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EA sucks
- Thread starter Snuggles
- Start date
plagiarize
Banned
i disagree with this emphatically. Hot Pursuit and Shift 2 are much better games than we'd been getting in the series for years.arbok26 said:
Hypertrooper
Member
EA did something that Activision hadn't done: They published Brütal Legend. <3
Ickman3400
Banned
Hypertrooper said:
That turned out to be the best decision Activision's made this gen. Words cannot describe how awful that game was.
OP hates capitalism confirmed 
Same criticism could be applied to at least 50% of pubs in the industry.
Nah, EA is cool with me. If they make games I'm interested in, then I buy their product(s). It's a simple concept. I plan on buying NCAA 12, ME3 and Dead Space 2 (when it goes on sale) this year.
Same criticism could be applied to at least 50% of pubs in the industry.Nah, EA is cool with me. If they make games I'm interested in, then I buy their product(s). It's a simple concept. I plan on buying NCAA 12, ME3 and Dead Space 2 (when it goes on sale) this year.
diffusionx
Gold Member
EA is pretty awful, and I'm just going by their current-gen actions, not even talking about the giant 60 foot tall mountain of shit they erected in the 1990's and early 2000's (part of which Riccitello was in charge too).
The preorder shit, the "time saver" dlc, Dragon Age 2, project ten dollar, rip-off DLC, shutting down Pandemic, etc. etc. etc. Once The Old Republic bombs, Bioware will be turned into Bullfrog/Westwood/Origin/etc. Count on it. And people hate on Activision for the 5000 GH games released over 3 years, but really EA/Harmonix was almost as bad.
It's all pretty terrible, and I only tolerate it because they have talented staff making great games. It's tough to be a gamer nowadays and ignore EA's stuff.
The preorder shit, the "time saver" dlc, Dragon Age 2, project ten dollar, rip-off DLC, shutting down Pandemic, etc. etc. etc. Once The Old Republic bombs, Bioware will be turned into Bullfrog/Westwood/Origin/etc. Count on it. And people hate on Activision for the 5000 GH games released over 3 years, but really EA/Harmonix was almost as bad.
It's all pretty terrible, and I only tolerate it because they have talented staff making great games. It's tough to be a gamer nowadays and ignore EA's stuff.
legacyzero
Banned
Damn, how did I forget about this. Shit is fucking annoying.Ickman3400 said:
brotkasten
Member
Oh, there's definitely a reason why Activision dropped Brutal Legend and Ghostbusters, but this is not the reaction you should make after dropping your old project.Ickman3400 said:
Activision Threatens EA, Double Fine With Brütal Legend Lawsuit
Ickman3400
Banned
brotkasten said:
Yeah I remember that. I'm not trying to say 1 is better than the other, they're both equal opportunity douchebags.
TouchMyBox
Member
C-Jo said:
Just stop shopping at fucking Gamestop, people. Only pre-order games when you're offered a cash discount.
Bumblebeetuna
Banned
Why so much hate for Activision? I understand that they milk games, but who doesn't? If you don't like Call of Duty, then pretty much any reason to hate Activision is thrown out the window. EA milks many franchises just like Activision does but at the same time they throw in preorder shenanigans, buying out competition via exclusive licenses, DLC on the fucking disc, selling you cheat codes, selling you quick unlock packs, encouraging you to spam the inbox of your online friends in EA demos (send this message to 5 friends and receive *insert item here*), etc etc.
At least with an Activision game, you buy it and you're done. You don't need an Activision account to confirm and then link to your online ID, you don't need to pray that Activision's servers are working properly when you input your "online pass" code, you aren't constantly offered quick unlock packs or cheat codes. I could only imagine Call of Duty as an EA title. Instead of 16 maps or whatever that Blops launched with, it would be maybe 8. And of those 8 you'd probably have 4 game modes open, each playable on 2 maps. Then slowly they would unlock the other modes on other maps and then eventually unlock the rest of the 16 maps and market them as free map packs. What a deal! And every time you die they try to sell you something. Get killed by a chopper? Buy the Launcher Pack for only $5 and unlock your Strela/RPG now! Killed by a nade? Buy the Armor pack, giving you more speed (marathon) and extra armor against grenades (hardened) right away! And so on and so forth. Hell Call of Duty has CoD points, EA would just sell you those. Maybe it would be 2 for 1 like food stamps?
Fuck EA.
At least with an Activision game, you buy it and you're done. You don't need an Activision account to confirm and then link to your online ID, you don't need to pray that Activision's servers are working properly when you input your "online pass" code, you aren't constantly offered quick unlock packs or cheat codes. I could only imagine Call of Duty as an EA title. Instead of 16 maps or whatever that Blops launched with, it would be maybe 8. And of those 8 you'd probably have 4 game modes open, each playable on 2 maps. Then slowly they would unlock the other modes on other maps and then eventually unlock the rest of the 16 maps and market them as free map packs. What a deal! And every time you die they try to sell you something. Get killed by a chopper? Buy the Launcher Pack for only $5 and unlock your Strela/RPG now! Killed by a nade? Buy the Armor pack, giving you more speed (marathon) and extra armor against grenades (hardened) right away! And so on and so forth. Hell Call of Duty has CoD points, EA would just sell you those. Maybe it would be 2 for 1 like food stamps?
Fuck EA.
I've never been a fan of EA (especially after gutting some great companies and killing off some awesome series like Ultima), but I've bought more EA games this gen than any other gen since the Genesis. I appreciate that they want to create some new and creative IPs, even if the way they go about things is somewhat misguided (shitty marketing, excess DLC).
Maybe I've just not been paying attention, but after the Atari generation, I felt that Activision was pretty quiet... up til the PS2 era and Tony Hawk/Guitar Hero/COD.
duckroll said:I'm pretty sure it's a cycle. Every generation or two, EA and Activision switch places.
Maybe I've just not been paying attention, but after the Atari generation, I felt that Activision was pretty quiet... up til the PS2 era and Tony Hawk/Guitar Hero/COD.
DUFFMCWALIN
Member
This is true but I don't like how it seems that EA is regressing to their old self in the early 2000's when they were hated by everyone before Activision took that mantle from them. Thats what it seems like to me anyways.wwm0nkey said:
Edit: Fuck the online pass all the way to hell and back though.
ClosingADoor
Member
EA only distributed Rock Band. MTV was the publisher, so EA had nothing to do with anything Rock Band beside shipping it to stores and some marketing I think.diffusionx said:
TouchMyBox
Member
Day And Knight said:
The OP probably meant to link this... I can see why he made the mistake
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SuJ5T9sfAA
John Harker
Definitely doesn't make things up as he goes along.
EA publishes good games. I enjoy them; they are fun. However, EA hires complete morons with embellished senses of entitlement and working with them is a chore. At the end of the day, I think gamers are the only ones who actually have the leg up haha.
sixteen-bit
Member
EA does a lot of things wrong but they also gave me Dead Space and Rock Band this generation so I thank them for that.
I think that the problem's root is that EA grew too big and want to control everything.
The first repercussion of their size is that all their games are made into the same framework: from the advertising, the tons of logos when you start the game, their shitty packaging... etc.
In that way I have the impression that their games are made by a machine even if the content is very different.
I am sure if Dragon Age was published by another company, it would not have this nasty feeling or aftertaste.
They want to control everything, that's why they built up their own shitty networking system. You have to register and login every time you start one of their games. The link with their own forum makes things even worse...
I had a bit of hope in the beginning of this generation when I saw many new IPs but this hope turned out quickly to a nightmare. For them, games are just a consumable products, nothing else. That makes me sad because they own many interesting IPs...
The first repercussion of their size is that all their games are made into the same framework: from the advertising, the tons of logos when you start the game, their shitty packaging... etc.
In that way I have the impression that their games are made by a machine even if the content is very different.
I am sure if Dragon Age was published by another company, it would not have this nasty feeling or aftertaste.
They want to control everything, that's why they built up their own shitty networking system. You have to register and login every time you start one of their games. The link with their own forum makes things even worse...
I had a bit of hope in the beginning of this generation when I saw many new IPs but this hope turned out quickly to a nightmare. For them, games are just a consumable products, nothing else. That makes me sad because they own many interesting IPs...
Snuggler said:
EA sucks.
You may be thinking, URNT THEY A BUSINESS? THERE SUPPOSED TO MAKE MUNNY. You are right, but I am neither an EA employee or shareholder, I'm a gamer. And this is a thread about how much they suck and why.
EA happens to publish a lot of games I like, and that's the problem. This could be a thread about Activision, but really, I stopped letting them sucker me into buying Call of Duty games a few years ago. When it comes to my gaming interests, they are practically irrelevant, but this is not the case with EA. Their involvement in the games I like is similar to finding a pubey looking hair in a delicious sandwich. I can still enjoy it, but it's just not the same. There is no avoiding them as well, they are one of the biggest megapublishers in the business, no matter your taste your are likely to have an interest in some of their products.
They somehow managed to earn some goodwill back in '08 after publishing Mirror's Edge and Dead Space, but it was short lived. Maybe people were just eager to cling to someone nicer than Activision, who was just a bit too eager to fuck them in the ass. However, we were quickly reminded of why they may be one of the greediest and most anti-consumer publishers in the biz.
But why do they suck? Let's take a look.
[Preorder Bullshit]
Preorder bullshit is all the rage these days, and EA does it like no one else. Despite the image, it goes beyond simple, petty trinkets and outfits. Legitimate consumers who buy their games new have to deal with redeeming online pass codes, or signing up for EA accounts then linking them to Bioware social accounts then linking their gamertag/ID to those accounts in order to redeem the content that comes with the product they paid for. Jumping through hoops has never been so shitty. Loyal customers who don't buy used are rewarded by junkmail newsletters and needless headaches.
Then don't get the pre-order stuff. What's the problem. If you want it, there is a cost for it and that is following their process.
The only one I have a problem with is the DS2 ads. Those ads were so juvenile and reinforced what critics have said about the attitudes of the industry. Very poor form. But others? Fine by me!
As much as I loved 2K, they are not totally innocent in all of this. $20 new at retail? They were trying to buy the market at that price point. This was a loss leader to get ahead of the Madden audience while they had a hot product. So, EA responded in kind and won the open bid that the NFL had for the licensing. That's business. 2K pushed, EA responded.
I'll never forgive EA for what they did to Westwood and Bullfrog.
And Dragon Age and Mass Effect were before EA's acquisition of Bioware. Notice ME's DLC in contrast to ME2's. Although Bioware and the Doctors surely have a hand in becoming such a simpleton development studio, EA's fingerprints are all over DA2 and ME2.
The problem with EA is that there exists both commercial and creative forces inside the company. The latter wants to greenlight more experimental projects, so we get Mirror's Edge, Dead Space and Alice: Madness Returns. The former tries to squeeze every single penny out of a project via DLC, marketing, DRM, 60 dollars PC versions, etc. So it's really annoying that one wants to play some of their better games while also realizing one is supporting those atrocious business practices EA employs.
Btw, Snuggler: Your Dragon Age: New Shit video isn't the correct one. This is the one that was released to the public: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8E1kG3IbTI (shitty writing and animations)
And Dragon Age and Mass Effect were before EA's acquisition of Bioware. Notice ME's DLC in contrast to ME2's. Although Bioware and the Doctors surely have a hand in becoming such a simpleton development studio, EA's fingerprints are all over DA2 and ME2.
The problem with EA is that there exists both commercial and creative forces inside the company. The latter wants to greenlight more experimental projects, so we get Mirror's Edge, Dead Space and Alice: Madness Returns. The former tries to squeeze every single penny out of a project via DLC, marketing, DRM, 60 dollars PC versions, etc. So it's really annoying that one wants to play some of their better games while also realizing one is supporting those atrocious business practices EA employs.
Btw, Snuggler: Your Dragon Age: New Shit video isn't the correct one. This is the one that was released to the public: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8E1kG3IbTI (shitty writing and animations)
GitarooMan
Member
The only thing that has really annoyed me lately is the 50 dollars (more if you buy them separate) in extra courses that they put out on day 1 for Tiger Woods to exploit the dwindling fanbase for that series.
Also, killing Wing Commander sucked.
Also, killing Wing Commander sucked.
diffusionx
Gold Member
Dead Man said:
Not to mention the fact that they inevitably go on sale as overpriced DLC for everyone. The stuff is done during development, included on the disc, priced at $0 (to move preorders), and after the game comes out it goes on sale for everyone at ripoff prices. Even if I was a good EA lemming-citizen I still would have to buy a bunch of shit unless I preordered 4+ copies of the game. Fuck preorder bonuses.
teruterubozu
Member
I haven't cared about them since they killed the EA Sports BIG series.
cRIPticon said:
And that's pefectly fine, the issue is what EA has done from that point on.
If EA wanted to, they could make a fantastic football game instead of the average one they make now. We all konw Tiburon can do it because they've done it before (Madden 04 and 05 were great).
I have no issue with EA getting the license, its what they've done with it that pisses me off. The act of EA getting the license isn't the reason why Madden sucks, its because EA doesn't want to the put the time, effort and money into making it a quality product when its going to sell the same regardless.
Its the perfect scenario for EA. They get to 1/2 ass their game and it will still make them money.
levious said:
Of course 2k5 had issues, what game doesn't. The problem is that we never got to see them correct those issues and all of the issues Madden had last gen are bigger problems this gen due to the lack of competition.
diffusionx
Gold Member
linkboy said:
The act of EA getting the license is the reason why Madden sucks. Do you think that it is a coincidence that the two best Madden games came out in the years when competition was fiercest?
Think of how much EA improved FIFA. Would they have done that if PES did not exist? No way.
The Technomancer
card-carrying scientician
Other publishers are publicly traded.Gully State said:
/Hypothetical Thread
Barack Lesnar
Banned
So EA sucks because of pre-order bonuses that every other publisher this gen is doing + lame marketing (who cares?) + an NFL exclusive agreement that the NFL itself wanted to happen? Really?
The Lamonster
Member
I do like Peter Moore. That is all.
fastford58
Member
I can live with preorder guns armour and shit...hell, I can live with exclusive missions as long as they aren't integral to the games plot.
The one thing I am dead set against is having to be online to play games. My gaming computer is offline only to keep it running at optimal. No virus software, no adware/spyware removers etc. Keep it clean. Unfortunately, that precludes me from PC gaming for the most part anymore.
So the fact that EA is pushing harder for online linking bothers me. Mass Effect etc keeps me going back to EA to buy games, albeit on consoles. I have all but cut out Acticriminal, although I will make an exception for Diablo 3 (which of course will probably require an online account to play).
Actually...fuck all these companies. Depending on how the rest of this console gen plays out, on top of looming bandwidth caps and such, I might sit out of gaming for awhile.
The one thing I am dead set against is having to be online to play games. My gaming computer is offline only to keep it running at optimal. No virus software, no adware/spyware removers etc. Keep it clean. Unfortunately, that precludes me from PC gaming for the most part anymore.
So the fact that EA is pushing harder for online linking bothers me. Mass Effect etc keeps me going back to EA to buy games, albeit on consoles. I have all but cut out Acticriminal, although I will make an exception for Diablo 3 (which of course will probably require an online account to play).
Actually...fuck all these companies. Depending on how the rest of this console gen plays out, on top of looming bandwidth caps and such, I might sit out of gaming for awhile.
Since I mostly do console gaming I like EA. Dead Space and Mirrors Edge were great new IP's and at least DS got a sequel, an awesome one at that.
All of the preorder junk doesn't bother me so much. The marketing? Eh, again I care about the games not the adverts. Also, Dead Space 2 sold pretty well right?
I agree their PC rules could change but so could a lot of companies.
All of the preorder junk doesn't bother me so much. The marketing? Eh, again I care about the games not the adverts. Also, Dead Space 2 sold pretty well right?
I agree their PC rules could change but so could a lot of companies.
MalboroRed
Banned
Snuggler said:[The murder of one of the greatest sports series in gaming]
Some of us may remember a certain series titled NFL2K, or ESPN NFL2K. Many other NFL series like Quarterback Club or Gameday may have deserved their fate, but 2K did not. Throughout the five years they existed, they consistently delivered a solid product that rivaled Madden. 2K decided that they would take an unconventional approach with ESPN NFL2K5. Instead of charging full price for a glorified roster update, they decided to charge $20 at launch while delivering a strong product with a unique, but failed feature (first person football). What's not to love about that?
Rather than matching that price point, creating innovative features or creating a superior product, EA did what they know best: they threw money at it. EA purchased exclusive rights to the NFL license, crushing NFL2K to death under massive mounds of money and subjecting NFL fans to nothing but years and years of guaranteed mediocre and unambitious iterations. Rather than convincing games to chose their games, they took away the choice altogether. Lovely, isn't it?
____
share
Give it up with the 2K grudge, Sega/2K tried to drag EA into a ridiculous price war, instead of simply playing along, EA dropkicked them in the face, Sega/2K got what's coming to them.
Anyway I can't say I'm a big EA fan since I don't like any of their Bioware IPs and they nickel and dime too much on their stuff, I might or might not buy BF3, but that's the extent of my interest in EA products.
balladofwindfishes
Member
Are they?Heavy said:
Portal 2: Pre-Order Portal 2 on Steam and get Portal for free / Pre-Order Portal 2 Retail and get Cosmetic Armor in-game.
Pre-Order Donkey Kong Country Returns and get a free t-shirt! (this one wasn't even Nintendo doing it)
Pre-Order [PC Steam Game] get [TF2 Item]. Everyone else has to wait 2 weeks before getting the purely cosmetic item (for free).
I actually had a hard time thinking of many other pre-order bonuses. I mean, the "exclusive" pre-order bonus for Goldeneye was a code for invisibility mode, which every single person on the planet could use whether they pre-ordered or not.
The pre-order bonus for Pokemon Black/White was a Celebi download, but anyone could get that even without pre-ordering.
A lot of games give stuff like guides of extra money in the game, those are pointless in the bigger picture. Early access stuff like elite armor or whatever are harmless.
But EA gives exclusive levels, characters, weapons, or whole story elements as pre-order DLC, like with Dragon Age. No other publisher does it on such a large scale.
EA does not suck. They've published some of the best games this generation. I can understand your disdain for them because the 2K series *was* indeed glorious, but if you're bent out of shape over the way they market games and pre-order incentives, then I feel sorry for you.
Chill out, man. Have a beer.
Chill out, man. Have a beer.
The Technomancer
card-carrying scientician
Sadly Bioware set their current course before they were acquired by EAEversynth said:
CoffeeJanitor
Member
EA does completely suck. Their moneywhoring of the industry is quite annoying.
Anyone who supports DLC is just supporting getting effed over.
Anyone who supports DLC is just supporting getting effed over.
Ickman3400
Banned
Heavy said:
Come on man it's way more than just that. Read the thread, especially my slightly long post on it.
brotkasten
Member
What if you don't support DLC or pre-order crap like different skins or models (seriously, who cares about that?) and still like the games?CoffeeJanitor said:
I NEED SCISSORS
Banned
I can agree that a lot of what they do is despicable, but exclusive stuff for pre-ordering at a specific shop is not one of them - I sell the codes on eBay to get a ton of money back from eagre fans. I got Mass Effect 2 for £6 on launch day because I got £20 for the Terminus Armor code. Most of it is inconsequential shit like that and bonus weapons anyway, so I don't see it as a big issue if I miss out. Take2's treatment of L.A. Noire is a whole lot worse than any EA game because they on the other hand actually cut gameplay.
Nappuccino
Member
balladofwindfishes said:
...LA Noire?