decsisions for 120 points (I do find this to be the least offensive). Or maybe you want to know what your rival teams are focusing on recruiting for 120 points.

Want to download team rosters? 800 points ($10) will unlock all the team building and downloading slots.

Between seasons, you want to keep the best and train them up. Spend a little bit of points (180) to always max out your training. Or maybe you want a boost for retaining them for their senior year for 180 points.

Your stadium can give you an edge. Why not give that a boost too for 120 points.

But why go ala carte? Grab the whole set for 1000 points (or roughly $12).

Someone paying to cheat at games is not really new. Some folks just want to win more than to experience the challenges. That isn't what is really frustrating about this. What is a joke is that if you want to compete online, you will need to buy these packs as the folks you will play dynasty against online will have these.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

That's pretty interesting, been waiting for games to do more of that (other than the typical buy maps/songs to date). Pretty soon games will be free but to succeed you need to pay up.

The Really Sarcastic Weasel said...

As a person who hasn't bought a new game in years (certainly not in the era where subscriptions and pay add-ons existed) I suppose I'm not one to talk, but this does seem like a natural thing for software developers to try in the age of teh internet pirates. Definitely, in the future, the base game will be free (and suck).

Online competitive games could make the push for a competitive edge get to the point where these add-ons could generate real coin for them.

What will probably happen though, is that some anarchist/gamer will crack the unlockable features, giving them to everyone for free.

The last game I spent any real time playing was the original Age of Wonders, an 11 year old turn-based strategy game. It came with a map editor that allows you to make your own scenarios. Many of the ones people share online are way better than the ones that came with the game, and I got them (legally) for free. This may also be a future trend if the game maker can find a way to capture some revenue from this. Information yearns to run wild and free.

Unknown said...

I would be more ok with James' take that the games could be cheaper and then sell add ons. That would make this more palatable.

I have always been a fan of user created content. You take a game you enjoy and then add more time and life to the system or universe depending on the mod. Especially when you look at some games never having a sequel or not having a good sequel...