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EA has gone around DICE, a company known for making their games as consumer friendly as possible, and employed all the worst tactics modern video game marketing has to offer. A level pack called Back to Karkand featuring some of the series’ classic maps is now part of a pre-order DLC pack called “Physical Warfare.” Further still, EA has removed specific guns and weapon attachments from the game and made them pre-order bonuses for certain stores.

All of this is an unfortunate move by the company, but one that’s still not unusual in the industry. However, in a genre that requires balance, EA has actually taken the unforgiveable step of giving some players access to game items that will actually give them a leg up on the competition, something Call of Duty hasn’t even dared to attempt yet. They’ve removed a powerful Light Machine Gun and two unique weapon attachments, making them only available through pre-order.

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These are the kinds of things that used to be rewards for skill. Beat the game and unlock the ability to play in the Batman Beyond costume. Find every Riddler Trophy and unlock Robin as a playable character. Goldeneye had you complete levels in a certain time, and that’s how you unlocked paintball mode. Now, you buy it. What do you get for achieving these difficult tasks instead? Useless achievement points or trophies, and if you’re lucky, maybe a new shirt for your avatar.

If you shift over to the world of casual games, cheats are even more of an overt form of currency. Games like Farmville or Mafia Wars literally tell you, if you give us money, we will make you richer and more powerful than anyone else playing. There’s an entire industry based on trading real world money for virtual world money, and regardless of the fact that money buys influence in nearly EVERY free to play game now, they still enjoy millions upon millions of players.

This is happening because it works. People will preorder for these bonuses now, people will pay to make their virtual farm bigger. And people will now pay to have paintball mode. Will the next Grand Theft Auto still have a “spawn attack helicopter” cheat code, or will I have to pay for that as well?

The anger phase of dealing with DLC has passed, and most are moving on to acceptance. One has to wonder however just how far the line can be pushed. How much can you cut out of a $60 title and tack on for a fee afterward? When does it stop? I don’t think we’ve reached that point yet, and I’m worried at what the industry will look like if this trend continues.

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It's funny. I'm not even sure why people would pay for a CoD game at all.

Blacklightning

Nov 8 2011, 03:50 PM

Some complete tool made a bid of $1725 for a copy of Modern Warfare 3, 4 days early. The kicker? The estimated shipping time for the purchase was 3-4 days. Words cannot express the sheer stupidity I just witnessed.