Thread: War against used game sales spreads to Mass Effect

Publishers don’t like used game sales, they make no money from them and despise game retailers for perusing such “underhand” policies and Mass Effect 2 is the latest game to be recruited to the crusade.

Originally Posted by Kotaku

With Mass Effect 2, as with last autumn's Dragon Age: Origins and The Saboteur, EA will reward "original purchasers" of the game — those who buy a game new rather than paying for it used from a game shop and therefore sending no money from said purchase in EA's direction. As with those other EA games, new copies of Mass Effect 2 will come packed, physically and/or digitally, with a single-use unlock code. The code will add "The Cerberus Network," an in-game portal that will funnel Mass Effect 2 daily messages, downloadable content and news about such DLC to players.

Those who purchase Mass Effect 2 used or for some other reason don't have the single-use unlock code, will have to pay for the Cerberus Network for an unspecified amount.

The "original purchasers" reward for November's Dragon Age: Origins was a DLC pack called The Stone Prisoner. The pack contained a new party member, plus "new environments, items, and hours of additional gameplay that adds to the Dragon Age: Origins campaign," according to the game's official site. For used-game purchasers, it cost $15.

The Saboteur's "original purchasers" reward was optional female toplessness, added hiding locations in the game's World War II-era France and the option to watch topless dances. For used-game purchasers, it cost $3.

Mass Effect 2's "original purchasers" incentive, according to an EA press release today, contains the following day-one offerings: "New missions and in-game items. Included in this pack is a mission that introduces Zaeed, a rugged and deadly gun-for-hire who is recruited to join Commander Shepard's mission to save mankind." (Note: That's Zaeed poking his finger at Shepard in the image above.)

EA's announcement also mentioned post-launch DLC that will include a new hover tank called The Hammerhead, new missions, shield/health/heavy-ammo-boosting Cerberus Assault Armor and an M-22 Eviscerator Shotgun. A spokesperson for the game was unable to tell Kotaku whether these items will be free or for pay.

Game publishers have long complained that sales of used games cost them revenue, but gamers on a budget have found irresistible used games that are $5-10 less than the new copies of the games shelved near it.
Adding bonuses to games in order to reward new-game purchasers seems like a savvy way to discourage the purchase of used games, though it will likely also raise the common questions about how content is doled out — or locked off — from those who buy and play games.

Whether the Cerberus Network is sufficiently good to warrant paying for is another question altogether, it doesn’t sound much like it to me but hell, maybe you REALLY like Mass Effect.

Originally Posted by BlackKnight616

Whether the Cerberus Network is sufficiently good to warrant paying for is another question altogether, it doesn’t sound much like it to me but hell, maybe you REALLY like Mass Effect.

question is : what is the the network.. Is it required to get DLC down the line?

Lets say I buy the game used down the line & theres some DLC that released later on thats great.. can I use it without the network thing? or does that need to be purchased too?

If its just a news feed, great - it'll end up like the currently shitty news feed that currently in fifa 07.. (ie no longer updated once initial sales have stopped)
(seriously, if you have it, fire it up.. its that cunt trevor brooking gibbering on about how midfield players in england are shit.. ea just havent updated it since then, and it cant be turned off)

EA can get fucked good & proper.. from shutting servers off, to their PC download store (download once only eh? you didnt make that clear on the initial purchase), they have lost any money coming from me

The Cerberus Network sounds daft. I mean, they're releasing as DLC a feature that is included with most games nowadays. But if they're including extra in-game stuff with the download, then I think it's fair enough that they want to offer incentives for people to buy brand new. If nothing else, for £40 new, you want your bloody money's worth, lol.

Then again, DLC straight after release kind of annoys me, since it feels like developers are holding content back so they can release it later and squeeze more money out of people. If it's such a cool/important part of the game, then why not just include it in the game? Certain people shouldn't have to miss out on it.

Its Mass Effect so it's gonna be good enough for me too get it. THink it will like Waypoint a place too get ME related goodies. I hope they dont charge for these extra bits would be a shame but its not down too bioware it will be M$ and EA making that call

what a load of...........yeah!

They get there £50 or whatever it is these days for a new game, so what do they care what happens to it. Anyone who likes the game enough to pay £50 will pay £50, anyone who doesnt will wait.

The people who do wait clearly dont like the game as much as the people who did shell out full price so wont give a tosh about some extra DLC anyway!

Lets for example say I dont buy ME2 and 2 - 3 years down the line I play it at a mates and like it, where do I get a new copy then??

Things like this really pish me the frook off, its just money money money all the time!

Originally Posted by holowV

what a load of...........yeah!

They get there £50 or whatever it is these days for a new game, so what do they care what happens to it. Anyone who likes the game enough to pay £50 will pay £50, anyone who doesnt will wait.

The people who do wait clearly dont like the game as much as the people who did shell out full price so wont give a tosh about some extra DLC anyway!

Lets for example say I dont buy ME2 and 2 - 3 years down the line I play it at a mates and like it, where do I get a new copy then??

Things like this really pish me the frook off, its just money money money all the time!

i agree Holo but just lately we all been lucky that some games has been cheaper than their normal price and dont forget the supermarket wars we had before christmas on MW2