Being an EA game, it's really not surprising to find that new copes of Kingdom of Amalur come with an online pass code. What's unusual (but not unique) about this particular online pass is that instead of locking out an online multiplayer mode, it restricts access to a 7-part single player questlines. At least, that's what it sounds like.
If the Kingdom of Amalur: Reckoning community manager is to be believed, though, it's not quite that simple. Apparently this quest line was never going to be part of the main game. It's not included on the game disc, and was meant to be the first piece of paid DLC before EA decided to include it with new copies of the game.
What does that mean, exactly? What is the difference between an online pass and bonus DLC for new buyers? The slip of paper in the game case does specifically use the term "Online Pass." If it had been marketed as an extra instead of a way for EA to make money from used game sales, would we be hearing as much of an uproar about it now? It's food for thought.
