EA Games SUCKS Big Time

I have always liked EA games. I am not a big gamer or play on-line games all that much. However, I have been a fan of The Sims and have played nearly every version of it since the beginning, including The Sims On-line, Xbox, and PS. Fortunately, I have always been able to play any version of The Sims from just about any computer I have owned. Including my desktop which is pretty darn old but I keep it updated with downloaded drivers and graphic cards updates from Microsoft. I also added memory because The Sims was starting to play really slow.

Recently, I downloaded The Sims2, Seasons and Pets because I wanted to play immediately and was too impatient to wait to get them in the mail and too lazy to go to Best Buy. Well I am so sorry I did. I occasionally download games to play for that one-hour trial period. And when I do, I am playing the game from my desktop although I am sure there is code in there and the game company is probably getting some kind of feedback on my gameplay. Maybe, maybe not. Anyway, with EA games I seem to be playing the games from my desktop on-line. Every time I turned on my computer (I rarely turn it off, because computers do horrible things when they are starting up) or taking it out of hibernation, the EA games link would start to connect. First, I don't like that sh*t. I don't need EA games or anybody else knowing my game-playing habits. Nobody needs to know I am playing The Sims for hours at a time or that I'm playing at 3:00 a.m. in the morning.

Anyway, every time I started my computer, EA games (aka the Gestapo) would take over my computer while it downloaded. I would have to sit there for 5 minutes while it took over my computer probably searching for personal information about porn sites I've searched and sending it back to some huge database at EA games. Anyway to my problem. Okay, so recently I decided to play The Sims again. After restarting my computer, EA starts to download but this time it looks different. In the middle I get error Code 5510. I click "okay" and download continues and it also informs me they are downloading Version 4.0.0.91 (of what, I don't know). After clicking on the acceptance of their agreement which of course requires a law degree to understand, I get a message that I need 5GB of space on my harddrive. Now I added memory already, but I can't resist downloading free software. So I feel well maybe I have sucked up all of my disk space. I check that and lo and behold my computer is low on memory. I then uninstall a lot of programs to free up the 5GB of space. But I still can't download this unidentified 5GB of file.

So I go on line for EA tech support and check FAQ which gives you no truly useful information. There is no live support and no number to call support via a phone (I did finally locate a phone number on an EA press release website and will be calling Monday and we'll see how that will turn out). The first response back tells me to check my clock and to delete temporary downloaded files and empty my temporary EA games download folder. I check my computer clock (!!???!!). Time looks fine to me. I mean the instructions are to click on it. I do. Looks good. Seems to be the correct time. What am I looking for? If my clock at home tells me its 7:00 and Seinfeld is on, then its 7:00 (shrugs). If it's more detailed than that, I should get some kind of detailed instructions. Right? Duh.

I am then told to do other secret things to my computer. I do. I clean out temporary files. Stop programs from running in the background. Check my time again. Yep, still looks good. Still can't download, though. I then ask if I can uninstall the games and redownload them and where can I redownload them from since the download buttons that were in my account for a while after purchase aren't there now? Instead, I get a response to uninstall a different game. I email back, "You have given me instructions to uninstall the wrong game." I get an apology and would I go into Dxdiag (which provides systems information) and attach it to their email form and send it? I do and wait. Finally after several days. I email them about when could I expect an answer. I get an email back with an apology about my troubles but they lost the email with the system information and would I mind sending it again?

I email back that actually I do mind and I want my money back. I get a message to provide them with all sorts of information, which I do. And now I am waiting to see what happens. Now during this time. I keep asking what is EA downloading, what is Version 4.0.0.91 and what is Error Code 5510? I never get a response to these specific questions. I don't know, but I kinda wanna know what some big billion dollar conglomerate is downloading to my lowly desktop. How about you?

Finally, while I'm waiting for word back on whether they will put me out of my misery by sending me a refund or just finally ending this charade of tech support by sending some goons to my house to beat me senseless until I forget about The Sims and my problems, I start another email thread. So now I email and ask them just what is Error Code 5510, what is EA downloading, and why is it so big? I get a response that they are sincerely sorry for my woes and here is an EA download manager link so I can download it to my computer. Well, thanks, but no thanks, I already have EA downloader and it is currently mucking up my enjoyment of life. But I download it again thinking that maybe, just maybe it will fix my problem. Well, you guessed it - no luck.

Now I am just entertaining myself by asking the same questions over and over to get the same canned replies. I figure if I have to suffer then why not some poor tech whose job it is to do nothing but cut and paste 10 random canned responses to all tech questions. I mean that job has just got to suck big time. What I'm hoping is that some rogue, rebel tech who is about to quit his crappy, soul-sucking job anyway will break from the pack and amuse himself and actually answer one of my questions and release top secret information on just what Error Code 5510 means. A bio weapon? A secret code to the war on terrorism? Paris Hilton's cellphone number? Apparently, EA games has some cardinal rule that no tech is to deviate from these 10 canned responses upon threat of death.

That's the long of it. And the short of it is a warning to you folks. Do not under any circumstances allow EA games into your computer. If you must play any games from them (and I hear they now own 20% of UBISoft), buy a disk. Anyway, EA games has lost a fan big time. I am now in some geek forum searching and hoping that someone there can help me with this problem or at the very least tell me what Error Code 5510 and Version 4.0.0.91 are (and why is it so damned big?)