Today was the day millions of Xbox One owners were waiting for: the release of Titanfall. All this waiting, only to get home to find that the always-reliable Xbox Live has let them down. Although it’s not as big of a deal as some Twitter reactions say, it really brings into question the legitimacy of always-online games.
I’m not going to sit here and tell you that I’m not disappointed that I wasn’t able to pop my copy of Titanfall into my Xbox One and play when I got home from work today…or three hours later, even. Sure, it’s a bummer, but these things happen. And that’s why always-online games can be troubling. Even the most sturdy online services like Xbox Live, Amazon, and even the all-powerful Facebook have occasional glitches that take them offline. It just happens. And that’s why always-online games will always be at the mercy of the online gaming services, whether it be Xbox Live, the Playstation Network, or even Steam on PCs.
While there may be advantages to always-online games; like the use of Microsoft’s cloud services, multiplayer features, and many more, there’s just something that feels inherently wrong about not being able to play the game you paid $60 for whenever you want. I’m all for the use of the cloud, I’m all for the use of the ever-advancing technology at our fingertips…but I just don’t know how I feel about always-online games.
How do you feel about always-online games? Let us know in the comments section, below.
And for those who are stuck waiting for Xbox Live to repair itself, check out the always excellent Adam Sessler’s Titanfall video review:
