We here at Lazygamer are not big fans of Season Passes. Essentially, you’re pre-ordering DLC, paying for something that might not even have been properly conceptualised yet. Usually you’ll get some half-arsed map packs, maybe some single player content but usually end up with an empty virtual wallet. Gears of War: Judgement, which we’ve already told you will have a Season Pass, is adding something else to the mix – a permanent Double XP boost.
Gears’ “VIP Season Pass" will give its purchasers a permanent double XP boost, earlier access to multiplayer maps, two add-on DLCs that contain six multiplayer maps, two new modes, five exclusive weapon skins and four unique armour skins for the low, low price of just 1600 MS banana dollars.
Permanent Double XP boost? Sounds a heck of a lot like “paying to win,” doesn’t it?
Not necessarily.
If it’s anything like Gears of War 3’s “levels,” then all it does is add cosmetic and aesthetic upgrades, but seeing as there’s a new “class based” multiplayer system in place for Judgement I wouldn’t be too surprised if XP did a little more this time.
Remember, there’s a pretty amazing Gears of War: Judgement Tournament coming up where you could win slick prizes like a huge damned TV – and with a Season Pass, you could have twice the XP as everybody else. Winning!
Last Updated: February 27, 2013
OVG
February 27, 2013 at 09:03
I hope the single player is good. Tired of SP always taking the back seat so Moneysoft can rake in the bucks via XBOX LIVE 🙁
Admiral Chief Erwin
February 27, 2013 at 09:19
All hail PROPER SP
Brady miaau
February 27, 2013 at 09:37
How bout just decent SP? a big step up….
umar bastra
February 27, 2013 at 09:39
Nope…Error 37
Mathias
February 27, 2013 at 10:27
Well, 3’s SP was decent enough; and the 4 co-op is still there, so I hope it’s also fun. One of the main reasons I might get it.
Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew
February 27, 2013 at 09:03
Good guy Gears of War. Taking the grinding out of leveling up.
umar bastra
February 27, 2013 at 09:15
I think many cactuars died from the news …. pay to level up ….. because grinding is too mainstream
Sir Captain Rincethis
February 27, 2013 at 09:16
really, double XP when you buy the season pass? Not so sure about this. Last thing I want is some noob boasting about his pink chainsaw because he happens to have x2 EXP. Frack that.
Mathias
February 27, 2013 at 10:28
Meh, it’s not that bad. Fans of the series will get the Season Pass, so who gives a damn if they get to the highest level faster? I don’t know if many randoms are willing to spend 1600.
Sir Captain Rincethis
February 27, 2013 at 10:33
I think the thing that gets me is this new ‘incentive’ that everyone is jumping on board with. I get that retailers want something special to sell a product through their store, but this seems a bit, well, stupid to me. Who are they appealing to? I can only think to the noobs… I am a Gears lover, and I know that I wouldn’t boast about having this to other Gears lovers…
Mathias
February 27, 2013 at 10:52
I don’t know, I don’t have a problem with this. It annoyed me more that Maxim (!) sponsors two free maps that they will release post-launch, plus the Execution mode… What the hell is this?
Daniel Keevy
February 27, 2013 at 19:46
The issue is that they keep asking more from consumers, for something with very little actual value. Somewhere consumers need to draw a line.
Especially around the argument that “true fans will buy it.” At what stage is enough money enough? Can I not get double XP because I already paid R700 for your game?
Mathias
February 28, 2013 at 10:37
Meh, I used to complain like you do, but then I realized no one’s going to change. Maybe you, me, some other person won’t buy it, but if the rest of the people does it, what’s the point? Companies will keep releasing season passes wether we like it or not. And yeah, true fans will buy it because they’ll want new maps and stuff.
It’s never enough money, comrade.
Daniel Keevy
February 28, 2013 at 14:53
Yeah, it doesn’t necessarily help. But the best thing to do is then to not buy it. Get the game sure, but don’t buy into the extras they try selling you. I can pretty much guarantee that every Triple A game with an active multilayer component is going to pull this move, and Activison/Treyarch is probably going to make enough money to turn Somalia into a first world country.
But it’s up to gamers to slowly try to stabilise the market. Because it’s stuff like this that factored into the gaming crash of the 1980’s. Companies selling sub-par products at horrific prices, constantly vying for cash tie-ins and flooding the market with the same product.
Like it as not, but if things keep going like this, everything will collapse. It’s untenable.
Admiral Chief Erwin
February 27, 2013 at 09:21
Smells like pay to win 😛
Brady miaau
February 27, 2013 at 09:39
Um, what pink chainsaw?
For example, I suck at games like this, but perhaps I want to play and get it done faster? So I pay more than you do for that “privelege”.
Yeah, it sounded really crap in my head too.
Admiral Chief Erwin
February 27, 2013 at 09:41
There there, it will be ok
Sir Captain Rincethis
February 27, 2013 at 10:58
Here you go buddy 😉
Daniel Keevy
February 27, 2013 at 09:30
Booooo! Das ist all.
Theo Steenekamp
February 27, 2013 at 10:15
They are feeling shit about some games they recently puked out onto the world. So they have to reward us with stuff like this…
Banana Jim
February 27, 2013 at 14:29
Hectic.. Permanent XP boost? What the heck?