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So I wanted to take a minute to reflect, not on what 2009 has brought to the gaming table, but on what this current generation has ushered into gaming, and discuss on whether it was going to bring better or worse issues to gaming. We’ve all been there – comfy chair, cold beverage and a bag of Cheetos on the end table all ready to settle into a night of fragging with our friends. There’s nothing better right? Only to find out that the internet is down. No big deal you may say, and you might be right, but let’s look at how utterly dependent our gaming lives have become now that we are all tethered to this electronic leash we call the internet.
I happen to be one of the few who doesn’t live in a highly urbanized area, therefore my online gaming and connectivity is limited-something you know if you listen to the podcast and have heard me rant(or break up for that matter…lol). It’s not only Xbox Live and the Playstation Network that require internet, it’s become an increasingly frustrating problem for PC gamers, which I typically represent. We have Games For Windows Live, which is the PC’s version of the Playstation Network(no, that’s not a typo). Imagine popping your favorite new game in the drive, only to see there’s an update, or heaven forbid, some new free DLC available that you must install before you can launch the game. Not unfamiliar, you say, but not having a stable connection can drag that process out much longer than needed.
Even a game such as Dragon Age, with no online multiplayer, needs to sync up with a profile you have created online for the game – especially if you have any of the DLC for the game installed on you PC. Your game can be played and saved locally, and then synced with your profile when you get back online, until you reach the points in the game that place you in the DLC missions. From that point on you are not able to access your saves and progress through the game unless you are logged in online to verify the DLC and your saves. Luckily the Mass Effect 2 Cerberus Network worked well, although it is another need to be connected. I have not reached the DLC portions of either of theose Bioware hits, but as of yet you are able to play without being connected, which is a bonus. It is mind boggling how many games in my library are nothing more than coasters without online connectivity, or worse digital coasters on someone else’s servers that I cannot tap into. It’s like having a gorgeous new Ferrari, that the dealer cannot find the keys to! It makes you question how dependent we have come to be on the internet and those little lights flashing on our modems.
As if Bioware’s approach isn’t bad enough, let’s look at the two-pronged stance Ubisoft is taking with the PC port of Assassin’s Creed, due out March 16th this year. Not only have they taken a page from Infinity Ward’s book by raising the price of the game to $59.99 but they have also added high speed internet to the system requirements. Not for initial installation and validation, but the game’s requirements specifically say that the connection is required “to play this video game at all times and to unlock exclusive content”. Call me crazy, but I say this is overstepping the line on a system that already has major issues with poor sales of ported console games. I’m sure the price hike would have gone over with much grumbling on the gaming forums, but like Modern Warfare 2 has proved, PC players will pay for it. I dare say that the requirement of being online to play a SINGLE PLAYER game will affect the sales figures negatively, and it is an unfortunate trend that shows no signs of changing.
Go to Everyday Gamers for the Rest of the Article!
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BLOGOSPHERE 
I've had these issues with every single Games for Windows Live and Steam game I own