Megaman 9 definitely did it wrong. DLC got released a month after launch, obviously made before launch, and included stuff that should've been released with the original game, like the ability to slide.
Blue toad murder files did it right! releasing the games in episodes. I spent a little money to check if it was worth anything and then decided that it was, and now I'm willing to pay for the other episodes as well.
Originally Posted by Skyblade
But look at the flipside, what else are you going to do if you don't buy the DLC? Probably buy another game.
If I have the choice between buying DLC worth $40 to me at $40, or buying a new game worth $40 to me at $40, why should it make any difference if the game I originally bought was worth 80$ to me or $40.
Using your argument the DLC would be completely worthwhile if you paid $80 for the original game, but a rip off if you got a deal and paid $40 for the game in the first place. And I can't fathom how you think $120 for game+DLC is more worthwhile than $80 for the same.
You can't compare the entertainment:dollar ratio of the DLC to the existing game, only to any possible future other purchases.
Actually, I'd probably go gamble it away, but that's besides the point.
Anyways, the game and the DLC are all part of one entity, why shouldn't the DLC be held to the standards of the game? Let's use the example of Fallout 3. Plenty of people love the game, let's say you do too. Then you download the DLC and it sucks. You're disappointed because it's not as good as the game.
So why shouldn't the DLC yield the same value as the game?
Yes it's an awful analogy, but it is an analogy. My analogies are generally better than that one which admittedly was somewhat of a stretch but it was written just before a shift at work and before my girlfriend went to Poland, therefore I think we can agree I had plenty of distractions at the time of writing. It still stands however, you could buy a new printer for the cost of 2 new ink cartridges and a skein of paper, considering most places will have offers on their printers.
I'm sure it's all part of the plan that they get you with the cheap printer and just make the real money on the ink and paper, like movie theaters do with concessions prices.
Not liking DLC because it sucks and not liking it because you didn't feel like you got your money's worth aren't the same thing, but both are very subjective.
There is no reason it shouldn't yeild the same value as the game, but there is nothing to say it has to either. I view DLC as esentialy a 'new' game you are purchasing. The DLC and the game are not one entity, they are completely different products. (In a transactions sense)
It is like saying if Company A makes and awesome game that you play for 200 hours, you will never buy a another game from them that isn't worth 200 hours or over. Using your philosophy you will shut yourself out of the new game market fairly quickly.
So when Mass Effect 2 is released there is DLC along with it that is completely free. Is anyone else confuse by this? As in, on release day, there will be DLC for the game that is released along side it. Makes me think that companies are actually being forced to release at a certain point without releasing everything they want.
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There is no doubt, some games WILL be shipped uncompleted to make the deadline and then patched with DLC. Such thinks will only erode consumer confidence and in the end publishers * hopefully* will see it is a bad idea, but it will happen. Heck, just look at the state of the MMO industry.
This can actually be due to the publishers as well as the games development team. This happened with Dragon Age Origins which ironically is made by Bioware as well. With Dragon Age the given explanation was that the game was originally going to ship on PC first back in spring 09 this caused the team to announce to EA they were finalized in terms of game content back in 08 when they announced that EA would have constantly have pushed the team to see it finished so they could begin making money on it, considering the console team wasn't quite ready to ship their products the pc team continued working on the game content but knew the content could not be put in to the game prior to release because doing so would undo the finalizing of the content something in dev terms is a bad thing, it can lead to publishers walking away, dropping a project.
There is however another reason very plausible for free DLC with the game when brought new. The reason is simply the pre-owned market. A lot of gamers buy games only on the pre-owned markets which means the developers and publishers see nothing from that sale, the company who sold it sees everything profit wise. In including the DLC codes they can then say "well we gave those who showed us some loyalty by buying the game new codes for this for free. If you brought the game Pre-owned you've gotta pay for the DLC" The ammount they can charge for the DLC is variable, though in DA: O Shale is 1600 points on the xbla.
Publishers will do whatever makes them the most money at the end of the day, always have, always will. I'd be very surprised to find anyone at the top ranks of EA or Bethesda or any other publishing companies who truly gives aabout games and probably drop dead to find out that someone in the higher ups of these companies cared more about the games than the money. Most of the top people in these companies will be simply business executives who like making money and are very good at doing so whilst employing a good team of people who keep them briefed on what each product is about so that if they are ever asked a question about an actual product they can answer it to some capacity.
I just wait until a Game Of The Year edition is out.
Otherwise, it depends how much I love the game as to whether I will buy the DLC.
DLC was okay for me. I haven't really bought any. I just bought the Pirates of the Caribbean Pack and MGS pack for LBP. All the others I received were free and there's nothing like free DLC. Capcom could've done better for DLC though.
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