Can't wait to play as Catwoman in the latest Batman game? You better buy it new or be prepared to shell over a few bucks.
There has been a veritable tsunami of announcements regarding marquee games that will require the use of an online pass to unlock the games’ multiplayer feature and it doesn’t seem like it’s going to let up with today’s news that Batman: Arkham City will be utilizing a pass feature called the VIP Pass.
The interesting thing about this pass is that it doesn’t work in the same way that previous passes have. Arkham City doesn’t have much in the way of online content, so restricting it wouldn’t make much sense. What Warner Bros. has done instead is require the pass to be entered in order to play as Catwoman since her missions are not necessary to complete the game.
And here I thought Catwoman was simply part of the deal.
Gamers who buy the game used will be able to attain the pass for a fee. While North American pricing is still unknown at this point, it has been confirmed that our Eurpoean friends can expect to pay £7.99 on the PSN or 800 Microsoft points on XBL.
Arkham City is the third game this week that has announced it will be using an online pass, joining Uncharted 3 and Mass Effect 3. Batman: Arkham City will be released October 18.
More and more, I'm feeling like I'm not going to be getting the entire Batman experience when I pop the disc in next week. It seems like tons of stuff have been split apart for "incentives".
Normally I'm fine with it, if it's little stuff like a weapon or something. But this whole thing seems really shady to me.
This issue of PB & Jason is about downloadable content. Specifically, Capcom fighting game DLC. If you're not familiar with Capcom and their recent fighting game issues, let me paint the picture: They've conditioned many of their fans to hold out on buying the first edition of a title, since an upgraded version with bug fixes, balance adjustments, and new characters is often on the horizon. More than that, they've locked content on discs behind pay-walls, then reacted with surprise when they learned gamers weren't happy buying a game and then being charged a second time for content already on the disc. In PB & Jason, I take a look at a serious alternative, suggesting a few benefits that could be had for all involved. Oh, and don't forget all the talk about Tales of Graces f and new, used, and backwards-compatible PlayStation 3s! Join me for the best PB & Jason for this week ever! Click through for the download links.
Comments