Awesome! I love F-Zero GX and I never got to play AX, so this is actually super exciting. Once I get my game room set back up, this is first on the agenda.
DRM SUCKS. F-Zero AX in GX is another reason why
|
 On 03/13/2013 at 03:10 PM by Chris Iozzi See More From This User » |
Nobody around here needs me to tell them about the debacle EA is facing with some shitty Sim City shenanigans. Just when EA starts to look OK in the eye of the average gamer they go and screw it up. People are STILL having a hard time getting that piece of junk to work, Diablo III had problems too but this whole thing is looking to be a botched release at a new magnitude.
Nobody around here needs me to also tell them why DRM sucks. Having to be always connected even when playing a single player game is completely ruining the charm of our hobby. nobody wants to be babysat while playing a game and being held at the mercy of your internet connection and the parent companys servers to let you continue. Multiplayer stuff I can see, but to basically sell a license to play a game through the net clouds without actually OWNING anything and charging full price is a disgrace. I really hope the message goes out loud and clear to these big game companys to leave well enough alone.
This DRM stuff and cloud based sales can take away other charms of our hobby that some may not have even thought of yet. Take for example the recent discovery of the arcade counterpart to the Gamecube racer F-Zero GX hidden in the old Gamecube disks. If you were lucky enough to find one of the arcade units, named F-Zero AX, you could use your Gamecube memory card to upload your save and continue your game there, you could also unlock the arcade tracks in the home version. But they just discovered the entire arcade version of the game including exclusive screens, music, and gameplay modes are accessable and playable in their entirety, locked away on each copy of the orginal Gamecube disk. This code has finally come out of hiding after 10 years when some dedicated hackers took a crack at the game code. Other hidden gems like this could be found in old games like deleted levels and test modes that could be activated with some crafty Action Replay work.
F-Zero GX is one of my favorite Gamecube games. Its beautiful and fast, makes any Wipeout game look like a pinewood derby. The Gamecube controller, while not the best controller in the world, worked perfectly for this game, almost as if it was designed to pilot one of these hyper hover racers. I think its fantastic that 10 years later I have a reason to dig it out and try something new. This kind of stuff makes the hobby so much richer and I think its another aspect of gaming we can see disappear. If by chance there is some residual content that gets installed by a DRM controlled title, it can be carved out after the fact so nobody finds it. No fun, EA. You know, FUN? Remember that?
So years from now when EA pulls the server for this Sim City, will the game be gone for good?Think EA won't do this? Think EA will honor your $60 purchase by keeping the game alive? Well they pulled the online features from their Hasbro Game Night collection on Xbox 360. I loved playing Yahtzee, Battleship, and Jenga on XBL, but before the life cycle of the console, they pulled the plug. They even went to far as to promote a sale on the full version of the games but failed to mention you can't play online anymore. Way to go! Can't wait to shovel out MORE money to you clowns.
If you want to know more about how to unlock F-Zero AX in GX, go here:
Comments