NPD: 6% of console gamers use DLC

[TheGrandMom]

Re: NPD: 6% of console gamers use DLC

Video games don't pay bills; money does. Video games don't put food on the table, or buy houses, or cars, or pay medical bills; money does. Money is important, video games are not. The day I can hand the bank a copy of MW2 to pay off my student loan is the day I'll start giving a damn about physical media.

And what is your point? You are going out into left field. I pay money for my video games so in a way a video game is money. So you feel comfortable with putting your money in an insecure location and hoping it doesn't go out of business? Because thats what I'm doing if I pay my hard earned money for DLC, throwing it away if the company goes under.

[Ziero]

Re: NPD: 6% of console gamers use DLC

No, the main reason they are moving away from physical media is because its more coin jingling in their pockets and because our society is based on wanting everything fast fast fast. Why wait till the game gets delivered to your door or waste time and gas on going out looking for a copy, just d/l it while you are at work or eating supper. I understand the concept of saving money and time but I disagree with giving up the security of having physical media. I still pull out my NES and play games and, I hope to god, I'll be around to say I still pull out my old moldy PS3 and play games too. I'll even pay an extra for a disc copy if need be.

You're right, it is more money in their pocket. It's also more money in our pocket since we don't get the buck passed over to us for the packaging fees and everything else associated with physical distribution. We also do get it faster and easier, so again, it is better for us as players. The only downside at all to purely digital content is the lack of a "physical backup", but that's something we can do ourselves easy enough these days if it's that big of a concern.

Again, I completely understand the concept and concern over wanting a physical version of something. I don't download music, I don't read scanilations, my CD case and bookshelf full of comics are proof enough of that. But at the same time, I fully understand the vast amount of benefits everyone, players and devs, get from pure digital content.

Thinking about it I realized I have yet to find a DLC add-on that was actually worth it's price. Which is why I don't remember ever buying any DLC except for preordering the first ACP for XI.

Does anyone have a DLC they have bought and thought it was worth every cent?

Actually, the only DLC I haven't felt was worth it was ACP. It's why I skipped the next two. I'll admit, if I still played XI regularly the Abyssea stuff would totally be worth it. But otherwise most DLC I buy I'm totally glad I did. Hell, I can even think of plenty of games where I wished there was more DLC.

Ziero, how can you seriously say all that when things that were considered standard in prior generations

....what exactly did I say that you disagree with? I've never once defended Bioware or EA, hell I don't think I actually own any games from either of those companies since I disagree with how they run things, such as the DLC issues you're complaining about. In fact I specifically only cited games in which I feel they've done DLC well (VC, LBP, MAG) because that's how DLC should be handled.

Another comparison, Transformers War For Cybertron vs Transformers Revenge of the Fallen. Both are technically activision games and both had DLCs. But with WfC, literally all the DLC was already on the disc. Most of the DLC characters were actually already in the game....and playable to boot. Hell, even their second DLC is just recycled maps and pre-loaded characters. But it's because of these reasons, combined with their terrible MP support, that I passed on both DLCs. And I'm a big Transformers fan, if you couldn't already tell, so that should say a lot about how I feel over crappy DLC. Meanwhile, the 'crappy' (still my one of my favorites) RotF game's DLC featured a few character unlocks(i.e. characters already in the game) and a few character reskins, but it also included completely new characters and character models. They also came with three completely brand new maps as well, on top of new playable characters for story mode AND a new difficulty level for the offline game. Where as Highmoon Studios gave us crappy WfC DLC, Luxoflux gave us a pretty awesome DLC pack.

The sad part with this though is that Luxoflux has gone under, but HMS is probably getting more game contracts. Long story short, I personally love, good, well developed, game expanding DLC. But when it comes to disc unlocks, or half assed DLC systems, I completely avoid them.

[Armando]

Re: NPD: 6% of console gamers use DLC

It's also more money in our pocket since we don't get the buck passed over to us for the packaging fees and everything else associated with physical distribution.

You're assuming that every company out there thinks that treating us nicely will pay off for them.

They could pass on the savings over to us...or they could pocket the savings for themselves.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: NPD: 6% of console gamers use DLC

You're assuming that every company out there thinks that treating us nicely will pay off for them.

They could pass on the savings over to us...or they could pocket the savings for themselves.

And that's just it - they're not passing on the savings to the consumer.

I knew the day games rose to $60 a pop that if people just ran out and paid that much per game that it would stick there permanently. Now that development cost are starting to level out with HD gaming, do they make an effort to bring back the $50 dollar price point.

No, they don't. And they don't even bring us the value we were getting at $50 or $40 or even $30 dollars last gen on games. And the value of console games seems very rarely to earn gamers the kind of mileage that PC gamers and handheld gamers get from what they buy.

Download content was supposed to expand and enhance the gaming experience, but it has seldom met that ideal. Instead, they cut what would have been in the game to sell later and it just goes downhill from there.

DLC for games like Borderlands, Valkyria Chronicles, GTA IV and a few others have had some merit, but its very, very rare to see games like that bring us content in the long term. It mostly seems to be around that initial release, that instant gratification of retail sales and it putters out within the first few months.

Hell, then there's the pre-order bonus chicanery. Am I alone in think that a pre-order bonus should be a collectible trinket, art book or soundtrack rather than something that should have been an unlockable in the game anyway?

I have art cards from Metroid Other M
Art Book/Bandanna from MGS: Peace Walker
PSP decals from Kingdom Hearts: BBS
And an art book for the Etrian Odyssey series with EOIII

This I like. Shit that should just be in the game anyway? Not really a bonus to me.

[DakAttack]

Re: NPD: 6% of console gamers use DLC

And what is your point? You are going out into left field. I pay money for my video games so in a way a video game is money. So you feel comfortable with putting your money in an insecure location and hoping it doesn't go out of business? Because thats what I'm doing if I pay my hard earned money for DLC, throwing it away if the company goes under.

You're not putting your money anywhere, because once you buy something it's no longer yours. The nature of the beast is once you've paid for the DLC you have access to it for as long as it's available.

[Raydeus]

Re: NPD: 6% of console gamers use DLC

Every DLC I've ever bought, which is tons of shit. Actually, Gyromancer is probably the only one I never got around to finishing before I sold the Xbox 360. That game was too long and too repetitive.

Actually, the only DLC I haven't felt was worth it was ACP. It's why I skipped the next two. I'll admit, if I still played XI regularly the Abyssea stuff would totally be worth it. But otherwise most DLC I buy I'm totally glad I did. Hell, I can even think of plenty of games where I wished there was more DLC.

Examples with [Game's name / DLC cost /amount of content] would help greatly.

[Yellow Mage]

Re: NPD: 6% of console gamers use DLC

The nature of the beast is once you've paid for the DLC you have access to it for as long as it's available.

And that is what we are finding objectionable in the long term about games being fragmented just for the sake of producing DLC. Once it's no longer available, sux2bu, man.

[DakAttack]

Re: NPD: 6% of console gamers use DLC

And that is what we are finding objectionable in the long term about games being fragmented just for the sake of producing DLC. Once it's no longer available, sux2bu, man.

Which is where I differ from TGM and BBQ, because once I've spent my time on a game and completed it I'm pretty much done with it. I wont want to come back to it and replay it, and I don't really care what happens to my copy of the game. If it's a physical copy I'll probably throw it up on Half.com, or if it's a digital copy I'll let it sit until I delete it to make some space. If I ever do feel the want to play it again in the future, I can always pick up another copy, or not. It's not really that big of a deal, to me, but I can see that it is for others.

[Ziero]

Re: NPD: 6% of console gamers use DLC

No, they don't. And they don't even bring us the value we were getting at $50 or $40 or even $30 dollars last gen on games. And the value of console games seems very rarely to earn gamers the kind of mileage that PC gamers and handheld gamers get from what they buy.

...that's a fairly subjective complaint. Maybe it's just because I'm pickier then most gamers, maybe it's because I'm more patient then most gamers, but just about every game I paid "full price" for I got my money's worth out of. I think the only game I really feel cheated on was WfC, and that's because the online MP support was horrible. The actual game itself was pretty fun, despite being a generic TPS with Transformer skins.

Examples with [Game's name / DLC cost /amount of content] would help greatly.

...well I can't remember all the specifics off hand but:

Valkyria Chronicles, total DLC cost was something like 20 bucks for three different add ons. Edy's Detachment, a side story featuring a misfit group who get lost from your squad with like 3 playable missions but an absolutely enjoyable story. Selvaria story, which is another side story, only this time it's a prequel from before the game which lets you play as the enemy side and gives you more backstory about Selvaria Bles...which in and of itself was worth the price. And the Ex mode add-on, which added a super hard version of all the replayable battles to the game as well as some new weapons to use.

Uncharted 2, again 20-25 bucks for all the DLC packs I bought. Mainly a few new (as in not anywhere else in the game) map packs for MP and Co-op, and a few new(again, not in the game previously) character skins, including famous characters from other games.

Transformers Revenge of the Fallen, 10 bucks. Added three new (and if it isn't clear what I mean by new you haven't been reading along), 6 new character models, 6 character reskins and 1 character unlock to MP while adding about 3-4 new characters to single player mode as well as a new difficulty level to the game for those who wanted an increased challenge.

MAG, the first 2-3 were free and the new game mode was 10 bucks. The first few added some slightly tweaked weapons, gear unlocks and new armor sets, and again, were completely free, while the paid DLC added a brand new 128 game mode where each side started off with 8 APCs each and were fighting on three new, neutral maps for control of three different objectives.

Brutal Legend, Free (at least it was for a while) Added new maps to MP and an axe that made things explode.

Infamous, free, the Gigawatt blades. Originally they were a pre-order bonus, but they were eventually just added to the game for free

Batman Arkham Asylum, free. PS3 exclusive bonus challenge maps and playable joker Challenges.

Smackdown vs Raw 2009, 10 bucks and free. The first pack I got was just a roster expansion with one of my current favorite wrestlers, it came with new characters and new moves with it. The second was free and just allowed DLC characters to be used online...but I haven't really bothered with that. I only got the game for local MP, and in that it's been pretty damn worth it.

Scott Pilgrim vs the World, 10 bucks. It's basically a reskinned river city randsom with 4 player local co-op. But totally a fun game.

Fat Princess and the Fat Roles DLC, 20 bucks total. A fun, for a while, little multiplayer game with a lot of tongue in cheek humor. The original game itself was 15 bucks on it's own and a lot of fun, coming with multiple game modes, both offline and on, local co-op for both modes (added via update) and about six initial classes to play as. The Fat Roles dlc added three new classes and 4 new MP maps for 5 bucks.

And of course, the mother of all DLC enabled games, Little Big Planet. Basic costume packs are .99 each or 2.99 for sets(usually four costumes), 'premium' costume sets (i.e. licensed character costumes) are 1.99 each or 5.99 for the set (usually four, sometimes more). Sticker and level pack sets are about four bucks each and full on new addition level packs are usually 10, which include new playable levels, new stickers, new game features and new costumes. The MGS4 and PotC packs were well worth it, as each one had some pretty fun levels and brought with it some pretty cool new gameplay elements.

I guess maybe because I'm picky I don't really have to deal with terrible DLC, but then again if more people were picky they wouldn't be able to pump out said terrible DLC.

[DakAttack]

Re: NPD: 6% of console gamers use DLC

Anything by PixelJunk is always a good buy.

Trine was awesome.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: NPD: 6% of console gamers use DLC

...that's a fairly subjective complaint. Maybe it's just because I'm pickier then most gamers, maybe it's because I'm more patient then most gamers, but just about every game I paid "full price" for I got my money's worth out of. I think the only game I really feel cheated on was WfC, and that's because the online MP support was horrible. The actual game itself was pretty fun, despite being a generic TPS with Transformer skins.

Is it subjective?

Street Fighter, in every other iteration, had alternate costumes and colors. Now they want you to pay for them.

Optional sidequests in RPG are the bread and butter of RPGs for the hardcore, now the likes of Bioware seem to think they should be a separate thing or included only if you buy new. Hell, Dragon Age wasn't even subtle about this, they had an in-game peddler that showed up in your camp offering premium quests.



At the very least, they could have had to courtesy to be subtle and rolled this into the expansion that came out several months later. But instead they went for the nickel-and-dime approach.

Also, Horse Armor. Its a meme for a reason.

[cidbahamut]

Re: NPD: 6% of console gamers use DLC

Street Fighter, in every other iteration, had alternate costumes and colors. Now they want you to pay for them.

For real?

[Ziero]

Re: NPD: 6% of console gamers use DLC

And for every game you mention that doesn't "fulfill it's value" I can name many that do. Hence, it's subjective.

Demon's Souls is a fantastic RPG, well worth it's initial $60 price tag. No additional content (though the fans are screaming for a DLC update of that 6th archstone) or anything, the game came complete, out of the box and was just fantastic.

Uncharted 2 was in and of itself an incredible experience. Even without the DLC, the single player, co-op and MP aspects of the game were worth the price tag.

Valkyria Chronicles is also an incredible game that was more then worth the 60 bucks. It's a game with excellent gameplay, lots of fun characters, massive amounts of replayability and a decently enjoyable story.

Metal Gear Solid 4 was a damn near piece of art, the fact it came with MGO as well just made it that much more worth the value.

And again, this is still completely ignoring purely DLC games such as Fat Princess or Scott Pilgrim, which cost all of 10-15 bucks and are loads of fun to play.

You focus on the worst aspects of something, I prefer to think of the best of the crop. Hence it being a subjective opinion.

Street Fighter, in every other iteration, had alternate costumes and colors.

And most were simple recolors, which btw, you get in the base SFIV as well. Additional costumes and characters are just that, additional. They weren't removed from the initial game, they were added post release.

[Raydeus]

Re: NPD: 6% of console gamers use DLC

While reading this thread has made me more tolerant of DLCs (so to speak) it hasn't changed in any way my opinion about their true value.

But then again I only see it from a [Content vs Proportional value] point of view, compared to the original release and the time it takes for them to release the DLC in question.

So I seriously doubt I'll ever find a DLC I think is worth the cost.


I look at it this way, I can spend 10-20% of the price of a retail game in a 1% content DLC, or I can use that money to buy another game I haven't played yet.

And the new game wins every single time for me.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: NPD: 6% of console gamers use DLC

And most were simple recolors, which btw, you get in the base SFIV as well. Additional costumes and characters are just that, additional. They weren't removed from the initial game, they were added post release.

Right. And I have a bridge to sell you.

I'm more inclined to believe the content for Borderlands and GTA IV were being developed as the base versions went gold than I am Capcom whipping up some costumes in such a short amount of time.

Most people didn't even buy the costumes. And rightly so, because it was bullshit to charge for them. They don't add anything to the gameplay other than a different look to the character. How is that worth extra money?

If they think the can pull that shit with MvC3, they have another thing coming. There's too many characters in that game to be pulling that kind of shit with. Plus MvC2 set a precedent for unlockable costumes and characters via an in-game credit system.