In an interview at a press event for WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 this past weekend in Los Angeles, the game's creative director, Cory Ledesma, lamented that used games are "an issue for the [videogame] industry." This was in the context of explaining that SvR 2011 will be subject to a lockout of online features behind a pack-in code like the publisher's mixed martial arts game, UFC Undisputed 2010, which launched in May. Similar to the EA Sports Online Pass, UFC 2010 included a one-time-use code on the back of the game's manual that had to be entered into the main menu in order to use the game's online features.
But whereas THQ charged non-new buyers of UFC 2010 a $5 fee for online access, the company is "following suit with other publishers" -- namely, EA Sports -- for SvR 2011: new copies of the game will come with a code for which renters, borrowers, and used-game buyers will have to pay $10 (800 Microsoft Points). At least this time around, THQ is being transparent about the process; when it came to UFC 2010, the publisher only confirmed the existence of an online pass after players of pre-release copies found out about it.
The code for SvR 2011 will also come with three pieces of downloadable content: WWE Superstar Chris Masters, a Kelly Kelly costume, and a Day of the Dead costume for Rey Mysterio. (Players who buy the code from the Xbox Live Marketplace or PlayStation Store will still receive the content.) And unlike with UFC 2010, THQ is joining EA in offering a seven-day free trial of online features for non-new buyers.
I'll have much more on WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011, including a full preview, coming later today.
Samit Sarkar is a founding Destructoid editor and go-to Sports guy. Samit was the son of the Duke of Knees, rescued from a burning village in the afghan desert by a golden condor. He is an ace Backgammon player and lost both legs in a whaling tour. He lives for free in a nursery in Scotland where he teaches monks how to capture butterflies without hurting them.
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2:01 AM on 08.18.2010 | 
Always trying to gouge the loyal consumers just a little bit more, they won't stop until your asshole is bleeding and you're curled up in a fetal position crying on the floor.
Oh yeah, those loyal, used-game-buying customers.
Even if they were 'gouging' and not 'inconveniencing,' nothing is stopping you from not buying the game. If you don't think it is worth it, and you don't like paying extra, vote with your dollar. Being angry at a company for 'making you pay' more for a game is silly; you obviously think it is worth it if you bought it.
Still, looking forward to the preview. The other couple of them I've read have talked about this new momentum (have to do light grapple moves and chain some together before doing stronger ones), interactivity within the moves (movement, press a button to follow up) and no need to be stunned to hit a finisher.
Also, WWE Universe mode where everything outside of RtWM is tracked to give you storylines, rivalries and friendships building up to PPV's. And if you don't like what the console has picked out for you, edit it yourself. Actually sounds incredible.
(jk, i wasnt planning on buying it anyways :p)
how IS the wrestling scene doing these days? havn't played one since WCW/NWO Revenge... now that was quality.
I still dont see the problem with this online pass thing though, people should stop being so bloody cheap.
The way I see it, sports titles - which only seem MINOR improvements from year-to-year - are not worth %60 a pop to start with. They're digital distribution material. This way you can update the game regularly instead of these asinine annual releases.They're just fucking roster update packs that rapidly depreciate in value anyway.
There is no passionate argument to make for physical media in the sports genre - you will be done with that game in a matter of weeks and its value is gone within a few months. You'll trade it in.
So why not just make such games a DD release? They can constantly expand, improve and add to the game and justify selling extra content along the way. And there will be not people undercutting you by buying used.
But that would be a better deal for the gamer. That would make sense. Publishers don't have a bit of sense.
I vehemently disagree on both points (well, more strongly on the former than on the latter). Let's take EA Sports' NHL 10 as an example.
Regarding the depreciation of annual sports games: GameStop is currently listing used copies of NHL 10 at $34.99, only five dollars less than the price of a new copy. Sure, they'll probably only give you $10 if you trade it in, but, well, the game has been out for 11 months. That's the market, and publishers are hamstrung by brick-and-mortar retailers.
This ties into your first claim: that people stop playing sports games "in a matter of weeks." I don't know how many sports-game-playing friends you have, but I play many of my annual sports games right up until the following year's iteration launches. (I've been playing the hell out of NHL 10 recently, because I'm so excited for NHL 11 to come out on September 7th. And I will keep playing NHL 10 until I have NHL 11 in my hands, which means that I will get 11 1/2 months of gaming out of NHL 10.)
Now, I happen to not play NHL 10 online very much, but imagine if I did -- and say I had bought the game used, the week after it launched. That's 11 months of (offline and) online gaming for which EA Sports doesn't see a dime -- 11 months of using their servers, of downloading patches. To be sure, it's unfortunate for gamers... but it seems only fair for publishers to try and get paid for their content.
The fact that two brand new games equals the cost of a brand new console is an issue for the videogame industry.
One preview I read said they played a 6 man HIAC match without lag. Obviously as it's a preview, this could change in real-world situations, but if they pull it off, thank god.
@Patriot Snake
It doesn't. Thankfully, they used development resource for much better things.
Your logic is completely wrong. It's not about who is using said disc (game), it's about the disc itself. If you buy it used, does that mean that the original owner AND you are online using EA's servers?
Absolutely not.
EA seen their profits from THAT DISC. It doesn't matter how many people handle it. It's still just 1 disc being used online at any given time. It's not like the servers have to handle the original owner and all used owners OF THAT SINGLE DISC all at the same time.
It's only 1 person per disc sold at any given time, and EA seen their profit from every single disc.
DO NOT BUY UFC2010 NEW OR THE ONLINE CODE
The Online portion is fucking HORRIBLE, it's 1/2 the speed of the single player, which makes it really awkward to control (you press button, your opponent hits you, THEN your player does what you pressed) and it has trouble finding matches, let alone any kind of matchmaking to put you with someone of similar skill.
Seriously the actualy gameplay is vastly imporved since the last game, but the online is far worse.
It's not worth the "FREE" it costs with the new game, let alone the code price.
The only issue is, that code will be needed to download CAWs and stories :/