Except Bloodlines (and Deus Ex, forgot it was released in 2000)

It seems older EA games just need to be installed and activated once, then the client isn't needed. But newer games like Kingdoms of Amalur and ME3 need the client running, but not necessarily connected to the internet all the time. ME3 complains constantly if it loses connection to the net though.

It's disappointing to hear about always-on in the new sim city, but not surprising at all. I'll protest with my wallet.

Simple thing: Use a crack.

You're explicitly allowed to modify software here if it is necessary to get the software you bought to work properly.

This will be a much more MMO stile game and a simple crack will probably not cut it.

Me too .

I hate this now you have to be online to play singleplayer. This really annoys me so wont be buying this game.

Portable users, for one. We're still a long way away from having ubiquitous free/affordable public WiFi, and internet over 3G is still untenable; even in South Korea tethering may be subject to extra/excessive billing even though your contract may be for unlimited data. Yes, the buses and subway trains in Korea, and even the KTX now has WiFi, (and some US/Eur air carriers now offer in-flight WiFi) but in my experience they're not the most reliable connections in the world, and aren't the greatest at handling the gigabytes of data Steam usually asks for when it randomly decides to update itself/your games.

Meh. I was already saying 'fuck that' by the time I had seen the price.

But will you be playing Sim City on the Subway? Games like that aren't meant to be played "mobile". Saying that laptops as a whole are not meant as gaming plattforms is probably going to far, but I don't complain that my netbook can't run games with no resolution smaller than 1024x786.

For me, a Laptop is a tool in the first place and an entertainment device secondly. My "big boy" is my TV/Console/Stereo and general entertainment platform, and he is only moving when I'm "moving".

Well, everyone I know keeps their wireless router/router online all the time - as in even when you're not using it. Unless you have some shabby ISP, the chances of your line having maintenance or downtime is like twice a year? (if that).

Personally, I leave my internet online all the time. When no ones at home, when people are asleep.

The future is digital and is always online. Forget DRM for a second, but ultimately if you want to continue enjoying this form of entertainment you have to accept 'always online'. Exclude limit machine installs out of this equation for a second... let's concentrate on 'awlays onloine'.... when it is applied to a game as DRM it shouldn't matter as people should be always online anyway (in this day and age). Otherwise it's like having someone wanting to enjoy HD digital tv yet doesn't want to switch their Radio for a HD T.V...

Get with the times.

EA's moving online so it can use it as DRM. Not that Blizzard don't do that, but at least for an auction style thing that really has to be managed and somewhat secure for it to have any value, I can see some point to that. I wonder what social features this game will have to warrant anything like Always online. If it's simply so your friends can see what you're doing then that's ridiculous.

The always on thing.... it's shit but EA was going on about how you'll link up with other players cities (kinda like other people's creations showing up in Spore)

However..... the origin requirement and the non-optional always online will take this off of my gaming list. When will companies get smart and realise they're encouraging piracy?

So now it joins the ranks of Diablo 3 and Mass Effect 3 in good games I won't be buying.

Maybe you should read the article so you don't have to guess.

I assume you mean this which I already quoted earlier: Which is still somewhat vague to me. I'm guessing this may affect trade routes leading out of the map your city is in or something? Would that really need always-on? What's wrong with a snapshot of the economy as it is when I start the game and then leave it at that? Would it really require minute to minute information?