Downloadable Content Should be More than Costumes or Horse Armor
See that costume that Ninja Gaiden star Ryu Hayabusa is wearing? Looks pretty bad ass, doesn’t it? Ya, I’d say so. Would you pay money to get to see it? Oh, you would? Alright, that’ll be $2.50. That is exactly what Microsoft is doing to you. The big, old M$ recently announced that three costumes would be released as downloadable content for Ninja Gaiden 2 in July. They will cost 200 MS points each. “But, Peri”, you say “that’s a measly $2.50.” I’d respond “Yes, yes it is.” You know what else it is? A waste of time and money.
This is a trend that has been building since the Xbox 360 was released. Developers simply tack on some DLC to make it seem like their game has more to offer. With Oblivion it was horse armor, and now with Ninja Gaiden 2 its costumes. These costumes should be available for free as unlockables; we should not be charged money for them. Microsoft is insulting all of us by basically saying “Hey, by this new skin that you can stare at and do absolutely nothing with.” That’s what it amounts to, a new skin for your character. Fantastic. You know the worst part about it? People will still buy it.
Here’s a tip to developers out there: the majority of gamers enjoy new content. Not a new costume. Create DLC with substance. Something that actually extends the amount of gameplay in the game. Now, it would be a different story if these new costumes gave you some special new bad ass power that allowed you to rip out people’s hearts and eat them… or something like that, but no, they do nothing but look pretty.
Now, I’m not saying all developers do this, or that it’s even the norm. There is plenty of great DLC that is released. Rockstar clearly knows what good DLC’s all about. It has been rumored that the exclusive DLC for GTA IV could contain entirely new cities! Bioware also knows how to appropriately release DLC with Mass Effect’s Bring Down the Sky which actually introduces a new race into the game. And that only costs $5 for what amounts to at least 90 minutes of gameplay, whereas these new costumes get you nothing in the way of additional gameplay. Harmonix has released tons of songs for Rock Band. Not all of them are great, but its not like they simply added more guitars or clothes to the game and charged you for them. They’re also releasing full albums as well.
I sincerely hope that this trend does not continue. DLC needs to have substance, add to gameplay, and be relatively cheap (unless its like a full blown expansion pack. But it should still be fairly priced). If your DLC doesn’t have at least 2 out of 3 three of those qualities, then it’s not worth releasing.
It really is a crime against the consumer to release things like this, and I urge you not to buy this DLC. You will simply perpetuate the cycle of bad DLC and justify the company’s decision to release this crap.
I refuse to pay for any downloadable content, quality or not. I believe the more we as consumers tell developers that it’s okay to withhold content for DLC, then the more likely they are to continue such behaviors in an increasingly cost-efficient way. What this means for us as gamers is that ten years down the road we could be paying for half a game’s maps on release day in order to get the whole experience. Hell, rock band already had DLC on day 1! That is why I urge you all to wait a few months for the day that that DLC becomes free. If it never becomes free, don’t buy it. Vote with your dollars. I know I want a whole game with more bang for my buck. And to illustrate just how sick this whole DLC thing is getting, the developers of Battlefield: Bad Company were seriously considering charging players to download bigger and better weapons in multiplayer…am I the only one who sees something terribly wrong here?
your all fucking retarded, they have DLC for a fucking reason, if you don’t like the shit they have don’t fucking buy it. Your constant complaining about something that is your choice alone and no one elses. If someone wants to spend a few bucks to get some microsoft points to buy more crap for a game that’s their choice. so the next time you want to voice your opinion about something, try to think of how stupid you actually sound before you post.
Dick Fitswell, is it? He’s trying to make the point that if people buy this crap then game company’s will continue with this kind of bad business. Obviously it’s their choice, no one was arguing that. But if people don’t buy it, then the developers might consider actually releasing CONTENT and not just SKINS. In other words, they might actually release DLC worth paying for. Simple enough to understand? Maybe you should think about how much of a dumbass teenager you sound like before you post?