- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
Posted by: Bungie Jumping
Posted by: New0O1
"Here’s the key with entering listed games in the browser: If you’re an owner of a LIVE Gold account, you can enter pretty much any dedicated server game as long as someone hasn’t locked it down like a club house (Private Servers for Members only). If you have a LIVE Silver account, there will be some limitations on what servers you can and cannot join. This is bound to be a popular discussion topic, so we will happily go into the differences between the experiences Gold and Silver members are expected to have with our game in a later blog entry. "
Hmm?
That is a bit disheartening... well, actually it makes me kind of pissed. If it comes out that I will have to pay a monthly fee, even if it is a relatively low rate, to play on dedicated servers, then I am not going to be a happy camper. I was under the impression that you would need Gold only to engage in matchmaking, but now for access to select servers? True, Games for Windows Live arguably offers the best online multiplayer gaming setup, but to think you have to pay, without matchmaking mind you, to play on the best servers is ridiculous. I was getting pumped about Halo 2 Vista, but now I'm not sure I'm even going to get it. I'll stick to games that aren't affilliated with Microsoft if this is how it will be; hell, they'll be free to play online... at least for now. I see this as nothing more than a money grab. But maybe I'm wrong... we'll see.
And for those who think I'm complaining about having to pay for a cheap Gold account are missing the point...
Cheers.
I would suggest getting a Gold account anyway. Only $60 a year, and the added bonus of already having a Gold account if you buy an Xbox 360...