Are Game Consoles Ruining DLC?

A round-table discussion at Gametopius looks into the state of downloadable content for games as it has evolved over the past several years, going from an occasional, welcome supplement to being a common marketing strategy for most of the industry, frequently causing irritation over pricing and availability.
"All of the map packs so far released for the Call of Duty games have been $10 each to download on consoles through closed networks, while PC gamers could download those same packs for free off of FileShack or somewhere else. Valve's own Team Fortress 2 has received a significant amount of DLC that's been completely free on the PC. Xbox owners of the same game, however, have only received perhaps half of that content, and they have had to pay for it in $5 packs. Why is this? The idea of this kind of content delivery was scarcely heard of on consoles, so console gamers see no reason not to pay for it. But on the PC, these amounts of content are usually just considered parts of patches. Furthermore, why pay for a few extra maps and costumes when modders are making and offering new ones for free all the time?"

http://games.slashdot.org/story/09/0...es-Ruining-DLC

I think DLC will eventually ruin console gaming due to greed on the developers behalf.

Before DLC was released, games had to be packed as much as possible. Now games only seem to be half a game, and you have to spend £10+ to get what feels like the full game.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Triv1um

I think DLC will eventually ruin console gaming due to greed on the developers behalf.

Before DLC was released, games had to be packed as much as possible. Now games only seem to be half a game, and you have to spend £10+ to get what feels like the full game.

---

Exactly how I feel you only get half a game now days.

DLC is outta control, I had to buy about a dozen map packs for games just to get the full enjoyment out of my online experience on the 360 (otherwise you're constantly disconnected for not having the "optional" content). Frankly, that adds up to quite a bit of money I didn't want to spend. I've started just putting up with disconnects on CoD:WaW, given they pushed out a third map pack ONE MONTH after the second.

This is too true, extra content for PC games has always been free. Mod-making results in lots of great levels and whatnot that are usually better than the stock levels. It's unbelievable that PC content is free when the exact same game on the XBOX 360 charges big bucks for the exact same content.
I like how the Far Cry games come with really easy-to-use built-in level editors that users are always making amazing levels with. Other games should do that, but then how would they make money if they were encouraging creativity in their customers?

I absolutely HATE this to man.

Just look at what's going on with Arkham Asylum, where one has to buy the retail game several times, from several stores, just to get everything.

It sickens me. I've been bitchin' about this for a long, long time. I'm glad to see someone else actually starting the bitching about this in a thread. (not that others haven't bitched. I just rarely come by such a bitchin' unless I start it myself.)

We need to just not buy the DLC.

I remember when your games would have unlockables (i.e. extra costumes in fighters, extra cars in racers), now you have to buy them instead. Is the fact that you've paid £45 / $65 not enough?! EA and Capcom are amongst the biggest whores of all. £10 for some extra SFIV costumes? £5 for Resi 5's multiplayer that should've been on the disc? But the examples that make my blood boil the most are when the content is actually already on the disc that you own and you're just buying an "Unlock key" to free it!

Gay. Rubbish. Pants. I hate it.

This is the reason why I LOVE MY PSX and MEGADRIVE CONSOLE!!!

Good, old faithful systems you can never get bored of!!

Gen
SOR1,2,3 street fighter (All of em'), sonic (All of em') Golden Axe

PSX
With the exception of some of the kiddy games released for it, near enough all of them as well!

OLD SKOOL FOR LIFE!!