Other than some issues I have had with EA's DLC system for certain games (cough Tiger woods cough) I really have not had any issues with EA other than they publish some great games that I really enjoy.

I've only once had to deal with their customer support over an online pass code that did not work but they handled that issue great for me.

Publishers are always going to try and make the most profit out of their games, every company tries to do this at some level. Yes EA has done somethings that clearly wreak of extracting more money from gamers. Its important gamers let give them feedback when they think EA has crossed the line. 

Micro-transactions: 

If the game is released at a very low price or is Free to play and then you pay micro-transactions to access content or speed up obtaining items, levels, etc, I really have no issues here. If you like the game, you'll spend a lot of time on it and if the micro-transaction system is reasonably priced, you'll spend what you would have for a full retail game or less.

However, this is often not the case and micro-transactions can end up costing you a lot of gamer cash to get the full experience. If i am correct, I believe there is a final fantasy game (cannot find it at the moment) where you pay to unlock chapters for the iPhone/iPad. If ends up costing you an absurd amount of cash to get the full game experience.

Sorry for the Double post, I could not edit my first post for some strange reason!

DLC: As many suggested, not all DLC is created equal. When is comes to DLC, my biggest fear is paying $60 for a game and having to spend another $20 - 40 to buy all the DLC.

Good DLC system: If it is content that is developed after the game is released and extends the life of the game, I think its a great system.

Example: Gears of War Season Pass - content is developed after the game and released in intervals throughout the year. The additional content extends the life of the game and is released for all game modes (single and multiplayer). I have no problem shelling out some extra cash in this instance

Bad DLC system: If it is day 1 DLC, or content that clearly could have been included in the full retail release, that is terrible. There are many times you see day on DLC and it clearly was withheld from the full retail release!

Example: EA's Tiger Woods series -  ~15 - 20 courses are released as day one DLC. In last years version, you had to pay $40 to get all the DLC courses. If you purchase the masters edition which is 10 more, you get some of those courses for ree. Those courses clearly could have been released on the full retail version. they aren't so EA can increase profits. You can argue that the game already includes a high volumes of courses, but personally I am not a fan of this

Example: Street Fighter X Tekken- The actually DLC content is already packaged on the disc, you pay for a DLC code which essentially unlocks the content. That is the definition of an absolute joke. Pretty obvious what Capcom's intentions are there.\

All of you guys that have mentioned binary domain, thank you! Picked it up for $20, and played a few hours this morning, its def a fun 3rd person shooter and so far the story has been interesting!

You may be right, Spec Ops was hyped prior to release and talked about for sure in 2012. On the flip side, it seems like all of my friends who game never played it, so that is why I tabbed it as a hidden gem. Regardless, it was a great gameing experience, I may fire that one up again next week and play thorugh the story again!

Overall I'd say 2012 offered a lot to games, maybe not alot in the new IP department, but some overall incredible AAA tiles. Outside of the AAA tiles, I ran across a few games that may have not been widely popular or critically acclaimed but overall provided a great gaming experience. I am curious what under the radar games did you pick up and absolutely enjoy in 2012? Who knows, maybe you'll post a game others completely missed, but check out after seeing your forum post! I am sure a lot of these games are now in the 10 - 30 dollar range, making it even worth that much more to check out! 

Here are a few of mine (note I played these all on the PS3):

1.) The Darkness II: I loved the first game, sure it wasn't perfect, but it offered a good story with great gameplay. I was interested in the sequel, but just completely missed it when it was first released. I did eventually check it out last fall, and I really enjoyed it. The story was pretty solid and did just enough to keep you wanting to know more....so you kept playing! The gameplay and use of special powers was awesome, you felt like a powerhouse at times and the gameplay was excellent throughout the ~ 6 - 8 hour story! The game came out with a Co-op mode, of course the servers were a little dead when I got the game. Convinced two friends to pick up the game though and we did have some fun for a week or 2 playing through the co-op missions. If you missed this game and like FPS games in general, its worth checking this game out, esp at its discount price if you can find it!

2.) Ridge Racer: Unbounded: Racing is my favorite gaming genre. I love simulation style racers and I love arcade style racers. Saw this game on clearance at target last month, so I figured I'd check it out as I remember reviews somewhat favorable for this game. Glad I gave it a shot, because I keep playing this game on and off. It is largely an arcade style racer with overall good drifting mechanics, the catch here is you can destroy parts of the track/environment giving you the edge in races. This is not the first time this type of element has been added in a racing game (split/second) but it is defintely implemented very well. It adds a layer of depth to the racing. Everything else in the game from graphics to sound to content is good across the board. Some of the tracks feel a little too similar but that has to do with them being constructing by a dev tool which gamers can use in an edit mode to make your own tracks. More replay!!

3.) SpecOps: The Line: I actually picked up this game fairly close to its release date, but it got hidden real fast with 3rd quarters AAA games releasing a month later. The 3rd person action isstandard, nothing terribly new here. The game takes place in an environment riddled with sandstorms, which are well done, and adds a nice wrinkle to the gameplay. The story is what shines here! Excellent story telling and you are faced with some tough in-game decisions. Atmosphere is extremely well done, and I can honestly say if you just like action games in general and would like to play through an epic story, check this out. The game includes multiplayer, the servers have to be dead now, but even if they weren't, it was very standard and nothing to write home about.

So those are my 3 hidden gems of 2012! I'd recommend any of the to you if you are into those genres. You can get them at a discount price, why not check them out! Interesting to hear what games you loved that were under the radar! I am sure I'll end up checking a few out! (yes I tend to write alot when I do post in forums, sorry in advance!!)

Apparently you two missed the point. I'm not calling anyone an idiot for wanting BC, it's a perfectly reasonable request. The issue is that it raises costs and most of the people that threaten to jump ship because of BC show no regard for that fact. 90% of consumers are not buying a PS4 to play PS3 games and do not want to pay for a $600 console just so they can do so.Fossil-

The first thing you said was "Well, these 'idiots' have different interests in a system as do you." ; I took that is calling me or any BC hopeful gamer as an idiot for wanting BC. If that was not your intent, then it was a misunderstanding.

I guess, and I don't know the technical side of this, but how much more would it really cost to implement BC? I'd argue that more than 10% of gamers are interesting in BC, but I'd agree that majority of the potential consumers don't have BC as a priority for the PS4 or Xbox 720 for that matter.

[QUOTE="Fossil-"][QUOTE="haze_blaze"]

Right... because you'll be able to play that 'sizeable' PS3 library on the new Xbox. :roll: Either way you're moving on to a new system... not much logic there buddy. The 360 lacked backwards compatibility for most of the Xbox library as well. Sony invented backwards compatibility... you all act like it existed before the PS2 told you what it was. 

DH1278

It's amazing how someone can be so ignorant as to call others idiots for the same fundamental objective that fuels your own desire within a gaming system. Cheers.

Apparently I am an "idiot" because I want backwards compatibility. I am the type of gamer that likes to revisit games after a few years. During this generation of gaming, every few months I've picked up an old PS2 game in my library and replayed it. Apparently I've been a moron for doing so! Last year my PS2 broke (yes systems breakdown overtime, imagine that!). Thankfully I had a back up PS2 I bought before they disappeared from stores. The point is if I had a PS3 with backwards compatibility, I would not have needed a 2nd PS2. 

Backwards compatibility extends the life of your gaming library and eases playing last generation games. My gaming interests my be different from others on the board but I fail to see how that makes me an "idiot"

Regarding the logic to switching systems, if the PS4 doesn't have BC it doesn't tie me to their system, as it makes no difference which next gen system I pick up in terms of retro gaming. The logic is, this will be the 2nd straight system Sony has released without BC. Yes the 60GB model had BC, but I missed out on that; looking at the PS3 gaming cycle overall, that was a very narrow window to get in on that system and I didn't realize they were stripping BC in future models. 

Throughout the history of consoles, very few system have had BC, I completely recognize that. The PS2 was the first in the modern gaming era to have BC. That was an amazing move by Sony. I played original PS games on my PS2 all throughout last generation. Just because BC is rare with consoles, it doesn't mean I shouldn't want or expect Sony to include it in the PS4.

I recognize gamers have different interests in console features, forums are a great place to express opinions. Referring to someone as an"idiot" because their view is "different" than yours is poor taste, intellectually dishonest and in my personal opinion pretentious.

 PS DH1278, thank you for recognizing this!

I've been a Sony gamer since the orginal playstation. I am telling you right now, if there is no backwards compatibility on the PS4 but the new xbox console offers bc for 360 games, I am jumping ship to microsoft going forward. I have a sizable PS3 library, I don't want to be screwed down the road if my PS3 breaks. I picked up an new extra PS2 right when they were going on clearence for insurance for my PS2 library.

Keep in mind this is coming from somone who has never played the orginal Crysis, only crysis 2.

I felt like I got great value picking up Crysis 3, I pre-ordered the game at best buy and got a PSN code to download the first Crysis as part of the pre-order bonus. So Crysis and Crysis 3 for $60 was a great deal in my book.

I have only played the first 3 missions, but I geneerally agree with what majority of you have said in this thread. Outstanding graphics, excellent gunplay and nano suit mechanics, but the AI is not very smart. I don't know if this is more because your Nanosuit ablities are overpowered and the AI just crumbles easily if you use the mechanices correctly or if the AI just is not overly smart.

I likely won't touch the MP, but I am certain I'll go back and replay the game on the higher difficulty levels after my initial play through.