The Unofficial Video Game & System Thread (Part III)

[ThornWithin81]

The problem is that EA's new system doesn't recognize a situation where, say, two brothers in the same household want to share one copy of a game they both play infrequently. One brother has to pay 10 dollars to go online. Not to mention that EA's system of "unlock codes" has been buggy in my experience. I had an unlock code when I bought Bad Company 2 new that somehow reset itself (removing content from my player profile)... and the code they gave me stayed "used".

What happens when I buy an EA Title at launch, play it for a week... have my code glitch out, and then the game asks me to pay 10 dollars to get online again? Hell, what happens to rental services now? If you want to rent an EA title to play online for a week you have to pay for the rental AND the 10 dollars to get online, even if you send it back within a few days?

This is rubbish. I generally don't jump on board the EA-hate wagon but I'm going to have to refrain from buying any new EA titles moving forward. Games are already too expensive as is. These companies make MASSIVE amounts of money selling a disc, some plastic and some paper for 60 dollars as is.

Give me a break.

[ThornWithin81]

Originally Posted by OldRightHander

Ok, I get home for a couple days and my wife is out of town visiting family in Virginia. I figure I have a bit of time to blow so I bring my PS3 in from the van to hook up in the house and the tv isn't recognizing the PS3 hooked up to the HDMI input when I plug it in. It's recognizing the DirecTV box through the same input, but when I hook the PS3 up there it's acting like there isn't even anything there. The tv I use in the van recognizes it fine.

You probably need to reset the video settings. If you play the PS3 on a HiDef signal (say, 1080p... or whichever one is better) and then move it to a 1080i TV without changing the graphics in advance, you won't get a signal. The PS3 will still be broadcasting in a format that the second TV can't read.

Hence, no signal. Not sure if that relates to your problem though, but I've had it happen to me a few times.

[OldRightHander]

Originally Posted by ThornWithin81

You probably need to reset the video settings. If you play the PS3 on a HiDef signal (say, 1080p... or whichever one is better) and then move it to a 1080i TV without changing the graphics in advance, you won't get a signal. The PS3 will still be broadcasting in a format that the second TV can't read.

Hence, no signal. Not sure if that relates to your problem though, but I've had it happen to me a few times.

That did the trick. The tv I have in the van is a fairly new LED that supports full HD while the larger tv in the house is an older plasma that is only 720. I hooked it up to the LED and changed the manual setting to turn off the 1080 and that did it. Maybe it's time for a newer tv for the house.

[KronoRed]

Originally Posted by ThornWithin81

These companies make MASSIVE amounts of money selling a disc, some plastic and some paper for 60 dollars as is.

Give me a break.

Especially sports titles, 90 percent of the yearly changes being roster updates.

[Caveat Emperor]

Originally Posted by ThornWithin81

The problem is that EA's new system doesn't recognize a situation where, say, two brothers in the same household want to share one copy of a game they both play infrequently. One brother has to pay 10 dollars to go online. Not to mention that EA's system of "unlock codes" has been buggy in my experience. I had an unlock code when I bought Bad Company 2 new that somehow reset itself (removing content from my player profile)... and the code they gave me stayed "used".

What happens when I buy an EA Title at launch, play it for a week... have my code glitch out, and then the game asks me to pay 10 dollars to get online again? Hell, what happens to rental services now? If you want to rent an EA title to play online for a week you have to pay for the rental AND the 10 dollars to get online, even if you send it back within a few days?

This is rubbish. I generally don't jump on board the EA-hate wagon but I'm going to have to refrain from buying any new EA titles moving forward. Games are already too expensive as is. These companies make MASSIVE amounts of money selling a disc, some plastic and some paper for 60 dollars as is.

Give me a break.

If you look at the EA website (http://www.easports.com/onlinepass), it states:

Do I need to purchase an Online Pass when I rent a game?
Each Xbox LIVE gamertag or Sony PSN ID is entitled to a free 7 day trial per title. Beyond that, users will be required to redeem or purchase Online Pass access.

So they're at least cutting you some slack for people who want to rent the game and give it a try before they buy.

The access for each individual game is also tied to the gamertag or PSN ID, which means that you can re-download if you have some sort of problem. If there's a problem on EA's end, I don't know what the solution is.

The situation with "two brothers who share a game" sucks -- since it looks like they tie the online access to the individual gamertag. I think it'd be far better if they did it to the system, but I guess that's probably not possible. But, as far as I'm concerned, that isn't much of an issue since I don't share my Xbox with anyone else.

I can't fault EA for trying to keep their profits in-house. I expect this type of practice will become the norm for future Call of Duty / Halo type releases as well.

[FutureRedsGM]

I'm thinking of listing my PS3 on craigslist and I was looking to get a little help from you "experts" on the value. I have one of the original 20 gig PS3s. I know that's not as nice as the 80 gigs or the newer slim models. However, it does have the benefit of backwards compatibility. I see all models of PS3s selling on craigslist (where I'll be attempting to sell mine) for anywhere from $200 - $300. What's a fair asking price for mine? It's in perfect working condition and includes the original controller as well as an additional "off-brand" controller. Are there other features / selling points of the 20 gig model that I'm not thinking about? Thanks again for your help.

[jmcclain19]

Redsfan320 - FO Manager isn't awful if you only have a console, but if you have a PC - Baseball Mogul & especially OOTP blow it away

[jmcclain19]

As far as the EA Sports thing goes - Honestly if you buy the games new, it doesn't affect you one bit.

EA does need to work out their code system though for that if its going to continue - the Mass Effect 2 code system was a botched steaming pile of you know what.

And if they are making it a code system, they need to make sure that online system is rock solid, something I haven't encountered with great success. Last year's NCAA 10 online was a buggy mess that kept booting me constantly from an online dynasty.

[jmcclain19]

I just bought FIFA 10 - first new Fifa game in probably five years.

Spent a few hours last night going thru all the tutorials. I'm way out of practice with that game but it's come an amazing way with the advanced ball physicals and style moves.

[SirFelixCat]

For the PC gamers out there, today is the final day of Steam's big summer blowout. Some killer rehashed deals. Civ IV complete pack for $10 etc.

[SirFelixCat]

wrong thread...

[RedsManRick]

Originally Posted by jmcclain19

I just bought FIFA 10 - first new Fifa game in probably five years.

Spent a few hours last night going thru all the tutorials. I'm way out of practice with that game but it's come an amazing way with the advanced ball physicals and style moves.

It's a great game. Look for me (RedsManRick) if you ever play online.

[reds1869]

I just bought Football Manager 2010 for $14.99 on Steam. I hadn't taken the plunge on Steam until today. As a Mac gamer, it is Nirvana! I couldn't believe the number of top flight titles available for Mac that are only avaliable for PC in a retail environment. I'm a fan.

[paintmered]

Originally Posted by reds1869

I just bought Football Manager 2010 for $14.99 on Steam. I hadn't taken the plunge on Steam until today. As a Mac gamer, it is Nirvana! I couldn't believe the number of top flight titles available for Mac that are only avaliable for PC in a retail environment. I'm a fan.

Steam is a godsend for PC gamers. If you're willing to wait a few months after a game releases, they often put it on sale for 25-50% off with much deeper discounts at later sales like their summer and year-end blowouts.

[Redsfan320]

When will Madden 11 be out. And, for the ps2, are there any improvements since Madden 09 besides roster updates (and the new broadcasting, I guess)??

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