We have some important news for those of you planning to pick up Resistance 3 later on in the year, as we’re hearing reports that Sony will be making use of an online pass feature for those wanting to play the online portion of the game.
For those of you who are not familiar with the online pass, this is becoming a worrying trend in the gaming industry and is often a point of controversy for those who enjoy picking up second-hand games.
The online pass most recently happened with Mortal Kombat, and it required all players to input a code contained in the box on the PlayStation Store in order to have access to the online features of the game. If you picked up a second-hand copy of the game, you will need to pay $9.99 on the PlayStation Store to purchase a new online pass, and it’s this factor which some gamers just can’t understand.
It looks like the same thing will happen with Resistance 3, so those of you wanting to pick up a second hand copy should be prepared to pay an additional fee to play online with the game, as reported from Kotaku. Hopefully Sony will include a similar option to Mortal Kombat, in which gamers were given the option to try out a free trial of the online mode, so it at least gives you a taste if you don’t have an online pass.
While we understand the logic from Sony’s point of view, this is becoming a worrying trend for gaming publishers in the industry. Warner Bros and EA all make use of the online pass for their games, and we have a feeling that this practice will affect ALL titles in the future – effectively killing off the pre-owned games platform.
There will always be the argument that no matter which version of a game you pick up, either new or pre-owned, you should have full access to the game that you paid for as it now becomes your property. The idea that you have to pay another fee on top of the initial price of the game will always be debated.
Dare we say it, but imagine future Call of Duty titles requiring an online pass. You pick up a pre-owned copy of the game, but you can’t play online unless you purchase Activision’s online pass – sounds like a nightmare but don’t be surprised if this becomes a reality in 2012.
What are your thoughts on the online pass situation, do you welcome the idea or are you totally against it?
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