Mass Effect 3 (No Spoilers!)

[rhench]

So apparently, ME3 is only available through a service called Origin, which is EA's only way of competing with existing markets like Steam, by holding popular titles hostage unless you use theirs. I've heard a number of bad things about Origin, from 'It's a shitty and buggy system', to 'It is spyware, do NOT trust it on your machine'.

I badly want to buy and play ME3, so I'm wondering if anyone has heard anything about a future Steam release or that Origin is not as bad as the rumors I've heard. I'd rather not deal with another service, even if I had to pay more; and I absolutely want to have my importable characters playable in ME3.

Anyone got anything exciting?

[vultanphase]

I have heard that they updated their EULA before it even became a news item to remove the offending parts wherein they look at all the files on your computer and judge you, but that's just hearsay. Also, if they did remove said clauses, that doesn't necessarily mean they removed the capability from the actual Origin Client, nor does it mean they don't intend on reinstating that policy again in the future. Something I wouldn't put past them with their reputation.

[pneuma08]

Yeah, I put up with Origin to play Battlefield 3. As a platform, it sucks to have one more thing running in the background, and another password to juggle, but it's not bad. (As a store, it's one of the worst storefronts I've ever seen, but that's not what you're asking.)

The "spyware" thing is a gray line, actually. In the Terms of Service they reserve the right to scan your computer. Valve does the same thing, but they promise (in the same ToS) to only use it for betterment of the service (or to catch cheaters, or something like that). The fact that EA simply doesn't restrict themselves is concerning to some. Personally, I only run Origin when I'm running something that requires Origin, which has the side effect of, I rarely ever play BF3 (the only Origin game I have, really, besides Dragon Age). So in the end their loss, really.

One more note about trust: as a Computer Scientist, we are taught not to trust anything we didn't write ourselves (including compilers). So, advice not to trust something doesn't mean much, since you should be doing that anyway.

Finally, I wouldn't put much stake in a future Steam release at all. EA has been pulling support for their products from Steam for a while now (see: BF3, Dragon Age 2). The only things EA has released on Steam since Oct. of last year are Sims expansions and (oddly enough) Shank 2. It's a pretty transparent plot to get people over to Origin.

[FadedOasis]

Pros of Origin:
- It checks your EA account to see which products you've logged into before, and links those games to your account so you can grab them from Origin in the future.
- You can buy future EA titles. Most of which won't be available elsewhere.

Cons:
- It's DRM that is slightly more obtrusive than Steam, with none of the benefits Steam provides. No community, no cloud saves, no achievements, no huge sales.
- No offline mode. You must have an active connection to launch games.
- In the past, Origin has looked at computers and sent back full lists of hardware specs and programs installed without notifying users at all. Steam also does that with its hardware survey, but Steam's is an opt-in system that prompts you beforehand and explains exactly what will be sent. Origin didn't even tell you it was calling back. (There is no proof that Origin won't do this in the future. Their EULA even specifies that they can do it.)
- It's run by Electronic Arts, a company which has proven multiple times in multiple ways that it prefers to earn money more than please its customers. If someone swears at you on their forum, you could be locked out from playing games. If your new game came with an invalid "Project $10" code, you must pay the $10. Supporting SOPA until the day after the bill is dropped. Their [1] excellent [2] customer [3] service. Yeah, EA's pretty terrible when it comes to caring about you.

Origin doesn't seem worth it to me. If you really want to play Mass Effect 3, wait seven days and "obtain" it.

((Neither My Kids Won't Eat Art nor Proboards advocates the use of the pirate bay. Dot S E.))

[vultanphase]

On the plus side, the entire everyone seems to be filled with nothing short of vitriolic rage regarding every single aspect of the game, meaning I can't possibly be missing much.

[Edison W.]

I've got ME3 and so far I like a lot of the changes. Whether it is better/worse than 2 is still to be seen.
No need to worry about your Save Games; they just import from your BioWare folder just like in 2, and that folder will be there regardless of how you played the last 2 (be it from Steam or from a disc).
As for Origin, its... okay, I suppose. I have not actually bought anything through it so I don't know what that's like (only have games that use it on disc).
The only real Pro that I have seen: It can download AND install games in the background while you are playing an Origin game, which Steam can't (all Steam downloads pause when you launch a game through it)

Bonus - here are some ME3 improvements I like:
- Larger, more open mission areas so you can make more use of Power Combos, flanking, etc.
- The return of weapon mod slots from ME1, but without the crappy ME1 interface.
- Improved Power physics (can throw them over/around cover more effectively), and overall improved Powers (Shockwave in particular, which can now travel through the air!)
- More Power Combos: Now its not just Warp that detonates, but Reave, Throw and possibly some others (the "Biotic Uppercut" is now even more entertaining!)
There's more, but I think I've already said enough.

[FadedOasis]

Mar 7, 2012 18:55:05 GMT -5 Edison W. said:

(all Steam downloads pause when you launch a game through it)

You can always alt-tab and unpause it. It only pauses downloads if you launch an online-focused game so your actual play isn't affected by a 3GB Skyrim update or something. If you launch a game with no online functions like Binding of Isaac, nothing pauses.