When EA Access was announced last week, then promptly launched into beta I was extremely skeptical. I personally have no beef with EA. They are responsible for some of the best selling franchises in the industry. Their sports titles are generally top notch and their catalogue of games speaks for itself. I also understand the vitriol many throw their way. Add to that they are regularly one of the most hated companies in the country, I realize my opinion is in the minority. All of that being said, I decided to hop into the beta and see what it's all about.
After reading various articles and questioning our very own Mike Futter about the service, I downloaded the beta and decided to hop in for one month to give it a try. The 4.99 price tag is a good introductory price, and if my time with the service continues I will surely pony up for the 29.99 yearly package.
The initial offering of games is, honestly, pretty sparse. I would imagine their service will attract more subscribers as their catalogue grows. For me, the titles are fantastic. I love Madden games, but generally only buy them every few years. FIFA 14 is a game I have been wanting to play for years but never got around to. It is an amazing game. Even though I've heard there is little difference between the X1 version and the 360 version, I found myself blown away by the level of detail and realism. I can't wait to spend more time in it. Battlefield 4 was another game I had been wanting to pick up but never got around to. I'm aware of all of the problems that plagued this game for months but it appears to be completely working now. Peggle 2 is a game that I will try, but having it in my phone means I'm not as interested in having it take up space on my hard drive. 4 games out of the gate, 3 of which I have a very high interest in equals value, from my vantage point.
The service also grants you access to new and upcoming titles up to 5 days prior to release. Although this doesn't immediately hook me, I can see this being very important as we move further into this generations life cycle. My gaming time is more limited than my gaming money, and I like to know beforehand if I'm going to enjoy a game enough to devote chunks of my time to it.
If all of those things weren't enough, they also give you 10% all EA purchases. I haven't delved into this one as much. I would love to think this applies to physical media purchased from their store, but it more than likely only applies to digital content. In the past I have always preferred physical copies of my games, but with this new generation I have found myself purchasing more digital content. I will report back once I know more about this portion.
All in all, I find this service to be extremely valuable to me. I know there are caveats, such as games can be removed with a 30 day notice, but I still feel that it is worthy of the price I paid. It was announced today that you will not be required to subscribe to Xbox Gold to use this service. Microsoft will still require Gold to play these games online, but EA really seems to be making efforts to get this to appeal to hardcore and casual fans alike.
As I mentioned earlier, a lot of people will not give this a chance simply because it is EA. I really hope this will help alleviate the concerns those of you on the fence may have had. I am completely supportive of a company trying to turn around its public appearance, and I feel that this is a step in the right direction.
This is just another service that goes to show that GAMERS ARE WINNING this generation and am very glad I chose to be an early adopter.
Feel free to offer differing opinions or comments below!