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Banana Kid · Dec 4, 2011

I wouldn't be so bothered by online passes is they fucking worked. If publishers could consistently make sure the codes are actually in the box, that the codes actually work, and that they don't stop working if you wait too long to buy, then it wouldn't be such a big deal.

Locking content behind a system that keeps failing is not acceptable.

VibratingDonkey · Dec 4, 2011

So their response is basically: "Yup, we're totally doing that shit."?

GavinGT · Dec 4, 2011

Saint's Row 3 has a pretty ridiculous Online Pass implementation. It actually locks you out of system link play unless you've redeemed an Online Pass. It just seems crazy to me that something called an Online Pass is required to access an offline feature.

VibratingDonkey said:
So their response is basically: "Yup, we're totally doing that shit."?

More like, "LOL, PSN being PSN."

FyreWulff · Dec 4, 2011

GavinGT said:
Saint's Row 3 has a pretty ridiculous Online Pass implementation. It actually locks you out of system link play unless you've redeemed an Online Pass. It just seems crazy to me that something called an Online Pass is required to access an offline feature.

More like, "LOL, PSN being PSN."

Know what other game did this?

Age of Booty. You can't play LAN without signing into Gamespy.

Wario64 · Dec 4, 2011

They say getting a new pass is free. Except online passes are sold for $10 on PSN/XBL...? I don't understand.

JaseC · Dec 4, 2011

Wario64 said:
They say getting a new pass is free. Except online passes are sold for $10 on PSN/XBL...? I don't understand.

I imagine that, in cases of expired passes, the correct avenue would be to contact support and obtain a new, functional code. As I'm sure you're aware, passes sold on PSN/XBLA are intended for those who purchase games second-hand.

Willectro · Dec 4, 2011

EA just keeps getting worse.

Yagharek · Dec 4, 2011

questionmark said:
There needs be an EA sucks |OT| to congregate all the bullshit policies of EA.

Agreed.

And as I said in the other EA thread today, OTs for EA published games should not be allowed on neogaf until EA stop stealing peoples' games. They are a scam company and should be treated as such.

nyong · Dec 4, 2011

If you can contact their support and get a new code somewhat painlessly I can forgive the stupid here. What I can't forgive is their insane forum/game banning policy. Someone really needs to get a class-action suit rolling against those jokers. All it would take is for the mainstream media to pick it up and they'd back down overnight.

Dance Inferno · Dec 4, 2011

Can we all unanimously agree that EA is totally fucking its customers at every possible turn?

- Online passes for new games expire
- Origin installs DRM that sends personal information to third parties
- EA can prevent you from accessing single player games that you paid for if they ban you from their forums
- They released Dragon Age 2. Ugh.

I thought Activision was bad back in the day, but EA takes douchebaggery to a whole new level.

Izayoi · Dec 4, 2011

ilnadmy said:
I thought Activision was bad back in the day, but EA takes douchebaggery to a whole new level.

Activision is still pretty fucking bad (and getting worse).

They're both equally scummy in their own special ways.

R_thanatos · Dec 4, 2011

Just got word of this .. i feel ( like many ) that this is beyond stupid ..not only you have passes but those can expire ?

it's really stupid .... did i say that this whole situation feel like a REALLY STUPID move ?

there is virtually no point to even bother buying a EA game now if you don't buy new near the release date

so1337 · Dec 4, 2011

PsychoRaven said:
Yes she does. And boy did that bite WB in the ass. Last I heard people still hadn't gotten replacement codes because their copies code was blank.

I got a replacement code. It didn't work.

POWERSPHERE · Dec 4, 2011

EA were doing so well for a few years there, then something happened and they got greedy and have fucked their entire business starting about a year or two ago.

Rebel Leader · Dec 4, 2011

POWERSPHERE said:
EA were doing so well for a few years there, then something happened and they got greedy and have fucked their entire business starting about a year or two ago.

Something must of happened to John Riccatello(?)

subversus · Dec 4, 2011

Rebel Leader said:
Something must of happened to John Riccatello(?)

losses happened.

MMaRsu · Dec 4, 2011

Jamesways said:
That REALLY sucks. I hope that's not the wave of the future.
"You paid for the case and disk, you need to pay for the code to actually play the game, even offline".

That's right up there with the whole kicked off the forum now you can't play the game you paid for thing too.

They will. Ever since idiots defending online passes and buying games with these passes it will continue to take over this and next gen unless gamers take a stand.

1-D_FTW · Dec 4, 2011

Used games and people buying BOMBA... destroying the industry and putting people out of work.

MMaRsu · Dec 4, 2011

Barrel Cannon said:
I am one of those few forum goers who doesn't mind online codes for certain parts of certain titles, but not when they use it to exploit the gamer to this extent

They ALL exploit the gamer.

PetriP-TNT · Dec 4, 2011

I guess online passes expiring is a non-issue for EA as they take down the servers year after the release anyway

:|

Massa · Dec 4, 2011

MMaRsu said:
They will. Ever since idiots defending online passes and buying games with these passes it will continue to take over this and next gen unless gamers take a stand.

It's more likely that all games next gen will come with a 1-time activation for the entire game, like PC games do.

Neuromancer · Dec 4, 2011

Massa said:
It's more likely that all games next gen will come with a 1-time activation for the entire game, like PC games do.

I don't know. Would GameStop even agree to sell them at that point?

Complistic · Dec 4, 2011

oh that is rich.

MMaRsu · Dec 4, 2011

Massa said:
It's more likely that all games next gen will come with a 1-time activation for the entire game, like PC games do.

Right..the day i will stop gaming when that happens.

Htown · Dec 4, 2011

Massa said:
It's more likely that all games next gen will come with a 1-time activation for the entire game, like PC games do.

This is slightly off-topic, but it's something that bothers me:

People keep bringing up codes for PC games in this context without remembering that CD keys and codes for PC games exist for an entirely different reason. PC codes exist in an attempt to stop illegal game piracy. These console game codes exist in an attempt to stop people from buying games legally with their hard-earned money, or to get them to pay extra for online when buying a game used when these companies cut off the game servers after two years anyway.

It's a completely different level of money grab, and it sucks.

Sportbilly · Dec 4, 2011

Neuromancer said:
I don't know. Would GameStop even agree to sell them at that point?

Digital download, hence why GameStop bought Impulse. The writing's on the wall for traditional bricks and mortar retailers.

Zaraki_Kenpachi · Dec 4, 2011

I don't understand, what is the benefit of having them expire?

Deleted member 81567 · Dec 4, 2011

Zaraki_Kenpachi said:
I don't understand, what is the benefit of having them expire?

They think we're gonna buy another one.

CrunchinJelly · Dec 4, 2011

Zaraki_Kenpachi said:
I don't understand, what is the benefit of having them expire?

I think they are assuming anyone buying a game this late is a more casual gamer so would spend the extra $10 for the online pass without even thinking.

Plus most EA online services last 18 months maximum.

Zaraki_Kenpachi · Dec 4, 2011

cjelly said:
I think they are assuming anyone buying a game this late is a more casual gamer so would spend the extra $10 for the online pass without even thinking.

Plus most EA online services last 18 months maximum.

True, I didn't even think of that. I was just thinking it costs them more money to have to provide support since it's free anyhow then to just have a code that doesn't expire. That was without the assumption of they hope you'll just ignorantly buy a code. :/

VeryGooster · Dec 4, 2011

alr1ghtstart said:
EA is shit. Online passes are shit. Combine the two for a giant pile of shit.

Suckiest bunch of sucks that ever sucked?

Does this mean the window is closing for Hot Pursuit multiplayer? That's lame because I actually enjoy it.

Neuromancer · Dec 4, 2011

Zaraki_Kenpachi said:
I don't understand, what is the benefit of having them expire?

To be dicks.

Diablohead · Dec 4, 2011

Zaraki_Kenpachi said:
I don't understand, what is the benefit of having them expire?

how long does an average madden server last?

ElRenoRaven · Dec 4, 2011

VibratingDonkey said:
So their response is basically: "Yup, we're totally doing that shit."?

Well it's EA. The one thing I can honestly give them is that they've always been honest about how they fuck consumers over. They have never been ashamed of the way they treat consumers like they're the scum of the earth.

ilnadmy said:
Can we all unanimously agree that EA is totally fucking its customers at every possible turn?

- Online passes for new games expire
- Origin installs DRM that sends personal information to third parties
- EA can prevent you from accessing single player games that you paid for if they ban you from their forums
- They released Dragon Age 2. Ugh.

I thought Activision was bad back in the day, but EA takes douchebaggery to a whole new level.

Hell I've been saying that for years now. Activision may be bad about DLC and shit but even Kotick don't like online passes. They'd rather overprice the DLC then go with online passes. I can at least respect that and say well I don't have to buy your shitty overpriced DLC to play my game. Also to their credit they seem to make it so that even if you never do buy their DLC you can still play their games unlike some companies that make it almost impossible to play theirs if you don't buy the DLC.

so1337 said:
I got a replacement code. It didn't work.

Wow. That really sucks to hear.

GavinGT · Dec 4, 2011

cjelly said:
Plus most EA online services last 18 months maximum.

It's really nothing more than that. They figure that 1 year is the minimum amount of time that they would have to support an unpopular game. So they want to be covered in case someone buys a new copy of said game, expecting the servers to still be active just because the Online Pass promises them access.

As far as I know, there hasn't yet been a case in which EA has shut down a game with Online Pass functionality. Nor has EA instituted an expiration date on any Online Passes issued thus far, though they reserve the right to do so. Regarding the OP's problems playing Hot Pursuit, this seems to be nothing more than an unintentional Sony/EA server issue, and one that has happened multiple times before.

dose · Dec 4, 2011

I've just gone through some of my games to check for more of this stupidity. Oh look, Mass Effect 2 for PS3, there is an expiry date of 1st January 2012, yep, in 4 weeks time.

The game was released on the 21st January 2011 (in Europe). Nowhere does it say on the online stores such as Amazon's etc, that there is an expiry date on using the online features in the game.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003ZUXYOQ/

Fucking sort your act out EA.

PetriP-TNT · Dec 4, 2011

dose said:
I've just gone through some of my games to check for more of this stupidity. Oh look, Mass Effect 2 for PS3, there is an expiry date of 1st January 2012, yep, in 4 weeks time.

The game was released on the 21st January 2011 (in Europe). Nowhere does it say on the online stores such as Amazon's etc, that there is an expiry date on using the online features in the game.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003ZUXYOQ/

Fucking sort your act out EA.

Not to mention the address states www.ea.com2/service-updates which isn't even a working address (and taking the 2 out only results in 404 EA page) lmao

Zaraki_Kenpachi · Dec 4, 2011

PetriP-TNT said:
Not to mention the address states www.ea.com2/service-updates which isn't even a working address (and taking the 2 out only results in 404 EA page) lmao

:lol WTF

fabricated backlash · Dec 4, 2011

PetriP-TNT said:
Not to mention the address states www.ea.com2/service-updates which isn't even a working address (and taking the 2 out only results in 404 EA page) lmao

Like I said. EA is an Internet Scam company. Dead End support links, getting redirected to a real estate agency... next thing we'll be getting emails from a nigerian Prince from them.

charlequin · Dec 4, 2011

PsychoRaven said:
See that is total bullshit. That is exactly why I hate companies that do this online pass shit. Talk all the shit you want about Activision, Microsoft, and many other publishers but they don't pull this shit YET.

Yeah, Nirolak and I had a conversation yesterday that basically boiled down to "....why did we all hate Activision again?" For all their (numerous and unpleasant) flaws, they haven't kicked in with any of this Online-Pass, delayed-PC-version, always-online-DRM, servers-offline-after-10-months bullshit that the other big publishers have embraced so wholeheartedly.

Neuromancer said:
I don't know. Would GameStop even agree to sell them at that point?

Well it's a tough spot for them, right? A move like that would basically shutter their business either way, so it's not like they'd have a lot of wiggle room. On the other hand, Gamestop closing up shop would completely trash the revenue of every major publisher, so while theoretically this could happen it'd basically be a mutally-assured-destruction type situation.

dose said:
I've just gone through some of my games to check for more of this stupidity. Oh look, Mass Effect 2 for PS3, there is an expiry date of 1st January 2012, yep, in 4 weeks time.

Just in time to screw you if you buy it in preparation for the sequel!

Zaraki_Kenpachi said:
:lol WTF

The emails about the forum-Origin-bans also included a (different!) non-existent URL to visit for more information.

Zaraki_Kenpachi · Dec 4, 2011

charlequin said:
Yeah, Nirolak and I had a conversation yesterday that basically boiled down to "....why did we all hate Activision again?" For all their (numerous and unpleasant) flaws, they haven't kicked in with any of this Online-Pass, delayed-PC-version, always-online-DRM, servers-offline-after-10-months bullshit that the other big publishers have embraced so wholeheartedly.

Well it's a tough spot for them, right? A move like that would basically shutter their business either way, so it's not like they'd have a lot of wiggle room. On the other hand, Gamestop closing up shop would completely trash the revenue of every major publisher, so while theoretically this could happen it'd basically be a mutally-assured-destruction type situation.

Just in time to screw you if you buy it in preparation for the sequel!

The emails about the forum-Origin-bans also included a (different!) non-existent URL to visit for more information.

Wow, I didn't know they did the same thing with the Origin bans. I'm just at a loss of words... Especially to consistently do it, it's just absolutely mindnumbing. Companies that are literally scams and fronts to solely steal people's money has more working links than EA apparently.

PetriP-TNT · Dec 4, 2011

charlequin said:
The emails about the forum-Origin-bans also included a (different!) non-existent URL to visit for more information.

I would laff out loud so hard if it turned out that those addresses only work in EA intranet hahahahaha

inky · Dec 4, 2011

charlequin said:
Yeah, Nirolak and I had a conversation yesterday that basically boiled down to "....why did we all hate Activision again?" For all their (numerous and unpleasant) flaws, they haven't kicked in with any of this Online-Pass, delayed-PC-version, always-online-DRM, servers-offline-after-10-months bullshit that the other big publishers have embraced so wholeheartedly.

The Activision hate came during the turning point in which EA was still fresh on having released Mirror's Edge and Dead Space and pointing at new IPs, while Kotick was running his mouth about taking the fun out of making games, having every studio make a Call of Duty and killing the entire music genre.

This last year EA has been nothing but a shit talking-policy-changing-user-fucking company, tired -maybe- of playing second to ActiBlizz in all departments, including evilness. Lately it seems like every single day I open up GAF there is a terror story of how EA is fucking somebody over or thinking about it. It's getting really scary.

VASPER · Dec 4, 2011

1-D_FTW said:
Used games and people buying BOMBA... destroying the industry and putting people out of work.

That's not his fault for buying a game not at full price, i cant afford a 2011 car but my 99 jeep is way cheaper. That's not putting anyone out of a job, make good games and you should not have a problem. Now i have to say this, its bullshit that EA is doing this. Nothing aginst them making money but hey let me play your game, same shit different day.

VonRehausen · Dec 4, 2011

Not my fault if the retailers panic and slash prizes after 2 weeks of weakish sales, at least we buy them!

I buy 15-25 retail games and maybe 20 PSN games a year so yes I sometimes have to look for bargain prizes!
This year I burned my fingers with 125 EUR Killzone 3 Helghast Edition and 80 EUR Duke Nukem Balls of Steel Edition so gotta be careful these days of unreliable game reviews.

faceless007 · Dec 4, 2011

I wonder if ME2 Cerberus keys bought from Steam will also expire next month. I just bought the game for $5 in the last sale and haven't even started it yet; I'm sure that won't be the last time it goes on a Steam sale.

Guess I should install the game and register it just in case.

charlequin · Dec 4, 2011

inky said:
The Activision hate came during the turning point in which EA was still fresh on having released Mirror's Edge and Dead Space and pointing at new IPs, while Kotick was running his mouth about taking the fun out of making games, having every studio make a Call of Duty and killing the entire music genre.

Yeah, I mean, I know why we hated Activision, and on any objective level they're still pretty terrible, but graded on a curve they've actually chosen much less awful approaches overall than their closest competition. (And they're way more profitable, which leads me to question any "we can't make money otherwise!" logic behind most of this nonsense.)

ElRenoRaven · Dec 4, 2011

charlequin said:
Yeah, I mean, I know why we hated Activision, and on any objective level they're still pretty terrible, but graded on a curve they've actually chosen much less awful approaches overall than their closest competition. (And they're way more profitable, which leads me to question any "we can't make money otherwise!" logic behind most of this nonsense.)

Yea they really have. I think they'd not get as much hate if Kotick would just shut his damn mouth. I also think the closing of Bizarre Creations and the whole mess with Infinity Ward didn't help either. Course we don't know the whole story with that yet. I have a feeling that both sides made some underhanded choices in that whole debacle. But anyway none of that helped them either.

Course they allow their games to keep running, they don't do online passes, they don't shut off a gamers access to their damn game if they say something they dislike on their forums if they even have any. So yea compared to EA they're not near as evil.

JambiBum · Dec 4, 2011

charlequin said:
Well it's a tough spot for them, right? A move like that would basically shutter their business either way, so it's not like they'd have a lot of wiggle room. On the other hand, Gamestop closing up shop would completely trash the revenue of every major publisher, so while theoretically this could happen it'd basically be a mutally-assured-destruction type situation.
Just in time to screw you if you buy it in preparation for the sequel!
.

Certain games/publishers let Gamestop sell used games with new online passes. Warner Bros and Batman being the most recent one. They just send GS a bunch of codes that can be printed right onto the receipt. EA does not let GS do this with any of their games.

Diablohead · Dec 4, 2011

for those kids out there getting ME2 ps3 for christmas while at their grans, I hope she has internet access to use that code before the 1st jan.

12 months wtf.

:/ EA are dicks.

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