The Daily Grind: Are lifetime passes worth it after F2P?

Our recent post on The Secret World's potential F2P conversion featured a sub-discussion about lifetime subscriptions, and it got me to thinking about how such deals are valued and whether they're ultimately worth it. Prior to TSW, the only lifetime purchase I'd made was a Lord of the Rings Online account way back in 2007. Since I played the game heavily for over two years, and since the free-to-play switch happened well after the 14 subscription months it took to recoup my initial investment, I got (and continue to get) a far better deal out of the lifetime than Turbine did.

With TSW, Funcom would have to hold off on F2P for another year in order for me to get the full monthly sub value out of the $199 up-front charge. Even if it doesn't make it, though, I'm glad I supported the game out of the gate. The Secret World is that rare MMO with the courage to do things differently, and personally that's worth a whole lot more than 200 bucks.

What about you, dear readers? Are lifetime passes worth it even if the game goes F2P?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!