Cheap shot: paying for extra items in The Godfather

This was supposed to be a news article, but what the heck, let’s go crazy like a “First Post WOOT!” posting spree. We’ve said once before that Electronic Arts is embracing the Xbox Live Marketplace by offering downloadable content, but you have to agree that there’s a difference between embracing and putting something in a stranglehold.

The first time people had some kind of an issue with this was with Madden NFL 07. That’s mostly because they were selling tutorial videos for the game on XBLM. Look at the leap, however, from Madden to their Xbox 360 version of The Godfather. While most games wouldn’t mind having hidden cheat codes or hidden missions to unlock special freebies, EA has used XBLM to offer the option of uber-izing yourself for twice the price.

How? Before you can buy one of their special items, such as the ultimate versions of the in-game guns, you have to purchase the RIGHT to buy those guns. Now that you have the right to do so, you also have to cough up 750,000 in game money to actually buy their super Tommy gun. If you don’t have the cash, what do you do? Simple, pay EA even more real-life currency to get in-game moolah.

Sure, the prices for all these things aren’t that prohibitive, with a 100-150 point cost and a one-time offer to prevent excessive buying, but come on. Multiply those miniscule figures by the number of gamers who want to get everything the game has to offer, and you realize that EA is milking people for something they should have put in the game to begin with. Can I get an “Amen” from all the outraged folks out on the internet? It’s serious business.

This was supposed to be a news article, but what the heck, let’s go crazy like a “First Post WOOT!” posting spree. We’ve said once before that Electronic Arts is embracing the Xbox Live Marketplace by offering downloadable content, but you have to agree that there’s a difference between embracing and putting something in a stranglehold.

The first time people had some kind of an issue with this was with Madden NFL 07. That’s mostly because they were selling tutorial videos for the game on XBLM. Look at the leap, however, from Madden to their Xbox 360 version of The Godfather. While most games wouldn’t mind having hidden cheat codes or hidden missions to unlock special freebies, EA has used XBLM to offer the option of uber-izing yourself for twice the price.

How? Before you can buy one of their special items, such as the ultimate versions of the in-game guns, you have to purchase the RIGHT to buy those guns. Now that you have the right to do so, you also have to cough up 750,000 in game money to actually buy their super Tommy gun. If you don’t have the cash, what do you do? Simple, pay EA even more real-life currency to get in-game moolah.

Sure, the prices for all these things aren’t that prohibitive, with a 100-150 point cost and a one-time offer to prevent excessive buying, but come on. Multiply those miniscule figures by the number of gamers who want to get everything the game has to offer, and you realize that EA is milking people for something they should have put in the game to begin with. Can I get an “Amen” from all the outraged folks out on the internet? It’s serious business.