Editorials

FIFA 12 available to download today, at a cost…

September 24, 2011, Author: Neil Hughes

EA have announced that gamers who have subscribed to the EA Sports Season Ticket will be able to download the popular football franchise release FIFA 12 from 5pm today, a week before its official release, in a controversial move by the publisher. The download was scheduled three days before release day, but EA have moved it forward. The season ticket required to retrieve the early download will set you back 2000 Microsoft points, which is around £17 in real money.

Whether this deal is worth your money depends entirely on what kind of gamer you are, as there is no one-size-fits-all for this kind of package. If you rarely play sports titles, then you will shake your head in disbelief at moronic lemmings paying an additional £17, just for the privilege of playing a football game a few days early.Saturday is traditionally football day in England; offering the title to download at a time when thousands of football fans will be returning home with a belly full of beer is an obvious move. To be fair, though, if sports titles are your gaming pleasure, then it might be worth your while. The pass will enable you early access to Madden NFL Football, NHL Hockey, Tiger Woods PGA Tour, and NCAA® Football, as well as FIFA.

Another bonus is that subscribers to the service can transfer all achievements earned during the three-day download period to the purchased disc, resulting in an early edge over the competition. The sales blurb also mentions a 20% discount on all DLC, which isn’t great, but better than a kick up the arse I suppose (especially if you are crazy enough to get through Ultimate Team Gold packs like Smarties).

The ‘Early Release’ of each game will offer full functionality, including online play, with the exception of purchasing additional downloadable content, and the Ultimate Team online game mode. You have probably now read enough to know if a package like this is for you, or if you are disgusted by yet another publisher attempting to empty your wallet for very little in return.

Tempted?

If you are a sporting fan that eats games like this for breakfast, then all you need do is follow these instructions supplied by the boys at MCV.

Step 1: Install the EA SPORTS App, then launch it by selecting “Play Game” from your Game Library.

Step 2: The EA SPORTS App counts down to the Early Release availability in real-time, starting seven days before retail availability. Note that the exact day and time varies per region.

Step 3: When the countdown timer reaches zero, the menu will update with a “Download” option. You will need to confirm the download from the Xbox 360 Guide.

Step 4: If you have not already purchased an EA SPORTS Season Ticket you will be prompted to purchase before you can download an Early Release game.

Step 5: Once you have started the Early Release download, you can exit the EA SPORTS App without interrupting the download. Just don’t power off your Xbox 360 or disconnect from Xbox LIVE. Be aware that other actions (e.g. attempting to play a different game) might pause the download.

Step 6: Once the Early Release finishes downloading you can launch it from your Game Library.

Step 7: Once an Early Release has been made available for download, the EA SPORTS App menu updates to count down the time remaining before that Early Release becomes unavailable for download.

Please Note:  Please note the large file size and expect your download to take the appropriate time to download (approximately five hours for most connections).

Although this deal could be providing a service for hardcore sports fans, many of you will no doubt be worrying if this is a growing trend that we will be seeing much more of over the coming weeks.

Will you be seeing this screen?

With both Activision and EA selling premium content, it has split gamers into two camps. The first of these will insist that they are offering premium content to fans that cannot get enough of a title, and are actually looking after their fans by providing exclusive content for them. The second camp is of gamers who are tired of being taken for mugs and are not interested in ploughing all of their hard earned cash into a few games. They like to play a wide variety of titles throughout the year, and not limit themselves by signing up to expensive subscriptions.

There are no right or wrong answers to this one, only opinion, and it all depends on what kind of gamer you are. Much like those late-night boxing pay-per-view events where punters pay £14.99 for a one round fight, the choice ultimately is yours.

So what will you be doing? Let us know your thoughts on the EA Season Ticket pass and other premium subscriptions like it.

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