How do you feel about DLC?

Richard Dower · 01-09-2013 8:20pm #1

Worth it?...cash cowing?, pointless? or really adds extra layers to the game.
I guess like everything it depends on the game, if its new stuff then great, but i hate these unlocks or early access....feels like cheating.

Price is a big thing also, some games really take the piss on DLC prices!
Sleeping dogs had some pretty good DLC that added and extended the games lifeycle, but others are stupid multiplayer crap like COD which are overpriced and add nothing new to the core game.

meoklmrk91 · 01-09-2013 8:26pm

I don think I've ever bought DLC, not sure I ever will unless it really adds something extra to the game, most DLC seems like crap to me. If they brought out something that added extra missions or levels to a game I really loved then I would at the very least think about it.

Agricola · 01-09-2013 8:31pm

It is of course cash cowing. Not that its a bad thing if its a great game that people want more of. I loved Dishonored and Im currently replaying it, then hoping to get through the knife of Dunwall and might then buy the Witches dlc.

Generally speaking though I dont like DLC for one reason. I have a massive backlog that I can't get through and good DLC means Im going to spend longer in a game than I normally would!
I kind of like the idea of finishing a game, replaying it once on a harder difficulty maybe and then uninstalling it. (Which helps when your SSD is too full) I like the finality of that.
With DLC you end up having to go back to games months later which necessitates you leaving them installed.

First world problems but sure!

Stylesclash07 · 01-09-2013 8:35pm

The call of duty stuff and the stuff like it I like but feel it overpriced but people who are in live with the game may find it a great deal I only play cod once in a blue moon. Borderlands and Red dead have had great DLC also the elder scrolls have had amazing DLC. The one thing I hate the most are costumes I remember a time when you unlocked them in game for doing thing now you have to buy them. My favourite part of DLCis when a game like Skyrim brings out a game of the year edition for a cheaper price but the DLC is worth playing the game again for

Josey Wales · 01-09-2013 8:37pm

It really depends on the quality of the DLC itself. I have never actually paid for any DLC but I got all the Fallout 3 DLC for free on PS+ and I thought some of it was excellent. It allowed me to expand my character and enjoy more of the game.

When Mass Effect 2 was released on the PS3 it came with all the DLC and that was fantastic. The Lair of the Shadow Broker was especially good.

B0X · 01-09-2013 8:53pm

Depends on the DLC, for example, the Dishonored DLC is fantastic and I didn't mind paying for them at all because they added so much. Oblivion horse armour on the other hand...

danthefan · 01-09-2013 8:55pm

I've bought plenty of it but pretty sure I haven't played any of it basically ever. So I'm not a fan.

Sarn · 01-09-2013 9:16pm

I very rarely buy any. The last one was Dragonborn for Skyrim, but that was fantastic value and added a lot of content. I usually wait 'til there are GOTY editions which helps to minimise any feeling of being ripped off.

faultytool · 01-09-2013 10:27pm

There's been some fantastic DLC, and some absolute bare-faced robbery DLC.

But you're missing out on some great content if you dismiss DLC completely out of principle.

Grumpypants · 01-09-2013 10:35pm

No problem whatsoever with it, back in my day we had expansion packs that added extra content to the game. Mainly a new portion of story. Now it's DLC.

Things like the Ballad of Gay Tony and some of the Fallout DLC was pretty solid. I don't really trade in games so it gives me something to comeback to the game for. If I missed a game I will be tempted by a GOTY edition that bundles the DLC too.

If they get the mix right and release a nice balance of free vs paid DLC it can increase the life of a game by a few months.

richymcdermott · 01-09-2013 10:52pm

A dlc like dark souls or gta iv i can appreciate that adds to the game that breathes life into a game for a further year or so that makes you want to return to it after you are done with it.

What i do not appreciate are dlc that hold back content like metro last light survival mode that had been noted by the developers the way the game meant to be played or something like asuras wraith the holds back the true ending.

sarumite · 01-09-2013 11:14pm

I have bought DLC in the past and have no major problem with it. Fallout and Borderlands both had good DLC. Burnout paradise had a good mixture of free and paid for DLC. The big surf island was worth it. Not all is good for sure, but it doesn't mean all DLC should be discounted.

DjFlin · 01-09-2013 11:27pm

Anyone who's anti-DLC should play BioShock 2, and then the Minerva's Den DLC for it. Makes the game's existence worthwhile...

Obviously DLC can be crappy too. You've gotta look at it on a case by case.

Adamcp898 · 01-09-2013 11:33pm

Made a point of stopping to buy it, it's just a cash cow exercise and one which takes features away from the finished product in a lot of cases.

It is not a replacement of the expansion packs that were released years ago as those were things that were created when the developer genuinely had something to add to the game. Now, DLC in many cases is features which a decade ago would have came on disc but are now held off and drip fed in the months after initial release to milk more money from a game all the while being sold under the idealistic narrative that 'it allowed the developer to continually support and add to a game'.

Azza · 01-09-2013 11:38pm

For the most part I think its fine. Quality and value for money varies from DLC to DLC so I do my research by checking reviews and getting peoples opinion.

As for pre-order DLC I rarely find its worth the extra cost that comes with buying from the major retailers who tend to be the ones with the pre-order DLC offers. Ditto when it comes to the DLC that comes with the premium versions of a game. I'll normally check around for the best price possible and if it happens to come with pre-order DLC I'll happily take it but if it doesn't I'm not really bothered about it.

On principal I dislike pay to win DLC and retailer exclusive DLC.

I don't unlike many others have an issue with pre-order DLC being available on day one. I'm satisfied with the rational given by developers that DLC is developed with a separate budget from the main game and that the DLC content would never exist if it wasn't developed with the intention of making additional revenue aside from revenue generated from the main game. It also solves some of the problems of idle resources at a development studio during the closing phase of a games development.

Of course developers could be cutting content from a game, but their is no way to be sure one way or another. Depending what way you look at it you can call it naivety or cynicism.

richymcdermott wrote:

What i do not appreciate are dlc that hold back content like metro last light survival mode that had been noted by the developers the way the game meant to be played or something like asuras wraith the holds back the true ending.

That's not proof that the Ranger Mode DLC in Metro Last Light was held back. From what I read online about the uproar over that DLC, I think it was simply more a case of a bad marketing catch line. Bare in mind the Ranger Mode was pay for DLC in the original Metro 2033 on the Xbox 360.

The catch line the "way its mean't to be played" caught on in X-Com Enemy Unknown when people talked about Ironman mode. Many reviews cited that mode as the way its mean't to be played. The developers laughed at this saying they added the mode at the last minute. They didn't think the mode would prove popular at all.

SmurfX · 02-09-2013 12:08am

In principle it's fine, in practice it's a very cynical moneygrab in almost every case. Even though some games like Valkyria Chronicles have used it well the majority have caused DLC to be an overall negative impact on gaming in my view. I feel like developers have less incentive to produce extra value in products anymore, we're seeing more barebone games where what would have previously been extra modes and endgame challenges now coming as DLC.

I mean it grates that in a lot of games to get something as simple as an alternate outfit is impossible without shelling out more cash. There's some games I missed in the generation and picked up "complete" editions on sale and they really feel like they are what should have been the initial release.

johnny_ultimate · 02-09-2013 1:41am

I think 90% of it is B-grade material delivered by a b-team, and hence I don't see why I should have much interest in it.

Here's the thing about the 10% though, the DLC that's often pretty good or an imaginative reinterpretation - it often arrives too late for me to really have much motivation to play it. Take the Dishonoured DLC, which is meant to be excellent (and, I believe, relatively sizable as far as add-ons go). The problem is I played Dishonoured around a year ago now, and with so many other games to play it seems weird to go back and basically 'relearn' how to play for the extra content being offered. Perhaps that's why IMO DLC, if it must exists, works best for latecomers, maybe bundled as GOTY - then whoever didn't play it originally can enjoy the whole thing in one big chunk. Another argument against day one purchases, perhaps. Basically, to encourage me to go back a DLC pack really needs to be AAA material - why settle for not only filler, but premium filler?

That said, I do really like the sound of the second significant Bioshock Infinite add-on. Would be tempted to look into that.

Retr0gamer · 02-09-2013 9:25am

I didn't mind the Asura's Wrath ending DLC because:

1.You did get a fairly satisfying ending without it. The secret ending led into the DLC.

2. It was absolutely amazing, definitely the best 4 chapters in an already great game with a huge emotional pay off.

If you have Asura's Wrath then swallow your pride and buy it, it's well worth it.

However do not get the two cheap DLC chapters. They take place between chapters and add nothing to the story. Also they are animated in 2D which seems like a good idea but they were obviously done on the cheap and the animation and art style is very ropey.

Grumpypants · 02-09-2013 11:25am

I would like to see it used to tackle used game sales. So if you buy it new you get a ton of free dlc. Not a new character or costume but actual extra content.

That way you can justify the extra fiver for the new copy to people if you get 15 euro of dlc for free. Plus it gives extra content to keep you playing longer before trading it and you get the extra content early avoiding the relearning a year later that Johnny was talking about which is a factor.

If the devs can keep people from trading the game for the first month it will have a huge impact on new sales.

That way everyone wins the customer gets value for buying new, gets mire out of the game and the devs boost new sales.

SmurfX · 02-09-2013 12:26pm

Grumpypants wrote: »

I would like to see it used to tackle used game sales. So if you buy it new you get a ton of free dlc. Not a new character or costume but actual extra content.

That way you can justify the extra fiver for the new copy to people if you get 15 euro of dlc for free. Plus it gives extra content to keep you playing longer before trading it and you get the extra content early avoiding the relearning a year later that Johnny was talking about which is a factor.

If the devs can keep people from trading the game for the first month it will have a huge impact on new sales.

That way everyone wins the customer gets value for buying new, gets mire out of the game and the devs boost new sales.

Some games have done this like Arkham city with the catwoman stuff and Mass Effect 2. But they're still chopping up content and deciding how to distribute it, Arkham city core felt really underpopulated with content so even though you were getting something for buying it new you still weren't getting a complete product. Companies willing to "reward" consumers for buying new unfortunately are the same companies looking to squeeze money out of them some other way as well.

Azza · 02-09-2013 12:43pm

Can't say I personally felt Arkham City felt underpopulated and I played Arkham City without the Catwomen DLC the first time round as I had no internet connection at the time to activate it.

Didn't get the feeling either about ME 2. Don't think many complained about ME 2's DLC.

thegame983 · 02-09-2013 12:51pm

I think what it has done is made me think about purchasing games new these day. Unless a game is must have like a GTA5 or the New Rome total war game, ill hold off in buying it untill I can get a GOTY edition. I have enough games to play that I havn't finished to catch up on. Mass Effect 2 DLC was done right, but compare it to 3 where unless you got the collectors edtion you had to pay 10 quid for day 1 DLC. That was a disgrace. I didn't buy it but I genuinly felt let down by the game for denying me content. It left a sour taste in my mouth. Basically it's all about trust. Bethesda have consistantly delivered good DLC, capcom need to get their act together.

johnny_ultimate · 02-09-2013 12:57pm

Thought the Arkham City Catwoman stuff was a fairly half-assed effort myself. Inferior filler that just got in the way of the actual game at random junctures. Clearly an afterthought in terms of execution and integration. The game would have actually flowed better if it was a completely optional extra.

Penn · 02-09-2013 12:58pm

My only issue with DLC is stuff that used to be free or unlockable is now held back to be DLC, like characters in fighting games or special outfits. I'd much rather have them still be unlockable within the game (particularly ones which are already on the disc) or you can pay to unlock it straight away. Obviously, anything not on the disc, pay to download it.

ancapailldorcha · 02-09-2013 1:01pm

Azza wrote: »

Can't say I personally felt Arkham City felt underpopulated and I played Arkham City without the Catwomen DLC the first time round as I had no internet connection at the time to activate it.

Didn't get the feeling either about ME 2. Don't think many complained about ME 2's DLC.

I think Arkham City and Mass Effect 2 were 2 games that got DLC right. The 2 games are complete as they are and both use DLC as incentives for buying new copies which is fine by me. I bought Metal Gear Rising preowned recently and apparently, new copies of the game have a free DLC with a Gray Fox skin. Had I known that, I'd have bought it new.

Retr0gamer · 02-09-2013 1:03pm

Azza wrote: »

Didn't get the feeling either about ME 2. Don't think many complained about ME 2's DLC.

My only problem with the ME2 content was that it focused too much on combat which was the weakest part of that game. I didn't really like the DLC content for it but I can't fault it for not being substantial.

I much prefer my DLC to take the existing mechanics and do something more interesting with them. A good idea is to farm them off to junior developers to put them through their paces. Soemthing like Minerva's Den or Fallout 3's the Pitt are good examples.

Grumpypants · 02-09-2013 1:05pm

thegame983 wrote: »

I think what it has done is made me think about purchasing games new these day. Unless a game is must have like a GTA5 or the New Rome total war game, ill hold off in buying it untill I can get a GOTY edition. I have enough games to play that I havn't finished to catch up on. Mass Effect 2 DLC was done right, but compare it to 3 where unless you got the collectors edtion you had to pay 10 quid for day 1 DLC. That was a disgrace. I didn't buy it but I genuinly felt let down by the game for denying me content. It left a sour taste in my mouth. Basically it's all about trust. Bethesda have consistantly delivered good DLC, capcom need to get their act together.

They didn't deny you anything, you could buy it or get it free with the collectors edition. It is an incentive to buy the collectors edition and if you don't want to buy the collectors edition you can purchase the DLC separately. That's perfectly fine.

ancapailldorcha · 02-09-2013 1:07pm

The only aspect Mass Effect 2's combat I had issue with was what one might call "Final Fantasy XIII syndrome". The areas were essentially corridors and enemies would never try to flank you.
Back on topic, I can't believe I never thought to mention Minerva's Den. One could argue that Arrival and Lair of the Shadow Broker are necessary to explain what happens in the transition between Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3. Minerva's Den on the other hand has no connection to Bioshock 2 aside from using the game engine. I would consider the Artorias DLC for Dark Souls or Minerva's Den the best examples I've played.

ancapailldorcha · 02-09-2013 1:09pm

Grumpypants wrote: »

They didn't deny you anything, you could buy it or get it free with the collectors edition. It is an incentive to buy the collectors edition and if you don't want to buy the collectors edition you can purchase the DLC separately. That's perfectly fine.

No, it's not. Any significant assets created before the game should be included with it. It's one thing to remove a weapon or 2 but in the case of Javik in Mass Effect 3, his race was so crucial to the series lore that forcing people to pay extra for him was completely unethical IMO.

thegame983 · 02-09-2013 1:11pm

Grumpypants wrote: »

They didn't deny you anything, you could buy it or get it free with the collectors edition. It is an incentive to buy the collectors edition and if you don't want to buy the collectors edition you can purchase the DLC separately. That's perfectly fine.

In fairness they did. This was day 1 story based DLC. Story based. For Mass Effect. This wasn't some map pack or an extra gun it was a pretty significant character. Anyway I didn't buy it cause I looked up reviews online and it apparantly wasn't worth the extra tenner, but still it should have been included in the normal retail disk. It's literally withholding content to get more money out the customer.

Generic Dreadhead · 02-09-2013 1:21pm

I play a lot of DLC.
The Harley Quinn DLC in Arkham City is the WORST value of any DLC I've encountered (about 90 minutes for about 15 quid when it was 1st released). I got the Catwoman stuff with the game and found it enjoyable, not sure how much it cost if you had to buy it
The Bioshock 1 DLC is pretty useless.
TheThe Bioshock 2 DLC is quiet good, you get maybe 5 hours out of it
Red Dead Redemption DLC is very enjoyable and good value
Mass Effect 2 DLC is worth it and also very enjoyable, especially the lair of the shadow broker as many of you have pointed out.
Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Car Pack DLCs are good too, but a bit pricey for the actual gameplay time you get out of them.
Call of Duty BOII DLC is poor value, but I was a bit obsessed when it came out and committed to a season pass, 4 maps per individual pack is not worth it.
Borderlands 2 DLC is VERY much good value for money, especially as a season pass holder, I even bought the stand alone Psycho DLC

How do you feel about DLC?

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