NHL 2K8 charges $5 to unlock feature already on game
by Alexander Sliwinski 
{ Sep 20th 2007 at 11:50AM }
If a feature is already on a disc, it should be accessible. Essentially 2K Sports is charging consumers more money for something they already bought, selling them a key to a door they already own. At least the ridiculous COG tag videos were something you actually downloaded from the marketplace, it may have been wasteful, but it was content not already on the Gears of War disc. We hope 2K doesn't become the new EA of the Xbox marketplace, nobody likes that.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
NATO_Duke @ Sep 20th 2007 11:54AM
F'in weak. Thats all there is to it.
E.J. @ Sep 20th 2007 1:30PM
Umm, 2K's been doing this since NCAA 2k6.
But still, good point brought up. Charging to unlock on-disc content is decronkulous.
DarthDavid @ Sep 20th 2007 11:57AM
That cat is like....."the hell with that, where the f--k is my Meow Mix?!?!"
OnimushaSoki @ Sep 20th 2007 12:15PM
Damnit, Joystiq! You threw off my MSOutlook Calendar... it thought it was Caturday. >:\
...Seriouscat and Lolcat almost got fed thrice.
Slaziman @ Sep 20th 2007 11:58AM
You download the free trial for WoW and download the whole client, but you have to pay to open the doors you already downloaded, INSANE
What would you want otherwise, to waste bandwidth when there is space left on the disk?
This is just stupid whining really.
mike @ Sep 20th 2007 12:05PM
nice comparison. Now direct me to where I download NHL 2k8 for free and then have to pay to unlock the game.
This is plain robbery. Whats funny is if nhl 2k8 ever wants to surpass nhl 08, maybe they could include some features in their game to get the 1-up over the competition, instead of including the features but making you pay more to access them. Imagine THPG charged you money to use its new video feature when skate included the video feature as part of the game. Guess which game a gamer will be more likly to buy (Providing they liked the gameplay of both and couldent decide on which one to buy)
plyx @ Sep 20th 2007 12:11PM
Your comments are almost always negative and disruptive. My hope is that there will someday be a way to read the comments on Joystiq without having ones like yours there to ruin it for me.
mike @ Sep 20th 2007 12:23PM
way to go. Sensor yourself from life. IF you cant see it it does not exsist right? your a supporter of those violent video game laws arnt you?
Slaziman @ Sep 20th 2007 12:48PM
So if you could download this feature for money instead of it being on the disk and unlocking it for money, it would be somehow better? That's what you are trying to say?
Or is there some "well it's on the disk so it's technically mine lawl!" thing going on here?
Slaziman @ Sep 20th 2007 12:55PM
They were planning on charging you for this feature anyway, what's the difference of it being on the disk already or downloading the full feature and clog your hard drive + waste their bandwidth?
If you want an argument, it's "they shouldn't be charging 5$ for this feature" or "this should've been included free of charge", whether it was on the disk already is a stupid point to argue.
Vegnagun @ Sep 20th 2007 2:13PM
Slaziman, your an idiot. Comparing it to WoW? Hey guess what, when you get the trail account you download WoW off of your friends discs, you didn't buy the game. When you buy this game you should own everything on the disc and not have to purchase features that are in the game.
Rob @ Sep 21st 2007 9:01AM
So, where exactly are you paying for access to 2K's servers like you're paying for access to Blizzard's?
hotnutz @ Sep 21st 2007 3:29PM
Agreed - Slaziman is an idiot. As much as I detest the whole paying for extra content that used to be free, I understand that it's the new medium that Microsoft wanted and that people have accepted.
As deplorable as this is, overall, the Xbox community seems to be in agreement with this kind of behaviour otherwise there would be more of an outcry.
Slaziman @ Sep 21st 2007 5:07PM
How am I an idiot for saying that the method of delivery is irrelevant? I can't understand you people, so if they had made this feature like 1 month after the game was released, and make you pay for it and download it, it would be somehow better? lol!
If you want to argue that this should've been free, that's fine, that's not what I was arguing.
Shagittarius @ Sep 20th 2007 11:58AM
Get use to it.
ThornedVenom @ Sep 20th 2007 12:11PM
Never.
jsn @ Sep 20th 2007 11:59AM
this is the kind of thing that needs to be challenged in court. Unless it states somewhere in the game or its manual that purchasing the game only entitles you to the game as presented and not the content on the disc, they are riped to be busted for this. class action anyone?
Shagittarius @ Sep 20th 2007 12:01PM
Of course your only entitled to the features they specify in the game. They could put 100 naked pictures of Jessica Alba on the disc, and except for the ESRB, it doesn't matter that they don't allow you to access them if they didnt advertise it as an included feature.
BTW naked pictures of Jessica Alba is a great use for that extra blu-ray space. Just sayin.
NATO_Duke @ Sep 20th 2007 12:08PM
Class action that would make no money for the useers if it was won? Only attorneys would make anything off such a speculative damages suit. Either way, I don't see it as a court issue - as they can dictate what they are selling a game/program to do. There are often locked features in programs that you can't get to.
lessbiasedthanmost @ Sep 20th 2007 12:07PM
I'd like to note that "you're only entitled to the features specified in the game" didn't apply to GTA: San Andreas's Hot Coffee.
RedJoggingSuit(MSDF-Battle Angel) @ Sep 20th 2007 11:59AM
BURN
vinny @ Sep 20th 2007 12:03PM
nhl 08 is a better game anyway
OnimushaSoki @ Sep 20th 2007 12:13PM
Glad I picked up NHL08... all I had to do was enter a password(which is on GAMEFAQs, btw)to unlock those ugly-ass Reebok EDGE jerseys. No added funds necessary.
...though I'd pay for an update to the EA TRAX in the game. They're godawfully-mute worthy, every last one of'em.
baby sea tuna @ Sep 20th 2007 1:22PM
Or, you could always just make your own playlist and listen to that instead.
OnimushaSoki @ Sep 20th 2007 1:36PM
That's actually what I've resorted to doing.
Unfortunately, it's the PS3 version, so I'm actually listening to it from my nearby PC and muting the EA TRAX volume; instead of through the game itself via custom soundtrack(which the PS3 has the ability to do).
Sean @ Sep 20th 2007 12:08PM
I saw that you can make your player's stats 110% in Tiger Woods '08 for like 200 points or something. Wtf is the point?
Ken Seang @ Sep 20th 2007 12:10PM
LOL, serious cat FTW!
ThornedVenom @ Sep 20th 2007 12:12PM
They couldn't have found a more appropriate picture. =P
tetracycloide @ Sep 20th 2007 1:01PM
I don't really see the difference between charging someone to unlock content on the disc and charging someone to download content that could have been on the disc to begin with. It's all just a bunch of idiots making money off of other idiots.
Snap @ Sep 20th 2007 12:19PM
2KSports has done this with all their 2k8 games this year, this is old news. And yes, they are beginning to act like EA in terms of marketplace abuse.
Grant @ Sep 20th 2007 4:05PM
Seriously,
EA has been D/L content whores since they put their first bit of content on there.
I'm surprised at how many people are surprised this happened... cause i saw it from a mile away.
Keep buying EAs "yearly update" and their half completed games... only to buy the rest later.
If you keep buying their shit, they only take it as a message that you want to throw your money at them.
They are a giant BUSINESS, and are running their company like it, if they sell it, and you buy it, they will push the boundaries of good taste until people stop.
Jake @ Sep 20th 2007 12:21PM
The thing that sucks is paying $5 for content that was finished at the time the game launched. This especially sucks considering the game is a relatively low budget tweakage of last year's title and not a full blown ground up game.
Actually, only having to download 108Kb to your HDD to unlock it is the good part. It would be worse if the game took 5Gb and they charged $5 for +400Mb of HDD consuming data right at launch. That would double suck. Ubisoft (GRAW 1 & 2), I am staring sternly at you SOB's.
Evan @ Sep 20th 2007 12:23PM
108K is enough to store thousands of lines of software code, so it's very possible that the feature is entirely included in the download and not on the disc.
Fox San @ Sep 20th 2007 2:32PM
Only since it's coming from 2K Sports, I don't think it's possible to make a 108k update with video recording and playback.
However, Evan is right. This is entirely possible within 108k worth of code. Even though the article is probably ultimately right, we should've learned about vindicating someone based on weak evidence from the Duke Lacrosse case.
UnnDunn @ Sep 20th 2007 12:27PM
Not this complaint again. It's just so asinine.
The only relevant question is whether the Reelmaker is worth $5 to you. If it is, buy it. If not, don't. The method of delivery is irrelevant.
maxmasa31 @ Sep 20th 2007 12:30PM
They're just taking a page out of the Apple playbook. They did a similar thing to their customers a few months back, when they charged people $5 to enable 802.11n in the Core 2 Duo computers they had already forked over money for.
Of course, it's not all a one-way street--it seems Apple's taking a page from console gaming's playbook. Old iPod games don't work on the new iPods, so people will need to fork over more money for games they already purchased! That's right, VC, I'm lookin' at YOU!
Volt @ Sep 20th 2007 2:56PM
It was actually $1.99, and the charge was (supposedly) due to some sort of legal issue at the time that required an exchange of funds for the draft N technology. This is why people who bought their excessively expensive base station didn't have to pay extra for it.
Go cry about Apple somewhere relevant.
ThornedVenom @ Sep 20th 2007 12:28PM
No matter how "technically synonymous" the end-user experience would be from this purchase, nor how "advantageous" it would be for a smaller download for extra features.... This is NOT right.
You developers took the goddamn extra time to make extra content already available at the game's release: hand it over, because it should have been accessibly there already and we don't like paying extra for you to milk us in such a low fashion.
It's just way too easy to cash-in otherwise. "You want the game? 60 bucks. You want multiplayer too? +5 bucks. What did you say? Options menu? +5 bucks. You also want ingame lighting to see what's happening in the game and to see where you're aiming? +10 bucks."
You see where I'm heading at.
Shagittarius @ Sep 20th 2007 12:31PM
Down the road to crazyville! =)
Slaziman @ Sep 20th 2007 1:07PM
Except not a lot of people want some Reelmaker feature, and shouldn't be charged extra for the development it took if they never wanted it. Lighting and options menu and multiplayer is something tons of users will use and therefore is included by default.
Crono (NDF - Fire Ring) @ Sep 20th 2007 1:24PM
I see where you're headed. And you know what, developers can do all of that if they wanted to. There's nothing legally barring them from doing so, now that the DMCA is passed.
But if devs ever do start pulling that crap, they're going to start seeing sales plummet, because only the idiots and people with no concept of a dollar would buy a 60 dollar game, and then pay to unlock the game feature by feature.
I'm looking at you: GH2 DLC buyers!
ThornedVenom @ Sep 20th 2007 3:19PM
@ Slaziman
"not a lot of people want some Reelmaker feature, and shouldn't be charged extra for the development it took if they never wanted it"
Charging extra? It's supposed to be included! Your logic only applies if the original game was cheaper than average. The problem is that you already pay full price for a game without its full features (on disc).
Marty @ Sep 20th 2007 12:32PM
Personally, I don't see why it matters if it were on the disc before or not. It was a feature that wasn't included in the game when you purchased it... so it doesn't matter if it already existed on the disc in some form (a la Hot Coffee), if it was released in a patch, or if it were beamed out to Mars via radio.
T3H WICKERMAN @ Sep 20th 2007 12:34PM
KITTY!!!!! he thinks hes people!
jabbertrack @ Sep 20th 2007 12:42PM
A lesser known game but this happened with DDR for 360 as well. I was pretty livid.
gamernewz.net @ Sep 20th 2007 12:43PM
While I can't quite call it robbery its defnly bs.
Its a shitty feature anyway, and other games give it to you for free. It looks bad on 2k being so chincy.
There is an easy answer though: BOYCOTT!
ANt @ Sep 20th 2007 12:47PM
That is one ugly cat!! Cat, the other other white meat!!
NHL 08 rules, screw 2K!!
DudeGuyMan @ Sep 20th 2007 12:57PM
I don't agree with ANY practice that makes you have to pay for unlock keys. With that said, wow, 1Up has a serious vendetta to slam 2K8 this year. From their "preview", to their review, and now to this.
There's no way in hell that 2K8 deserves 40/100 when other sites have given scores from 70% to 85%.
Sadly, I have chosen NHL 08 this year and purchased my first EA game in about 7 years. They have made a better game this year. I've always been a 2K guy and will not play an NFL game until Xbox 360 adds ESPN NFL 2K5 to backwards compatibility, which I think may not happen for conspiracy related reasons... ;)
nosedive51 @ Sep 20th 2007 1:03PM
I wish someone, anyone, could get this through their thick, I just want to whine about anything, skulls.
Company A works on product A for 100 hours and then sells it for $10. While company A is working on product A they decide they could take an extra 10 hours knowing that down the line they will charge $1 for the extra feature thus making up for the extra 10 hours. WHO CARES IF IT's ALREADY ON THE DISK! THAT MEANS NOTHING! THE ONLY THING IT MEANS IS THAT SOMEONE TOOK THE EXTRA TIME TO DO THE WORK THEN AND NOT AFTER THE PRODUCT SHIPPED. Would you prefer they leave it off and then make you download it later?
faceless coward @ Sep 20th 2007 7:09PM
The problem is that a lot of companies, if they see that this is acceptable, will actually cut features that would have been released with the full game had it not been for the internet and charge the end-user for them later.