Slight glitch with the Xbox version of the game

[Blunt Fish Games]

Minor pain in the tuchas to report... it seems that if you are not connected to the internet when you boot your Xbox, The Pinball Arcade plays only as the trial version, regardless if you've purchased the game.

I like playing online and all, but I shouldn't have to play online just to have a complete game, should I?

 

[Mike Reitmeyer]

It has to do with licensing and DRM on the Xbox 360. This link should help.

http://support.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-live/marketplace-and-purchasing/play-xbox-live-content

 

[Blunt Fish Games]

I'm sorry, but is this telling me that the only place I can play this without issue is on the console I originally purchased the game on, unless I am online, even though I have since downloaded to another console as well? That makes no sense, as Xbox Live does not even give me the option of purchasing the game a second time for the additional console.

 

[Brandon Debes]

Yes. That is true of every piece of content available for purchase on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace and has been since the beginning. XBLM purchases use dual-mode DRM that is signed once to the original console of download and a second time to the purchasing account. You can then use it on any console with your purchasing account, provided it is signed into Xbox LIVE so that the license can be checked, and then you can use it on the original console online or off with any account. There is a license transfer tool available to re-consolidate all your XBLM console licenses to any one console you own that is useful if you downloaded items at a friends house or bought a new system. But allowing you to play an XBLA title offline, on any console, with any account would wholly defeat the purpose of charging for content at all. Why would you have this expectation?

If you wish to purchase a second copy for the other console to be used offline, simply buy it with any other gamertag than the one you used the first time, and you will be all set.

 

[Blunt Fish Games]

Not on any console any account, Beel. Two consoles, one account, two homes stretched over two states. The secondary just isn't set up to go online - it was a pain in the arse to get it done for downloading this game, not something I want to do every time out. Maybe my circumstances are unusual, I can't judge.

I wouldn't mind buying the game a second time, really - support the people doing what I like, conscious consumerism and all that. I'm a casual gamer - that's pretty much as far as I go. I'll just stick to PHoF when my kid visits the grandparents, that's all.

 

[Brandon Debes]

In that case you should have initially downloaded the game on the console that can't get online. But you can't go back and fix that now. So you second best option would be to purchase a second copy of the game, on a different gamertag (don't worry you'll be able to play it on your own gamertag), and download to the offline console first. You may have to take that console home with you to do the download and then bring it back to its usual offline home.