As the SimCity debacle finally inches towards a close, EA has revealed the list of free titles it will be offering to owners of the game as an apology for the appalling lack of functionality over the past two weeks.
The games are available to anyone who registers their copy of SImCity before March 25th. Unfortunately, the free game voucher only applies to a specific list of eight games, and is not an Origin-wide freebie. Applicable players may choose from the following:
Battlefield 3 (Standard Edition)
Bejeweled 3, Dead Space 3 (Standard Edition)
Mass Effect 3 (Standard Edition)
Medal of Honor Warfighter (Standard Edition)
Need For Speed Most Wanted (Standard Edition)
Plants vs. Zombies
SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition
This promotion will run through March 30, so if you're eligible for a free game, you need to claim it in the next week.
Maxis also included a statement in the announcement, saying:
"At Maxis, our studio values dictate that we innovate and create something that is quirky, complex and challenging. Sometimes this bites us in the butt, but our servers are green and we're seeing record numbers of players all online and having a great time.
We're getting great feedback from our fans and know that many of you are having fun and exploring this whole new expression of SimCity. We're humbled by your patience and passion for the game. Thanks for building something very special with us, together"
Is this enough to sate fans who were unable to play their game for almost two weeks? While that list definitely includes some of EA's biggest titles, with the exception of Dead Space 3, all of them seem to be somewhat older games. It does strike me as a bit odd that their show of good seems skewed towards a rather transparent way to avoid impacting future sales.
Still, it's better than nothing, and with all of SimCity's functionality finally restored, gamers can finally dig into the product they paid for.