The dilemma of DLC

[Takion Sun]

[rant]I've noticed lately that DLC is getting pretty ridiculous. It started out as a fun little diversion; downloadable content's only purpose was to further your experience, and cost at most a couple of bucks, and were such things as new maps for shooters, or maybe an additional little (usually non-canon) sidequest. But developers in recent years are getting pretty cocky as to how much they can get away with. For instance, there are many games that already HAVE the DLC on the disc, such as Mass Effect 3, it's just partitioned away where you can't reach it unless you're either extremely skilled or extremely persistent and lucky at hacking. All that the DLC provides is a little strip of code that unlocks these partitions, and they're usually not cheap, either. Hell, the expansion for Oblivion still costs 25 bucks.

While I hate to pull the "Capcom is evil" card once again, as even I, a particularly butthurt Mega Man Legends 3 fan can admit it's getting quite old, they provide a rather jarring and blatant model of this sort of thing; in fact, a recent transgression of theirs is what inspired this thread. It was getting pretty bad around the time that MvC3 was charging upwards of 5 bucks for Jill and Shuma-Gorath EACH, it reached a head after I played Asura's Wrath:

I played the story mode, noticing along the way that there were quirky little bits of DLC that allow you to fight Ryu and Akuma. How neat, I thought. And then I noticed the "Lost Episode" packs; thinking they were little more than what I described above in this post, and noticing they were rather expensive for DLC, at 6.99, I paid them no mind, thinking they were much the same. That's when I "finished" Asura's Wrath: a crappy, barely-expository bit played, and it then told me I had to complete five missions with an "S" ranking to view the "real" ending. How sadistic, I then thought, that's really something you should just save for optional unlockable items. It took a week or so of practice, but I finally did it, and with much frustrated but relieved tension I played the "real" final level...and once again, a crappy, barely-expository scene played, and it then informed me that it -still- was not over, and to view the ""real"" ending, I'd have to download the ending. I realized with horror that the 6.99 "Lost Episodes" pack I saw was the actual, canon ending of the game, and that Capcom had literally hacked off the end of the game that I had worked hard for and sold it to me at a premium. Not only was this an incredibly frustrating, demoralizing, and just plain cheap business practice to foist on me, but it means one more thing: if you get into the story of Asura's Wrath, you had better pony up -now-, because once this generation goes out and the network goes down, you will never again be able to finish this game, because you won't be able to download the episode pack. [/rant]

And there you have it. While I'm not going to sit here and start a new schpiel about how gaming has lost its way once again, I'm afraid there will be a domino effect if people start giving into Asura's example, and this will start to become an industry standard. But I'll stop there, because I've made my point, this post is already way too long, and if I do the newly-fueled Capcom butthurt in me will start flaring up again. So I'll just leave it to you guys: agree? Disagree? Share my fears? Got any examples besides mine?

Edit: Oi. Now I've lost my catchy, alliterative, journalism-style title because of my butterfingers. Someone with more editing power than me please fix it because it is making my OCD go off.

[Gare]

This is the image you're looking for:

Spoiler warning:

But yeah, honestly that sort of thing just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I've never agreed with DLC apologists and I'm probably not going to start now. Stuff like extra costumes and shit are harmless since they don't really add much to the game, so if you don't buy it you're not missing out on much. That's fine. But paying extra x bucks to see the ending just screams "we're doing it because we can, you're gonna buy it anyway, lololol". Not cool.

I mean, if it's good content and fairly priced, then sure, who would say no to extra stuff? People who think I'm silly because I dare complain about extra content fail to see the point here - that the quality is rarely there. I genuinely felt ripped off after buying the extra levels for Guardian of Light. The Missing Link was okay, but nothing spectacular. With the exception of maybe Shadow Broker, Mass Effect/Bioware DLC in general is pretty shallow. Dawnguard was a joke for its price. I'm starting to think people might have just lowered their standards. See, Throne of Bhaal (released only a few months after the main game, much like TML or Dawnguard) is how you do a proper expansion. The Frozen Throne is also how you do strong additional content. Not like Dawnguard, or whatever else they label as DLC these days.

[Pui Ho Lam]

Dawn of War 2 Chaos Rising was all right but Retribution was really bad. But when you compare them to the expansion packs from Dawn of War, they just lack in everything.

[deadlegion]

Dawnguard was a joke for its price.

Yes.
But dlc's like this usually end up in GoTY/Ultimate editions.
So if you're patient they aren't expensive.

Smart marketing imo...people that can't resist will fork out whatever to have it asap.

[williamjones]

DLC should make it so games that in the past were rereleased over and over again with minor tweaks wouldnt have to be sold to you for full price. Yeah, Capcom did that to death with SF 2, but the big one to me is Madden. Sports games are released over and over every year, and its the exact same game. When Capcom charges people to unlock characters on the disk after people bought the actual disk, thats stupid, those kinds of DLC should just be obtained through gaining achievements.

DLC should be a good thing, but I think its also led to game developers being lazy and releasing a game like the Silent Hill HD Pack in horrible a condition. Patches can just be downloaded after people complain about not being able to do stuff, but this shouldnt happen, games should be released in a working state PERIOD. I dont want to buy something for $40 to $60 then have to wait a week or so for a patch to come out to get past level 4 just to get stuck at level 8 and have to wait another week. Just like I dont want graphics glitches that look terrible to be there all the time, may not cause the game to be unplayable, but again, GAMES SHOULDNT BE RELEASED UNFINISHED!

[Pui Ho Lam]

Just found a pic and thought I would like to share

[konnerjr]

First of all yes, i very much so agree with you. DLCs are supposed to be for things like new maps/skins/weapons (a good example is what halo [2 i think it was?] did). but it has changed into something truly disgusting. I personally think that it boils down to 2 possible reason:

1: The game devs think its OK to release a half completed and broken game, simply to meet dead line. then fix all the problems later (take skyrim for example)
2: the ever looming corporate greed. they think "I'v got an idea! lets charge $60 for the half complete version and if they want the whole game they have to pay an extra $50! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAHHHHHAAA AAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

i remember a time then a game half complete game was called a "demo" and was completely free. i dont understand why devs think that half-assing their work entitles them to more money. consider the original borderlands. i think they had 5 dlcs. all things that should have been included in the original game, but for some reason they decided to release what i felt was short lived AND charge full price for it. dont get me wrong i understand why they do it, but anyone who goes along with it it nothing more than a greedy, pustulant, capitalist prick, i mean really, they make millions of dollars and they still want more? they even went so far as to try and break the internet (sopa) to try and make more money. can i just say- gamefly FTW

furthermore, i once tried to get a DLC on my ps3 and all went well and i was (mostly) satisfied. then after i decided to wipe the drive because it still had the previous owner porn on it, PSN claimed that my machine was not the one registered to my account. since then i have NEVER bought ANYTHING from PSN. why waste the $$$ on a DLC they just take back? IMHO, PC gaming is the way to go because steam doesnt pull sh*t like that. they also dont get hacked and get my credit card # stolen. idk, i get angry about this stuff because it seems to me like this worlds progress is powered by greed and nobody pays attention to the fact that its all spiraling downward. next thing you know, its gonna be $5 for the bun, $2.50 for the patty, and $10 for the condiments. then when you get halfway through eating you burger, the manager comes up, says he doesnt recognize you, and takes your burger away demanding ANOTHER $17.50

fun fact: if we were to divide the world resources equally between all 7billion people, everyone would live the lifestyle of someone who makes 75k/yr

[Curses]

First of all yes, i very much so agree with you. DLCs are supposed to be for things like new maps/skins/weapons (a good example is what halo [2 i think it was?] did). but it has changed into something truly disgusting. I personally think that it boils down to 2 possible reason:

1: The game devs think its OK to release a half completed and broken game, simply to meet dead line. then fix all the problems later (take skyrim for example)
2: the ever looming corporate greed. they think "I'v got an idea! lets charge $60 for the half complete version and if they want the whole game they have to pay an extra $50! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAHHHHHAAA AAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

i remember a time then a game half complete game was called a "demo" and was completely free. i dont understand why devs think that half-assing their work entitles them to more money. consider the original borderlands. i think they had 5 dlcs. all things that should have been included in the original game, but for some reason they decided to release what i felt was short lived AND charge full price for it. dont get me wrong i understand why they do it, but anyone who goes along with it it nothing more than a greedy, pustulant, capitalist prick, i mean really, they make millions of dollars and they still want more? they even went so far as to try and break the internet (sopa) to try and make more money. can i just say- gamefly FTW

furthermore, i once tried to get a DLC on my ps3 and all went well and i was (mostly) satisfied. then after i decided to wipe the drive because it still had the previous owner porn on it, PSN claimed that my machine was not the one registered to my account. since then i have NEVER bought ANYTHING from PSN. why waste the $$$ on a DLC they just take back? IMHO, PC gaming is the way to go because steam doesnt pull sh*t like that. they also dont get hacked and get my credit card # stolen. idk, i get angry about this stuff because it seems to me like this worlds progress is powered by greed and nobody pays attention to the fact that its all spiraling downward. next thing you know, its gonna be $5 for the bun, $2.50 for the patty, and $10 for the condiments. then when you get halfway through eating you burger, the manager comes up, says he doesnt recognize you, and takes your burger away demanding ANOTHER $17.50

fun fact: if we were to divide the world resources equally between all 7billion people, everyone would live the lifestyle of someone who makes 75k/yr

You lost me at "ever looming corporate greed" but won me back when you started talking about buns and patties.

[luffy4]

Skylanders is the best dlc

[MaslowK]

I agree, DLC is getting just a tad out of hand. The biggest example I've seen of DLC BS is with Left4Dead 2. While it has been at least a couple years since it was released, I see that it now has more DLC levels available than non-DLC levels, and the majority of the extra game modes are also locked as DLC. This essentially means I have maybe 1/3 of the content by buying the game.

And developers wonder why some choose to pirate their games rather than paying for them, this is just one more reason to.

[StaticAgePunk]

First of all yes, i very much so agree with you. DLCs are supposed to be for things like new maps/skins/weapons (a good example is what halo [2 i think it was?] did). but it has changed into something truly disgusting. I personally think that it boils down to 2 possible reason:

1: The game devs think its OK to release a half completed and broken game, simply to meet dead line. then fix all the problems later (take skyrim for example)
2: the ever looming corporate greed. they think "I'v got an idea! lets charge $60 for the half complete version and if they want the whole game they have to pay an extra $50! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAHHHHHAAA AAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

i remember a time then a game half complete game was called a "demo" and was completely free. i dont understand why devs think that half-assing their work entitles them to more money. consider the original borderlands. i think they had 5 dlcs. all things that should have been included in the original game, but for some reason they decided to release what i felt was short lived AND charge full price for it. dont get me wrong i understand why they do it, but anyone who goes along with it it nothing more than a greedy, pustulant, capitalist prick, i mean really, they make millions of dollars and they still want more? they even went so far as to try and break the internet (sopa) to try and make more money. can i just say- gamefly FTW

furthermore, i once tried to get a DLC on my ps3 and all went well and i was (mostly) satisfied. then after i decided to wipe the drive because it still had the previous owner porn on it, PSN claimed that my machine was not the one registered to my account. since then i have NEVER bought ANYTHING from PSN. why waste the $$$ on a DLC they just take back? IMHO, PC gaming is the way to go because steam doesnt pull sh*t like that. they also dont get hacked and get my credit card # stolen. idk, i get angry about this stuff because it seems to me like this worlds progress is powered by greed and nobody pays attention to the fact that its all spiraling downward. next thing you know, its gonna be $5 for the bun, $2.50 for the patty, and $10 for the condiments. then when you get halfway through eating you burger, the manager comes up, says he doesnt recognize you, and takes your burger away demanding ANOTHER $17.50

fun fact: if we were to divide the world resources equally between all 7billion people, everyone would live the lifestyle of someone who makes 75k/yr

Steam did get hacked though so i don't see the point about that?
Also sure DLC is a pain but it's NOT a must, i have owned my ps3 since 2007 and haven't brought a single piece of DLC i just buy GOTY's or go without if there is no such thing

[Mr. Nemo]

Buying the game isn't a must either, but when you get it, you want it to be complete and not a calculated method of prodding cash out of you to get the experience it should of had to begin with. It's psychobabble 101. The only prodding should be the one time exchange for initial entertainment.

I rarely buy new games because of DLC. I'm also cheap and know of a massive catalog of games that can be had for less than $10 each, but that is besides the point. DLC is almost never a good option because it allows for the same BS first day patches got us with PCs. It is just a fact when you have the option to fix it later, it typically won't be fixed before being pressed to disc. PC gamers had to deal with that crap for a long time and usually it came from shoddy companies you can afford to avoid. Now (and when I mean now, about the last 7 years), even major companies are doing it and we're stuck with this model for quite a while since the masses don't really care too much about the bad parts DLC cause.

[StaticAgePunk]

Buying the game isn't a must either, but when you get it, you want it to be complete and not a calculated method of prodding cash out of you to get the experience it should of had to begin with. It's psychobabble 101. The only prodding should be the one time exchange for initial entertainment.

I rarely buy new games because of DLC. I'm also cheap and know of a massive catalog of games that can be had for less than $10 each, but that is besides the point. DLC is almost never a good option because it allows for the same BS first day patches got us with PCs. It is just a fact when you have the option to fix it later, it typically won't be fixed before being pressed to disc. PC gamers had to deal with that crap for a long time and usually it came from shoddy companies you can afford to avoid. Now (and when I mean now, about the last 7 years), even major companies are doing it and we're stuck with this model for quite a while since the masses don't really care too much about the bad parts DLC cause.

I honestly don't even remember the last time i brought a new game, i refuse to spend more than 15$ on any game but anyway, im sure if the DLC was sold on a disc as an "expansion" you'd be happy to pay for it, what about the "expansions" to 90's PC games, DOOM, wolfenstein 3D etc they lasted 40 mins or so if that they WERE what would be called DLC nowdays, if an extra hour or so of gameplay affects you that much it's your problem i couldn't care less most DLC is a joke anyway, any good ones get GOTY if you people care so much make a stand and stop buying the games, it's like the people who complained about diablo 3 online always DRM and still brought it

[Gare]

Um, in some cases they're selling a game's ending as DLC. Sure, that's optional, but at the same time, it's not. I don't see how you can defend that.

[Curses]

I think there's a conflict of interest here...

Some comment on companies releasing half-baked games, so they can fix them later; am I the only one in favour of this? At least that way, developers get to meet deadlines and quell their fanbase's thirst sooner rather than later. Also, it is possible to amend any glitches post-release through patches, unlike on the previous gen consoles. I'm comfortable with improvements and updates being applied months after I've bought a game.

With being charged money for features that should come as standard, such as endings Gare mentioned, that is wrong and a blatant ploy to wrench money from the consumer. I'm open to paying for extensions of a game, like the FFXIII-2's Requiem scenario involving Lightning which unveiled a "true" ending. That to me is a worthwile purchase. I spend almost £10 for maps like the ones in Uncharted 3 because I think the game is that damn good and the purchase will only serve to further my already-ample enjoyment of it, so much it was worth a chunk from my wallet.

I think we have to accept what year we are living in, there's money to be made, and these gaming companies were onto something when they decided to open online stores. I guess it's at the company's benevolence whether they decide to charge you or not for elements that border being a compulsory requirement for a game. They'll be losing the money they invested into producing the content if not enough people buy it. I'd like to think they'd lose the consumer's faith also, but I know too many people who slag off a title and go and buy the sequel.