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EA and Microsoft hate me

Tycho over at Penny-Arcade really hit the nail on the head today. EA and Microsoft have got to compromise so we can get Xbox Live support in EA’s games.

Xbox Live is the best thing going for console gaming online. EA publishes loads of great games, but their online support is limited to the PS2, and is spotty and inconsistent even there.

I’ve already mentioned that the inappropriate music in SSX3 annoys me, but the thing that kills me is the lack of online play on the Xbox version. Spending some quality time with Crimson Skies reminded me what online play can give a game.

I didn’t even play the single player game in the Xbox version of Return to Castle Wolfenstein. I only played enough Midnight Club II to unlock the cars and motorcycles I wanted to use online. The single player game in Crimson Skies just taught me how to fly and a few little tricks of the flying trade.

Without online play, Gina and I will probably unlock most of the game, put a few dozen hours into multiplayer, and then never touch SSX3 again. It will go in the pile of other awesome multiplayer games we just lost interest in, along with Soul Caliber, and Dead or Alive 3.

I know that EA and Microsoft aren’t screwing their consumers of a few measly dollars per player. Meet in the middle and bring some EA games onto Xbox Live.