What do you all think about DLC (downloadable content) in games?

I love it! I really like the downloads for Rock Band. They really stretch the game out and tailor it more to me. But it started with enough content, that I don’t need to download anything to have a ton of fun, which I think is important.

I think when it is done like it is with Rock Band, it’s great. I also love the demos that we can download for, say, Left 4 Dead or Resident Evil 5. The demos were really fun to play, gave a great demonstration of the game, and completely convinced us to get the games. Also, importantly, my downloading something for $5 shouldn’t impair your ability to play successfully against me. Like, I am opposed to being able to buy special weapons or whatever. It should just be extra content that doesn’t put my playing above yours in any way other than extra practice playing.

I think that Rockstar is doing it right, where a lot of the content already present in the game is merged with some new art and content in order to create a substantial addition to the length and variety of a game. I think that LittleBigPlanet, charging 3 bucks a pop for little costumes, is doing it absolutely wrong.

It depends on the game and the content for me. If I buy software for my computer (often at the same price as a chart game) and they release an update which adds a couple of new features and maybe a new theme or two (since it’s easy to compare to getting new costumes and the likes in games), I’d expect to get that update for free. If the update was a considerable re-write or added a lot of new features or improvements, then I’d be willing to pay.

I think that, if a couple of the big games developers started to work on this mantra and give small updates such as costumes and the likes for free, others might step in line. I mean, really, charging for a theme or costume is absolutely ridiculous. It seems that only because they all offer it for $$, that they all offer it for $$.

Also, I think it plays on the fact that a large proportion of the games market is young kids.. It’s harder to sell small upgrades to mature adults.

It’s being milked and exploited, by Microsoft and EA mostly. Microsoft started it up, charging high prices for content is absurd. I’m sorry, $10 is too much for new map packs for Halo and Gears of War. Bungie has stated multiple times that they would like their maps to be free, but Microsoft wont let them.

And don’t even get me started on EA. I’ve bought a couple of games from them, only to discover a large portion of the game was missing, and u for sale in the market place. The purposely put unfinished games in stores, then make you buy the rest of it later for a price.

I try to stay away from it for the most art except for the occasional ma pack. They are overpriced, but Bungie puts a lot of effort into their maps and they rock. I think right now, the Rock Band tracks are the only thing reasonably priced.

Can someone comment on Team Fortress 2 updates? And if they are doing them right? I play on a friend’s account… all the time, so I know he always gets the updates, I don’t know if they are free or not.

Team Fortress 2 updates are FREE for the PC! Hooray! Hooray!

…they’ll cost you ten bucks on the Xbox, though. That, and you have to wait like a year longer. Boo.

The Orange Box on the Xbox was a great thing for me (as I love TF but don’t own a PC), but I’ve really felt the sting of no updates for TF2 or of new stages in Portal. I’d love it if those stages were made available.

I love free DLC. If you want me to pay for it it better be good and not just unlocks of stuff you can get in the game for free if you stick at (Soul Calibre IV I’m talking about you).

I love DLC. No more pesky trips to Best Buy or Wal-Mart allowing my ass more contact time with the sofa.

DLC is the bees knees. Word.

Ok this is going to be a good one….

As a gamer i thought that Microsoft’s approach to Downloadable Content was great! I thought sometimes paying for more Points then you actually needed, when you only need like 200 is dumb…

That’s what i USED to think. Then the release of Soul Calibur IV and Street Fighter IV changed all of that. There might be other games facing this dilema but here it is…

As Soul Calibur IV was released they promised new characters and costumes and music and all this good stuff, but also they said that Vader and Yoda would be in both games in the coming time…Now what i didnt realize at first is that when you buy this game you have all of this stuff. Same with Street Fighter, they are adding characters and costumes and all this goodness, that are ALREADY there. Basically you are paying them money to be nice and unlock whatever code they put on the game to stop you from seeing this “new content”.

Why do the companies need to be so sneaky about these things? To suck as much money out of the consumer as possbile!

@Triiiple The same thing was for the recent Need for Speed games. Cars that had been in past games suddenly has a price tag on them.

And they made the point system like that for a reason. This way you have to spend more to get points, and eventually, you are left with an imbalance, causing you to buy more points. DLC is a great idea on paper, but right now it is being abused.

To put it simply:
I love DLC when it’s free.
Don’t ask me for $10.00 for a couple of levels when I already paid $60.00 for the game.

You have to take the good with the bad. The expansion packs for GTA IV and Fallout 3 are amazing.

The LIVE arcade also has some great content. Anyone else wasting a shitload of time playing N+?

Castle Crashes, but by Downloadable Content i think he means more of the add ons, vs arcade games.

@Triiiple…Castle Crashers is the shit. Also, with N+, Castle Crashers, and alot of other Arcade games, DLC is available.

DLC isn’t really any different from the ways your cable/satellite company get money out of you. On your PS3 & 360 you can buy entire games, add-ons, movies, TV shows, etc. On your TV you can buy movies, sports events, etc.

Bottom line… DLC is great and if you have a problem with it then you don’t have to use the feature. Ta – da

No. DLC could be great but is currently being used as a cash cow by lazy developers.

“lazy developers” = oxymoron

It’s kinda relative. if you got the money for it and it adds things you like it’s great. but if it doesn’t do it for you, then it’s pretty useless. It does add interestinf things sometimes, so overall i think it’s pretty good

i think it’s great. i’ve been having such a hard time financially since i got married and haven’t been able to justify the double expense when purchasing games.

two happy gamers = two xbox’s + two game cd’s.

it’s a pain, but spending double on cod:waw map packs has been a lot cheaper and has really extended our enjoyment of the game and the sharing experience.