Downloadable Content: Difference between revisions

 

Of course, DLC also has some controversy attached to it. Many a dedicated and knowledgeable gamer may crack the game to see what is stored in the disc, and they won't be too happy if they see that the DLC they got was already on the game to begin with, thus making the DLC pure [[Bribing Your Way to Victory]]. Another issue DLC brings up is pricing. It is subjective what content is worth paying for, but some gamers in general fear that game developers may use DLC as a way to milk more money out of their consumers by rushing the game (thus making it filled with bugs or missing content) and then charging people to get the rest of the good stuff. Also, DLC can often give a player a competitive advantage online, essentially forcing every player in the game to buy the DLC just to compete with other people who bought the DLC for exactly the same reason.

As with many things, many of the reasons and rationale on both sides can be ripe with knee jerk reactions. While it may be possible (and true) for a rare few developers to push out buggy games with less content in order to sell DLC, most are quite aware of one simple fact of video game life: Bad games don't sell enough to break even and make money (ie pay back the cost of development which will include paying off the publisher, advertising, retailers, etc). It's hard to sell DLC when the initial game does poorly. And in a somewhat hit-driven industry, putting out a bad game that doesn't make money can often mean the death sentence for all but the most well established developer. On the other hand, the rationale that game development has seen ever-inflating budgets may be true, the industry itself is at least partially to blame thanks having cultivated a bigger/better/newer mentality that continually tries to one-up itself without consideration for the logistics and reality that video games are one of the most expensive industries around. For instance, a typically AAA big budget title will likely have a budget around $50 million and take about 18 months to create. The typical time frame where a game will make the majority of its sales? Two weeks. That is well documented by industry organizations, whether for big hit or sleeper. Thus if a game doesn't make a splash in those first two weeks, it will likely never see the cost of development paid off in a reasonable amount of time to keep a studio alive. This puts intense pressure on studios to attract ever mercurial audiences to drop money on their title before the next big thing.

 

 

With the exception of the PC, where the vast majority of all DLC is [[Game Mod|user-made content]] and therefore free, DLC is a prime example of debateability. These complaints can become especially pointed when modding tools are omitted, access to mods from other platforms is denied, or online server browsers lock out mods. Mixes with [[New Media Are Evil]] when you encounter people who think DLC in general is pure evil and that all companies only care about ripping off its consumers for their games. Backlashes within the gaming community often occur (regardless of the content of the actual DLC), in the forms of [[Accentuate the Negative]], [[Broken Base]], [[Internet Backdraft]], [[Unpleasable Fanbase]], and many others are often seen when DLC is even discussed.

 

For products which are paid for and then downloaded in general see [[Digital Distribution]].

 

{{examples}}

** Animus Project Update 2.0: Free, adds a multiplayer mode (Chest Capture) and a new map (Pienza, day and nighttime versions); cannot be active at the same time as Animus Project Update 1.0.

** The Da Vinci Disappearance: Free on PC, paid on PS3 and Xbox 360; adds ten single-player missions (two were previously exclusive to collector's editions), two minigames, ten achievements/trophies, a new outfit (previously exclusive to Amazon.com pre-orders), two multiplayer modes (Assassinate and Escort), four multiplayer personas (Dama Rossa, Knight, Marquis and Pariah), and a new map (Alhambra).

** Ancestors Character Pack (4 new multiplayer characters)

** Mediterranean Traveller Map Pack (6 new multiplayer maps)

** The Protector’s Trials (challenges where you must protect Little Sisters with unique weapon and Plasmid load-outs)

** Minerva's Den (3 new levels, a new main character, and reveals [[What Happened to the Mouse?|what happened to Tenenbaum]])

** Three new characters-

*** [[Ms. Fanservice|Makoto]] [[Cute Monster Girl|Nanaya]].

* ''[[The Elder Scrolls]] [[The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim|V: Skyrim]]''

** A free high-texture pack

** ''Dawnguard'', the first major expansion pack, which drops the player in the middle of a war between the ancient Dawnguard and vampires.

* ''[[Eternal Sonata]]'' has the Piano Key, which unlocks the Chopin piano pieces...which can also be unlocked by simply progressing through the game.

** "Another Story: King versus King (Emblem Episode)": In the "other-world", [[Fire Emblem Akaneia|King Marth of Archanea]] and [[Fire Emblem Jugdral|King Celice of Jugdral]], heroic and noble both, nonetheless do battle. Krom decides to lend his aid to Marth, his ancestor, in this conflict. Completing this chapter allows the player to gain [[Fire Emblem Jugdral|Leaf]] as a playable character.

* ''[[Grand Theft Auto IV]]''

** [[Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony|The Ballad of Gay Tony]]

*** Both were later put on disc, first as a two-pack ("Episodes from Liberty City"), then bundled with ''GTA4'' ("Complete Edition").

* ''[[Just Cause (video game)|Just Cause]] 2’s'' DLC is mostly comprised of weapons and vehicles.

* ''[[Just Dance]] 2'' and ''3'' have a number of extra songs to download.

** Online Pass (House of Valor questline); comes free with a new copy.

** Might, Finesse, and Sorcery Bonus Packs (additional weapons and armor). Can be purchased separately or in a bundle.

** The Legend of Dead Kel (Additional questline)

** Teeth of Naros (Additional questline)

** A Slip of the Tongue case.

** Reefer Madness case.

** The Passing (Additional map, plus new achievements). Also adds [[Game Mod|Mutations]] and the [[BFG|M60]] and Golf Club weapons.

** Coming soon: Cold Stream and the other L4D1 maps.

* ''[[Lost Odyssey]]'' has the Triple Bonus Pack (two items and a cutscene viewer), and the Dungeon Pack (adds a [[Bonus Dungeon]] near the end of the game, along with achievements).

* ''[[Marvel Ultimate Alliance]]'': Hero Pack (which added [[X-Men|Cyclops, Nightcrawler]], [[The Hulk]], and [[The Avengers (Comic Book)|Hawkeye]]) and a [[Enemy Mine|Villain Pack]] (which added Magneto, Sabretooth, Venom, and [[Doctor Doom]]) for the Xbox 360 and PS3 editions. A rather infamous case because these were quickly pulled off the market by Activision, citing poor sales. Currently, the only way to get these is by hunting down the rare Gold Edition which already came with the DLC.

** 3: Acid Arrest and Crimson Meteor Mega and Giga Cards

* ''[[Mortal Kombat 9]]''

** [[Ascended Glitch|Skarlet]]

** [[Mortal Kombat 3|Rain]]

* ''Raliworks''

** ''Railworks 2'' has [http://i.imgur.com/9z0bc.jpg $1000 worth of DLC], comprised of dozens and dozens of $10 add-ons.

* ''[[Rock Band]]''

* ''[[Sakura Taisen|Sakura Taisen 3]]''

** "Drama files" containing small stories. Some cost money (well, DreamPoints) to download.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Videogame Culture]]