Gears of War, the blockbuster 360 game that is now heading to PC, will require you to have a Live account in order to play online coop and multiplayer. However, before you go getting your pitchforks out, just know that it doesn’t require a Gold Live account. Players with a Silver account (the free one), can also play the game online.
Also, though currently Games for Windows Live only exists in a format that works with Windows Vista, it will also be releasing for Windows XP. According to CVG, the release for the XP GFW Live service will occur before the launch of Gears.
People will bitch about this and to them I say, you is stupid. No one complained vehemently about having to have a battlenet account to play StarCraft or Diablo online. Having those accounts at least gave the service provider access to stats on how many people were playing, allowing them to determine if future online content would be viable. The point is, while I am sure there are parts of the PC gamer’s anatomy that make him want to buck like a crazy bull at the thought of being forced into a service, this could be a good thing. Besides the possibility for future content, you don’t have to pay for the service.
Chufmoney