EA Offers Australian Gamers Refund For Gimped Medal of Honor: Heroes 2

[boratika]

Australians who were looking forward to some 32-player online Wii-Remote FPS action have been feeling a bit disappointed and deceived after purchasing MoH: Heroes 2. Despite the claims of the marketing material, the website and even the manual, the Australian version of the game features no online mode. While EA hasn't commented on why the feature was removed, they have at least offered to give people their money back. From The Sydney Morning Herald (http://www.smh.com.au/news/articles/games-online-battle-function-missing/2008/02/11/1202578652888.html):Games publisher Electronic Arts is offering full refunds to Australians who bought Medal of Honor: Heroes 2 after admitting it advertised the game's features incorrectly...

..."Medal of Honor: Heroes 2 for Wii does not support online functionality in Australia," [EA spokesman Cameron] Jenkins said.

"We've made an error in the documentation and marketing materials. We're very sorry to have caused confusion for our customers and we will provide a refund to anyone in Australia who wishes to return the game to EA because of the lack of online functionality."

Jenkins would not say why Australians were forced to miss out when the online component was present in the North American, European and Japanese versions.

He said those seeking a refund because of the lack of online functionality should return the game and receipt to the retailer they bought it from.

What more can I say that isn't perpetually repeated by others? Don't buy local! (http://www.aussie-nintendo.com/?v=ed&p=21660)

[Kamalot]

I'm totally baffled as to why the online play was removed. It is in other versions of the game, and works REALLY WELL. Why spend the effort to REMOVE it from the Australian release?

[LongStepMantis]

Wow. Maybe they hoped no one would notice? What a stupid move.
I hope the majority of them get returned.

The Wii version of DBZ: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 was supposed to have netplay, and it does....only it doesn't really...ummm, work.

Their idea of dealing with the problem?
Acknowledge they didn't get the netplay working, say "We're working on a fix." And then delete any threads started on the DBZ game's official forums that mention it, and ban users who complain. Awesome.

And it's been a few months, with no updates, no "we're still working on it" even.
The official rumor is that they never planned on fixing it, never even worked on it, and instead of telling anyone, they're taking their sacks of money and going home.

[theevilnarwhale]

I knew about the prices being ridiculous down under, but this is just getting stupid. Maybe Nintendo ignores it because it appears to be a small market?

[Kamalot]

I knew about the prices being ridiculous down under, but this is just getting stupid. Maybe Nintendo ignores it because it appears to be a small market?

I don't know how it is Nintendo's fault for Electronic Arts' pulling a feature out of the game...

[LongStepMantis]

I don't know how it is Nintendo's fault for Electronic Arts' pulling a feature out of the game...

It's on the Wii, ergo, all things are their fault. ;)

[Food Nipple]

The game runs on dedicated servers, looks like EA didn't think it was worth the cost to set up servers for Australia.

[Johan]

The game runs on dedicated servers, looks like EA didn't think it was worth the cost to set up servers for Australia.

That's exactly right.

In fact, on the back of EA games' boxes, they have the warning that online features can be changed at ANY TIME. I would think legally, if they had offered online play for a day, they could have canned it and refused a refund.

EA + online = teh sux. I hate that MS caved in to them and allowed them to push people through their own servers prior to P2P play (a ridiculous mashup right there), so they could shut off online play at will and force-feed their customers new "updates" to essentially the same game each year.

[Kamalot]

That's exactly right.

In fact, on the back of EA games' boxes, they have the warning that online features can be changed at ANY TIME. I would think legally, if they had offered online play for a day, they could have canned it and refused a refund.

EA + online = teh sux. I hate that MS caved in to them and allowed them to push people through their own servers prior to P2P play (a ridiculous mashup right there), so they could shut off online play at will and force-feed their customers new "updates" to essentially the same game each year.

I especially LOATHE how Electronic Arts is allowed to demand the use of your email address. I played an online demo of Battlefield on the 360 and was sent EA SPAM in my mailbox.

That is not right.

[LionEyez]

I especially LOATHE how Electronic Arts is allowed to demand the use of your email address. I played an online demo of Battlefield on the 360 and was sent EA SPAM in my mailbox.

That is not right.

There's a demo of Battlefield??

[Kamalot]

There's a demo of Battlefield??

There WAS. I dunno if it is still up...

http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/10504/Battlefield-2-Modern-Combat-Xbox-360-Demo-Dated/

[Deadend]

Or how I had to log into EA's bullshit from my 360, first time I put in an EA game. I nearly wanted to punch them. They were completly fucking up the point of Xbox Live!

XBL also doesn't HAVE to be P2P, its just that it's free for publishers to have their games be P2P. Hosting servers cost money. But that shit is terrible for what they do in AU.

Is the MP mode an option that doesn't work, or is that menu icon missing?

[revelation]

I knew about the prices being ridiculous down under, but this is just getting stupid. Maybe Nintendo ignores it because it appears to be a small market?

It used to be a small market for them because no one really paid attention to Nintendo thanks to them constantly screwing us with shitty release dates (a tradition proudly upheld to this day). But now?...I think I read somewhere a week or so ago that they've passed 1 million DS units and 300,000 Wii units here which is massive for the Australian market.

In any event, I think it's pretty safe to say EA is to blame here, and it simply comes down to the cost of running dedicated servers for us outweighing the benefits.

[Kamalot]

I've been thinking about this, and as stupid and ridiculous as the whole issue sounds, I am gonna give respect to EA for handling refunds. Yes, there shouldn't have been an issue at all, but since there is EA is handling it well. And that is important.

[Lon Lon Rabbit]

I have an import Wii, so do two other friends, and 3 other friends recently modded their Wiis because they couldn't stomach the wait for Brawl. All of those people would never have dreamed of modding or importing last generation, and while I know this is only anecdotal evidence I think people are getting a lot more comfortable with these alternate routes to play the Nintendo games they want to play, and it's going to start making a visible mark on Nintendo's Australian numbers if it keeps up.

It's either delays, features missing like this or games just not coming out at all. Still no word for my poor friend with Guitar Hero 3 on his Wii as to when they'll fix that mono problem for him.