When I am deciding which games I would like to purchase, I typically base my decisions on the quality of the game and how much it costs. I am definitely a budget gamer, as it allows me to have more money to spend on other titles. So generally, I go with the game that seems to give me the most bang for my buck. However, I have recently come to the realization that downloadable content is now my primary decision maker for games, and it is not something I appreciate having to focus on.
Downloadable content has been around a few years, and is nothing new. It is essentially the equivalent to the expansion packs of days gone by, where approximately six months to a year after release, developers would release a giant pack of content to keep a game fresh and attract newcomers.
My problem is, DLC has been sorely abused over the past few years, and I am now fearful of many game purchases. More and more games are announcing or releasing content the same day the game comes out. This concerns me, because I begin to wonder if this was content originally in the game, but removed so the developer could make an extra buck. Downloadable content is also becoming invasive, as with Dragon Age: Origins, where NPCs are basically in-game billboards to purchase more content.
I cannot support any game that has downloadable content on release day or right after release. It feels like a cheap grab for my money, and I begin to wonder how much care and thought was put into the base game. Was their focus on a quality experience, or how much they can leave out now, and charge more for later? One primary example of this behavior being Resident Evil 5, where much of the DLC content thus far was already on the disc. It simply needed to be unlocked, for a fee.
Publishers have effectively scared me off from making any release day purchases from this point forward. I am not against the idea of DLC itself, but I will not support those which abuse the concept. After how Bioware handled Dragon Age, I am deeply concerned about the upcoming Mass Effect 2. I will be waiting till after release to purchase this, and see if they improve their behavior first.
2 Comments
"More and more games are announcing or releasing content that same day the game comes out."
Some even announce the DLC *BEFORE* the game comes out. That really pee's me off.
Assassin's Creed 2 is another game that handled DLC in a bad way, imo. Its a bit hard to ignore the fact taht there's a big giant hole in the middle of the game, and you have to pay extra to fill it up.
I know exactly what you mean. DA:O included some of the DLC with the premium edition of it, and thanks to a glitch in steam I got that for only $5 over the standard edition's price.
One thing I've noticed with ports to PC that take a while is that sometimes DLC is entirely included. Great bonus for having to wait a few months. (Mass Effect: Bring Down the Sky)
The Sims 3 had a ton of purchasable stuff right out of the box, they even give you a certain number of points to buy that stuff with to get you into the system and make it easier. I understand that they are trying to increase revenue, but The Sims is half about the items you get in the game. Maxis abuses expansion packs anyway though.
As much as I know you hate steam, Valve has the best DLC, it's called "here, have free updates two years after our products are released". <3 TF2. And Blizzard has been very nice with Diablo 2 in the same capacity.