Quote Originally Posted by Kentarou View Post
I hate when the additional content is planned before the game is even released. For example, in the new version of Cave Story, the developers plan to make a boss rush mode available as downloadable content. How silly is that?
The issue I have with immediate on game release DLC is that generally the item you're downloading is nothing other than a code. The code is there to merely unlock data already on the disc. Some games developers like Capcom try to be smart and release it a few weeks afterwards like Versus mode in Resident Evil 5. Charging for anything clearly (heres looking at you Soul Calibur and Street Fighter.. Oh snap! Capcom again?) on the disc is wrong imho because it's basically telling the customer that they have to pay twice for it which is ripping people off. "I'm sorry sir you may well have paid 40 quid for that game but for you to play it you're going to need to pay us another 5 quid before we let you do that" Sorry what? Same reason I tend to disagree with pay 2 play pc mmo's like WoW or the new Aizon or whatever it's called. If the data is on the disc it should be available from the start charging extra for codes to unlock the data feels a lot like extortion. Heck going back to the extra costumes things give the true addicts to the game who want everything the option of stupidly hard challenges to unlock the costumes (survive 300 rounds in survival mode as X character to unlock new costume) and give the lazy but must have everything guys the option of DLC there. Heck another wrong practise with DLC I think is the games where downloading DLC is a must to achieve achievements/trophies (Guitar Hero World Tour, heres looking at you) placing achievements/trophies something which does become quite addictive for most people to chase that requires them to spend extra money on your DLC is basically drug dealing in digital form.


Quote Originally Posted by I'm my own MILF View Post
Making a blanket statement abiout DLC is a bit like making a blanket statement about games themselves. Sometimes it's a good thing which is clearly worth the money - The Lost and Damned. Sometimes it's a blatant and total ripoff which deserves scorn and derision. Soul Caliber IV's Vader/Yoda shenanigans for example. Whether DLC is worthwhile depends on the game itself and whether the addition is justified as something worked on later, like map packs for Halo or Gears of War.
Sure thing Milf here has pretty much hit the nail on the head. DLC is all about being worth it to the customer. A customer might find DLC options for Yoda/Vader in SC IV worth it most won't. The core mature gamer will find themselves more interested in the things which truly add in to their game in terms of content. TLAD, Ballad of Gay Tony, Knothole Island, See the Future, Broken Steel to name but a few DLC packs of real substantial worth in each of the above packs there are new challenges to face, new levels to explore and even new characters to control and discover the story line of. I'm also noting a consistent pattern in the developers who made them and the games they're for. GTA IV (Rockstar North), Fable 2 (Lionhead) and Fallout 3 (Bethesda) 3 main studios committed to bringing gamers the best they possibly can. I purposely left out the many other DLC expansions for Fallout 3, since most do not actually add as much to the game as Broken Steel, Broken Steel physically continues the storyline past what many felt was a disappointing ending and leaves it in a more satisfactory place.

On the note about Halo 3 map packs and Gears of war map packs ect. Map packs are all about the customers habits. I know a guy who loves Halo 3 but hates playing anything other than the co-op mode online. He's just not a competitive person in that regards he's completed the storyline so many times now but he still likes playing it. He'll probably find himself hooked on ODST's firefight mode when he finally gets round to buying himself a copy of it. For him the idea of having actually paid for the map packs is ridiculous I might convince him to come on for like 3 games before he gets fraustrated, bored and otherwise disenchanted with online versus mode in the game. For me I doubt in all honesty I would have been able to wait for ODST to come with all the versus maps on it if I had known ages ago they were comming for sure with it. I love playing Halo 3 online against other people I couldn't just settle for one playlist either especially since all DLC map packs is a requirement of what undoubtedly is my favourite playlist Big Team Social. Was the 20 quid I paid for points to get my DLC worth it? To me? Totally without question.

Though the debate about DLC pales beside the discussion to be had about the recent XBL dashboard update which now has Avatar items which on average reach prices of 4.50 each item. Would you pay around 6.00 to dress your Avatar as a Halo 3 Marine? What games apart from Avatar golf and Guitar Hero 5 and 1 vs 100 actually use the avatar system. Imho the debate on DLC needs shelving we need to have a discussion on Avatars and how useless/useful we think they are.