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[levyjl1988]

It fucking pisses me off. Now publishers feel like they can get away with it now. Fuck this digital future.

All it takes is just one company.

Bethesda started with Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion with horse armor microtransactions, the success of that created microtransaction monstrosities with piecemeal DLC skins, it's so fucking sad.

Then we got store exclusive preorder bonuses, where preordering a game from a retailer would get you specific DLC, this prevents gamers from accessing all the available content unless you preordered from multiple retailers, thank god this trend is over.
But fuck I lost out on getting all the DLC for Lolipop Chainsaw, Enslaved Odyssey to the West, Hunted, demons' Forge, etc, and all the games that participated in this exclusive shit, you couldn't even purchase it from the digital store.

Then we get OverWatch and their exploit of loot boxes, then we see this shit in FIFA and Star Wars Battlefield 2. Good thing the lawmakers stepped in to stop this shit from ruining people with addictive tendencies.

Then we have mother fucking Nintendo closing the eShop for the Wii, Wii U, DSi, 3DS, so they can push their online subscription which doesn't even have any of those old games. Holy Fuck.

Then we have SEGA, mother fucking SEGA, they removed Sonic the Hedgehog 1, 2, 3, Sonic and Knuckles, and Sonic CD from the PSN and Xbox Store ahead of the Sonic Origins game release. Motherfuckers ruined achievement and trophy collecting for others who want to purchase a single game.

Honestly, gaming went to shit.
Fuck these companies and their anti-consumer practices.

This type of shit in gaming is going to extend to real life too. With inflation, we are paying more for less, kinda like gaming now.

 

[Jonnie_Darko]

So, you finally noticed...

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Don't make a mountain out of a mole hill. You weren't playing any of that stuff anyway.

 

[levyjl1988]

So, you finally noticed...

I always noticed, I'm just venting right now. These companies are all fucking stupid and I wish them failure in the future. Maybe they might wise up like Microsoft with the Xbox One and not fuck up anymore than they can.

I'm honestly hoping Nintendo's next console will be a failure like the Wii U because they have become quite complacent.

 

[nush]

Motherfuckers ruined achievement and trophy collecting for others who want to purchase a single game.

If they cared that much they would have already brought the games.

 

[ManaByte]

You can still download the Ubi stuff if you bought it.

 

[Hendrick's]

You cite two developers in your title and then go on to describe a bunch of other examples none of which are the two on your title. I am genuinely curious what content Bungie and Ubisoft have removed from games.

 

[Halo2redvsblue]

Venting and complaining won't do anything, It's already been to control gaming. Even if the internet came before video games, we wouldn't have the past like we do now. The future of gaming is for the future fans, not us. Either embrace it or don't support.

 

[Kagey K]

You cite two developers in your title and then go on to describe a bunch of other examples none of which are the two on your title. I am genuinely curious what content Bungie and Ubisoft have removed from games.

I can't figure out the Ubi one but Bungie has vaulted a bunch of stuff in Destiny's including full paid expansions.

 

[BlackTron]

It's pretty bad. AAA gaming certainly is a wasteland.

Luckily you can cherry pick from lots of games available that aren't yet another example of publishers reaming you.. If you're really worried about storefronts closing, PC up and save all your files.

I personally only play all the big games on sale, gamepass, friends copy, whatever. Helps avoid that bad taste.

 

[CitizenZ]

There is plenty incoming, dont worry. I dont blame them, would you keep servers up for a few people?

 

[legacy24]

 

[CitizenZ]

It's pretty bad. AAA gaming certainly is a wasteland.

Luckily you can cherry pick from lots of games available that aren't yet another example of publishers reaming you.. If you're really worried about storefronts closing, PC up and save all your files.

I personally only play all the big games on sale, gamepass, friends copy, whatever. Helps avoid that bad taste.

My last 3 games I have played(playing) are all single dev projects and am having a lot of fun. But not different from how I have always been all my life in terms of all entertainment.

 

[Warnen]

I’m meh on it.

 

[eastcoastkody]

idk what the ubisoft thing is. As far as i've paid attention its just online features of games from 2 gens ago?

but yeah the Destiny thing is nonsense. they've gotten rid of PVP maps....and whole planets. They said they would bring the stuff back...but im still waiting. Whats its been 2 years.

 

[MasterCornholio]

I like my disks.

But even then some of this stuff still screws me over.

 

[Apocryphon]

There is plenty incoming, dont worry. I dont blame them, would you keep servers up for a few people?

They chose to use server side authentication where other publishers didn't. Sack the servers, just remove the fucking DRM ffs

 

[saturnalian]

Edit, wrong quote

 

[S0ULZB0URNE]

You cite two developers in your title and then go on to describe a bunch of other examples none of which are the two on your title. I am genuinely curious what content Bungie and Ubisoft have removed from games.

This

 

[Batiman]

I like my disks.

But even then some of this stuff still screws me over.

That’s a nice gif

 

[Guilty_AI]

What? Did you say something? Couldn't hear anything over the sound of my extended sails

 

[Kev Kev]

aight cool story im gonna go play some video games

edit: i mean i partly agree, but im not that upset about it. i never buy anything but the base game tho. either that or i pay a subscription, or i try to hit those less than $5 deals on games, and im really happy with where gaming is, doing things like that

 

[saturnalian]

Edit, wrong quote

 

[ReBurn]

Horse armor was cool at the time.

 

[Roxkis_ii]

I heard when you buy an online game, you aren't buying ownership, you are buying a license to access.

Destiny is a MMORPG on fixed hardware, they can't add new stuff in the game to infinity. So they made the decision to vault some old shit to make room for new content.

Just because you paid for something doesn't guarantee you access forever and I don't think it's healthy to have that expection.

 

[Sophist]

Precedent? Tons of Mmo have died. Selling a game actually cost money (user support and software update), old games being removed from stores shouldn't be blamed. The trend of microtransaction probably started with Korean MMORPGs (Ragnarok online?) then valve with TF2 turned it into a phenomenon (remember all the memes about the hats?). The technique itself is old; it's not that different then toys/figurines vending machines or trading cards.

 

[ANDS]

So, you finally noticed...

My thoughts exactly. It's like someone walking in and going "You know. . .I'm not a big fan of that social media."

I heard when you buy an online game, you aren't buying ownership, you are buying a license to access.

Destiny is a MMORPG on fixed hardware, they can't add new stuff in the game to infinity. So they made the decision to vault some old shit to make room for new content.

Just because you paid for something doesn't guarantee you access forever and I don't think it's healthy to have that expection.

You have only ever been buying a license to play a game.

 

[saturnalian]

Edit, wrong quote

 

[Meicyn]

I’m having a blast with videogames, so

I pay a lot less too. Phantasy Star 4 came out on the Genesis in 1994 for $100. 20 hour RPG. That’s almost $200 in 2022 based on inflation.

For $149 for PS Plus Premium good for the next three to four years, I have like, 500+ games to go through. Gaming is amazing.

 

[Stuart360]

You have only ever been buying a license to play a game.

Yeah this is the key here,, and something we all forget at times, myself included.
We dont actually buy games, we buy a license to access that game. They can do what they want with that said license though.
We dont actually own any game really, not games from the last few years, and buying digitally of course.

 

[DeliciousDoc]

I’m having a blast with videogames, so

I pay a lot less too. Phantasy Star 4 came out on the Genesis in 1994 for $100. 20 hour RPG. That’s almost $200 in 2022 based on inflation.

For $149 for PS Plus Premium good for the next three to four years, I have like, 500+ games to go through. Gaming is amazing.

Yeah you just need to pay in perpetuity for games you have bought in the past or that are too old for new audiences so they don't feel confident keeping the same price. All this built on the back of the rom scene they have demonized for 20 years while profiting from their labor.

 

[StateofMajora]

What? Did you say something? Couldn't hear anything over the sound of my extended sails

Not like they're giving us a choice.

 

[Gamerguy84]

Wait until you here about the automaker Bavarian Motor Works is doing. They are including heated seats in vehicles but you will have to pay an $18 monthly fee (sub) for them to turn them on.

BMW is selling a subscription plan for seat warmers — for $17 a month

More businesses are turning to subscription plans to get monthly revenue from consumers. One observer calls it "microtransaction hell."

www.cbsnews.com

Shits spreading.

 

[01011001]

the fact that Bungie removed the original campaign of Destiny 2, which was honestly really good, was shocking to me when I read it.

and honestly that shit should quite literally be illegal

 

[Aenima]

I’m having a blast with videogames, so

I pay a lot less too. Phantasy Star 4 came out on the Genesis in 1994 for $100. 20 hour RPG. That’s almost $200 in 2022 based on inflation.

For $149 for PS Plus Premium good for the next three to four years, I have like, 500+ games to go through. Gaming is amazing.

Yeah, between subcription services and promos, gaming can be very cheap now.

I had like 5 or 6 games for my Master System II cuz i only got a game for my birthday or Xmas, now i have more games in my library than time to try them all.

Going ontopic, while removing paid content is scumy as fuck, calling these companies idiots is wrong, cuz the only idiots are the gamers paying for DLC, season passes, loot boxes, etc, that gives green light for these companies to keep doing what they do. Game companies are not charities, they exist to make money, if they find a way to make money, they will use it. If you dont like what they doing, dont fucking spent money on that.

 

[Meicyn]

Yeah you just need to pay in perpetuity for games you have bought in the past or that are too old for new audiences so they don't feel confident keeping the same price. All this built on the back of the rom scene they have demonized for 20 years while profiting from their labor.

Cool story. Meanwhile, I am getting insane value for my dollar via lots of games to play. When the deal ceases to have value to me, I will cancel it like I did my Hulu subscription. It’s really that simple. I can live without Ape Escape and Dark Cloud 2, I promise.

 

[CaptainSlayAHo]

Horse armor was cool at the time.

No it wasn't, I remember article after article about people hating it, and if you didn't, you were indifferent.

This is literally the first time I've ever seen anyone think that it was "cool" lmao

 

[Dr. Claus]

Dont' buy digital.

 

[StateofMajora]

the fact that Bungie removed the original campaign of Destiny 2, which was honestly really good, was shocking to me when I read it.

and honestly that shit should quite literally be illegal

Removed it via a patch, or removed it for sale online?

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

 

[CaptainSlayAHo]

Dont' buy digital.

Spoken like someone who owns 6 games

Sorry, but I don't feel like flipping through cases of games or leaving boxes on display... Digital is easier

 

[ReBurn]

No it wasn't, I remember article after article about people hating it, and if you didn't, you were indifferent.

This is literally the first time I've ever seen anyone think that it was "cool" lmao

You couldn't possibly have talked to everyone yet

 

[j0hnnix]

 

[CaptainSlayAHo]

You couldn't possibly have talked to everyone yet

Good thing I literally stated that I'VE ever seen.

 

[StateofMajora]

Every time I am reminded of horse armor, I remember the guy at ign who said it was so cool. And I get mad haha



Just smack that hat off his head lol

 

[Ghost of Caelid]

If the micro transactions suck the game dies. Most non mobile games with micro transaction (often) are good games outside of them...fall guys for example has a ton but the cosmetic suits don't get the way of a good game. Same with warzone or overwatch. I'm not here to defend capitalistic based greed...but lets not act like every generation you don't get games that try to profit off the lowest common denominator...we just forget them cause they die. Same will happen to the bad games that do it today.

 

[Roxkis_ii]

Yeah, because it's a MMORPG, the "license to access" argument only works for online-only games. In ALL other cases it doesn't hold up.
It's like saying that because you clicked "OK" for a EULA or TOS you're suddenly bound by it, truthfully that doesn't hold up legally. Once a person buys a game or entitlement(DLC etc), they need to be able to keep it permanently.

The only way that argument would hold up is if the company selling the game explicitly tells the customer upfront (not hidden in some EULA or TOS, upfront in the customer's faces.) that their access to the game or entitlement may be revoked anytime. Of course no company would ever want to do that, they'd rather hide it in EULAs.

I said Destiny specifically for a reason. Why would you assume I was talking in general?

 

[TheInfamousKira]

I mean, like...I agree? But the fact of the matter, as OP pointed out, none of this shit happened in a vacuum. It all had a precedent. You could argue one that was established far before having a console connected to the internet was even a thing.

You start with your arcade games. Games designed from the ground up to be as repetitive and difficult as was feasibly possible, with the express intent being to either a. Let you fail upwards after spending a million dollars in quarters, or b. Become so knowledgeable at a game's mechanics that skill perservered....after spending a million dollars in quarters. This led to console games (and ports of arcade titles) that had the same design architecture, only they traded off quarters for actual physical time spent. Things were cranked up to 11 because the game world was finite in size and people would flip shit paying full retail price for a 6 hour experience.

This difficulty led to the advent of game genies and sharks in a symbiosis with vanilla software. Have infinite lives! Have unlimited health and mana! Play that second game mode with that alternate costume from the start! All you need is this magical doohickey (sold separately)!

In parallel, games starting releasing with "game of the year," or "director's cut," or "super x Turbo elite!" selling us the same product, with 3% more of the same product stitched on.

Technology advanced, and this led to companies saying "you know what? What if sold that alternate costume for money and cut out the middle man?" "You know what, let's just have a DLC that unlocks ALL OF THE CONTENT without any playing required!

In short, these markets thrive or die on the vine based solely on how many yes man consumers there are, and gaming in particular is rife with people camping outside of a retailer for a week to get the newest new-brand thing like they're fucking mint edition gen 1 Pokémon holographics.

NFTs were the most test bed proving ground for this idea of mine: Publishers did a fucking juggling-flaming-chainsaws square dance trying to ensure that NFT's in gaming were a thing. They told us they were a thing. They told us that they're making it a thing. Industry household names and voice actors endorsed them as a thing. And no one fucking wanted them, so they never became a thing.

Every time you read about, hear about, see in the wild- a business practice or product that you can't stand, realize: this was the result of one hundred airheaded assholes catering to a market enabled by ten thousand airheaded assholes.

 

[ZywyPL]

Riot Games has been doing it for ages, removing or changing the skins saying that, heh, "you pay for the now". I stopped playing LoL since then after they changed Pulsefire Ezreal and gave such a trash explanation as of why.

 

[Goalus]

the fact that Bungie removed the original campaign of Destiny 2, which was honestly really good, was shocking to me when I read it.

and honestly that shit should quite literally be illegal

This seems to be the solution to your problem:

Dont' buy digital.

Wait, it isn't?
Oh.