The biggest problem with playing games online on the Xbox 360 is the annoying monthly fee for Xbox LIVE Gold. Gamers who have both a PS3 and an Xbox 360 tend to choose to play online using their PS3 considering that it’s free. That being said, there are more users on Xbox LIVE than there are on the PSN.
However, as time goes on and the economy gets worse and worse, gamers have to consider whether or not their XBL monthly fee is really worth it. Unfortunately, this means that games with a heavy online component become far less interesting to play.
Luckily, Halo 4 has temporarily sidestepped the problem. Their solution? Simply package some Xbox LIVE Gold time in with the game. Anyone who buys a Halo 4 disc will find a code for two weeks of XBL Gold in the package. It’s not a whole lot of free time on the network, but it’s enough to let you make a decision on whether or not purchasing the next month is a good deal.
Halo has been a series that traditionally lived and died off of its multiplayer, so it’s important that everyone gets a chance to try it out.
This is something that 343 industries is quite proud of. Though it’s quite possible that the Xbox 360 will slowly become obsolete as Microsoft moves toward whatever their next console might be, it would be nice to see other developers adopt this philosophy for the rest of the Xbox’s foreseeable future. Call of Duty, Battlefield, and countless other franchise could benefit greatly from giving their players a short free period on Xbox LIVE Gold.