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Joystiq Weekly: EA Access, Divinity: Original Sin review, The Last Of Us revisited and more
Welcome to Joystiq Weekly, a "too long; didn't read" of each week's biggest stories, reviews and original content. Each category's top story is introduced with a reactionary gif, because moving pictures aren't just for The Daily Prophet. EA announced EA Access this week, a monthly or yearly service that gives subscribers a digital library of games from the publisher's catalog. PlayStation Plus and Games With Gold are comfortable ideas at this point, but for such a substantial publisher to start their own service on a console without making any hardware themselves? That's pretty interesting. Hopefully we won't see a flood or other publishers launching competitors for PlayStation and Xbox's services, though. Paying one monthly fee for Netflix and maybe two monthly fees for video games is manageable, but if the console space starts feeling crowded with subscription services, we can imagine the sense of value will be continually reduced with each additional arrival. Then again, we could probably stomach one more if Nintendo cooked up something for the Virtual Console... There's way more to this week than pondering our breaking point for monthly subscription fees though. Capcom, Sony and Nintendo had earnings reports, Homefront: The Revolution got adopted by Deep Silver's parent company, and PlayStation Now entered its open beta. It's all waiting for you after the break!
Joystiq Discussion: How much would you pay for EA Access?
From aggressive downloadable content campaigns to Online Passes, EA has never shied away from trying new ways to make cash with games. Following the success of programs like PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Games With Gold, EA is embracing the subscription gaming model with EA Access on Xbox One. For $30 per year or $5 a month, Xbox One owners can access a buffet of full games like EA Sports UFC and Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare gratis. EA also says it has "no plans" to remove games from the service, so provided you maintain your subscription, the games will stay in your library just like they do on PS Plus. Even when paying for Xbox Live Gold on top of EA Access, there's readily apparent value. Intrepid Redditor Hidesquadron1 broke down the value of paying for a year of XBL Gold and EA Access and his math found that the annual $90 cost of both equated to roughly $672 in goods and services. Many players, however, may not value the things offered by these packages. Collectors and archivists, for example, may not want to pay to maintain access to Dragon Age: Inquisition forever even if they may want to sample other titles. For that player, the perceived cost of EA Access is more than just an annual fee. The question then: How much would you pay for EA Access? Is it a bargain? Would you pay more? Or do you not want to pay anything for this type of subscription? Take the poll and discuss in the comments. How much would you pay for EA Access? [Images: Electronic Arts/Moby Games]
Sony evaluated EA Access, but felt it wasn't 'good value'
Wondering why EA Access - the subscription service that offers buffet-style access to Electronic Arts titles, 10 percent discounts on all of EA's digital Xbox One content and five days' worth of early access to major EA releases - isn't coming to PlayStation systems? According to a Sony statement to Game Informer, the answer is simple: It's not good value. "We evaluated the EA Access subscription offering and decided that it does not bring the kind of value PlayStation customers have come to expect," a Sony rep told Game Informer. "PlayStation Plus memberships are up more than 200 percent since the launch of PlayStation 4, which shows that gamers are looking for memberships that offer a multitude of services, across various devices, for one low price. We don't think asking our fans to pay an additional $5 a month for this EA-specific program represents good value to the PlayStation gamer." At times like this, we can't help but be reminded of that American cinema classic, Happy Gilmore. Sorry EA, but the price is wrong for Sony. [Image: EA]
EA unveils Xbox One subscription service, EA Access [update]
Following the success of Xbox Live Gold and PlayStation Plus, EA has unveiled its own Xbox One-exclusive subscription service dubbed EA Access. Those who spend $5 per month (or $30 per year) on an EA Access subscription will be granted free, all-you-can-play access to the publisher's biggest Xbox One games, including Battlefield 4, Peggle 2, FIFA 14 and Madden NFL 25. EA plans to add to this selection of games over time, and according to a Game Informer tweet, the publisher has "no plans" to remove content in the future. In addition to the gratis games, EA Access members receive 10 percent discounts on all of EA's digital Xbox One content and are granted access to big EA releases up to five days prior to their official debut. Keep in mind, there are caveats to this promotion. EA describes that early access as a "a limited trial," and not access to the full game. Further, according to the fine print, Titanfall is "excluded from all EA Access features," and given the service's mention of unlimited online play, it stands to reason that an Xbox Live Gold subscription is required for full use of EA Access. If your interest is still piqued, you can find everything you need to enroll in EA Access at the program's official website. Update: A representative from EA has contacted us to clarify the Xbox Live Gold requirements of EA Access. "To your inference in the last paragraph that an Xbox Live Gold subscription is required for full use, I wanted to clarify: Any Xbox One gamer can join EA Access and take advantage of the benefits of membership. In order to connect to multiplayer gameplay on the Xbox One platform you will need a subscription to Xbox Gold." [Image: EA]
