DLC is the norm in gaming now, it’s happened fast and there doesn’t seem to be any going back. In our latest Podcast, Dylan, Kevin and Yousif discussed the pros and cons of this new trend. After some reflection, Yousif decided to expand on his thoughts and arguements.
While I was sitting on the fence listening to both arguments my opinion slowly formed on the topic at hand. Now, DLC is in theory a good idea if implemented correctly, my issue is with how companies are implementing it now.
Downloaded content allows games to remain fresh and add bonus features to a game, a great new way for developers to update their titles, something that before this generation had remained exclusive to the PC community. Even to the PC community this is relatively new, with larger updates being released as separate expansions, only with the growth of Steam has PC gaming really begun to get expansions through Digital distribution. This system had proved effective and made its way to the newer console’s with the arrival of hard drives and full internet support.
Unfortunately with this all being new to the console market, Sony, Microsoft and the developers seem to be taking us all for a ride, and the ride costs you an arm and a leg. Whereas expansions used to exist to provide you with content worthy of a separate release, DLC for the consoles seems to be awarded price tags for the most mediocre add-ons. Extra maps for multiplayer, a new gun, costume or even sticker seems to now have a monetary value, yes people want these items, but previously these would have been for free.
Some huge offenders exist in the market today like, Street Fighter 4 charging you for a bonus costume, and not even a small amount, $4 for each of the 5 packs! Whatever happened to unlockable costumes in gaming? Little Big Planet is a dubious offender, while all the user created levels can be accessed for free and some costumes being available on PSN again free of charge, the majority of costumes will set you back less than a dollar. A fair price some would say considering the amount you get for free anyway and now you can pick and choose the content you wish to add on top, however sticker pack also cost money, something I just simply cannot comprehend. The Mgs4 pack on the other hand makes sense, an expansion if you will at a reasonable price, so LBP has some things right.
FPS and TPS seem to suffer from this ludicrous exploitation the most, bonus maps and weaponry seems to cost a small fortune, something you are almost forced to buy to continue to interact with the community. Killzone 2, Gears of War and Halo 3 are all major offenders of charging for a very small amount of content, perhaps if Gears of war would include the missing level added to the PC version; some incentive would exist to fork out your hard earned cash. Some people reading this are already getting riled from this paragraph thinking ‘but this added content is worth the price I paid and developers spent time making it, they should charge money’, my response to this is Valve.
Team Fortress 2 is possibly the best supported FPS on the market today for bonus content, not the 360 or PS3 version mind you. On the PC, we have seen several new maps, new modes, achievements, voices, hats (hmm) and weaponry added to the game since its release and they still are not done. All of this content on the PC version has been as it should be, FREE. Small updates over a large period of time have produced some of the most enjoyable game play I have ever had in an arena FPS and the game was cheap to start with. Valve has also been busy updating their other titles like L4D with new modes and more promised before the upcoming sequel. With all this added content you have to wonder if the new features would have required you to dig into your pockets had they been exclusive to the consoles, my gut feeling says yes.
The sad tragedy is that when the TF2 class updates finally finish the content added would well be worth some cash, if it was all released at once I would most definitely be tempted for all they offer. By no means am I suggesting DLC is a bad idea, nor am I suggesting all of it should be free, some great examples exist on the market today of content well worth picking up. Fallout 3 has produced quality (if bug ridden) expansions to the game over the year, with quality and content worth the price of admission. Mass Effect has only released one of its 3(?) promised bonus missions and while costing a bit too much for the content given, the quality level was high and enjoyable. The best example is GTA4′s Lost and the Damned expansion, giving players a whole new story and character to enjoy, giving a fine example of how DLC should be used.
Some of this comes from the audience of the console market being new to the whole DLC concept and big companies taking advantage of their naivety. My anger comes from this, I have enjoyed quality content from top developers for years through the PC format and now I see people forking out for content that by all rights should be given for free. Capcom even had the audacity to charge people for the multiplayer mode on Resident Evil 5, something that was already on the disc at purchase! Unfortunately this is not going to go away in a hurry with people wanting the content offered and having the classic gamer lack of patience, only if we stopped buying the content that is being over priced will we get reasonable responses from the industry.
Perhaps one day something will happen to change this, but the chances remain that by the next generation of consoles even all PC games will have suffered the fate of added charges. So for now we will still have to pay £3.19 for an extra difficulty setting on Valkira Chronicles, I weep for gaming.
Yousif Alshaker – Lead Ps3 Writer
The opinion here is one expressed by the writer alone and does not reflect the views of the website (as can be heard in the Podcast). If you have an opinion on what you have just read, post below, no log in necessary.
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At the end of the day, it’s choice.
Yes, you may feel left out as you, for example, watch your friends run around shooting the other team with their shiny new gun. But, if you’re good enough with the standard weapons…no problem.
The worst DLC is that which actually gives the player a big advantage; either in single player or multiplayer. I don’t mind costume packs. That’s choice. A new alternative gun? So what, that’s choice. A big massive rocket launcher with infinite ammo or the ability to buy cars that should be unlocked within the game? That’s taking the p…
dlc is good so developers can meet deadlines with horrific results sell at $60 and then charge an extra $5-$10 for everything that should’ve been included.
DLC is a wonderful idea but in monetary system with planned obsolescence, and the bullshit idea for scarcity so we should all pay for everything in our lives every good idea at some point in time becomes corrupt such as gamers being too lazy to brag on forums they actually need like the developers to include say a minimum of 20 hours in every campaign of every game. but no gamers are too lazy and for the most part stupid people who simply take whatever the developer throws at them and insists that they charge high amounts b/c they believe its reasonable. well not all of us are millionaires. No gamers need to get of their assess and demand that DLC is free or very close to it, $60 bucks is more than enough for a game some people live of $60 for a whole year. saying its okay to charge so much is plain ignorance despite how good a game may be. even if the games characters are 10 times smarter than milo in project NATAL. the more laid back gamers are and seperate from each other the more developers will get away with.
But you can’t stop it. You can’t get everyone to boycott it I’m afraid. =) You just have to set your own principles when it comes to it all. Maybe try and influence a few people.
‘need like the developers to include say a minimum of 20 hours in every campaign of every game.’
Length is not the problem here, some games would be horrific at 20 hour lengths. Games like Max Payne were good because they didnt drag on, sometimes to much content is a bad thing.
The question that should be asked is when content is added, should the content have been avalible from the start? Should it be free or worth the money they ask for?
As for the boycott, unfortuntely Paul.D is right not everyone will boycott a game, the difference is however that we the hardcore gamers do not make up most of the market. Either the people who buy games for entertainement will be willing to part with the cash or they will look elsewhere for there kicks. The recent news of Activsions Modern Warfare 2 price hikes will affect their sales numbers with the average person, with so many other titles to choose from in the holiday run up, people will be looking elsewhere. Boycotting as a group of gamers will not work, unless you can make it known to the public who arent intrested in games. People outside of the social group will be swayed by a tale of financial greed in this climate.
Don’t worry, this is just a transitory stage until we get streamed gaming on a universal platform. Then the real fun begins where you pay for each minute you play and nothing physically belongs to you anymore – no more game discs, nothing. The game industry is on a mission to destroy the second hand market, to obliterate the classical concept of “you buy and own a game” and replace it with “only idiots want to own games, real gamers play’n'pay by the minute”.
DLC, Trusted Computing, inane EULAs and “limited installs copy protection” a la Bioshock/Crysis:Warhead/Spore are just the first steps of this bigger picture. Enjoy these last hours of buying a whole game and expecting patches for free while it lasts, players.
End of the day, its here and we cant go back. if you want the dlc pay for it if you dont then leave it and dont buy it, i for one dont think paying 800ms points for new cod maps is bad, as they are of a great standard and add depth to the online exp.
Great article. I think that DLC has done good things for gamers in offering add-ons, expansions and content which wasn’t possible/included in the original game but as said, it is exploited by developers. The first DLC for Saints Row 2 (Ultor Exposed) was not worth the price of 800 Points. In my opinion, the price of DLC should be relative to the content and playability of the content within. TLAD (GTA IV) cost $20 but it added almost 20 hours of single-player content. Ultor Exposed gave us four missions you could finish in less than 2 hours (I’m being generous here) and 4 vehicles and some new clothing – but that isn’t worth $10. As it has been said before me, it is a pick-and-choose thing, we aren’t forced to buy it, but the point still stands, while we have great priced DLC worth the content, we also have shoody DLC fetching far more than what they’re worth.
I think DLC needs to be justified. To me it seems that developers can rush a game out and then charge for the fixes but call them extra features and things like that. Capcom should never charge for a Streetfighter costume the same way racing games should not charge you for cars and/or tracks.
When you buy a game (which are getting more and more expensive) as a consumer you deserve a finished product. Something worth your hard-earned money. You don’t want to buy a game to realise that the best features or whatever that inspired you to buy the game are things you have to pay extra for.
Great article though
Ian W.
meh, DLC is waist of time
enough said.
I have noticed that more games are coming out with the dlsc as bonus pack that will be released within months after the dlc contents pops online example Mass effect Bring down the sky dlc was added as an extra disc for $20.00.L4d, gow2, fall out 3, the watchmen (content 1,2)are also following suite by releashing the content on disc for $20-30.DLC is good depending on what the gamer feels he or she would like to continue to play.Im against paying outragoues prices for content that I feel would be worthy of paying.I beleive in working in order to unlock itmes in games instead being able to purchase them in live or home market place.Over all I feel that dlc is a good thing.Paying outragoues prices or gamer points is not.
Yea I think they should, you want to show off the system you have to include some games. When someone buys your console you want your friends to be impressed by it, so that it gets the manufacturer more sales. Well the best way to show off a console is with games such as Halo 3 and let’s say CoD4. If peeps see how one games has amazing online and how one has gorgeous graphics and an online that’s easy to pick up and play they’ll be all over it. I mean the biggest reason why the 360 is out selling is because of the price and it’s games, and MS goes as far as including a couple of free games with a console and not just cheap games, I mean sure you had the bundle with Kung Fu Panda, than the MUA game along with Forza 2 which wasn’t bad.
When i hear the words “Downloadable Content” i think of maps and new content to play about in or with, such as Call of Duty Series or the Halo series, but i noticed if you dont have all the download packs for Halo 3 your only allowed to play on certain maps me having all map packs but mythic pack find it rather anoying because their forcing everyone to buy the map packs or you wont be able to take full advantage of your investment off the maps