I agree with you on the Warden’s Keep bit, seems a little dodgy at best.

As for the “free if purchased new” DLC though, I actually don’t really mind this. Obviously, it encourages new game sales and is yet another tactic we’re beginning to see developers use in order to gain ground against GameStop and the like. I think this is a good thing for a number of reasons…

First, if this proves successful, hopefully publishers will see it as a viable alternative to the strictly digital distribution model (something I think we can all agree is a Bad Thing™).

Secondly, I think this makes the “well people sell used cars so why should used games be any different” argument make more sense. I never liked this argument because a used car is inherently less valuable than a new car, the used car will have wear and tear, possible damage, mileage, etc… things a new vehicle would not have. Whereas there is less justification for the used game industry, given that the used product is (for all intents and purposes) *IDENTICAL* to the new product, except cheaper. The tactic they’re using adds value to the new game, rewarding customers purchasing new over used by devaluing the used product. It’s a brilliant tactic in my mind, I think it’ll make a lot of people reconsider buying a used copy when the brand new copy is only $5 more expensive and has additional content.

Furthermore, I can get behind this because they’re not requiring people to pre-order the game just to get this content. It’s available to anyone that purchases the game new, whether they pre-order or purchase 3 months after release. That’s a really great thing in my mind because I’m on the fence about this game and would not consider pre-ordering it. It’s nice to know that if I do later decide to buy it, I won’t be missing out on content just because I didn’t take that initial leap of faith.

I have basically two main reasons I disagree with the sentiments expressed in the article.

First, I think if something can be cut from a game and have the experience be complete without it, it probably didn’t need to be there in the first place. Outside of the bumped up level cap in Fallout 3′s Broken Steel I have yet to find a piece of DLC that made me think the game was actually more complete because of it. If a game can get its point across and feel complete without a section, you’re probably not missing anything by having it cut.

The second problem I have is one of entitlement. Who cares if they’re holding back content to sell it seprately? It’s certainly their right to do so. If you don’t think a game is worth the price without the bonus content just don’t buy the game. What did you do to deserve those extra missions? What charity are you running where you feel like you should be handed bonus armor? How the world works is people put prices on things and others decide whether those things are worth the asking price. Look at the iPhone app store. If you try to charge more than $3 for something it won’t sell. This didn’t happen because of a grand scheme by apple. It happened because that’s what the market decided.

So yeah. You’re free to want some freebies with your games, but try not to come off as entitled to those freebies. There’s a reason nobody sells Horse Armor anymore.

-Wes

I disagree about Broken Steel. I barely scraped the surface of side-missions and by the time I finished the game I had maxed out my experience level. There’s no way anyone in any of their testing could have ever considered this acceptable. The game felt incomplete. Broken Steel’s bonus content I could take or leave, but the level cap increase is something that’s fundamental to the core game that wasn’t included. That’s why I consider it something that shouldn’t have been bonus content.

Contrast this with Prince of Persia, where the game felt complete when I finished the game. I didn’t buy the epilogue until the sale last weekend because I didn’t think I needed it to complete the story. It turns out I was right, because the Epilogue really did feel like something that’s there for people who want more rather than a missing piece of the puzzle. The marketing may not make it out like that, but hey, it’s their job to make you feel like you need something.

And again, if the developer decides to charge for something that isn’t integral to the game – whether they do it on release or later on – your $60 shouldn’t automatically entitle you to it (but, kind of ironically, in this case it actually does). If a game isn’t worthwhile without DLC people won’t buy the game and developers will stop charging for it. Developers know this, and that’s why DLC is rarely worth the price to people who don’t already love a game.

Hands down, the worst DLC I can think of is the Resident Evil 5 vs mode. Not because your $60 should entitle you to a vs mode, but because putting even the tiniest barrier (in this case, $5) to an online component of a game developers are practically guaranteeing that it will die a quick death. I could be wrong, but if you turn on RE5 right now and play it in vs is anyone actually playing?

Hey guys I got a question…
So I got my Blood Dragon Armour and put in the code, got the plate and continued the game.
First of all people are saying that im supposed to get the other parts of it from some guy called Bodhan or something like that and I was wondering who that is and where to find him.

Thanks!

P.S. Im a Dawrf Noble if that helps :)