|
DLC: Great Idea or Rip-off?
Link |
by
on 2009-01-16 09:00:53 (edited 2009-01-16 09:04:25)
|
|
DLC, short for Downloadable Content, is currently gaining more and more popularity with game developers. It's a great way to keep people playing their games until the next installment comes out, they can earn money from it, it's more cost effective than building up enough of it to release as an expansion or separate game, and it keeps the fans of the game happy (usually). It's also good for the fans, if you love the game then these DLC packs are a great way to add to the lifespan of the game once you've beaten it, or it could be a great reason to pick it up and play it again if you had wanted to (it's easier to pick up and play a second time if you know there's something new in there this time around). Recently though, a new trend seems to be working it's way into DLC. Unlock codes. Remember back in the days before this generation of gaming when you could say. . use a cheat code to unlock Spider-man in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, or change your players costume in Grand Theft Auto so that you looked like the citizens. Can you imagine paying anywhere from 2 to 5 dollars for each of those codes? Well that's basically what's been happening recently with DLC packs. Games like Soul Caliber IV for instance releasing characters as DLC, costing roughly 5 dollars. What's wrong with that? Well the thing is the character is already on the disc itself, all that you pay for is a code which tells the game disc "Okay, he's allowed to use it now." Most recently in terms of big name games has been Soul Caliber IV. For those of you who have kept track, you may remember that a little while ago Bandai Namco made Darth Vader available on 360 and Yoda available on PS3 in the form of a 5 dollar pack. However, it was shown by someone else that this download was nothing more than a code which unlocked the character, as Yoda and Darth Vader were on the disc for both versions of the game. Basically, game companies are putting extra content on the disc knowing that they will later sell that content to you as a 1000kb downloadable code. So, my question. Do you think this is fair play by game companies? Does it just lighten the load on our Hard Drives by storing the data on the disk so that we don't have to download a massive pack of data, opting instead for a lightweight little code to give it to us? Or is it a dirty way to swindle us out of more money for something that they already put on the disc and that we have already technically paid for? I'd like to hear your point of view. They are always optional of course, you aren't required to buy DLC, but is it right for them to be charging us something that we've already been charged for? Do you think they should be allowed to charge us so much for it? (I refer to only some games, sometimes add-on's only cost like 1 dollar, other times 5-10).    |
|
Re: DLC: Great Idea or Rip-off?
Link |
by
on 2009-01-16 09:09:57 |
|
ME??? Buy for unlock codes??? I'd rather end the game the old way... Or with trainer packs... I'ts worthless to get game unlock codes for a price.... I'd rather spend the money on food or playing games at cyber cafe... Trust me.... You won't regret for believing it...  |
|
Re: DLC: Great Idea or Rip-off?
Link |
by
on 2009-01-16 13:22:12 |
|
10000kb is not exactly a small file. it could be the characters mesh data and animation. they probably only got the license later on and is now charging for it to be available. or they probably just made part of the contents and sold it earlier at a cheaper price. then later on sell the rest of the contents when they are finally done with it. its like buying only parts of the games then if you like you could buy the rest of it. kind a like buying a PC. you buy the basic parts first then later on if you want you could buy the rest of the upgrades if you want. |
|
Re: DLC: Great Idea or Rip-off?
Link |
by
on 2009-01-16 15:27:23 |
|
@Dark zero- Referring to the SC thing, they had the license already. Yoda was originally only available to 360 owners while Darth Vader only on PS3. Both characters however were on both the 360 and PS3 versions of the games and they simply sold it a 360kb code that made them available. Knight of the Old Republic is another example, an additional level was installed on your computer while it was being set up, but it was only available if you paid extra for it (although people quickly created a hack for that). Also, 1000kb is only about 1mb, I was just using 1000kb as an example. The 'add-on' for Yoda and Vader in SC4 was only about 100 or 300 kb. Did you see a typo on my part of 100,000kb? Or do you mean 1,000kb? I only said 1000. As for your main post, none of the games that have DLC are sold at a cheaper price. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune has had no DLC at all and sells for 60, Soul Caliber 4 also sold for 60 and is no offering you basically a cheat code to unlock a character which is already on the disc, for 5 extra dollars. All of the games on store shelves are completed, DLC is really just additional things for later, like once you've beaten the main game, or costumes and such. I haven't seen any DLC pack yet that has been a main part of the game. So none of the games on store shelves are sold in parts. |
|
Re: DLC: Great Idea or Rip-off?
Link |
by zparticus27
on 2009-01-23 23:21:15
|
|
wait, so most DLC content is some code that unlocks something that is already available in the cd to begin with? clearly that is a big rip off... |