It has come to my attention that EA Sports is rolling out a ton of boost packs now a days, starting with NHL 10 with attribute boosts for buying what people call "clown gear". And EA is continuing the trend that is possibly destructive to the company name and reputation.
I mean this in a customers point of view, when I think back of the old school days there were no boost packs, in fact there was no such thing as add ons back in the old PS2, Xbox days. Now fast forward to the current generation and you see map packs, attribute boosts, and in the case of Madden 10 and Madden 11dynasty/franchise boosts. It's really starting to get pathetic how some companies nickel and dime their customers to death, EA gets mentioned, but I think these map packs arepushing itas well. Games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, andTom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2 released such material.
If you want to look athow it [B]SHOULD BE[/B] done just look at the GTA expansion packs, The Lost and the Damned, and the Ballad of Gay Tony were great add ons because they came with their own stories and new online modes. And best yet they didn't put anyone at any kind of disadvantage for no paying for the episodic content, the only thing you need to enjoy the full game for GTA IV is an internet connection to enjoy the game online, and most people have that.
Or if GTA IV isn't your kind of game, let me introduct games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band who let you buy songs off of the marketplace for PS3, or Xbox 360 and these songs are addedto your arsenal of songs you can play, some come inindividual packs,and some can come from a certain band and you can buy a batch of them at a discounted rate, orindividually forthesame price you'd buy a single song that wasn't bunched in a band pack.
What prompted this really is when I read about the NHL 11 boosts, not that I'm upset by it at all, I am just upset that the amount that they are trying to sell. 156 boosts were listed for NHL 11 raging in different price points and add on values. All these are simply is attribute points you can buy to make your player for the EASHL (EA Sports Hockey League) and you can pretty much get a head start on the players who either can't afford the add ons, or just don't think it's worth the money to play "catch up".
The NHL 11 "Add ons": Source: PastaPadre Link: [URL]http://tinyurl.com/3ylcln9[/URL]
[quote][INDENT]Boosts offered targeting individual specific attributes: acceleration, agility, balance, shot power, shot accuracy, passing, deking, face-offs, discipline, aggressiveness, checking, endurance, strength, puck control, durability, hand-eye, shot blocking, fighting, offensive awareness, defensive awareness, and stick checking. For goalies: speed, agility, shot recovery, glove high, glove low, stick high, stick low, five hole, rebound, passing, poke check, endurance, angles, breakaway, aggressiveness, durability, and vision. Each attribute can be purchased with +1 (80 MS points), +3 (120), +5 (160). That amounts to $1, $1.50, and $2.
[/INDENT][INDENT]There are also equipment boosts that allow for slots to boost attribute levels and overalls. Those are applied to skate, stick, glove, helmet, mask, goalie stick, pad, blocker, and trapper. They are +1 slot (80), + 2 slots (120), +3 slots (160).
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So I will end with this, I am not saying game add ons are evil, or even "bad" however I think in some cases these game add ons are more about making a quick dollar than it is about value which is not a business practice I could ever condone, and quite frankly I don't. Also a thing to mention is all of these boosts and add on's are optional, but quite frankly if you don't have it you maybe put at a sizable disadvantage. In some cases you're not missing out at all, really depends on the content offered and brought.
So what is the opinion of the gamer? Are you like me, or do you think all game add ons are a waste? I am just wondering what the general feeling is towards add ons.
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Banned
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