NHL 2K8 charges $5 to unlock feature already on game

[Juno]

2K Sports released the 2K Reelmaker add-on for NHL 2K8 yesterday at 400 MS Points ($5 USD); the program allows a variety of video recording and playback options for the game. According to 1UP, the download for this feature is a puny 108K, which means consumers are paying to unlock a feature that is already on the game's disc. We are not amused.

If a feature is already on a disc, it should be accessible. Essentially 2K Sports is charging consumers more money for something they already bought, selling them a key to a door they already own. At least the ridiculous COG tag videos were something you actually downloaded from the marketplace, it may have been wasteful, but it was content not already on the Gears of War disc. We hope 2K doesn't become the new EA of the Xbox marketplace, nobody likes that.

And so it begins.

[Azt3k]

ize

Good thing i dont like hockey

[downphoenix]

Oh well, NHL 08 is better this year anyway...

Which is a HUGE SHOCKER, since 2Ks Hockey has been better for YEARS, but EA's Hockey Game is finally sweetness like it used to be again.

[rounds1]

This game's getting awful ratings. They should make this option free just to entice people to buy it.

Yeah, its still fun to go over to the 2k8 forums and watch them try and convince themselves that 2k8 is still the better game.... lolz

But I think masking an unlock as an add on is really lame.

[2pro4show]

Score one for EA!

[boffo]

So you can either get the game that charges extra for stuff that should be free, or the one that will stop supporting online play in a year or two?

[Edgecrusher]

Damnit, I was hoping the 2k series would give EA some competition.

[rounds1]

In 2k's defense, this is the first year they didn't do so well with their hockey game. They tried using a puck-control method similar to EA's and failed. Next year they'll be back.

Originally Posted by Juno

And so it begins.

um. How do they know the feature was already on the disc? Just because the download is small means nothing. If it is a pure code chance, which it sounds like it probably is, it could easily be that small. I've never patched a 360 game but:

1) they might have a system to load DLC as DLL's, which explains the small size
2) compression makes things smaller too
3) if this was a "patch" to the actual executible, it can still be this small, the patch is smart enough to know where the changes are, etc., so just the differences are stored. A new "patched" executible can then be saved to the hard disc, memory card, etc.

I mean, maybe they are right, but it seems a pretty wild assumption.