Milking You For What You're Worth (Madden)

http://www.gaming-age.com/cgi-bin/ne...8&nid=12-39.db

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from Gaming-Age

When EA announced that Madden 2003 would be online and that new rosters and player updates would be downloaded into the game, thus simulating real-world football injuries and player trades, many gamers wondered why they would ever need to keep buying the yearly updates. Sure, each update always has better graphics and some new gameplay quirk, but the most obvious reason for buying Madden every year is to have an up to date version with all the new players. Of course EA realizes this and has limited Madden 2003's online play to one year. It will expire on August 31, 2003 so you'll have to buy the next in the series if you want the latest teams and player updates when around this time next year.

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This really sucks. I'm not a big fan of sports games but this is pretty unfair. I understand the whole point of a business model but this completely defeats the purpose of online stats/roster updates that I envisioned. So imagine if this is applied to other games.

You'll only be able to play Halo 2 online for one year. Or RE Online for one year. I hope this is a trend that dies out fast.

I would care if we jumped back in time eight years and I still played Madden.

It's not about Madden, it's about if other companies started following this model... like Sega...

There's a simple solution to this - buy NFL 2K3. It's better.

I'm speechless.

Man, that's low. Probably nessesary, but low.

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Originally posted by SearchManX
It's not about Madden, it's about if other companies started following this model... like Sega...

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Sega has an opportunity to publicly renounce this model and make their offering more attractive, at least in the sports arena (no pun intended).

Other genres don't have the natural 1-year lifespan that sports titles do, so I wouldn't fret much.

Sega has a good opportunity to get back at EA for their "Burger King" quote... I hope they do!

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Originally posted by burgundy
Other genres don't have the natural 1-year lifespan that sports titles do, so I wouldn't fret much.

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This is why I have always prefered non-licenced sports games like Baseball Stars. After all these years, Fireman still plays for the American Dreams. :)

Well, keeping the roster updates exclusive to the updated releases is understandible- but limiting online play is kinda lame. This is one point on which SEGA can lay the smackdown on EA- if they are smart.

*goes back to being apathetic to the sports genere*