Battlefield 3 Requires Online Pass For Consoles

Owen Good on Kotaku confirmed this week that Battlefield 3 will require an online pass in order to play the game online. The pass comes with every new copy of the game and if you do not have a pass, it costs $10 to acquire one. EA has been slowly integrating the online pass requirement for all the multiplayer components of their games recently, with titles like Dead Space 2 and Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit requiring it in addition to all of their sports titles.

Why is it a big deal? Mainly because it's becoming the best trend to combat used game sales. One of the biggest battles videogame publishers have been faced with in recent history is used game sales, namely through GameStop. Buying a slightly used game for a few bucks cheaper seems like a great deal for the consumer, but none of the money goes back to the developers while GameStop sees all the profit. Many gamers that buy used copies have been outraged as they are now essentially paying for a new game where these online passes make up the difference in price.

In my opinion, these online passes are genius. GameStop is a nice store and it's given me a great place to get some of my money back on games I no longer play or didn't like, but the used sales business as a whole is very damaging from my point of view. The dawn of online gaming and connectivity has made it easier to track the effects of used sales and many companies are seeing startling results. Heavy Rain reportedly had 2 million copies sold, but close to 3 million people have played the game online, meaning nearly 1 million units and anywhere between $5 to $10 million dollars in royalties that it's developer lost. As someone who wants to be involved in the development of games, seeing series lose large chunks to used games is concerning to me. The PC went through a similar even in the late 90's when CD keys became a standard and now we are starting to see a similar revolution in the console market and I fully support any means to try and make it more attractive to by games new. Anything that can help raise developers see more money from their sales to raise the quality level of new IPs or create sequels to critical successes is a positive in my book. What do you think? Do you agree with online codes to promote buying games new? Do you hate it and want to see in ban hammered? Sound off below!!!

Bioware Crossing Multiplayer Into Mass Effect 3

On Kotaku, Michael McWhertor had the biggest scoop in videogame news yesterday when he went over the details of Bioware's plans to add multiplayer to Mass Effect 3. Bioware has stated that they are adding 4 player co-op to the game and that the results of it will directly influence your single player experience. You do not play as Commander Shepard or any know characters, but instead create your own unique soldier from the ground up. You can pick a race (Humans, Turians, Krogans, and Asari are confirmed as options) and unique abilities, then form up to take down positions and capture territories from the enemy.

A unique class based co-op mode sounds pretty awesome, but why does Mass Effect 3 need it? As someone who has played through Mass Effect 1 and 2 more than once, I'm thoroughly happy with what I have: an engaging single player experience with deep, story driven choices that compile into a narrative entirely unique to me. It's a role-playing game at heart, creating a connection to my character through moral choices that define whether I'm the noble soldier ready to lay down my life for Earth or the dick who'd throw the nearest person under the bus to save his skin. When you add multiplayer to something like this, it seems out of place. Team and objective orientated gameplay is the polar opposite of it's audience and adding 4 player co-op with it's cover focused mechanics seem like it's trying to copy Gears of War. Why can't it be enjoyed as merely a great single player game?

Personally, I think it has to deal with the evolution of games and growth of expectations by demanding fans. 20 years ago we were happy to play through titles like Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past by ourselves, now we want that experience, competitive multiplayer, and the kitchen sink from current games. Great single player games are being watered down by wasting development time to make the now "mandatory" multiplayer aspect of their game. Just recently, great single player titles Bioshock and Dead Space had multiplayer added to their sequels and both titles suffered in overall quality compared to their original. We need to just sit back and remember that not everything is meant to be played in team deathmatch. We can't keep trying to blur the lines between the quality of an rpg like Mass Effect and a shooter like Gears of War, we'll eventually lose the battle as quality declines trying to appease both audiences and publishers planned release dates. What do you think? Are single player games quality being hurt by the demand of multiplayer? Do you like Mass Effect adding multiplayer? Sound off below!!!

Extra-Life: Play Games. Heal Kids.

Not very often do I come across events that allow me to do great things with my passion for videogames. Sure, I have a lot of fun with them, they inspire me and create memorable moments; but they never quite let me help someone in need. My top-score in Tetris isn't going to build a homeless man a house and leading my team in kills and base captures in Battlefield 3 isn't going to cure cancer. What would you say if I could offer you a way to make a difference for someone through playing games for 24 hours?


Sounds a bit ridiculous, but extra-life.org has provided an avenue to make your 24 hour binge of gaming benefit charity. Extra-life is a project that was started by the Sarcastic Gamer Community back in 2008 because of a little girl named Victoria Enmon. Victoria was battling acute lymphoblastic leukemia and the some of the SGC's gamers decided to donated several games to her to help keep her in high spirits through the encounter. Unfortunately, Victoria passed away in January of 2008, but the gamers involved with helping her felt inspired to continue aiding children faced with severe illness. They came up with extra-life, a 24 hour gaming marathon in order to raise money for their local Children's Miracle Network. In 2008 and 2009, they were able to raise $302,000 through their event for the Texas Children's Hospital. Now, in 2011, the event has grown for you to choose the hospital you are giving too and support Children's Hospitals that are local to you. All your asked to do is sign up on their website, choose your charity, and then try to minimally get 4 people to sponsor you $1 for each hour you play (so $24). The event is on October 15th, beginning at 8am and ending on 8am October 16th.


It's a really great opportunity in my opinion, I personally have done a lot of volunteering in my life and frankly I've gone through some rather boring events to help great causes. This is a chance to do something I love to do with my personal time and turn it into a way to really make a difference in a few young peoples lives. I'd love to start up a team for the MAGD department to get behind here in Whitewater (and ideally the whole campus) to try and make a significant contribution to the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. Hopefully some of you reading this would like to get behind me and promote the event, if I can't I will for sure be registering for the event under my own name. The site provides a multimedia kit to easily print off fliers and posters to promote the event with little hassle and I could really use the help setting the program up with such short notice. Sound off below on extra-life, ways you use games to help people, or unique ideas to make games a way to contribute to good causes!