You may notice that this year, there are no new real Need for Speed games coming. Honestly, the series deserves a break – and hopefully when it returns, it goes back to being straight out fun again. Yes, I too want a game as irreverently fun as Underground again – just perhaps maybe with a little less neon. That bit about there being no new NFS is a little misleading – because there is indeed. Only it’s a mobile game – and it happens to be a micro-transaction-addled one that gives you digital street racing, with all the annoyance of real driving.
Mobile racer Need for Speed: No Limits is available for iOS and is soon coming to Android. Despite its title though, it is indeed beset with limits, the most pertinent one being that like many of EA’s mobile games, it asks you to pay money to progress in the game – by paying for your digital fuel.
When players run out of virtual petrol – or gas, as our American chums like to call it, despite it being a liquid – they’re asked to spend real money to refill their tanks. Much like EA’s mobile reboot of Dungeon Keeper, those unwilling to pay extra can wait a pre-determined time for their virtual tanks to magically refill. The wait time isn’t too long – at first, but increases as the game goes on.
Of course, this is the sort of “free-to-play” ruse perpetrated by very many mobile developers – so EA’s not alone in exploiting the practice. The unfortunate reality is that I can see EA implementing this sort of thing in more of its games, and once consumers become acclimatised, adding them to its full-priced retail games too.
Images via : Android Police
It’s something not too dissimilar to micro-transactions implemented in other publisher’s games. Those unwilling to earn level-ups in NBA2K can instead buy virtual currency to buy them, and Parisian assassins can choose to pay real money to unlock weapons and gear instead of going through the grind to earn them. While a semi-isolated mobile racing game’s fleecing micro-transactions alone aren’t really worth moaning about, the more we as consumers accept this sort of thing, the more publishers are going to try to implement them.
Last Updated: January 28, 2015
Quo Vadis?
January 28, 2015 at 09:05
The sad thing is, fans will pay mega bucks for the micro transactions for the foreseeable future in this game. Fool and his money, I guess :/
Mandom (Umar)
January 28, 2015 at 09:05
“just perhaps maybe with a little less neon” !!!
What?…Clearly you’re that uncool guy at the street race
Hammersteyn
January 28, 2015 at 09:12
http://images.thetruthaboutcars.com/2010/11/CC-50-006-800.jpg
Mandom (Umar)
January 28, 2015 at 09:16
That just reeks of Geoff!
Raptor Rants A Lot:Original #7
January 28, 2015 at 09:18
Quick! To the Geoff mobile!!!
Exalted Overlord Geoffrey Tim
January 28, 2015 at 09:28
Darryn’s car
http://iotwreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/myvan.jpg
RinceThis
January 28, 2015 at 09:29
BWAHAHAHAH!
Hammersteyn
January 28, 2015 at 09:29
Spray free WiFi on the side. It works better. Um, my friend said so.
Quo Vadis?
January 28, 2015 at 09:33
Free data works as well. Heard that from a friend, too! @hammersteyn:disqus, we need new friends ;P
RustedFaith
January 28, 2015 at 15:25
rofl
SargonTheGreatPandaOfAkkad
January 28, 2015 at 18:57
Pokemen inside? POKEMEN? A little spark of destiny about this van, revealing its secrets to the world. 😛
Raptor Rants A Lot:Original #7
January 28, 2015 at 09:18
Completely agree
SeriousBlack96
January 28, 2015 at 11:49
Hahaha thats what underground was all about! Nitrous purge, trunk sound system and a shit load of neon lol.
UltimateNinjaPandaDudeGuy
January 28, 2015 at 09:07
lololol! Names game No Limits -> Gives it limits xD
Hammersteyn
January 28, 2015 at 09:10
That song is stuck in my head
Hammersteyn
January 28, 2015 at 09:09
No limits?
http://i.memeful.com/media/post/9d6Kbyw_700wa_0.gif
FoxOneZA
January 28, 2015 at 09:11
No, no! Nono, no, no…
Exalted Overlord Geoffrey Tim
January 28, 2015 at 09:11
Check the header image properly. 😉
FoxOneZA
January 28, 2015 at 09:18
I see them folks clearly now 😉
Hammersteyn
January 28, 2015 at 09:18
Twenty 4 seven?
Raptor Rants A Lot:Original #7
January 28, 2015 at 09:26
Genius!
Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)
January 28, 2015 at 10:15
OOmphf oomphf oompf
Tosh MA
January 28, 2015 at 09:11
No no. No no no no. No no no no. No no no no…
Dutch Matrix
January 28, 2015 at 09:12
Le-Sigh… Oh yes. What I want from my gaming is more real life blues to go with it. Because watching your hard earned cash being pumped away is FUN!
“Honey, let’s have wild sex!”
“Sweetie, you are the best at doing the sex, I mean you are certified best and all, but I am off to the garage. Pumping gas in my car is so much more fun than pumping you!”
Ryanza
January 28, 2015 at 09:14
Sounds fair. Let us all support games at any cost. Games come first and any bullshit that’s attached to games shouldn’t even matter, shouldn’t even be talked about or mentioned. We are gamers. We will buy gas for the game cause we love games.
NickTheEagle
January 28, 2015 at 09:20
Good one.
Brady miaau
January 28, 2015 at 09:44
Finally, some sense I can agree with!
Thanks, man. Made my day, at least.
Sigh. I am so easy to please these days. Need to get out more
Raptor Rants A Lot:Original #7
January 28, 2015 at 09:17
Eke f!#$%en skies????? As if Dungeon Keeper wasn’t enough of a hint that such restrictive microtransactions was a bad idea????
Will they EVER listen? Greedy ….. FFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUU
Hammersteyn
January 28, 2015 at 09:18
I emailed disqus. I told them I want to be able to give more upvotes. Not just one.
Lord Chaos
January 28, 2015 at 09:20
Please pay $10 for an additional 2 upvotes.
Hammersteyn
January 28, 2015 at 09:22
You think @Raptor Rants A Lot:Original #7:disqus will? 😛
Lord Chaos
January 28, 2015 at 09:24
No, 7 additional upvotes are priced at $77 and we all know how he wouldn’t even pay the $7 for the Star Wars games.
Raptor Rants A Lot:Original #7
January 28, 2015 at 09:26
FFFUUUUUUUUUUU
Raptor Rants A Lot:Original #7
January 28, 2015 at 09:19
also dat header hahahahahahahaha
Ryanza
January 28, 2015 at 09:28
Hammersteyn
January 28, 2015 at 09:34
Every time I hear that song I remember the movie 1408
RinceThis
January 28, 2015 at 09:28
HEADDER WIN!
RinceThis
January 28, 2015 at 09:28
Sad sad state of affairs these days in gaming.
Sir GIF Sexy
January 28, 2015 at 09:32
It’s actually nice to see EA caring about their rep so. Ubisoft was fudging shirt up and EA were all, “We will NOT stand for this!” and did this genius little thang. Say what you want, but these dawgs know how to maintain their street cred.
Ceyber, The Metal Rabbit
January 28, 2015 at 10:09
I agree somewhat but I have to say, allowing yourself to be voted worst company three years in a row (or something) means you don’t really have to try that hard to be better. Once I can understand, but for two consecutive years after the fact? I know they’ve made positive strides, not denying that, just think you’re giving more credit than is due.
Simply put, comparing EA and Ubisoft as if they’re the only two in the room is detrimental to industry growth, why not treat them the same way you do the smaller publishers? We as consumers need to stop being so damn easy to please. With models like these cropping up all over the place, patience is becoming less of a virtue and more of a… shrewd characteristic.
Sorry if this comes across as negative, not really trying to be. Just saw your comment and had to say something.
Ghost In The Rift
January 28, 2015 at 09:39
I cant even afford real petrol..:(
Brady miaau
January 28, 2015 at 09:48
Luckily my wifes car has been out for the month getting a brand new engine, so we have saved on petrol for her car. Oh wait…….
Brady miaau
January 28, 2015 at 09:42
I play Forza 5 sometimes. It has micro-transactions. Do not need, do not care, it is not intrusive. If all games are done like this, then I will be ok. For those that really cannot wait to make in game money to buy the Ferrari California, they can get it almost immediately. Well done to them.
RustedFaith
January 28, 2015 at 15:28
Do you spend real cash for fuel in Forza as well ?
Brady miaau
January 29, 2015 at 08:55
No, which is why I think it was done right
Admiral Chief
January 28, 2015 at 09:45
BRANDSTOF!
Brady miaau
January 28, 2015 at 09:47
I think you mean BrandPower?
RinceThis
January 28, 2015 at 09:46
This is like making us buy shrooms when Playing Mario. Which is stupid as hell as they have never gotten me high.
Majik
January 29, 2015 at 09:48
Speak for yourself. Those little green ones f’ed me up one time 😛
Ceyber, The Metal Rabbit
January 28, 2015 at 09:54
Seems the shock of releasing DK didn’t have as much of an impact as everyone thought. Silly rich kids are still killing my hobby.
Seriously though, who plays this “game”?! Or better yet, who the heck wastes so much money on these things?! Help me understand! Is it some kind of toilet boredom-syndrome?
Will patience become more of a shrewd characteristic than a virtuous one?
Rock789
January 28, 2015 at 10:11
I just threw up a little in my mouth…
But, honestly, no real loss… The NFS series is pretty much dead – may as well kill it off completely!
z1n
January 28, 2015 at 10:13
It’s so sad. I wish for the days of Electronic Arts NFS again. EA raped so many good companies 🙁 RIP Bullfrog, Electronic Arts. It was nice knowing you friends.
Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)
January 28, 2015 at 10:13
It’s just EA’s way of showing us that they care…
Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)
January 28, 2015 at 10:15
I can already see it, a mobile freemium Battlefield game, where you have to buy ammunition for your guns. EA and co, just want to see the industry burn. It’s like they don’t care any more.
konfab aka derp
January 28, 2015 at 11:05
The model technically does exist for their main games. Star Wars :TOR does similar sorts of things.
This type of game is not really targeted for people who like proper games, it is targeted to people who would be willing to spend money to waste their time on really menial activities. Those people almost deserve to exploited to fund my next Mass Effect adventure.
Michael Matusowsky
January 28, 2015 at 11:06
You can skip the wait by just fast forwarding your tîme/date, going back to the game, then setting your time back to the present. Same trick can be used in candy crush and a whole lot of time based games. You’re welcome.
Gr8_Balls_o_KFM_Fire
January 28, 2015 at 17:44
I keep saying, you don’t blame them publishers. Blame us minions. Vote with your wallets.
I’m going to paraphrase Ryanza : Don’t support MT (microtransactions)
SargonTheGreatPandaOfAkkad
January 28, 2015 at 18:56
At least EA are charging less for gas than we pay here in RSA! 😛
Majik
January 29, 2015 at 09:42
I have two words for Need for speed micro transactions and it’s not happy birthday.