So I just found about EA Sports Season Ticket and it sounds like a great idea.

For $24.99 a year you get early access to the five major EA Sports titles (NCAA football, Madden, FIFA, NHL and Tiger Woods).

Basically you can download the game three days before its release date (on Xbox or PS3) and play the game for three days. Then on release day your early access expires, but all of your progress will be saved once you purchase a retail copy.

I think I might sign up for this. If you're a subscriber you can play NCAA football starting this Friday instead of Monday.

Also you get a 20% discount on all EA Sports DLC for the year which is a nice addition.

I think more games should do something like this. Early access for console games? Win!

I'll have 3 days of practice before my friends pick up Madden so I'll be ahead of the curve

And just when i thought EA couldn't sink lower

Giving fans what they want is a bad thing??? I'm lost.

Pretty much my thoughts exactly.

This is a pretty shameless way to handle a cash cow.

Don't you see any problems in a business model where you buy essentially the same game over and over again every single year?

A Horrible ripoff I'm not surprised EA is doing it though.

How is it a rip off? You get early access to the games and a 20% discount on DLC. That discount alone more than makes up the price, and think about it this way. Consider the 3 days access as a rental, what's Redbox charge, $2 a day? So $5 for 3 days is also a deal. More than worth it.

Paying $24.99 a year just for a demo is a great example of a ripoff. 20% discount isn't a good deal either especially since you're paying yearly.

It's not a demo, it's the full game, so it's more of an exclusive rental.

20% discount is a great deal. I'll buy 4 of the 5 games (not into NHL) and I'll buy 1-2 DLC's each for at least $10 each, so that's at least $40-80. 20% on that saves me up to $16, and I'm already happy with getting to play early. Well worth the money.

Exclusive rental sounds like EA giving demos and trying to fool people. 20% isn't a great discount other companies sell their games much cheaper during sales. Some companies such as cd projekt red,Valve,etc. give away DLC for free.

Just because you're paying less money for a scam than you would originally pay doesn't mean you're getting a "good deal." This is a perfect example of a racket; it costs the producers next to nothing to provide this product to you again and again every year.

Well I think it's the most exciting thing in gaming, considering Madden and FIFA are two of the best video games of all time year after year, I'd love to get my hands on them 3 days early. Can't wait. I'm becoming a member.

I'll also be a member of Call of Duty Elite when Black Ops comes out so I get the DLC early too.

Now if only they had this for Halo so that could come out early.

I'm getting privileged access, I am getting a good deal. I'll be playing it before anyone who doesn't pay the $25. An entire weekend of early access for FIVE top notch games (4 in my case), how is that not worth it?

If it's a rip off, then I suppose you've never rented a game in your life? Because renting a game must certainly be a rip off then.

EDIT: Look at it this way, say there's a big game that you can't wait for coming out next Monday, and you can pay $5 to start playing it this Friday, why wouldn't you? I can play NCAA football on Friday, why wait until Monday? It's only $5 more to start playing on Friday ($5 x 5 early access titles = $25).

I think you need to get out more. And by that, I mean that you need to go inside and play some really good games for a while and broaden your perspective a bit.

I mean, if you can find entertainment in every newish installment of Madden and FIFA, fine. Maybe you could call this a deal. But really, no one could legitimately call either game "one of the best games of the year," ever.

Sorry I'm not into fairies and elves and stuff. I'm into shooting crap, drinking beer and playing sports. In other words.... Madden, FIFA, Tiger Woods, Call of Duty, Halo. (and Fallout).

I wouldn't pay $5 just to get a game 3 days earlier 3 days isn't a long wait at all. I would be instead insulted that a company would offer such a thing.

EDIT: Oh wait I get it you're just joking the whole time right?

So you're insulted that you can rent games at Redbox? What's the difference?

This is exactly what I'm talking about. You need help, man.

The difference is that we're not renting exactly the same movie over and over.

But like I said, if you can manage to find a new source of fun in each release of these games some how, knock yourself out.

Nah, I'm good. I enjoy it. Move along


EDIT: to clarify, I do play other games, but 90% of my attention is focused on sports games (all EA except MLB 2k12), Halo and Call of Duty. I recently purchased a Wii and have both Zelda games (started Skyward, haven't played much), Mario Galaxy and New Super Mario... And I got the Dawngard expansion in Skyrim and started playing a bit here and there (I never beat it in the first place).... Anywho.

LOL, wut?

You think paying $25 for access to a game for three days is a fantastic idea? Are you kidding?

So, you're OK with throwing $25 out the window for three days then turning around and dropping another $60 to keep the game? Umm... no.

See, when I was growing up a game company released things called demos. They'd give a few levels and in some cases the entire first campaign; D00M, D00M 2 to name a few. And, get this they were FREE, that's right. FREE! The published didn't ask that you sign up and pay $25 [censored] dollars to try their game. They just gave it to you. They even gave you a way to order the game by contacting them directly.

This, THIS is why I will NEVER buy another damn game from EA ever.

20% off of DLC? Serious? Why don't you just drop your pants and bend over? Paint a huge target on your ass while your at it.

First of all, it's $25 for FIVE games, not one. It's not a demo, it's you playing the full game three days early, with all of your progress and achievements going along with you after release day.

Again, have you also never rented a game? How much does it cost to rent 5 games? Well I'm renting 5 games to play them before they come out. Same thing, plus I get a discount thrown in for the DLC.

Shareware was great. The free portions were almost long enough to be their own games.

Put it to you this way...

Let's say Bethesda is releasing TES VI, Fallout 5, Rage 2, Doom 4, and something else all in the same year.

They say, 'hey for $25 we'll let you download and play all of these games 3 days before their release date, AND you'll get 20% off on the DLC for each game'.

Why wouldn't that be a good deal if you're a fan of those games? We all count down until release days. People stand in lines at midnight to get these games (ever been to a Madden release? The line is loooooong).

So why not pay $25 and not only do I NOT have to wait in line at midnight, but I'm playing before any of the other fools get in line.

The fact that its limited at all (even time-wise) essentially makes it a demo.

When you consider that we used to get demos and even extra game content for free as it came out, you'll see that this is sort of like paying extra money just to have a "complimentary" salt-shaker put on your table so you don't have to stand in line at the counter to get some salt like those other fools. It's perversion.

I remember spending hours on the shareware Commander Keen games alone.

How is it limited? You play for three days and then KEEP playing if you've purchased the game (considering it's already downloaded in full to your console, you'll just have to pay the $60 for the game).

I wouldn't pay a cent to play them before the release date. Which means I would have to spend $25 per game on DLC to make it worth it.

And these are Bethesda games! Even if they included the DLC in the game (most of it's probably already made when the game's released!) I'd still consider sports games every year a ripoff. They're milking you for $240 plus DLC every year for four games that are 90% the same as the ones last year. It saddens me you don't see that.

Can't you just mail me that money every year? Please?