Xbox 360 Game News, Reviews, and Columns - XboxFocus

DLC Done Right

by August 6th 2008 12:51 PM CDT2 Comments

You know what's bullshit? A few days after Soul Calibur IV's release, downloadable content was made available. New headgear and costumes to use in the character creator for 100 points. The kicker is that reportedly the download's size has led gamers to the conclusion that you're simply paying for a "key" to unlock content already on the disk. Rumor has it that Vader is on the disk as well and the DLC will be treated in the same fashion. Fuck it.

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You know what's awesome? On Monday, Burnout Paradise got a free update via Xbox Live that added a ton of new missions and online features. Future updates (the next one being free as well) are set to add a day/night system, motorcycles, and even airplanes just to name the short list by this Fall. The game came out in January. Love it.

Downloadable content has gotten some bad rep from the gaming community and justifiably so. People felt as if on-disk content was being held back in order to charge us extra for it later. Early attempts like the 200 Point Horse Armor in Oblivion or buying in game money with MS Points in The Godfather were laughable at best. This writer feels like things are turning around however, but it'll take some time before everyone gets on board.

DLC works when it extends the game's life cycle and expands the game beyond what time would allow or what could possibly fit on the disk. I am not going to pay extra for features a few days or even a week or two after I've plopped down $60 or more on a game. The exceptions to this rule are the music games; the more DLC song choices available day one alongside my disk tracks the better. If we're going to be charged (bonus props to developers to don't) then make our extra cost reflective of the extra development cost. If an alternate costume pack is released a week after the game's release it's a good bet that it didn't take any extra time to develop, so I expect it to be free. If I play a lot of Halo, I'm cool with paying for the Legendary Map Pack knowing that Bungie spent additional time working on it and that it will increase the game's playability. If it's a matter of stuff being cut due to time, offer it after for free.

Another bright side of DLC is that it can be used for deals on sequels and expansions. Right now, if you have Tomb Raider: Legend you download Tomb Raider Anniversary in two parts for 800 points each. This is $10 less than the disc version and you can buy each part whenever you choose. More games can benefit from this model. I think people who don't buy the new sports game but have the old one would be willing to pay for yearly roster updates at a discount. It's time for developers to start thinking outside the box when it come to downloadable content.

I feel that they may finally be on the right track though. Developers and publishers have gotten their feet wet and those leading the way like Criterion and Harmonix are setting an example and pressuring competitors like Turn 10 and Neversoft to respond. The community is also getting better about calling out the con jobs (Namco got hell for the costume move), and supporting the right stuff. As time goes on I see the DLC focus switching from "how can we squeeze some more cash out of them?" to "how can we expand this and keep the player satisfied?" There's only but so much cash I have to spend on some games, damn it.

P.S. I need your e-mails for a future Running Riot Mailbag. Questions? Praise? Suggestions? Insults? Hit me with your best shot. I know you're out there, I've seen some of you bitches trolling my ass on bookmarking sites. The best and the worst stuff will end up here with my input for all to see. Send it to jaleel@xboxfocus.com with "Running Riot Feedback" as the subject line. Donations and sexual favors result in automatic publication.