Destiny Review (PS4)

Shooting For The Stars

The studio behind one of the most iconic video game franchises is heading into an unknown, yet promising direction. Bungie, the brilliant folks behind the Halo franchise, is unleashing what it hopes will be their newest flagship IP in Destiny. It's a game that has been under development for years, and with that, comes plenty of pre-release hype. With rumors of a $500 Million development budget, fans are salivating for Bungie's next foray into the Sci-Fi 1st Person shooter space. For the most part, Destiny does indeed make good on its promises ... but just mostly.

You play as a Guardian; beings who defend the light in a universe that is constantly battling the darkness. Overlooking this universe is another being known as the Traveler, a massive Death Star looking ball of sentient life that brings balance and order to the area. Unfortunately, the Traveler is not acting itself after it suddenly goes dark and stops communicating with life. The Speaker, the so-called voice of the Traveler, sends a small A.I. bot known as a "Ghost" (voiced by Game of Thrones' Peter Dinklage) to find remnants of the Guardians, a once thought extinct collection of beings that defended the universe. The Ghost re-awakens them in order to help restore light to the Traveler. Thus, begins our legend in Destiny.

The classes of Destiny: Warlock, Hunter, Titan

Once you and Dinkle-bot are introduced, you're tasked with creating a character. There are three races to choose from; Human, Exo, and Awoken. You also choose from one of three Guardian classes: Titan, Hunter, or Warlock. Each class essentially represents a certain MMO archetype. Titans are viewed as the DPS/Tanks of the game, with Hunters being strictly DPS, and Warlocks offering a bit of a balance of DPS/Spellcasting. Each class has its own special abilities; The Titan's special allows you to perform a ground pound blast of void energy that decimates all enemies around you. Hunters can wield a glowing flaming gun with three shots that essentially level anyone you hit. Warlocks, meanwhile, can summon a massive nova blast that can be upgraded into a heat seeking missile of confluent energy. Each super ability brings something fun and powerful to the table. It's highly recommended you give each class a try before committing to just one.

Once you're character class is situated, the game starts off in a single-player only zone and gets you familiarized with the controls. They're easy to pick up for any 1st person shooter enthusiast, and are pure Bungie in terms of responsiveness and feel. Each weapon type feels good in the player's hands, and they're all a blast to play (pun intended). Once you've completed the starting zone, you're taken to the Tower, the last stronghold on Earth. Here, you can connect with other live Guardians and begin the true experience of Destiny.

Bungie describes Destiny as a shared-world 1st person shooter, and that's mostly true. It's hard not to compare it to an MMO, but you can trudge your way through a series of tasks including story missions, side-missions, dungeons, raids, or multiplayer matches. Even the menu screens in the game are set up like MMOs with players using a mouse curser to select their items. It's a bit jarring at first, but you get used to it fairly quickly.

The Story Mode

This is without a doubt Destiny's weakest link.

During your first visit to the Tower, you'll be tasked by the Speaker to aid him in restoring light to the Traveler. The Darkness is growing, so you and your Ghost must venture from planet to planet (or Moon) to solve the mystery behind the Traveler's vanishing light. On this journey you'll come across several different terrains and various enemy types. Bungie does a mostly decent job in building an interesting universe filled with numerous enemy species, but it's void of any life outside of enemies. Unfortunately, Destiny never really takes the time to build up the lore behind each species in order establish their motivations. Just when you think you're beginning to know the Hive and why it's hell-bent on acquiring light from the Traveler, you're immediately launched to Venus to take on the sadistic Vex robots. It's a narrative that moves too quickly with the cut-scenes being vague at best.

Story missions are also structured quite poorly as each mission carries the same action beats. You land on your planet, and your Ghost points out where you need to go. You then fight enemies along the way, arrive at said location, deploy your Ghost to investigate, and then take on a series of enemy encounters before completing the mission. Save for a few alternate offerings, this is ultimately the same for every story mission in the game. Thankfully, each of the planets you'll discover are very well designed, and the enemy variety is unique and strategic, offering a great challenge paired with phenomenal shooter mechanics. Narrative issues aside, it's fun to fight the constantly teleporting Vex, to then move on to the hulking, shield-wielding Cabal of Mars. You're always adjusting and adapting your combat methods to suit the enemy type.

Menus in Destiny utilize mouse cursers which are very efficient

Ultimately, the problem with story missions is there's no great incentive in doing them. The narrative is lacking, and the rewards aren't enticing enough to merit multiple playthroughs. Once you complete the final story mission, you'll actually be treated to an underwhelming "ending" cut scene, which includes and weak weapon as a reward. The narrative just ends up feeling rushed and incomplete, which I'm sure is no accident on Bungie's part. Destiny is admittedly a long-term, 10-year project, which will mean loads of DLC offerings down the line. It's just so frustrating to see Bungie, a developer capable of delivering a memorable narrative experience, falling short right out the gate. The good news, however, is if you can get past the story mode, Destiny has a lot to offer you.

Looting Never Looked So Beautiful

Putting it simply, Destiny works best as a loot-fest. You can earn XP and gear by participating in Story Missions, Bounties, Patrols, Strikes (Dungeons), the Crucible, and Raids. Along the way, you'll be equipping your character with all types of weapons, armor, and vehicles. As you level up and enter more difficult zones and missions, the loot gets better, and you're always working to make your Guardian into the most legendary intergalactic badass around. You'll be bestowed with weapons ranging from Hand Canons to shotguns, to scout rifles and rocket launchers. Each weapon type gives players variety, and mastering a particular weapons skill set can be rewarding. Level up your sniper rifle enough, and you can acquire perks like having one round of your magazine deal extra damage. As for the armor, the gear becomes beautiful once you reach higher levels. I've seen gauntlets that have alien skulls attached as shoulder pads, and I even came across a helmet made with a living, lava-like growth attached to it. It's really intimidating to see, and the animations are fun to view in-game.

While Destiny indeed excels in the loot-fest aspect, I can't help but feel a little disappointed that every weapon can be wielded by every class. That's not to say you can't tailor your gear to suit your playstyle, as each weapon features upgrades that need to be unlocked with XP and world materials. For example, you can tailor your auto rifle to have either more zoom, or better recoil control, or you can upgrade the rocket launcher to give you the best blast radius, or better handling. It's up to you.

Meet the Hive, one of the enemy classes in Destiny

The disappointment however, is when you realize that every character class can handle the very auto rifle you wield. It's a bit of a bummer, as I would've preferred some class specific weapons to make each class carry its own weight. There is a trade-off though, as no weapon is bound to your character. If you like to play multiple classes, you can leave your already upgraded weapon you leveled up with your Hunter in the vault, and pick it up with your Warlock.

Earn Your Keep and Your Friends

The multiplayer aspects of Destiny are hit-or-miss.

The game is structured in a way where players are encouraged to party up with friends, but it doesn't completely penalize you for wanting to lone-wolf it. As you traverse the galaxy, you'll fight your way through the old stomping grounds of Russia, or drive across the cratered divets of the moon. If that's not your thing, why not patrol your way through the lush and humid jungles of Venus? Along the way you'll encounter players who could be heading to a story mission or just working on brief patrol missions to scour resources. It's not the best place to socialize, but you can do some brief interactions with the D-Pad like wave, dance, and invite players to your squad. It's all done in the real-time pause menu. The place where you'll be doing most of your socializing, however, is the Tower.

The Tower allows Guardians to hook up with vendors, store away items in their vault, or pick up some mail from the robotic postman. You can also pick up bounties here, which are essentially quest-driven tasks that reward you with heavy XP and reputation. Missions are mostly tasking you to grind through locations you've already been, but if you come into Destiny with an MMO mindset, it shouldn't seem like much of a chore, especially when playing through the game's tight and responsive control scheme. Remember: never leave the Tower without your bounties. You've been warned.

Guardians can also use the Tower to meet up with other live Guardians, inspect their gear, and create parties before heading out to missions. It's here where Destiny also falls flat as it doesn't include a general chat messaging system, making it difficult to reach out to other players. If I wanted to find a group for a raid and none of my friends were online, I'd have to invite each Guardian I come across one-by-one to see if they would be willing to accompany me. It's a lengthy process. Matchmaking is available, but only for regular Strikes and the Crucible. There is no matchmaking for raids, meaning if you happen to find a solid group by accident, make sure to send them a friend request immediately for future high-level raid runs. Speaking of which ...

Strike Down Enemies With Great Anger And Furious Vengeance

Strikes work as a 3-man dungeon featuring heavy enemy encounters and bosses. There's at least one strike on every planet, and they're structured a little better than Story Missions in terms of variety. 

Raids are bit tougher to manage, but are the way to get the true experience out of Destiny. There's only one raid currently active in the game right now called the Vault of Glass. You'll need a 6-man squad made up Guardians who are at least level 26. Make no mistake, if you want to stand a chance in a raid, you need to utilize HEAVY teamwork. Do not even think about joining teams that have members with no mics. It'll frustrate you and leave you constantly staring at a death screen. If you can put in the effort, raids offer some of the best loot in the game, meaning you will want to do multiple run-throughs to collect all the legendary loot.

Crucible 

If you're a PvP fiend, then the Crucible is where you want to be. It's a collection of multiplayer modes allowing you to take on other guardians. You can unlock the mode early on with your Guardian. You'll find your standard adversarial multiplayer modes, including team deathmatch, king of the hill, rumble pit, and skirmishes. Whether you decide to play 6v6 or 3v3 matches, Crucible is a fun, challenging, and rewarding experience for players. You can also gather separate bounties strictly for Crucible, allowing you to build XP and reputation for vendors in the Tower. There are also ways to earn Glimmer (Destiny's currency) and gear along the way.

As for multiplayer balance, Bungie knocks it out of the park with its maps and modes. Some areas have strongholds that are tough to break through, but not impossible. You'll need to learn these maps in order to figure out which is the best approach to stop the other team.

Guardians vs. Guardians ... The Light Will Never Be The Same

Grinding Away

Leveling up can be considered a chore in Destiny, but I found it to be quite fun. Players earn their typical XP to make their way up the level chain, but they will hit a "soft" cap at 20. Once you make it here, the only way to upgrade your Guardian to a hard level cap of 30 is to find gear that contains light. These pieces are harder to get, but they can be obtained through strike missions, raids, or Crucible. The more light your gear has, the more you can level up and attempt to hit level 30. While most people will complain this is a cheap way to force players into grinding, Destiny's strikes, raids, and Crucible modes are a blast to play, and the provide enough entertainment and satisfaction to warrant multiple playthroughs, especially if you're attempting to pull legendary gear along the way.

There is a lot to do in Destiny. Bungie says it's committed for the long run, and that's a good thing. Destiny will need to add new content and patchwork along the way, but if you're the type of gamer who wants to squeeze the most from their $60 purchase, I can safely say Destiny is a solid gamble for you. Lone-wolf players won't get too much enjoyment out of it, as the best parts of Destiny come when you're interacting with friends, or running through raids with new acquaintances.

Other Perks

There is a mobile companion app you can link with Destiny on your iOS or Android devices. It allows you to view your character's inventory, track your stats, and receive updates from Bungie. It's mostly a secondary experience that isn't necessary, but it can be helpful. 

By far the best part of the app is unlocking Grimoire cards. You get these for completing certain achievements in the game, and the cards allow you to delve deeper into the mythos of Destiny. Each card gives you either a fun fact or mini-story about a particular character or enemy class in the game, and some are quite engrossing. In fact, if you take the time to read through these Grimoire cards, they offer a more compelling story of the game, than the game itself. 

The Final Word

Multiple Guardians Inhabiting The Play Space

Destiny is a bit difficult to put your finger on the second you get your hands on it. It's a game that will ultimately be judged on whether it can keep players engaged. 

Destiny is a shared world 1st person sci-fi shooter, but it doesn't want to be labeled as an MMO, even though it's clearly inspired by its more notorious counterparts like World of Warcraft. If you can get past Destiny's story identity crisis, you will find an extremely tight shooter that offers great multiplayer, as well as a fun and entertaining loot system that will keep you searching the ends of the galaxy for the next best drop.






Verdict: 4 out of 5 stars

The Good: Great Gunplay - Fun Worlds - Crucible - Raids + Strikes

The Bad: Story leaves much to be desired - Load times - Lack of Character Differences

The Ugly: Social Connectivity

Don't Single Me Out!!!

EA Proclaims the End of Single-Player Only Games

Browsing through the magical internet today, I came across an article on some hefty words from the man behind gaming giant Electronic Arts. EA Games' label President Frank Gibeau says he believes the days of single player only games are over, and that "online is where the innovation, and the action, is at." If you can't grasp the implications of this, then grab the nearest electrical outlet with your fingers. EA is one of the biggest monster developers/publishers in video games, followed closely by Activision. These guys either develop or publish Triple-A title games the likes of Dead Space, Mass Effect, and Medal of Honor. That's not to say there's some truth behind Gibeau's statements, but there's something unsettling about his words.

Hey...nice plasma cutters

The fact that Gibeau singles out single-player only games is something we as gamers should be wary about. For those of us who have been playing games since before our eyeballs were fully developed, we've been bred on the single player gaming experience. Over the years, games have become more and more advanced in terms of graphics capabilities and story telling, and with each great game I play, my anticipation is ignited to wait and see what can possibly come next. Unfortunately, this announcement; this off-hand statement from EA's top boss, could derail the progress developers have made in creating these lush worlds for us to jump into.

I can't knock on the popularity spike multiplayer has gotten over the past decade. Games like Goldeneye for the N64 and Halo really paved the way for a new style of gaming, which ultimately requires us to bring a friend along for the virtual ride. The thrill of playing with another person soon took hold of the internet, and multiplayer has since ballooned into an obese cash cow for developers, who are displaying brilliant marketing tactics by offering downloadable content online. Just think about it, you pay $60 for Halo:Reach, only to be duped into paying another $10 for every new set of multiplayer maps, not including purchases like clothes for your avatars, which also costs some dough. At the end of it all you're paying upwards of $80 for a single game! It's absurd! There's no denying that online multiplayer games ARE the way of the future, but it would be a tragedy to completely ignore the significant audience that enjoys single player games.

To those of you who have played an online multiplayer games...or for that matter, watched someone else play, you can tell it's, for lack of a better word, chaotic. Online adversarial games like Halo or Call of Duty feature some of the most obnoxious human beings to grace this planet. I can't tell you how many times I come across a 13-year-old who shotguns me in the back of the head, only to run up to my corpse and embarass me even more by pretending to be a necrophiliac (all this of course is happening while he's calling me a bitch who just got effed in the A). While I do still continue to play these adversarial games online with other people, it's gotten to a point where I don't put on my headset anymore. I just don't have the lung capacity to get into a back and forth argument with a child who tells me the reason why my penis is small. The point is I don't want to be forced to always play games online with other people. Sure there is loads of fun to be had when you can get together with an honest, good natured group of players who simply want to have fun, and those are the sweet moments I cherish, but 9 times out of 10 gamers will have to brave the toxic pools of incoherent gamers, and that's something I can avoid by dabbling in the single player.

This is what happens when you devote yourself to multiplayer

EA's top dog went on to clarify his explanation of the single player/multiplayer argument, saying "I volunteer you to speak to EA's studio heads; they'll tell you the same thing, they're very comfortable moving the discussion towards how we make connected gameplay – be it co-operative or multiplayer or online services – as opposed to fire-and-forget, packaged goods only, single-player, 25-hours-and you're out. I think that model is finished." In the words of my favorite flap-head Canadians from South Park "F**k You Buddy!" But seriously, how can I sit by here like a defenseless deer about to become a hood ornament and not be upset by this? A good single player game offers great gameplay mechanics, a sense of control, and if done correctly, a great story to be immersed in. I also have to point out, if you're playing a 25-hour single player game then sign me up right now. I'm hard-pressed to find games that can make it past the 10 hour mark.

Some of my all time favorite single player experiences came with Resident Evil 4 and Bioshock. Both games told an immersive story, had tight controls, and were riveting adventure. Even years after their release, I can comfortably sit down, pop in the disc, and enjoy the experience all over again, and guess what, no 13-year-old will shove his nuts down my throat. Ya can't tell me that isn't worth the purchase alone. Seriously, all kidding aside, this statement should also be taken with caution considering the source. EA doesn't really have the best track record when it comes to delivering a great online experience. Sure Battlefield 2 and the plethora of sports games under EA can qualify as great online games, but we're also talking about the company who released Dante's Inferno and Army of Two. Still, I'll give EA the benefit of the doubt once their highly anticipated sci-fi horror game Dead Space 2 releases this winter. For the first time Dead Space 2 will feature competitive online multiplayer, which is rightfully creating a buzz. Still, the original Dead Space didn't have a multiplayer component to it, and was a surprisingly engrossing and lengthy single player experience. I tend to appreciate developers who spend all of their time and talent meticulously detailing their environments and animations, while setting up great pacing in a game. Pacing is one of the most pivotal things a developer can create in a game, and unfortunately it's impossible to do in a multiplayer game.

In the end, it troubles me that this is the philosophy EA is approaching to creating games. I love multiplayer as much as the next rude teenager, but I also love to engage in a single player experience. I know that Gibeau's announcement doesn't mean single player is dead, it's just when a company usually tends to put all of its eggs in the multiplayer basket, things don't always end up so well. Just look at Bioshock 2 or even Resident Evil 5. Still, I hope EA can be professional enough to create the best of both gameplay worlds without sacrificing too much to either side. It's almost like a movie production company saying "hey, we know that people really like bonus features on their DVD's/Blu-Rays, so we're gonna give you more features and less movie." I dunno, at least that's what it seems like to me.

Medal of Honor Causes Uproar

EA Getting Flagged for Inclusion of Taliban

The revamp of Medal of Honor is coming with a price, and its not just $60

Although this is news that broke late last week, it's beginning to catch steam in the media this week instead. The folks behind the upcoming military shooter reboot "Medal of Honor" are getting their upcoming game pulled from all Gamestop stores that are located within Army and Air-Force compounds, because the game allows players to play as a Taliban members in its multiplayer mode. The Army and Air Force Exchange Service says it will not allow the game to be stocked within its compounds out of respect for family members of servicemen and women who have been affected by the war in Afghanistan. Soldiers can still buy the game and play it in their compound, but they will have to purchase the game off site to do so. Now, I consider myself a hardcore gamer, and I am the first one to chime in when it comes to freedom of artistic liberties in video games, but this is the one time where I can see and fully respect both sides of the argument.

The infamous Call of Duty airport scene.

For starters, the inclusion of allowing gamers to play as the Taliban is a bold move on developers part. Video games have always been in the mainstream in terms of battling the skewed perception many people have of violence in video games, but I think that EA is playing with fire by including real-life militant factions in its game. For the past couple of years, "Call of Duty" was receiving the backlash for its realistic depictions of violence in its games. Most recently, the controversial airport scene in Modern Warfare 2 which forces gamers to play as an undercover CIA agent who infiltrates a terrorist organization, and is forced to partake in an attack on an airport terminal, ultimately killing dozens of innocent, unarmed civilians. As harsh as the scene may look to the average person, I defended the developers decision to include the scene because it was THE pivotal point in the story that drives the game's plot forward. I don't want to spoil it, but it was unpredictable and had an ultimate twist to it. I'll admit, it did teeter on the line of being tasteless violence, but I think Infinity Ward (the guys who created Call of Duty) handled it very well by allowing players an opportunity to opt out of the level all together if they wish. Still, I can't say I'm 100% in support of Medal of Honor.

The Taliban in Medal of Honor. You can see why its controversial

For Medal of Honor, the developers are going for a realistic take on their story. They're including a plot that revolves around the current war in Afghanistan, allowing you to play as members of the US Army Rangers, as well as an elite American Military Unit called 'Tier-1.' Because of the nature of the story, many people are quick to bash the game for its touchy content, but I can't be the one to point the finger at EA just yet until I see how they handle the story. EA should know what it's getting itself into, and so far I think they have the right approach in handling the publicity of their game. EA has gone on record saying that it respects the military's decision to ban the game from Gamestops within military bases. As for its stance on playing as the Taliban in multiplayer, an EA spokesperson talked with AOL news stating "the reality of the game necessitated it. Most of us having been doing this since we were 7 -- if someone's the cop, someone's gotta be the robber, someone's gotta be the pirate and someone's gotta be the alien." I couldn't agree more with that rationale, but still, it's completely understandable for some people to be uncomfortable controlling members of a realistic terrorist organization that kill US military soldiers.

Playing as the bad guys in Red Dead Redemption

Still, when looking at popular games like Red Dead Redemption, Modern Warfare, and even Gears of War, someone is always a bad guy when it comes to online deathmatch games. Red Dead Redemption has you play as federales, bank robbers, etc. while Modern Warfare has you play as an ambiguous terrorist organization known as the "Op-For" or opposing force. Gears of War also has you play as the cannibalistic Locust. While everyone has their take on a bad guy, the only catch with Medal of Honor is that the bad guys are not fictitious. They are very real...and very dangerous. Still, I understand it's really a catch-22 at this point. Although I understand why people are upset with the game's content, I will say that developer's have complete discretion as to what they do with their game. And lets face it, if you opt to buy a military shooter video game, you should know what you're getting yourself into.

Call of Duty Black Ops...This guy is eerily similar to Solid Snake

All this hub-bub over the game is the same thing that happens with a bad joke that pokes fun at a realistic event too soon. There's a very famous comedic quote that says "Tragedy plus time equals comedy." Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that this issue is something to be laughed at, but the point the quote makes is that you need to let time pass by before it is socially acceptable to tackle a certain issue. Why do you think a game like "Call of Duty: Black Ops," which takes place during the cold war and Vietnam, isn't getting as much heat from the press? Vietnam was an atrocious event that led to the deaths of  tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers, and hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese and French combined. Still, there have been a number of games released detailing combat violence in the canopy jungles of North Vietnam and yet, the media never really tackled it. Whatever the case may be my point in all this is that I understand where critics of Medal of Honor are coming from. They're banning the sale of the game out of respect for the families. I get that. I find it very analogous with the whole rubbish in the news of building a mosque on ground zero. (For the record I'm against it...which is probably the reason I understand the stance the military is taking on the new Medal of Honor game.) Sure you have the right to build and defend your mosque or video game or whatever it may be, but at the same token there must be a morsel of mutual respect, and for that matter some common sense, in understanding that there are always two sides to every argument.

XBOX Live Ups its Price Tag

Listening to Little Racist Kids is a Premium Package

The biggest gathering place for incoherent rants

Today the good ol' boys of Microsoft announced that beginning November 1st, the price tag for XBOX Live will shoot up for Gold subscribers. 1-month users will now pay $9.99 instead of $7.99, 3-month users will pay $24.99 instead of $19.99, and annual holders will pay $59.99 instead of $49.99. After doing a little research across the online community, I've noticed that many internet trolls are upset over the inflation and are threatening to keep their beloved XBOX consoles from online usage. Sure no one likes paying more than they have to, but are you really that surprised?

Sometimes frustrating, online games are about the community

XBOX Live has been around for about 8 years now. Since its inception (and not the Chris Nolan kind), the service has flourished into a major revenue stream for Microsoft. With millions of users, the increase in downloadable content, and the implementation of mainstream friendly features like NETFLIX and Facebook, it's surprising that Microsoft hasn't raped our wallets sooner. This is the first time Microsoft is increasing its fees since Live launched, and I people need to stop their whining.

Online gaming is the way we will be playing video games for years to come. In this day and age many game critics will blast a game for not containing some kind of multiplayer facet in its game. It's very difficult these days for a game thrive as a single-player only experience, and very rarely does it happen that its both a critical and commercial success. There are always exceptions to the rule (i.e.Bioshock) but developers are now looking for ways to extend their revenue stream by adding multiplayer components and downloadable content for months, or even years to come. As it is, many triple-A publishers are starting to hire two different development teams for a single title. One team focuses on the single player campaign, while the other concentrates on multiplayer.

Pretty Much

One of my biggest complaints with online play has to be the community. 9 times out of 10, I avoid putting my headset during an online game because I can't stand the shouting expletives and ignorant, egotistical, racist remarks. Sure trash-talking is a part of any competitive video game, but it goes too far. You should hear some of the stuff that is said online. It's not that I'm insulted or anything, it's just impossible to reason with these kinds of people. It's like trying to talk Mel Gibson into not having a drink...it's impossible. 

Despite the incoherent online rants, there is a very good reason to stay a part of the online community, and that's the features. For $59.99 a year, XBOX Live is still worth the price of admission. Besides playing your games online, there are a number of other things to keep you entertained for months on end. Features like NETFLIX, Last.Fm, and the soon to be ESPN are great addition to have on your XBOX console. They add another dimension to your console's usage, defining it as an entertainment console rather than a gaming one. There are buttloads of other features as well such as faceebook, twitter, and Zune, but these are merely cosmetic additions to the interface and don't really add a great deal of depth if you ask me. The point is, you're not just paying for your online games anymore...and that's a good thing.

Sony's sneak attack tactic into your wallet

Another thing, lets try and do the math here folks. With a $59.99 per year price tag, XBOX Live comes out to just $5 a month. Other online gaming service like World of Warcraft have a $15 a month price tag, but people keep on playing. And lets not forget that running an online service takes a considerable amount of money in terms of server maintenance issues alone. I know there are the elitist Playstation afficionados who swear by the PSN network because it's free, but mark my words fellow PS3 owners, our days of free online play aren't going to last very long. Sony is pushing its "Playsation Plus" premium service down gamers throats. Just like with Microsoft, it's only a matter of time before PSN ups its price tag. In the end, I'm just glad my XBOX Live subscription renews this month.

P.S. Here's a good example of why I hate playing online. Enjoy.