a little late to the party here, but he said they need gold because they are multi player games. maybe some single player free to play games will come that dont require gold sub to play since there is no online part. But realistically most f2p games are multiplayer so gold sub will be needed.

@amp316

Yours seems to be the only question worthy of a reply in the whole thread. The answer to you question is that it is probably lingering resentment. This community did have a very large very competent Microsoft contingent early in the generation. Which was sadly, and very much intentionally chased off by certain members of the staff at the behest of certain members of the community. Basically a number of moderators became what amounted to puppets dealing out punishments in a very biased manner. The real problem was early in the generation the Microsoft contingent had the overwhelming majority of facts on their side, and could just plain dominate Sony loyalists.

Which resulted in some Sony loyalists pushing a carebear agenda. Which allowed moderators to ban on the grounds of console warring. Since those who pushed for the changes already had moderators in their pockets. The carebears didn't really abandon the fight so much as they played the system. They would instigate some argument, and then play the victim when they got stomped into the ground. It was really trolling at its finest. They would say something really heinous. Then act as if they were mildly retarded, and beating on them was really wrong. Which the biased moderators just lapped right up. Not only wasn't the Sony troll punished, but the Microsoft loyalist would be severely punished, and publicly ridiculed.

The net result was that large numbers of the Microsoft contingent were banned out of these forums, or took the hint and left of their own accord. After all there is no reason to stay in a community where you are being treated unjustly, and being openly taunted by the management. It got so bad after awhile that people didn't just leave. They left with a big axe to grind. So they defamed this site where ever they moved on to. Which is part of why this site it hard pressed to get new members in for the Microsoft community.

Anyway this is hardly relevant to the current community. Most if not of all the players that were heavily involved either left of were kicked out themselves. The puppet moderators are long gone. The carebears for the most part got banned when new staff members tired of their whining bullshit. The only lasting effects are that the rules are still way too stringent, this site doesn't have much of a Microsoft community, and this site still has a bad stigma of being a Sony only zone.

Hope that helps, and let me repeat this isn't relevant to the current community. Don't bite my head off for repeating what others have told me was the reason they left. My personal view is banning should never be used unless absolutely necessary. It is probably still overused, and that is a problem. When someone gets banned all it does is piss them off. Send them to another site, and get this site trashed elsewhere. It doesn't really correct the behavior. Hell it seems to make things worse in the long run.

When I first got onto VGChartz I only owned a 360 (Which of course I defended at the time because MS had the third party exclusives). No offense but the 360 owners were stomping the PS3 owners for "having no games" and doing the exact same crap the PS3 owners are dishing out today. 2008 through now Sony has been throwing out the exclusives and people have swayed. Some stayed on a side lableing, and abusing the rules (we all have). All console camps were boasting, including the Wii owners who finally after two generations could say their faith in Nintendos ability to dominate wasn't in vain. Of course the war was always between the PS3/360 owners who warred amongst ourselves. People had a reason to argue for Microsoft back in 2005-2008 but after that I really don't know what to tell you. Perhaps some people got scared off, but the fact remains the trolls exist in every group, arguers do too. We've all been in on it because we all have a personal preference even if we own all of the consoles. The response to the topic is founded on the truth that essentially nothing pertaining to online multiplayer is free to play on Xbox Live, so Microsofts statement about it being a natural fit is actually founded on a lie.

Here is the quote from the end of OP:

“The free-to-play model and games experiences will be available to all Xbox LIVE Gold subscribers,” the spokesperson concluded, “as many of the games planned will be multiplayer games by nature (an Xbox LIVE Gold subscription is required for multiplayer gaming). The games that use the free-to-play mechanic will leverage the Microsoft Points system.”

That is the running joke of this post. By their very nature Microsoft does not support free online gaming.

I think the problem is that as the PSN improved, and PC remaining the best option for online multi-player, XBL gold just doesn't seem that attractive no matter how much some people swear by it. The very notion that MS can say something that basically means "we have F2P games, you just have to pay to get to play them!" brings an endless amount of ??????????????????????????????????????????? over some people's heads. No F2P game can make good money without a MP component to it, the gold service itself defeats that statement and creates a paradox.

ps: I say again, if you want good F2P, PC!

QFT PC free to play owns all! Guild Wars 2 is killing it at my school. The game looks amazing.

@S.T.A.G.E

I think you missed the gist of what I was saying. The problem wasn't the war. The problem was that a number of the sites staff became proxies in the conflict, and abused their powers to manipulate the competition. I for one have no problem with console warriors. I think of the competition between the camps is good fun, but what happened was not competition. You can't have a good debate if the moderator in the debate has taken a side, and is tossing one of the teams out of the room on their ass.

Anyway the problem wasn't the war. The problem was that some members of the staff were manipulated or were willing to take sides in the argument, and abused their power to make sure one side won. If you need a concrete example it would be the difference between a sporting competition, and a mob war. Imagine if a referee in some sporting event pulled out a gun, and started offing players on one team. That is what a lot of the Microsoft group that left felt was happening on these forums.

Anyway it still haunts these forums to this day. We still have people as in this thread bitching about someone who is biased. It shouldn't have been a issue then, and it sure as hell shouldn't be a issue now. So what if someone has taken a particular side, or is pushing a particular agenda. It isn't a crime anywhere else so why act like it is a crime here. I am all for console warriors tearing each other apart, but dwell on this if the moderators had never gotten involved in dictating the discussion. Then today those in the Sony camp may have many more noses to thumb.

Anyway it is a majority view of the disenfranchised. As for the topic it is nitpicking nonsense per the usual. I came in hoping to find some commentary on the genre. I really didn't find that, or what it might mean for gaming not just on the 360. I didn't find it, and cannot say I was terribly shocked by that, but sometimes you find something if you take the time. Anyway your talking to someone who lets his subscription lapse so he can get the service for a dollar a month for a couple months. So no I don't think the online play is worth some obscene number.

In case you were interested as a 360 owner I am appalled that these crap fests are going to spread their filth onto my console. They undermine the very spirit of online competition. Call me old fashioned, but I want a fair fight in online gaming. I don't like gold farmers, and I don't like micro transactions. Unfortunately there are a lot of vapid people in the world that think their wallet is the way to play. Rather then skill, determination, and strategy. I pray these games fall on deaf ears, because if they do not. This could be a bad habit that good developers just might pick up.

Every single thing contained in that quote fits the context of the quote.  It CLEARLY states the "free to play" model/experience/mechanism (aka, how free to play works) is going to go to XBox Live Gold members.  For those who are already paying for Gold, they are going to get games they didn't pay for, to use with their account.  

People to say this is a lie is seriously pushing it.  By the full context, it is accurate.  If one wants to then split hairs over how "free to play" is being defined, feel free to.  But you will see individuals who defend PS+ to no end, and say they are getting FREE games, say Microsoft is lying.  This is inconsistent.  Both use a subscription model and give you content to use with the subscription model for no additional charge.  WIth the F2P model, there is also likely micropayments that are coming.

And the reality is, on how cute this discussion has gotten, you pay for Internet and everything else.  Next up, is fully free to play going to consist of games being beamed directly toyour head?

Um dude...Xbox Live is a subscription based program. If Microsoft blocks other people from using online because of a fee it defeats the purpose of free to play. Nothing is free on Xbox Live outside of the silver package which is bare bones at best. No doubt Xbox Live will be a great MMO platform for free online games elsewhere, but Xbox Live is a premium service. Free and Xbox Live dont mix in a press statement. On PC, PS3, Wii definitely...Xbox 360 no.  This isn't bias I pay for live when theres games I want to play online on it, but it really was a bad choice of words and shows just how out of touch they are with their own policy. 

I currently am an XBOX Live Gold member.

When these games are released, how much more will I have to spend to play the base game?

Thats the point you already paid to be privy to such releases. Silver members aren't privy to shit on the Xbox 360. On PSN, Wii or PC silver class members would be privy to the same shit as long as the company making the game allowed for it. It's not like being "free" on any other platform. On Xbox Live you pay for everything ontop of 3rd party subscriptions.