EA sells Tiger Woods cheats on XBL
I came across an article at Gamespot describing EA's decision to um.... "market" cheats/unlockables for Tiger Woods PGA 2007, posted at : http://au.gamespot.com/news/6159881....881&msg_sort=1
To make a long story short, you can either manually play through the game unlocking the bits; or you can cough up roughly $10 ($2.50 for extra courses, $3.75 for player stat. modifications and $3 for a "download exclusive" ability to be able to play as Tiger Woods wearing a red shirt) and have things instantly unlocked for you.
WTF?!? I mean, really...
Since Tiger Woods PGA 2007 retails for $ 60, why not just skip the hassle of downloading all together and release TWPGA2K7 "Easy-Type" for $70?
Inevitably the first thing to come to mind after reading the article was the aforementioned "WTF?!? I mean, really..." The second thing to come to mind was Nintendo's case against Galoob on grounds that the GameGenie hindered a gamer's experience by modifying/altering the game.
For me, the biggest problem with it is not the actual contents (extra courses, red shirt, etc.) but the precedent it tries to set. First and foremost...$10?!? Hardcore TWPGA2K7 will probably be thrilled to know that they're looking at another $10 when the next installment arrives for the "full" game. Furthermore, once money becomes involved, distribution suddenly becomes an "Issue". Should the consumers be able to swap Save-Files with each other? Should sites like GameFAQs.com be allowed to post Save-Files containing unlocked content? If EA's charging $10 a pop for the "Complete" TWPGA2K7 experience, chances are they won't be embracing free sites like GameFAQs.com
The second biggest problem, IMHO, lies with the "Download Only" type unlockables. In essence, it's like EA saying "You can buy the game, but you have to pay us even more money for the Full Game." With TWPGA2K7, it's a Red Shirt. So far. Imagine buying games and then having to pay up again for the the "Full" Story, or the "Full" missions, or the "Full" roster of characters. This just might be the a thinly veiled cosmetically altered version of the Demo Disk.
Last, and on slightly personal note, unlockable extras are meant to be reward for the dedicated. It's a way of the publishers rewarding gamers who spent a buttload of time playing through their games. It's what separates the people who breeze through a title, and the people who meticulously seek out and complete each and every single side quest, secret, or what-not the game has to offer. Cheating originated as a way for the programmers/game testers to breeze through the game in as little time as possible. (Usually to meet deadlines :D) While Cheating became an accepted part of gaming, it was assumed that atleast the publisher wanted the player to play through the game as it was, and reward the dedicated player with unlockable extras. For a company to charge money for instant unlockables is a blatantly shameless request for money, along the lines of "Gimme some Money" by Spinal Tap...
...either that, or I'm just pissed at the the possibility of not being able to download free cheats from GameFAQs.com :P
