Mass Effect 3

[PR3D4TOR]

Was it wrong of EA to liquidate Westwood Studios and merge its resources with EA Los Angeles?

[Karnak]

Origin Systems, Bullfrog, Westwood and more.  I expect Bioware to functionally be on that list shortly.

Also, you cannot buy Mass Effect 3 in the store and play it without opening an Origin account.  Origin is mandatory.

[Ack-Ack]

Origin Systems, Bullfrog, Westwood and more.  I expect Bioware to functionally be on that list shortly.

Also, you cannot buy Mass Effect 3 in the store and play it without opening an Origin account.  Origin is mandatory.

On the flip side, you can't buy a game like Skyrim from a retail store without having to install and create a Steam account.  The vast majority of PC Triple A titles require the consumer install and create a Steam account as a DRM measure and the consumer cannot play unless they do so.

ack-ack

[Karnak]

On the flip side, you can't buy a game like Skyrim from a retail store without having to install and create a Steam account.  The vast majority of PC Triple A titles require the consumer install and create a Steam account as a DRM measure and the consumer cannot play unless they do so.

ack-ack

True, but as Steam is already established and is not publisher specific, I am ok with that.  I'd be ok with it if there were other competitors too, say Amazon on the like.  I don't want to have to install store fronts for each and every publisher and I particularly don't want to install store fronts from companies I really don't trust to have their software on my computer, companies like EA and Ubisoft.

If EA just wanted to blacklist Steam and I could buy Mass Effect 3 from a brick and mortar without also having to install Origin, that would be fine.

For what it is worth, the reason EA won't sell stuff on Steam anymore is because of a dispute in how DLC is handled.  Valve apparently wants a fee for DLC sold via Steam and EA wants all of the money from DLC sold.

[PR3D4TOR]

Virgin bought Westwood in 1992, long before Westwood's mega success with C&C. EA bought Westwood Studios from Virgin Interactive for $120+ million cash in 1998. Why don't you decry Westwood's founders for being sellouts rather than EA for making a good business decision? Only the original C&C was made before EA. All the other C&C games we love were made under EA management.

[Karnak]

I have no problem with companies buying other companies.

I have a problem with companies buying other companies just get their intellectual properties into the ground by milking it for all it is worth without concern for the intellectual property's future viability and then abandoning those intellectual properties to move on to new company's intellectual properties.  It strikes me a being very vulture like.

[PR3D4TOR]

Well, that's not the case with Westwood. The IP had a long and illustrious run under EA management, and still does with C&C Generals 2 in the works. Some people left Westwood in 1998 when EA bought the company, but the rest are now merged with EA Los Angeles (Westwood was located in LA).

I've personally never had a bad experience with EA (or UBIsoft for that matter). Origin Systems was acquired by EA in 1992, so WC3, WC4, WC Prophecy, Privateer, WC Secret Ops, WC Armada, Privateer 2 and WC Arena were all developed under EA management. However Origin screwed up Ultima IX so bad in 1999 that EA lost faith and cancelled most of their other projects. Richard Garriott left shortly after and continued to fail miserably in the video game industry, most notably with Tabula Rasa. Chris Roberts left in 1996 to pursue a career in film making.

If EA has killed off a franchise you liked you must consider that the video game industry is an industry. Mostly it's just a case of "sorry, we'd really love to, but there's just no profit in it".

[321BAR]

Virgin bought Westwood in 1992, long before Westwood's mega success with C&C. EA bought Westwood Studios from Virgin Interactive for $120+ million cash in 1998. Why don't you decry Westwood's founders for being sellouts rather than EA for making a good business decision? Only the original C&C was made before EA. All the other C&C games we love were made under EA management.

last time i checked predator, westwoods renowned success was under origins ownership 1995 with C&C the first RTS ever followed by Red Alert. after that the graphics just got better and the units got different and different storylines. sorry but without Virgin's allowance of Westwood to do what it wanted there would never have been a RA2, Tiberian Sun, Generals, Renegade, RA3, or C&C 3, or sadly C&C4

[800nate800]

seems pretty good not a big gamer nor into that type of game id play it.  for the post





                        ~~nate~~

[jollyFE]

I downloaded the demo for ME 3, and noticed the rating.  Is there anything that would be unsuitable for a 16 yr old to see in the game?  Our 12 yr old might see it as well, I remember that ME 2 had some questionable story lines.

[Grayeagle]

re: unsuitable story lines

In Dragon Age .. umm .. my daughter (imagine someone more sarcastic and into evil fun stuff than even I am .. she cracks me up)
..well ..

The elf in the forest who needs help with his loved one ..
..my daughter showed me how you could take your main character and seduce the young lady in question.
You 'ruin' the poor lads life forever .. I was laughin so hard I had tears.

Among a few other bits she ran across.
(ie: a threesome with the assasssin, Morgan, and you)

(and Alistair ending up a drunken bum .. ROFL)

I mean .. -rolls eyes- .. it was *funny*

-GE aka Frank

[321BAR]

I downloaded the demo for ME 3, and noticed the rating.  Is there anything that would be unsuitable for a 16 yr old to see in the game?  Our 12 yr old might see it as well, I remember that ME 2 had some questionable story lines.

each of the ME games have a love storyline at the end. they never get to "complex" but yes theres partial nudity etc in the series. for a 16 year old probably not a big deal but for a 12 year old possibly over the edge.