XBL users compensated with free Undertow

Nevlc

Nevlc

Bah! Fools!
Adventurer
Joined
Mar 23, 2007
Messages
78
Location
Texas
Website
ash-knife.livejournal.com
Main Job
Monk-Male
Secondary Job
Warrior-Male
Third Job
WhiteMage-Female
Server
Quetzalcoatl
Linkshell
NT, AzuraKnights
FFXIV
Nevic
http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/18/microsoft-apologizes-for-xbox-live-issues-with-free-undertow-dow/

Nothing says "sorry" like a free game, and so, due to previous – and reportedly ongoing – Xbox Live service issues, Microsoft is going to offer Undertow free for download beginning next Wednesday, at 2 am PST, through Sunday. Two weeks ago, Xbox Live GM Marc Whitten posted a letter to Live subscribers apologizing for poor performance during the holidays and promising a freebie was on the way. There are currently no plans to offer a substitute game for those who already own Undertow.
Click to expand...

Not sure if it's good or what, but a free game is a free game.
 
Thats cool. This was one game I was really considering. It's pretty fun, try the demo if you haven't. Or just wait a week and get the game. heh.
 
Hmm I just allowed my Gold account to default into Silver (Jan 14th). I wonder if I will still be eligible?
 
My guess is that it'll be free across the board. Guess we'll see next Wed.
 
Nevlc said:
My guess is that it'll be free across the board. Guess we'll see next Wed.
Click to expand...

Nah, I'd be willing to bet it's only free to gold members, however, that means gold members with active subscriptions during the free download time period. I don't know if they'd go out of their way to make it check to see if you had a gold account during X time period.
 
Being Micro$oft, they probably have detailed records on who has and hasn't been a paying customer kept in a series of databases. All it'd take is a script with a SQL statement to check.

Being Micro$oft, they'd also be too lazy to check, as you said. Or screw the script up and require about six different patches to get it right.
 
This should really be in addition to a free month of gold considering that a free game people may not even want doesn't address people paying for gold and not getting access.

I'd imagine it'd sting really hard for people on their only vacation of the year. May be conditioned to view anything MS gives free to be amazing but really the XBL fees collectd in that period dwarf some lil shit arcade game's budget.
 
Last edited:
Not if you don't want the $10 game. It's not like it has any value really, it's DLC, you can't sell it to someone who would want it. It'd be like me going in and smashing your Xbox with a hammer and paying you back with a bunch of games on steam you don't even want.

For example..

John owns an Xbox 360. John doesn't have that much free time because of his job, but had a week off for Christmas. John was intending to play Call of Duty 4 a lot over his week off, it's part of the reason he decided to pay $50 for a year of xbox gold and $60 for call of duty, knowing he could play it online during his week off.

John couldn't log onto Xbox live at all during that week and as such had a shitty week off.

Microsoft rewarded John with a $10 arcade game he has no interest at all in and can't sell if he gave enough of a shit to try and aren't refunding even a portion of the gold fees he paid while they aren't giving him access to.. xbox live gold.

Skaw cheers Microsoft on, thanking them for free Undertow thinking all is more than fair.
 
Last edited:
I don't know a single person who could not sign in to Xbox Live during the issues. It was just dropped games every couple of hours as far as I experienced/know. Which really, is just a inconvenience, not a total outtage of service.
 
There was one evening during the entire debacle where I couldn't sign in, and that lasted only a few hours before I could sign back in. Since I was already logged on to FFXI, it affected me none. Getting on Live was a little spotty for a while thereafter, but it wasn't unworkable or even overly annoying. I don't think it justifies extra Gold time.

Also, if all John has to look forward to on a week of vacation is playing a game online, he needs to get out more and find a less demanding job so he can get out more. I don't get much free time because of work myself, but I still manage to find time to have a semblance of a social life.
 
I didn't have any trouble with live myself either, btw. Just saying that there were people who couldn't get on at all. What the problem was, no idea. If you had a little inconvieniance, the game is better than to be expected. If you can't log on, it sucks.
 
You got a point. I wouldn't turn down an extra month of Gold, truth be told, although I doubt it will come to pass unless the shit hits the fan again. Last I understand, service still hasn't been completely up to snuff.
 
Problem is Xbox in general has shit standards. If you charge for a service you're obligated to actually prorate and give a refund proportional to down time. It would happen with phone, electricity, ext. MS instead keeps your money and makes a DL free. It's fine if you had service anyway or intended to actually pay $10 for undertow.
 
Yep pretty shitty. I hate xbox live pretty much, and I think it should be free anyway.
 
The people who already own the game are pretty much screwed, poor things. Too bad it wasn't a straight number of points to spend on the game of their choice... like Pac Man Championship Edition or something equally awesome.
 
I read on one of the blogging sites out there that (kotaku, 1up, etc) Major Nelson stated those who already had the game could call customer support and they would be "taken care of". He didn't elaborate as to what that would be. I've also read, from my prior question, that even silver account holders will be able to d/l'd the game for free.
 
Silver and gold members both got the game for free. I only have a silver account and was able to get it for free.
 
Meh it was free and the Live outage didn't really effect me. I'll take it and like it. :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top