gaming DLC and Pre-Order Bonuses: A Consumer Nightmare

[Colon Leftbracket 971]

BEWARE: This is a bit of a rant.

 

So a few years ago I used to joke about video game developer's purposely hiding content from their consumers to make a quick buck later... funny thing is a few years later it has become a reality!

 

I used to make that joke about sequels. Where the next game is exactly the same but they make you rebuy the game to continue the storyline or get a few graphical upgrades! This isn't anything new. In fact Nintendo, the family friendly happy-go-lucky lovable company, robs you blind each time you play the next Mario, Zelda, or Pokemon title.

(Fun-Fact: Crazy thing about Nintendo fans, my self included, that we not only allow, not only accept this, but fully expects this to get a nice hit of that nostalgia! Us Nintendo fans are INSANE!)

 

But this rant isn't on bad sequels that "should've been an expansion pack/DLC) but the DLC itself!

 

Now the thought of DLC is the true future of gaming! Now games repair and update themselves without you having to buy a new disc! Every gamer's dream! Unfortunately we depend on these big publisher and developer companies to handle this dream. With big companies comes corporate greed. And us Bronies know what greed is like! The companies are more like Discord Rarity. The companies are hoarding their own Tom the Rock (no offense to the user that happens to be named Tom the Rock hehe) and keeping it away from us consumers. Except this is the real world... that diamond they're holding away (content) turns out to be a gold mine! Sad ending for consumers!

 

Confused with my metaphor? Okay how about this...

"DLC is killing gaming as a whole!"

How? Well let's look at pre-order bonuses. I remember when this fad started. Game Stop would give you like a free key chain for free. Not bad... Now they hand you numbers? Well let me tell you exactly what you bought. You bought a game on a disc, you also received a few numbers... wait that was obvious. But those numbers have a use. So you can fully use that disc, you know the one you paid for! Now getting a little extra content isn't bad, but what about those who didn't pre-order, those who bought it from a local retailer, those who bought it used! Welcome to the Capitalistic Nightmare World!

 

Gears of War 3 is a nice example. You could pre-order GoW3 from Game Stop and receive the code to unlock the "Commando Dom" character skin.

 

Best Buy offers Mechanic Baird

 

Amazon offers Savage Kantus

 

Walmart offers Savage Grenadier

 

These are alternative player skins already available on disc that we are denied access! We are only allowed access to these if we pre-ordered and purchased the game from a certain retailer. No matter which retailer you pick you are denied access to content you already purchased on the damn disc!

 

Oh but it get's worse than petty pre-order skins. There's also the Collector's Edition which comes with an exclusive Adam Fenix skin... which is also already on the Standard Edition's disc! There are also exclusive weapons skins too!

 

Also if you took part in the Beta they give out yet another skin already on disc! This one's Cole Train!

 

Tired of being blocked of access... too bad! You can also pay extra out of your pocket to use weapon skins you already own! Not to mention to get to use them all it costs almost as much as the damn game!

 

Oh it doesn't end now does it! The first DLC pack is the Horde Command pack... this pack is interesting because it is NOT DLC! Through breaking into the game the skins are already on the disc too just waiting to be activated!

 

Look at all that content... All of which (if you bought Gears of War 3) you already own on disc!

I got Gears of War 3 from Game Stop. I usually buy my games from a local retailer, but they weren't offering Beta access. (was actually worth the $5 I put down for it!) Now I love my local retailer Elite Games, the clerks are fun loving gamer's like me! If they were hiring I'd join in a heartbeat! They also have a large collection of Classic games in-store! AND they let you pay about $5 to sit down in the middle of the store and play it for about an hour!

If it weren't for the Beta I would've bought it from Elite, but I already paid $5 so... why not!

 

If I did do the right thing and supported my awesome local retailer look at all the content I'd miss out on!!! All of that on disc, but unusable!

 

"Oh so the motto is don't buy Gears of War 3?" Well no! Aside from this the game is good in my opinion (well lack luster singleplayer, but I don't expect much these days). This psuedo-DLC fad has been around for a while and isn't going away!

 

Online Passes are the new cancer! Surprisingly GoW3 did not require this... but other games require you to buy the game new in order to play online. If one buys the game used you must pay extra to play it online, or access certain content (the infamous Catwoman is a good example from Arkham City)!

 

Similar examples some people complain about is Call of Duty Elite which isn't really content it's a service. I pay $15 a month for SWTOR because it's a service! Certainly I wish I could alternatively access the game content offline for free, but it's an MMO they don't work like that! CoD Elite is an online service that people pay for if they like CoD's online and want to get the most of it. Plus fans of CoD's online Muliplayer seem to be stupid anway so more power to them to waste money oops did I write that?

 

Others may bring up TF2's hats and weapons. Bear in mind that these micro-transactions are a service. A Stupid service at that Plus you get the game for free now where veterans like me had to pay for it so shut up!

 

None of this is slowing down! I just heard Mass Effect 3 has a similar plan as Gears of War 3 where the big retailers roll out their exclusive weapons and whatnot!

 

You know it is hard to be a video game fan these days! The quality of games seem to have dumbed down to make way from needlessly complex graphics and tedious online play! Now the purchasing of games themselves is becoming a chore as well. And DLC that is supposed to extend the life of a game instead only limits it! And poor small awesome retailers like Elite Games will bite the dust because of these terrors!

 

Well I've already decided to boycott the retailers as a small personal protest, but some people don't have the option or a retailer worth fighting for, but I feel we as the consumers have to fight back somehow!

 

/rant

[Gummy 724]

Its only a bitch if its already on disk and they charge us for it. Just my thoughts.

 

Also in regards to retail exclusives, that DLC pays for the in store marketing, such as the big cardboard cut outs and the premium shelving space. At least this was what I was told after speaking to a developer at Visceral.

 

But I get what you are saying, I hate that shit they pull with locked content on disk.

[HanPolo 150]

I want to rant so much right now, but youve said EVERYTHING i can think of!

 

Im gonna join in the rant anyway.

 

All of that is true and it is all killing games. But the thing i hate soooooooooooo much more than the others, is online passes. You see, im quite a poor person *cry cry, sob sob* so i buy allot of pre owned games. Usualy, the codes for these pre-owned games have already been used (Blockbuster taunt you by putting the useless code in there anyway). Imagine the suprise i got, when after a long day i pick up Mortal Kombat, sit down, have a good play on single player, think "this is quite good, im gonna try my hand at multiplayer..."

 

...Sorry?! Am i reading this correctly?! You want me to pay MORE?! The shops are closed, tommorow is sunday and i hate buying Microsoft points with my credit card and god knows i shouldent put the effort into getting them anyway. Ah, but all is well, the creators of Mortal Kombat have OFFERD me a timed trial of online. Well, thats kind of them isent it? To OFFER me a small segment of time to play on what i have already paid for. I paid for the whole game, not 75%. Ah, well, who needs Mortal Kombat anyway? Im sure no other game makers have made this idiotic choice now, have they?

 

Ive got a preowned coppy of Battlefield 3 here... I hear the online for this is really good. Lets have a game...

 

OH LORD.

 

Rant over. You may continue.

[Viscra Maelstrom 3,718]

imo, DLC and whatever bonuses you get from buying them from whatever place, is just a way to suck more money outta the players' pockets. at least that's the general idea i am getting from it.

[Envy 5,998]

It's killing The Sims 3 horribly.

 

When you already release two Expansion Packs a year, and now two Stuff Packs (which are overpriced and pointless to begin with), there shouldn't be any need to charge any extra for separate DLC (AKA The Sims 3 Store), but nope... EA is milking The Sims 3 as much as they possibly can.

 

The Expansion Packs are noticeably smaller since their teams have to focus on making content for all of these different sources. Yet the prices of the Expansion Packs actually rose up $10. Beyond that, the store is horribly overpriced. Spending like $2 for an individual little piece of furniture. =/

 

Then they charge you $20 for neighborhoods/worlds. Now, I've messed around with the program they use to create worlds, and I know those are no easy task to create. However, they've released Expansion Packs without new worlds, and then the world they were developing during that time oh-so-conveniently was released so soon after the EP. And the EP they did that with was such a rip-off as well!

 

Just complete and total overkill. People who advocate paid DLC have no idea how badly it can be abused, and here I see Animal Crossing fans advocating paid DLC. Hello, AC fans. Look what EA did with their life simulation game, Animal Crossing could be abused in the same exact way, because they're both life simulation games and both can have very similar DLC. And you know what, I don't doubt for one second that Nintendo is capable of doing it. After seeing them charge $50 for a downgraded port of Wild World to the Wii, I know they're capable of being just as greedy.

[Evilshy 5,089]

What's wrong with TF2s store? Nothing that effects gameplay can't be found in a random drop, of which you get one about every hour of play, limited to 8-12 a week. And nobody actually buys weapons in the store because you can get them in drops or trade for them. True, F2P can't trade, but seriously, to get a premium account, you only have to buy 1 thing in the store.

 

Also, if anypony is mad that they bought TF2 and then it went F2P, just remember you got to play the game a ton before the free players did. If you bought it like a month before it went free, then you have a valid complaint, but if you've been playing for years, stop complaining.

[Colon Leftbracket 971]

Just complete and total overkill. People who advocate paid DLC have no idea how badly it can be abused, and here I see Animal Crossing fans advocating paid DLC. Hello, AC fans. Look what EA did with their life simulation game, Animal Crossing could be abused in the same exact way, because they're both life simulation games and both can have very similar DLC. And you know what, I don't doubt for one second that Nintendo is capable of doing it. After seeing them charge $50 for a downgraded port of Wild World to the Wii, I know they're capable of being just as greedy.

 

Hmm... I think DLC for Animal Crossing isn't a bad idea... as long as it is handled correctly. Hopefully all of the actual Game Content on disc is readily available for you and down the line you can buy an expansion that adds new elements to game play.

The Sims Store sounds horrid! Though I do like how the Sims can keep their game alive though expansion packs that actually add to the original, but it has to be more than furniture. An expansion must EXPAND gameplay, not reskin it!

 

What's wrong with TF2s store? Nothing that effects gameplay can't be found in a random drop, of which you get one about every hour of play, limited to 8-12 a week. And nobody actually buys weapons in the store because you can get them in drops or trade for them. True, F2P can't trade, but seriously, to get a premium account, you only have to buy 1 thing in the store.

 

Also, if anypony is mad that they bought TF2 and then it went F2P, just remember you got to play the game a ton before the free players did. If you bought it like a month before it went free, then you have a valid complaint, but if you've been playing for years, stop complaining.

 

I only mentioned TF2's store because I knew somebody would bring it up. I actually sorta defended it. (Although I did call it stupid) I said the store is a service. If you bought TF2 on a disc it didn't come with the hats or guns. The online service added that bit later therefore the correct way to handle DLC. To expand the game!

Also I see what you mean by Vets got to play longer than Freebies the shut up part was more of a joke! hehe

 

 

I want to rant so much right now, but youve said EVERYTHING i can think of!

 

Im gonna join in the rant anyway.

 

All of that is true and it is all killing games. But the thing i hate soooooooooooo much more than the others, is online passes. You see, im quite a poor person *cry cry, sob sob* so i buy allot of pre owned games. Usualy, the codes for these pre-owned games have already been used (Blockbuster taunt you by putting the useless code in there anyway). Imagine the suprise i got, when after a long day i pick up Mortal Kombat, sit down, have a good play on single player, think "this is quite good, im gonna try my hand at multiplayer..."

 

...Sorry?! Am i reading this correctly?! You want me to pay MORE?! The shops are closed, tommorow is sunday and i hate buying Microsoft points with my credit card and god knows i shouldent put the effort into getting them anyway. Ah, but all is well, the creators of Mortal Kombat have OFFERD me a timed trial of online. Well, thats kind of them isent it? To OFFER me a small segment of time to play on what i have already paid for. I paid for the whole game, not 75%. Ah, well, who needs Mortal Kombat anyway? Im sure no other game makers have made this idiotic choice now, have they?

 

Ive got a preowned coppy of Battlefield 3 here... I hear the online for this is really good. Lets have a game...

 

OH LORD.

 

Rant over. You may continue.

 

Yeah I didn't touch on Online Passes enough to do them justice. They really are the WORST part of DLC! I love to pick up games about a year or so down the road from my local retailer for cheap to play them for like a weekend, try the online, but I see that those days are running thin. They didn't even think of the long term effects of these things.

I like how the developers of Twisted Metal are trying to fight the online pass being put on their game, but Sony is pulling their leg and twisting them to. I hope Twisted Metal wins that struggle just to show people that this sort of idea has to be fought. Besides I can guarantee I'll end up buying that used to relive the Twisted Metal Nostalgia, but I don't like to pay in full for just nostalgic appeal!

[Knight Shadrahk 158]

I actually like DLC. It helps the games from getting boring.

And CoD Elite looks worth it to me.

[HanPolo 150]

I want to rant more, because youve said everything ive been thinking for a few weeks now

 

As DLC goes, i dont mind it when its not already on the disk. 'Shivering Isles' for Oblivion was such a good dlc, that came out a long time after the game did, and thats the way DLC's should be done. Massive, worth buying, and not taking up space on my hard drive since before ive paid for it.

 

Kane and Lynch 2 on the other hand, only gave the buyer half the maps for its online mode 'Fragile alliance' and the rest you had to pay for. This isent DLC because they were present on the disk, taking up space on my hardrive, from day one. Im not buying DLC ,im buying a key to unlock whats already on the disk. Im pretty certain thats bordering on a scam, if they had these maps made alongside the game, but restricting the player from them until they pay more. It ****** me of quite a bit

[Colon Leftbracket 971]

I want to rant more, because youve said everything ive been thinking for a few weeks now

 

As DLC goes, i dont mind it when its not already on the disk. 'Shivering Isles' for Oblivion was such a good dlc, that came out a long time after the game did, and thats the way DLC's should be done. Massive, worth buying, and not taking up space on my hard drive since before ive paid for it.

 

Kane and Lynch 2 on the other hand, only gave the buyer half the maps for its online mode 'Fragile alliance' and the rest you had to pay for. This isent DLC because they were present on the disk, taking up space on my hardrive, from day one. Im not buying DLC ,im buying a key to unlock whats already on the disk. Im pretty certain thats bordering on a scam, if they had these maps made alongside the game, but restricting the player from them until they pay more. It ****** me of quite a bit

 

I thought Kane and Lynch 2 was a scam period! I thought no one liked these games... perhaps I was wrong!

 

But yeah your thoughts on DLC is in the Expansion Pack category which is probably the best DLC out there. It's like a sequel, but still the same game! Games should really learn from these Expansion Packs!

 

 

I actually like DLC. It helps the games from getting boring.

And CoD Elite looks worth it to me.

 

Hmm... sorry I insulted the CoD fanbase. I may disagree with what games like CoD and Battlefield are doing to video games these days, but it was unfair for me to insult you and the whole fanbase.

 

I'm strangely neutral with these games. Although I find their online endlessly tedious like headbutting a solid brick wall hoping it collapses and the campaigns are just sight seeing trips that I could've just watched a shitty action movie, but there is one thing that keeps me playing these games and that's the local multiplayer and survival modes. Nazi Zombies was fun and I enjoyed it as something good to come out of the CoD woodwork. Now MW3 has their own survival mode that in my opinion, not as interesting a concept, but more fun than Nazi Zombies! I will probably never call Call of Duty as a whole a "Good" game, but it has it's ups so I won't call it horrible either.

 

Also you missed my point on why DLC is bad. I did say that CoD Elite is justified since it is an optional service that adds to the multiplayer experience. It isn't something BY FAR that I'd personally buy since I hate CoD's online competitive multiplayer. And DLC such as map packs are fine with me. It extends multiplayer both online, but offline too!

 

The point here is that I hate how DLC is being abused to turn a cheap profit making you buy items that are already on disc. If a map pack you download reads that it only takes up a few KB then you are downloading virtually NOTHING! Same goes for Pre-Order bonuses locking away content unless we buy from a certain retailer.

 

I say if it is on disc and is not an external service (such as CoD Elite) then you already bought it and should not have to buy access to that content!

[Kyreth 193]

There's a fine line between DLC and locked content. In my opinion, a DLC that actually adds to the game (missions, features, that sort of thing) is fine, but stuff that's on the disk that you can't access still annoys me.

But what about what's in between? I guess its still annoying if the content isn't on the disk but is available for free download from certain retailers. What if DLC is released a week after the game? It must have been ready when the game came out, why can't it be on the disk? Is the game worth the price without the DLC?

 

The way I see it, its ok if game companies charge for DLC, as long as the game is actually good enough to stand on its own. What gets me mad is when something that should be part of the game is removed so we have to pay extra for it as DLC or buy from retailers to get it. There is a lot of grey area regarding what makes a game worth the price and this is why its so easy for companies to exploit DLC.

 

Online passes are evil. Its a blatant example of companies wanting money instead of a strong community and loyal fans who will buy future products.

 

Also, if anypony is mad that they bought TF2 and then it went F2P, just remember you got to play the game a ton before the free players did. If you bought it like a month before it went free, then you have a valid complaint, but if you've been playing for years, stop complaining.

 

Thats exactly what I did, but its a great game and Valve deserve the money for it so I have no complaints.

Edited January 4, 2012 by Kyreth

[Killian Jones 2,653]

I don't hate DLC. DLC can be a powerful tool to extend the life on any title. The problem is when you have horrible DLC practices like charging 5 pounds for 3 new maps or when every single retailer has different pre-order bonuses. At least make it consistent and easy to purchase.

 

Although I like to think of the old days when you bought an expansion and that came down to a lot of new content for your game. DLC is a cheap tool that is overpriced often.

[Evilshy 5,089]

the only thing that gets me about DLC is when its required to play, or at least when people without a certain DLC cant play with those who do. because then you kinda have to pay the $10 for 2 new maps and 3 new weapons or you cant play in like 75% of the multiplayer games.

 

or you can be like me and not play games that do that

[Colon Leftbracket 971]

There's a fine line between DLC and locked content. In my opinion, a DLC that actually adds to the game (missions, features, that sort of thing) is fine, but stuff that's on the disk that you can't access still annoys me.

But what about what's in between? I guess its still annoying if the content isn't on the disk but is available for free download from certain retailers. What if DLC is released a week after the game? It must have been ready when the game came out, why can't it be on the disk? Is the game worth the price without the DLC?

 

The way I see it, its ok if game companies charge for DLC, as long as the game is actually good enough to stand on its own. What gets me mad is when something that should be part of the game is removed so we have to pay extra for it as DLC or buy from retailers to get it. There is a lot of grey area regarding what makes a game worth the price and this is why its so easy for companies to exploit DLC.

 

Online passes are evil. Its a blatant example of companies wanting money instead of a strong community and loyal fans who will buy future products.

 

Well of course it's fine to charge for DLC! I'd rather pay $20 for an Expansion then $60 for a shitty sequel! This isn't the type of DLC that is a problem!

Online Passes, Retail Exclusive LOCKED Content, and Locked Content on Disc Sold as DLC are the three main killers!

Online Passes are killing the point of used sales, Retail Exclusives are killing local retailers, and Locked Content Sold as DLC is just horrible rip off!

Another sub-problem I want to bring up that is not as closely related to the big three above is what I call the "Expansion Sequel" now these were often expected before the days of DLC or Expansion Packs. What I speak of is a sequel that doesn't add much of anything to the original and barely continues the narrative. Examples of these would be things like Street FIghter's Turbo/Super/Deluxe or whatever they tag on at the end to release the same Street Fighter Game again with a few added characters. Now this was bad even before DLC, but fans would deal with it, but they still did it today with Super Street Fighter 4! They justified this by selling it for $40 instead of full price... couldn't that just be $20 DLC? They even repeated this for Dead Rising 2 where there was a second release so you could play as Frank West... really? Was that necessary? Even yet again now with Marvel vs Capcom Ultimate! Seriously guys DLC is out there now, use it!

Similar non-Capcom examples are arguably Halo: ODST. This didn't continue the narrative, it did not upgrade the gameplay, it just changed up the gameplay a bit and added a new game mode. They offered Halo 3's exact Multiplayer along with it! This should've been DLC, an Expansion Pack... NOT it's own game. Though I'll admit that ODST's campaign kicked Halo 3's ass! And finally an example that has kept me depressed for the last 2 years and that is Assassin's Creed. I loved the concept of playing as an Assassin in different time periods while having some strange story going on in the future. After AC2 my thought was in the next game we'd be a new Assassin in a new time period... NOPE Ezio in Italy again. What did they add? Well they barely continued the narrative, but it could've been DLC. They also added a new Multiplayer mode which really didn't deserve it's own game, could've been an Arcade title or something. SO next game are we still Ezio... sadly yes! This game insults me further since it DID NOT in any way continue the actual story. Ezio's story could've ended right at the end of Brotherhood or at the end of 2 like it should've! Apparently the next title is going to be different, unfortunately we're probably going to play as Desmond in Future World. I HATE this idea since Desmond might as well be a cardboard cutout of Keanu Reeves (redundant eh?) and the future has guns... Problem Assassins?

 

Hmm I'm putting a lot of dread on DLC so I'll end today's rant and bring up a good example of DLC.

GTAIV... as much as I hated this particular GTA game it's idea for DLC was awesome! Same city, but a whole new storyline and even a different character! Problem Assassin's Creed?

I wish they did the same thing for Red Dead Redemption but all they added was Zombies which seems extremely redundant these days! I hope the Saints Row DLC coming up is similar, but the constant weapon packs that charge a few bucks for a gun and a suit (I'm guessing already on disc locked content seeing how they've been releasing these fast since launch day) kills all my hopes for this!

 

Anyway I'm done ranting for today. Tomorrow I'll probably share my thoughts on the new fad Season Passes.

 

the only thing that gets me about DLC is when its required to play, or at least when people without a certain DLC cant play with those who do. because then you kinda have to pay the $10 for 2 new maps and 3 new weapons or you cant play in like 75% of the multiplayer games.

 

or you can be like me and not play games that do that

 

hehe this was a huge issue for me when everybody played Halo 3. I could only play a handful of playlist because I did not want to buy maps that I didn't even like. The only maps that were worth any money were the Forge maps Foundry and Sandbox. I wish they could've just sold those two separately or something!

 

I don't see this as as big of an issue lately. The DLC just adds a special playlist to play the new maps... which you could just ignore completely like I do.

 

Like I said before though I don't see DLC map packs as an issue though.

[ScottishUnicorn 284]

I don't hate DLC. DLC can be a powerful tool to extend the life on any title.

 

Well if enough people enjoy the game, and there is mod tools. And then mod scene becomes active, there is essentially enough tools to extend the shelf life of a game ten fold. Warcraft 3 is a prime example, due the successful mods like DotA which people still play today people that don't own the game will hear about the mod and go out and buy the game despite being 9 years old. Another prime example is Half-life 2 or even the first game, because they had the modding tools out there have been countless games spawned from the tools, two of them namely Counter-Strike and Team Fortress 12.

 

The game series Civilization was a game that had a very active modding scene and was known for having many good mods, which adds shelf life. But when the released Civ 5 they focused a lot on DLC, which led to a very limited modding for the title. This is a good example of how DLC can ruin a game.

[Colon Leftbracket 971]

Well if enough people enjoy the game, and there is mod tools. And then mod scene becomes active, there is essentially enough tools to extend the shelf life of a game ten fold. Warcraft 3 is a prime example, due the successful mods like DotA which people still play today people that don't own the game will hear about the mod and go out and buy the game despite being 9 years old. Another prime example is Half-life 2 or even the first game, because they had the modding tools out there have been countless games spawned from the tools, two of them namely Counter-Strike and Team Fortress 12.

 

The game series Civilization was a game that had a very active modding scene and was known for having many good mods, which adds shelf life. But when the released Civ 5 they focused a lot on DLC, which led to a very limited modding for the title. This is a good example of how DLC can ruin a game.

 

hmm... haven't really thought of modding when it comes to this issue. I was primarily thinking about console games, but you have a valid point on this!

 

Good thing about modding is that it is generally free and isn't victim to big greedy companies since it is user made!

 

Example: TF2 can come out with all the hats they want, but with a few client side visual mods I can make my hats look like just about anything! Hell I have tons of Pony mods on my TF2 right now!

[ScottishUnicorn 284]

hmm... haven't really thought of modding when it comes to this issue. I was primarily thinking about console games, but you have a valid point on this!

 

Good thing about modding is that it is generally free and isn't victim to big greedy companies since it is user made!

 

Example: TF2 can come out with all the hats they want, but with a few client side visual mods I can make my hats look like just about anything! Hell I have tons of Pony mods on my TF2 right now!

 

Also games like Portal 1, 2, and Left 4 Dead have tons of user made content that a great deal of ponies ignore, or just simply don't know about.

 

Also there are those different modded mods in TF2 like Saxton Hale, dodgeball and zombie fortress which are very different from the real game.

Edited January 4, 2012 by ScottishUnicorn