Rumor: EA's persistent profile service is subscription-based, offers early game downloads

@leobebes. Oh, boo hoo. You don't have to use it. It is a pointless and stupid monet grab.

@leobebes

Someone didn't read the article. Try again buddy.

@ImakeCheese I have no problem with this being optional since I'm not going to pay it, yet I don't see people complain about paying for "Live" which for all intents and purpose is mandatory to play online.

@The angry pro consumer gaming ga

We get it.....You don't like paying for live so just move on. Do you really have to have every other post you make mention your dislike of Lives subscription. Why don't you post about your free PSN being down for a lot of people, including me w/o an explanation.

@eliteghost. Peter Moore has nothing to do with it you raging butt nom nom er. EA sports, he is not Rictecillo (spelling)

@Mazrael

Trophy/Achievement BS is something I have no tolerance for. They're meant to add fun to games, especially single player ones, not to make it annoying. Uncharted 2 had it's online Trophies the right way (before the idiotic DLC ones), but so many games just have aggravating trophies. Gears of War 2 had some stupid ones, especially the one where you have to get 100k kills, because that's nearly impossible, and unreasonable for any normal player.

Stuff like that is just stupid. Destruction 2.0 in BC2 was BS as well. You just have to get lucky to get a building kill on someone, and for most people it's just aggravating BS. As for Et tu Brute?, that one was IMPOSSIBLE without setting it up with someone. There's no way you're going to happen to fight against one of your friends rather than play with them, and then to kill them FIVE TIMES with a knife. That's so stupid. You should never have to set things up like that to get a trophy or achievement. Make them fun to get, and something that might help me get more fun out of the game or to get my feet wet in using some of the aspects of the game, not as something to piss me off. No one thinks the game is better because it has ridiculous achievements, it just annoys people.

(On a side note, I don't really care that much about getting achievements, but sometimes I feel like getting them all just to finish up if I've gotten most of them, and it's stupid to have one or two ridiculous ones stand in my way).

@leobebes

Ah but this is where MS' tight seal around XBL comes in handy, I don't even think it would be possible for EA to implement a subscription service within XBL.

It's why we haven't seen any MMOs on the 360, XBL is just too tightly controlled and in these situations it looks like it'll pay off (although in some cases like Steamworks for the PS3, it doesn't).

@Robborboy

So let me get this straight. you are willing to pay EA 5 dollars a month for them to delay a game so you can feel special playing it first and to pay less for the DLC that should have been in the game anyway ? Because of people like you in 5 years i will have to buy a game in parts and pay to play online. il probably will soon have to pay a different fee to get the real ending of my favorite games.

let me say Thank you.

Destruction 2.0 is not that hard. Snow map + tanks. Hell I will come die for you in a game if it will help. GT Dalek Prime

@SEGA Scream

Blah I wouldn't want to see them sacrifice the name of Road Rash into some BS subscription based piece of shit.

As an old school gamer I loved I Road Rash, Mutant League Football and Hockey, even there branch off game Skitchin'. But if they ever re-released these games where you can only play them through subscription I'd give them a laugh in there face.

Bottom line nostalgia factor can only go but so far. They wouldn't be seeing me pressed to get it that's for sure.

@SEGA Scream. You mean to say that the silence we hear is you holding your breath? I am just waiting for the thud... ;)

@MEGATOOL Not really it will probably be optional like Playstation Plus

@ScratchC. Many Wahhhhmbulences died that day...

@ScratchC

Whether or not they go through with it remains to be seen, but I can seriously imagine EA wanting something like this because of their lack of innovation in sports games year to year (other than rosters and a few glaring bugs from the last game, introducing two or three more glaring bugs.) If they want to do so, that's their prerogative. I don't like the idea myself, much as I loathe the "we use our own servers and turn them off when we feel like it" nonsense. I was looking forward to Mass Effect 3... but I don't know if I want to give EA any more money. I have had my fill of their increasing attempts to monetize EVERYTHING about their games. Why? Because they are more interested in getting revenue than providing a great product. (It happens to all big companies... the bean-counters start to run the show, and things get nickel-and-dimed to the point of absurdity.)

It's inevitable... IF the company doesn't embrace their roots. This whole genre is about fun and entertainment after all.