Tales of the Rampant Coyote

Adventures in Indie Gaming!

DLC for the Next Gen

Posted by Rampant Coyote on December 5, 2013

I don’t know who made this, but it feels painfully accurate. Click on it to embiggen…

 

NextGenDLC

I was particularly amused by the 2005 expansion offering… more of the same.

It’s one thing when you have “freemium” games that make up for free or really cheap installation & gameplay in exchange for several layers of optional(ish) premium DLC. It’s when a full price or near full-price game feels incomplete without the DLC that I have a problem. I’ve managed to stay away from most games like that – it still feels like those have been the exception rather than the rule.

But here’s what it has really done to me, marketing gurus of the video game industry: It has really, REALLY encouraged me to not be an early adopter of games. When I know (or strongly suspect) that the cost of the DLC will add up to be far more than the original game, it encourages me to wait for a lower-cost, “gold” or “platinum” or whatever release, where I can buy what feels like a “complete” package at a discount. I rarely buy a (mainstream) game new anymore. I feel like the game won’t really be complete and fully released for a couple of years, once all or most of the DLC has come out.

 

AND ON A TOTALLY DIFFERENT SUBJECT:

The Dan “Indie” Long Indie Game Bundle:  There’s only two and a half days left, as of this writing. If you are looking to get some great, often off-beat indie games (including Frayed Knights: The Skull of S’makh-Daon) for a bundle price, this is your chance, but it’s only for a couple of more days.  Enjoy!


Filed Under: Biz - Comments: 4 Comments to Read



  • McTeddy said,

    While I agree with your core idea about waiting for the Gold Versions… I find the core detractor for me being an early adopter is Steam.

    I will pay full price for VERY FEW games when I can wait for a holiday and buy it for %75 off. I know that this hurts the developers and that I am part of the problem… but it’s my money.

    Otherwise, I’m fairly resistant to DLC. I’m the kind of person that rarely finishes a game normally… so I have no need to get more of it.

    The only thing that REALLY bugs meand will prevent sales is “missing chapters” or Day-One advertised characters. At least hide the fact that you didn’t give me the full game.

    PRETEND not to be screwing me.

  • Lexx said,

    I don’t think this image shows the reality so much. At least I can’t remember any recent game that feels incomplete if you don’t buy the DLCs or pre-order content. Of course there are exceptions with stupid DLCs that cost way too much money, but even there I can’t come up with games that have such stuff as a necessity.

  • Picador said,

    I’m the same way on waiting for the Gold Edition. The real perversity is that I’m more likely to do this for big games that I’m really excited about. If I don’t really care about a game, I might buy it prematurely and skip the extras. But if I’ve been looking forward to a game for years, I won’t buy it for a year or two after it comes out.

  • Anon said,

    This DLC nonsense is running rampant right now and Sony will reach a new climax – at least if you don’t want to grind the traditional way:
    The Jaguar XJ13 car model in Gran Turismo 6 will set the avid gamer back about 150 Euros = about US$ 200…

    This car is indeed included in the regular game so one can’t argue that this DLC provides something that isn’t included. It’s meant for dumb and/or lazy people with too much money.

    In a way this is more offensive than additional content via DLCs to me: The game doesn’t get enhanced (and only the “price-performance-ration” is of interest) but it gets “destroyed” as it is basically cheating.
    And it’s not even cheating in a particular clever way (like pushing stats with a hex editor in a save file), if you ask me…

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