10 Video Games That Lied Straight To Your Face

10. SimCity's 'Essential' DRM

The 2013 rendition of SimCity promised to be a significant upgrade from the five titles preceding it. The game boasted 3D graphics, zoning areas, and an online multiplayer mode, all thanks to the new GlassBox engine.

Before release, critics were gushing over the new game mechanics for this ‘reboot’. When the game released, however, players quickly realised that they were restricted by a DRM, meaning the game would not allow a single-player mode without being connected to the servers. What made it worse was EA couldn’t handle the number of connecting players.

DRMs have been a constant thorn in the game industry for years. The Mac version of Metal Gear Rising Revengeance, for example, is unplayable as the company that ported the game is no longer in business.

Despite massive backlash, EA refused to remove the DRM, with Maxis stating it "wouldn’t be possible to make the game offline" without significant changes. That turned out to be a lie, however, as firstly an ex-Maxis developer called them out, and later, a hacker circumvented the DRM, allowing them to play the game offline in no time at all. Why SimCity kept up the pretence that the DRM was ever a good idea, or needed, is unfathomable.