HiGame

Electronic Arts, and by extension the Origin game service, is not particularly well-liked by gamers thanks to its heavy use of microtransactions and DLC packs. Perhaps it will earn some goodwill with a new service called Origin Access. PC gamers are able to subscribe to Access for a mere $4.99 per month and get early versions of unreleased games and unlimited access to The Vault, a Netflix-style selection of slightly older games.

EA calls the early access feature “First Play Trials,” and stresses that these will be full versions of the games, not demos. This feature will be limited to EA titles, but it has the potential to save you some real cash. When a game unlocks for First Play, you can dive in and see how it suits you. If you don’t like it, no problem — just don’t buy it when it comes out. If you do enjoy the game, you can play it as much as you want until it’s released, then buy the full version and have your First Play progress carry over.

There’s only one First Play Trial listed on the Origin site right now, a platforming game called Unravel. It will cost $19.99 when it launches on February 9th. Origin Access members will be able to start playing it on February 4th, though. As an added bonus, everything you buy on Origin comes with a 10% discount for Access subscribers.



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