Electronic Arts to Add Micro-transactions to All Future Games

Electonic Arts, the video game publishing giant, is no stranger to controversy. Early last year, consumers voted EA "Worst Company in America" on The Consumerist web site. EA has won many detractors over the years for its downloadable content abuses, its mistreatment of smaller studios, and its mismanagement of online servers.

But today, it announced something that really is beyond the pale, something that cements its reputation as an anti-consumer juggernaut largely uninterested in evolving the medium we love so much. Today, EA announced it will build micro-transactions into all of its future games. For those unfamiliar with the term, micro-transaction are small payments, made in game and with real money, that unlock certain items: weapons, accessories, characters, maps, levels, etc. They are a big part of the "free-to-play" model, which some fans -- including myself -- deride as "free-to-play, pay-to-win." Most recently, EA built micro-transactions into Dead Space 3.

Speaking at a technology and media conference, EA's Blake Jorgensen explained the business decision:

"We are building into all of our games the ability to pay for things along the way; to get to a higher level. And consumers are enjoying and embracing that way of business."

I can only speak for myself, but I neither enjoy nor embrace such ugly business tactics. Micro-transactions are one of the many things currently wrong with the industry. It's a manipulative model that erodes the wholeness of a game by breaking it apart and hiding its component parts behind a paywall.

When I first read this news today, it was like getting punched in the stomach. Not because EA is trying its absolute best to rob video games of their art and integrity, but because I fear they will be successful.

Most Wanted Games of 2013

This year, 2013, promises to be a monumental year for video games. The first eighth-generation console, Wii U, has already launched, and Sony and Microsoft will not be far behind. Nintendo has teased a new 3D Mario game, a new Mario Kart, and several other surprises; and Sony, for it's part, has teased footage of a new Killzone game and a new Infamous game for its upcoming PS4. Plus there are dozens of games due to launch for Xbox 360, PS3, 3DS and Vita.

From all of these games, five of us have chosen the one title we most want to play. All five of these games are due out before the end of the year.


Lou's pick: Destiny (Xbox 360, PS3, PS4)

Bungie is a patient, deliberate game company. When Halo was released for the original Xbox it didn't "change the game" as much as it analyzed the game and delivered what worked while cutting out what didn't. Ten years and several outstanding sequels later, Bungie has moved on from the Halo franchise to Destiny. When I heard about Destiny, a MMO FPS (not many have been good let alone decent) that will apparently take a decade to experience, I embraced the concept right away. Very little is known about it other than a few story and setting details, and that it will require a consistent online connection to experience it. I've repeated "experience" rather than "play" because Bungie is counting on players to go beyond the screen and ingest the additional source material that will release alongside the game as it progresses. As someone who has read most of the books and graphic novels that flesh out the Halo-verse, (not to mention the web-series and collection of animated shorts), I, for one, am eager to be immersed in the world(s) of Destiny.

Nick's pick: BioShock Infinite (PC, Xbox 360, PS3)

The Bioshock games have been one of the cornerstone series for the Xbox and the newest game is likely to continue this trend. Bioshock Infinite is not related to the original two games by story but it continues in the spirit of the previous games. The newest game removes us from the beautiful underwater world of Rapture and takes us to the clouds, to the floating city of Columbia. The story focuses on Booker DeWitt, a former Pinkerton agent who travels to Columbia to rescue a young women all while fighting the two warring fractions of the city. The new game promises innovative game play and beautiful soaring graphics and I for one am really looking forward to this game. It is my most anticipated game of the year.

Beth's pick: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (Wii U)

Hold your sails! Nintendo is planning to make an HD version of Wind Waker for the Wii U! The game will give players the option to play entirely on the GamePad, and will feature both upgraded graphics and Miiverse integration. Announced back in January, the upcoming makeover of Wind Waker is by far the game I'm most excited for in 2013. Wind Waker is the first Zelda game I ever tried, and unfortunately I never finished. The graphics, story, and sound sucked me into the Zelda world though, and I have been determined ever since to go back and finish. As many of you know I finally finished Phantom Hourglass for DS, and my triumph in that game has renewed my excitement about Zelda enough that the timing of this Wii U release could not better.

Rob's pick: Grand Theft Auto V (Xbox 360, PS3)

Grand Theft Auto has always been a go-to franchise for me. I fell in love with the GTA universe the first time I ever placed Vice City. Being a more casual gamer, the open world and free roam aspects appealed directly to my sense of enjoyment. With GTA V being touted as the biggest open world game to date, I could not be more excited to hop in a car and ride around exploring the city and surrounding areas. Granted GTA IV got a little too real. I mean come on, you can't ride around on the runways at the airport? Or start fistfights with pedestrians since there's a cop on every corner? Hopefully GTA V will allow players a chance to once more cut loose and get a little crazy. And I promise not to kill my hooker to get my money back after the services have been rendered. Well, maybe.

Evan's pick: The Last of Us (PS3)

Over the years, Naughty Dog has made quite a name for itself. Crash Bandicoot, Jak and Daxter, Uncharted. In 2013 it releases its newest IP: The Last of Us. For those of us who watched last year's E3 show, it was impossible not to be impressed by the show-stopping footage from The Last of Us, a hybrid of survival-horror and action-adventure exclusive to PS3. According to Naughty Dog co-President Evan Wells, "The Last of Us is a genre-defining experience that blends survival and action elements to tell a character driven tale about a modern plague decimating mankind. Nature encroaches upon civilization, forcing remaining survivors to kill for food, weapons and whatever they can find. Joel, a ruthless survivor, and Ellie, a brave young teenage girl who is wise beyond her years, must work together to survive their journey across what remains of the United States."

Sony Reveals Playstation 4

Sony unveiled its next generation console, the Playstation 4, at a live event in New York City yesterday.

Lead system architect on the PlayStation 4, Mark Cerny, said the development of PS4 started about five years ago with the goal of "freeing developers from technological barriers." Cerny went on to say the platform is "by game creators for game creators" and that its architecture is "like a PC, but supercharged."

Here are the specifications: PS4 uses the X86 CPU and has 8GB of memory and a local hard drive. It uses APU technology and GDDR5 memory. PlayStation 4 supports suspending and reloading play sessions. The console will feature a secondary chip for uploading and downloading in the background. Digital games can be played as they are being downloaded.

Sony's Andrew House said the new console will create "experiences that surpass gamers' wildest expectations."

The following games have been announced for PS4, all of them without release dates:

Companies supporting PS4

Deep Down (Capcom)
Destiny (Bungie)
Diablo 3 (Blizzard)
Drive Club (Evolution Studios)
Final Fantasy (Square Enix)
Infamous Second Son (Sucker Punch)
Killzone Shadow Fall (Guerrilla Games)
Knack (Studios Japan)
The Witness (Thekla, Inc.)
Watch Dogs (Ubisoft)

Sony also unveiled its new controller, a variation of its DualShock controller with new features: touch input, a "Light Bar," and a share button.

DualShock 4

Playstation 4 will launch this holiday season.

Destiny Concept Art Leaked

Concept art from Bungie's upcoming action game Destiny have surfaced on the internet. Bungie is most famous for its Halo series. Destiny is the company's first new game since they parted ways with Microsoft.

Enjoy!

Nintendo Direct 3DS Summary

Iwata dons a Luigi hat.

Nintendo Direct ended a few minutes ago. Here's what you missed.

Nintendo President Satoru Iwata declared 2013 the "year of Luigi." Several games featuring Luigi were on display, including Luigi's Mansion, a new Mario Golf game, and a new game from the RPG series Mario & Luigi. The latter game is Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, in which Mario enters the world of Luigi's dreams.

Nintendo also teased some gameplay footage of Wii U and 3DS games, and set some release dates.

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon -- March 24
Animal Crossing: New Leaf -- June 9
Lego City Undercover (Wii U) -- March 18
Lego City Undercover: The Chase Begins -- April 21
HarmoKnight -- March 28

Nintendo also introduced new downloadable content for New Super Mario Bros. U -- where players control Luigi in new adventures -- and a 3DS port of the critically-acclaimed Wii platformer Donkey Kong Country Returns.

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon

Animal Crossing: New Leaf

Mario Golf 3DS

HarmoKnight by Game Freak

Mario & Luigi: Dream Team

Nintendo Direct 3DS Tomorrow

Nintendo announced it will broadcast a Nintendo Direct for 3DS tomorrow at 9AM EST.

Nintendo previously broadcast a Nintendo Direct on January 23rd specifically for Wii U games. During that presentation, several games were announced, including a new 3D Mario, a new Mario Kart, a new Yoshi platform game, and a new RPG from Monolith Soft.

Games that might be mentioned tomorrow:

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon
Animal Crossing: New Leaf
Pokemon X & Y
Project X Zone
Super Smash Bros.
Monster Hunter 4
Bravely Default
Fantasy Life

Watch here.

God of War: Chains of Olympus Review

Game: God of War: Chains of Olympus
System: PSP
Genre: Action-adventure
Developer: SCE Santa Monica, Ready at Dawn
Release date: March 4, 2008


Pros: Great production values, excellent control scheme
Cons: Screen tearing, simple puzzles


Smaller disc, smaller screen, same great experience. God of War may have been shrunken down for Sony's portable system, but very little of the series' greatness was lost in translation. Ready at Dawn did an excellent job recreating the console God of War experience on PSP, even improving the formula in some areas, most notably play control. The game looks great, it sounds great, and it performs well despite a few technical hiccups. All in all, it's a worthy addition to the God of War franchise and one of the best titles on PSP.

Chains of Olympus is a prequel to the original God of War. It tells the story of Kratos' servitude to the gods of Olympus and his mission to rescue the sun god Helios. Although the larger plot of Chains of Olympus is tangential, rarely intersecting with the main God of War mythology, there are several moments and scenes that fill in the gaps left over from God of War and God of War II. The writers at Ready at Dawn did a good job of making their game fit neatly (and naturally) into the main storyline.

Kratos explores a temple.

Speaking of Ready at Dawn: they did an excellent job bringing the world of ancient Greece alive on the PSP. Using an expanded version of its Daxter engine, Ready at Dawn made Chains of Olympus shine with outstanding graphics, water effects, light and shadow effects, and enemy artificial intelligence. Unfortunately, the game suffers occasionally from frame-rate drops and screen-tearing.

Ready at Dawn's greatest achievement, however, is its control scheme for Chains of Olympus. Moving from a control scheme using two analog sticks to a scheme with only one stick could have been a disaster for Chains of Olympus. But it's not. On the contrary, the PSP control scheme is arguably superior to its console counterpart.

Weapon and magic attacks are mapped out well around the PSP control setup.

One area where Chains of Olympus falters is puzzle-solving. Puzzles appear infrequently in the game. When they do appear, they are far too easy to conquer. Apparently several puzzles, along with characters and multiplayer options, were cut from the final game due to time restraints. Had they been added, Chains of Olympus might have been a fuller, more complete game. Even without, however, the game is excellent and easy to recommend.