Yeah, I saw the article a day or so back and it is easily one of the craziest things I've ever seen attempted by a publisher in the video game realm.

I'd sooner hope for dramatic reform though moreso that outright crash and burn due to the enormous amount of jobs/families that'll be affected with it. What a mess.
 

Well, I can hope that too, as a consumer. But if they choose to continue down a self-destructive course... well, so be it. I won't give them an ounce of sympathy. There will be others there to take their place.
 

I'm sorry for mainstream, but they will not see a cent from mine, never, ever.

Sometimes I desire to buy a Xbox or a Play 3 to stay tune to some interesting games, but the acutal policy of prices above 60 € prevents me to do that, and now is a firm decision.

I think I will keep on indie games, and Wii and PC games under 40 €.

Sorry dudes!
 

Well, I now count three games I was originally intending to buy for the PC, but I refused because of the DRM issues. In one case, I bought the XBox version - thus probably cementing in the minds of said knuckle-dragging suits that the "PC is dead" and that the console is where the money is at.

Here's a free clue to said spit-for-brains: All things being equal, I *PREFER* the PC version of these games. Strip out this draconian BS, and I will happily pay for the version that gives YOU a significantly higher profit margin.

But instead, you are selling me crippleware that is significantly LESS useful and LESS fun than the cracked version that the pirates swiped for free a whole two weeks later.

There's something seriously wrong with this picture!
 

This is beyond madness and complete lunacy - it's incredibly disgusting!
Methods like this are reducing the freedom to use a product whenever one wants. I can give you many more examples why a steady online-connection is just not desirable: In some areas it's just too expensive to stay online all the time / a notebook drains it's battery quicker / where I live most DSL-subscribers have to accept that the connection is cut once a day to not have a permanent line (with fixed IP address).

And no, this is *not* why gamers should finally take notice - online activation is already impertinent enough, let alone a game that needs to ask a server each time it is being started!

I didn't buy many games just because of handcuffs like this - including classics like Half-Life 2, Bioshock and Mass Effect. Not that it matters in the grand scheme of things but for me it's a matter of principle (I'm older than a teen and I can control myself good enough to not break my principles ;-)

Ubisoft now establishing this even worse system means that I will boycott *any* of their products as long as they don't drop this nonsense and publicly apologize for it.

And no - my days of PC video gaming aren't over as there are other sources for good games: Titles from smaller publishers that will sense a way out of the niche, deprotected older games on cover-mounted disks, non-personalized indie games and fan-designed missions/levels for older games etc.

But IMHO it's just another nail in the proverbial coffin for mainstream gaming. Self-fulfilling prophecy indeed - good luck with that, Ubisoft! I eagerly await your future press release where you announce that the sales of the PC version of AC2 are disappointing and that you'll focus on console versions...
 

The system in Dragon Age is tolerable -- yes, it prevents you loading your saves-with-DLC (ie. all of them) if you are connected to the Internet but not logged in, but it *also* will let you play anyway if you're not connected at all (so if the server is busted or whatever you can just pull your network connection temporarily and it'll let you in).

Ubisoft's version, from all reports, is just batshit insane. And I was planning to preorder the Ridiculously Overpriced Collectable Crap edition in a few days, too. Guess that's not happening any more.

So, yeah. Adopting a business strategy which loses previously loyal customers, loses potential new customers, pisses off actual customers (who hadn't heard about it before buying) -- all while the pirates just thumb their noses and play the game as normal? Yeah, that'll work well, won't it. Idiots.

(I'm still holding on to a shred of hope that they'll recant before release day. I suspect that if it happens it'll be in the form of "they misinterpreted it! silly reporters!" instead of any real admission of stupidity.)
 

The topic is quite ironic, because if you get a console version you must pay up to 60 70 €, while the same game in PC is 20€ cheaper, but then you must swallow those damned practices... Again... I'll stay on indies.

And yes, a lot of games are preferable in PC: shooters suck on consoles (although Wii is bearable) :( you don't want to play a FPS without a mouse. We would must wait for a HD Wii 2, for seen more AAA FPS.

PD: A high adrenaline FPS, Frayed Knights would fit well in any system ;)