WTF DLC!

February 3, 2012Aston TaylorOne Comment

A look at all this “planned” DLC and what it could mean for the future of gaming, and for you, as a gamer.

Games are expensive. You know it, I know it, your girlfriend/mum complains about it. However you earn your money, gaming is an expensive hobby to upkeep, especially with so many great releases in the same few months as we just experienced. So why the bloody hell, are we now having DLC after DLC thrown in our faces, to finish off what will now seem like an incomplete game we bought at retail price!

Its been a subject that has plagued us for some time. The amount of DLC has actually become something of a little joke in my house. A certain character hasn’t been included in a game! ‘Don’t worry, it’ll be DLC’. You want a particular gun that wasn’t included in the game? ‘I’m sure it’ll come as DLC’. Why isn’t that track from the first game in this one? ‘I’m sure they will let you download a whole new music package later as DLC.’ Although we may laugh, DLC has become something of a nuisance to gamers. When you’re looking to play a game with everything in it from the beginning, having to fork out another tenner via XBL or PSN for some extra stuff, which, lets face it, should have been in the game from the start is something that gives gaming companies a bad light. Their pockets are already lined with our cash, they don’t need to stick some in their underwear to.

So, how exactly has DLC become overkill with recent games? Downloadable Content itself isn’t a terrible concept, it provides extra content for your game overtime, so perhaps [take for example Borderlands] if you had finished the game, decided you wanted to play again but didn’t feel like doing the same thing all over again, well, BAM! Some new content for you to download and have fun with. That in itself, I see no problem with, especially if the content is generally worth the investment. The keyword here, however, is overtime. Let’s take Gran Turismo 5 as an example this time. It was some time before they released the Car and Course DLC’s, or even the Spec.2 update. I for one had almost finished it and was happy to receive new content to play around with. If your going to make a game, but want players to continue playing it after they have finished, then release additional content, drew us back to it by all means. We don’t mind playing some more if what you have on offer is good stuff. Conversely, let’s looks at Batman: Arkham City. It’s one helluva game, no doubt – but it was released with downloadable content already in mind, before the game was even released! Both the Nightwing and Robin DLC packs were already in the works, and if you don’t purchase the game brand new, you won’t receive the online pass that unlocks the Catwoman content, even though her missions are presented as part of the main game [although you don't need her to actually complete the game.]

Another example of a recent game and it’s bad use of DLC is Battlefield 3. Once again, another good game, but Battlefield 3′s first DLC was announced just 4 days after the release of the game, surely content that was already in the works before the games release.

In the case of both Battlefield 3 and Batman: Arkham City, after spending £50 or so on a brand new game that troubles in it’s first couple of days [Battlefield 3 with server issues and Batman with missing codes and error messages], you’re then informed additional content by the way of DLC is on it’s way, perhaps as soon as a week prior to launch, and costing anywhere between £5 and £15, which to some is an awful lot of money. If you add up the original price of the game and all the DLC you may have downloaded for it, it could be just a little short of £100. If you haven’t got caught in this trap already, you may end up doing so if your a fan of any of the title.

Phil Kollar of gameinformer, spoke to From Software’s Hidetaka Miyazaki, the director of Dark Souls, and asked this question:

“Namco has previously stated that there are no plans for Dark Souls DLC, and you similarly did not do downloadable additions for Demon’s Souls. Is there a reason that you don’t think DLC works well for the Souls games or could you see that being a possibility in the future?”

Mr.Miyazaki’s reply:

My point of view for DLC is as follows: Items such as strong weapons, spells, and armor are rewards for players for being able to overcome a difficulty. So I am not going to provide those items as DLC. Also, I wanted to create a complete package of the game without adding any DLC. That is the reason why I am not planning any DLC for Dark Souls.

Exactly! Dark Souls is a bloody brilliant game. Especially with the recent patch that came out to iron out some of the original issues. There is no need for unnecessary additional content, because everything From Software wanted to include, is in the game. If developers are planning on creating an amazing game, then everything that makes that amazing game should already be on the disc. There should be no “already planned” DLC, as this means developers/publishers are purposely leaving content out of the game in order to make you spend more money later. I mean, would you want to pay out a tenner a month on additional content for Dark Souls which in all likely hood had been left out of the game so they could propose ‘future content?’ Of course recent news seems to be that Dark Souls is actually receiving a DLC, due to customer demand. But if gamers are asking for more content, then why deny them?

A question many of you may be asking: Is why is DLC is popular in the first place? This is simple. DLC is most notable with free to play MMO’s such as Lord of the Rings Online, or DC Universe Online. It works great for games such of those, with their ever expanding player list, worlds and possibilities – after all, that’s what online MMO’s are all about. Now, in these cases, DLC brings in a lot of revenue for the minds behind it and obviously seeing this, and taking this on board, other companies took the idea, misshaped it and ran with it. And they ran far.

On the matter of companies taking the once great idea of DLC to far, are Namco. Their latest installment of Ridge Racer, due out on the PSP Vita in February will be coming to us, with only three courses and five cars! Excuse me? That’s hardly a game. Where’s the rest of the cars and tracks? You guessed it, the additional content can be acquired via DLC. So how is the DLC going to work for this game?

Amazingly enough, there is free DLC available, but it’s music from previously released Ridge Racer games, so thanks Namco. If, however you fancy some new Ridge Racer music or simply a new song, that will cost you: ¥100 [approx £0.85] each, infact. Namco will also be releasing a “Ridge Racer Pass”, which is a collection of all the DLC released between February and May. It will cost ¥1,600 [approx £13.60] but those who purchase it by Feb. 29, can get it for ¥1,000 [approx £8.50]. However, don’t fancy buying the pass? Here is the basic breakdown of the DLC as we know it so far. ¥250 [approx £2.13] for one car and ¥400 [approx £3.40] for one track. More cars will become available through March, April, and May as well as more frighteningly silly free music packs. Add this on top of the retail price, £35 in store, £25 digital download, Namco will be racking up the money, and you will be spending it just so you can make the game last more then twenty minutes. In all honesty, Namco are taking the piss. What’s a game with only three tracks and five cars? A demo? Are we paying retail price for a demo? Now, I’ve been a Ridge Racer fan for years, but when I get my own Vita, this will not be one of the games I get for it. No way will I fork out to feed Namco’s hungry pockets.

If we take a moment, and think, is this the unfortunate future of gaming? We will buy games at retail price, expecting to pay extra for DLC which will, it seems, complete the game? Will, in the end, more Developers/Publishers find excuses to extort gamers with DLC packages, all of which should have been in the game in the first place? Perhaps, but hopefully not. But if Namco are any example of the possible future, looks like we will be working twice as hard to afford the things we love.

In the end, if you are going to give us some new maps, skins, cars or even music, then include it in the game beforehand if you already had it planned. There is nothing wrong with thinking up something brilliant and adding it to the game later, if it came to you after release. But sitting on it, then making us pay extra is just awful, especially as many feel obliged to pay out more and more to make the game worth while.

That’s how DLC should really be used. Brilliant ideas thought up after release, brought out when many have already completed the game, and sold to us at reasonable prices. Otherwise, I’m afraid, you leave us with the impression that your game wasn’t good enough from day dot. And in anyone’s mind, that just means it wasn’t worth the money in the first place.

Thumb-Culture would love to know your thoughts on “planned” DLC?

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