Downloadable Content

There has been a trend of releasing games and then a slew of downloadable content afterwards... what are your guys views of this?

Is it worthwhile thing to do? or is a desperate attempt by companies to gouge more money out of gamers for things that should have rightfully been included in the game anyway?

I think the companies are just trying to pick some more money from gamers. Think about it, if people are willing to buy this stuff then why not? Right? I've seen games where they show some of the downloadable content before the game's release, so that just proves that in some cases they already have the stuff down, they just want you to buy it.

I think it's both good and bad, because they might think "Oh wait, we should have added this to the game but we only just thought of it and the game's already out so we should make it downloadable", that's the good.

Another good is it might be extra materials that make the game better or more customizable, ie; Roll's outfits in MM:PU.

The bad is sometimes it just gets painful as hell to have to do it and some people would just sick of it.

Personally, I hate paying for downloadable content... I think they should have put it in the game in the first place if they wanted us to have it...

The only games that I can see DLC being useful for would be Rockband/Guitar Hero... But I have another issue with them. That being you get nailed so much for downloading songs in them. I heard it's like 6$ for 3 songs? Heck if you buy the game you get 80 songs for 60$ (if you don't buy the instruments as well.) But if you download the songs online, you only get 30 songs for 60$... Seems like quite a rip off to me.

As for other games, if they want to add more content to them after they release, they should build up enough content to make it worthwhile to release as either an expansion pack or boxset. They still get their money and the fans are happy.
(Plus in the event of a hard drive crash the person doesn't have to repay to get everything again.)

However, if they offer the downloadable content for free, then I'm all for it. Especially for some games which if bought new can be quite expensive.

I'd say the reason DLC is so expensive is because no one buys things with it

For GHWT it's good i've downloaded a few songs because I thought they should of been on the game in the first place... i don't regret it, me and my dad play on them frequently...

I do admit they should of added those things on in the first place

I'd accept it if it was like "An additional campaign for halo" sort of thing for money...

Aren't there DLC for Little big Planet ?

That works aswell

It needs to be things which are made to have things added really

But if they built everything on at once, games would neve rbe released as theyd always come up with more stuff to add. Causing more load times, and such. I dont get DLC unless i HAVE to...(or want to, such as Sonic Unleashed DLC which makes the levels harder, however since those releases were in the jap version but not the US version, it shouldnt be fair to pay for it)

Stuff like halo where there are new maps, i wait till they are free.

Fair enough

And i do hate the patching system

Sure it makes it so games are better...

But when i bought Starcraft back then... everything was perfect in the game I got...
Dungeon keeper and Populous was much the same

They did actually have patching but that was additional multiplayer maps to play with.
DLC i agree... it's like patching you have to pay for.
But then isn't an expansion the same? Might be a much larger expansion and stuff but in theory they're the same sort of thing.

Then again the other side of the arguement is that expansions are for games which mean to be just that one, but ended up being such a great success playing it over again with extra stuff would just be so fun.
I miss the Early PC - GC ages for that one reason that:

The games were much cheaper
And every game was perfect... games were tested and updated till it became too minute to notice and bugs.

Then again for TF2 and L4D i would never complain about the updates they add... Additional maps, new weapons, more achievements and all in all more incensive to play

The graphics required in a game do mean that making a perfect, unbugged game would require a MAJOR amount of work.

I could go on all day but in truth I'll probably still end up saying, "Bring back perfection".

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For games like GHWT i think they've got it right with DLC

But they've got it completely
For the last few releases they've been releasing stuff they get their hands on and not asking the people what they thing

But as i've noticed on the GH community website that's changed... They've added a new button to vote for songs for the next lots to be released. I put in my suggestions (The Boys are Back In Town - Thin Lizzy)

but until i see results i'll still thing DLC is going nowhere cause in fact, fans will buy what they want
They've got to ask us what we want before making DLC

This post has been edited by Mystic on May 7 2009, 02:02 PM

Yeah, but sometimes you are almost forced to download those maps and pay for them. I remember not being able to hook up to almost any game on Halo LIVE because I didn't have the Legendary Map Pack. It was frustrating and a real kick in the face from Bungie, forcing me to buy or not play.

Yeah that's pretty lame

Multiplayer maps should deffinately be free in my opinion

I havent seen it yet, But are they going to make the Mythic Map Pack for Halo 3 free(assuming you have 360 and halo3)?

And yeah, I remember that for halo 2.

Mythic Map pack is out, they just haven't forced you to buy it yet.

I'm not saying to never release games, but what I'm saying is that some game makers have the game nearly ready for testing and start building additional content even before the game is entering the final phases... Then when the game is released for sale, like 20 minutes later they have the additional content go online. I hate this because they had the content ready so it could be shipped on the disc... but they chose to put it on line and charge an additional 5$ or so for it.


About the only time I download additional content is when the price is right... Free.

But for myself, I think certain things should be free while others should be paid. For example, things I think should be free:

- Any bug patchs MUST be free.
- Map packs should be free.
- Character skins should be free.
- Additonal game modes should always be included on the disc.


Can be paid content:
- Additional single player campaigns or levels could be paid.

- Additional weapons for single player could be paid. (But these weapons shouldn't have been in the game at all. Meaning no having a gun in multiplayer, remove it from the single then charge money to be able to use it for single player...)

- Additional guns for multiplayer could be paid, but there must be a free mod that allows the player to go up against others using these guns.

- Customization tools should be included but expansions for them could be paid.

-Music games - additional tracks can be paid, but they should be less than a dollar a track.

Why do I think it should be like this? Because the game patchs are used to play the game and keep it from crashing. I'd be seriously annoyed if I had to pay to buy the game, then pay for a patch to play it... (Could end up with more compaines rushing games out so they can sell patches.)
And having paid multiplayer content limits who can play with who based on what they spent.
And the additonal game modes should be a part of the game to start with because games are expensive, and we don't have alot of money to just throw around, so if they want our money they should include as much bang for our buck as possible. Plus it increases satisfaction and it means more people would look to that company's game and thusly are more likely to buy them and support the company.

I have to disagree on one thing - the music tracks. The reason they're more then a dollar as is, is because you're not buying them to listen to, but to play. Because of the different purpose, I think it deserves to be 2-$3 for one track. Besides, you could always buy those track packs and save yourself a little.

I disagree to that one

"The guy with the most money has won yet again"

Multiplayer games are only fun when you win by skill not other things

I disagree to that one

"The guy with the most money has won yet again"

Multiplayer games are only fun when you win by skill not other things

Thats the problem with most free to play MMORPG. They May be free to play, but you pay to win. Its irritating, because you get some rich guy buying all the stuff to beef up their char.

Also usually Patches are free. They have to be. It isnt your fault the game was glitchy.