EA Announces First Dragon Age 2 DLC

[FieryTrainwreck]

Sounds like a reason to Pre Order to me. Guess their plan worked... *goes to pre order*

Congratulations on your uninformed decision?

The purpose of preorders is to take the power of informed choice away from the consumer. If DA2 happens to be a stinker, and the reviews happen to bear that out, a lot of people who were on the fence will simply skip the game - and rightfully so.

EA doesn't like that. They want people purchasing the game based purely on prerelease hype.

I really don't understand the bitching about this. Instead of focussing on treating the consumer as a thief and evil by default (I'm looking at you Ubisoft), EA is actually rewarding honest buyers for their purchase.

Yeah, not what's happening here. They aren't offering DLC to people who purchase the game unused, as was the case last time. They're only giving you the DLC if you pre-order, which means plopping down $5 or $10 (or whatever) towards the purchase of a game with no idea as to the final quality of it.

They're essentially taking the review process out of the equation - or at least making it more expensive (to the tune of $5+) for anyone who wants to find out if the game is any fucking good before purchasing it.

I enjoyed DA1. I thought they really pushed it with that game's approach to DLC. If this preorder-only DLC goes through as detailed, I won't be purchasing DA2. Lots of games coming out in 2011, and I don't see any of the others resorting to these sorts of strong-arm tactics.

Go fuck yourself, EA.

Also, this is why I'm pretty powerfully anti-business. Corporations believe anything that reduces potential profits is an obstacle that must be somehow torn down. It just so happens that practically every consumer right functions to potentially reduce corporate profit, so do the math.

DLC is the plague of gaming in my opinion.

I think that debate's been over for a while, but this story should be the nail in the coffin. DLC, like anything, has some potential, but it's pretty clearly morphed into nothing more than another mechanism of control and profiteering for greedy publishers.

 

[BeastofShadow]

This is getting stupid now. That seems like actual content. they are just f***ing people over now. Like with Stolen Memories actually being on the ME2 disk. Actually thinking about it Lair of the Shadow Broker was probably originally planned as part of the game too...

 

[Internet Kraken]

I'm on record as a fan of "Project Ten Dollar" extras that promote new game sales over used and I generally like preorder bonuses too, but there's a fine line between rewarding your supporters and punishing everyone else and I think this may cross it. A fully-developed party member with his own unique quest line is a little beyond the throwaway goodies usually offered as preorder incentives, and what's the deal with putting a time limit on the preorder window? I wouldn't be at all surprised to see EA eventually back down and give the DLC to everyone who preorders, but why put that restriction on it at all? I think EA may be seriously overplaying its hand here.

I definitely agree. I never cared about project 10 dollar. I actually thought it was a decent idea. A way to satisfy game developers and keep the used games market going. I never really got all the hate for it. However, this is completley different. It's withholding content that has no reason not to go into the finished product from players unless they commit to buying the game without reading reveiws first. Basically, they're using this to get us to buy the game on faith alone.

That doesn't sit right with me. Worst yet, it makes me question the quality of the final product if they feel the need to entice us to preorder it with something that big.

I really don't understand the bitching about this. Instead of focussing on treating the consumer as a thief and evil by default (I'm looking at you Ubisoft), EA is actually rewarding honest buyers for their purchase.

Instead of using the stick, which is popular these days, EA is using the carrot; extra content. Yet everyone is making a fuss out of it. What gives? I understand that it's odd to see an announcement for DLC before the game is released, but hell it's a friendlier thing to do than the alternative.

That's what project 10 dollar was. This, however, only gives you the content if you preorder the game. You can't do the sensible thing and wait for reveiws. Even if you buy the game new, you'll be denied a huge chunk of content because you didn't preorder.

 

[CK76]

Nice, the first DLC is out before the game itself is completed. Fuck Project Ten Dollar and fuck DLC entirely. This obsession over DLC actually dissuades me from picking up certain titles because i just can't be fucked with it. I hate it. Same with future DLC; i hate paying £7 or whatever it is for 2 hours worth of content. I know people say that's just the same as going to the cinema, but you know what, at least going to the cinema gets you out of the house. I really hate starting to get into something, then BAM it's over. I appreciate developers are doing this pre-order DLC stuff to try and get more money in their pockets, but i just hate the whole thing.

Hear hear. I actually refuse to buy any Ubisoft title new because of what happened with Prince of Persia (DLC to actually end the game...NO! NO! NO!) DLC is easily my least favorite aspect about this generation of gaming.

 

[AlternatePFG]

And where does the PC version fall in with all this?

I'm really losing hope for this game. I kinda had a feeling it would suck as soon as it was announced.

 

[Senaro]

If you're announcing DLC before the game's out, EA, you're just fucking us out of release content.

Not long and DLC will be announced before their games. That will be interesting.

Looks interesting enough. I mean for free. Don't understand the obsession with preordering, but if it gets me free extra stuff, why not?

This DLC WAS announced before the game.

I meant in the sense that the DLC is announced before the game is announced. The game has been announced if you haven´'t noticed.

Sorry, thought you were referring to DLC announced before games are released.

 

[chainguns]

A cheap $6 bribe to make people buy a game blind, before it's released, without reading reviews.

Which would be a gamble to consider, if this were still BioWare, rather than a subsidiary of greedy franchise destroyer-EA.

Or if Dragon Age 2 was basically Dragon Age Origns + 70 hours of new story, characters and maps. Instead, we have a retarded down (almost) hack and slash, competing fiercely with Diablo 3. No need for pause and play combat - just button mash and that is designed to work fine. No need to look for the best equipment - each set of armor conveniently has a 'star' rating for the mentally challenged. No need to read dialogue - it all comes on a wheel with helpful little emoticons next to the options (I mean, why exclude the illiterate from your customer base?).

Or if Dragon Age DLC was as good value for money as Mass Effect DLC, instead of being a way of tipping the developers in exchange for 20 minutes of play.

 

[Sonic Doctor]

If you're announcing DLC before the game's out, EA, you're just fucking us out of release content.

Not long and DLC will be announced before their games. That will be interesting.

Looks interesting enough. I mean for free. Don't understand the obsession with preordering, but if it gets me free extra stuff, why not?

Pre-ordering is where people get all the extra stuff. If you don't Pre-order, you either don't get the content if you buy it normally later, or you have to buy it later for ten bucks or something(usually months later when they finally let other people get it).

Also there are the money incentives. All I do now is pre-order. Last year out of 4 of my pre-orders from Amazon.com, I got 20 dollar game credits for two of those pre-orders. One I used on one of those 4 pre-orders(Got the Castlevaina: LoS collector's edition for 60 instead of 80), and the other credit I used just a week and a half ago. I hadn't played Dragon Age yet, so I used that credit to get the Dragon Age Ultimate Edition for $29.99 instead of $49.99.

So now I research what games are going to come out and pre-order the ones I know for sure I am going to end up buying not long after launch. With Amazon, if you throw in and extra 99 cents, you get it delivered on release day.

There is your answer about pre-ordering, at least the reason I do it. It is convenient and you get some cool extra stuff and deals.

Already pre-ordered Dragon Age 2.

 

[Sonic Doctor]

i can see the original point in the OP. but an even better point is its only 5 bucks to lay down a pre order. even the poorest man in America can scrounge up 5 bucks in a week

It also depends on where you pre-order. I pre-ordered from Amazon.com and I laid down zip, though I guess that my debit card number is enough, but it still is less then having to lay down 5 bucks at a GameStop.

 

[Sonic Doctor]

And where does the PC version fall in with all this?

I'm really losing hope for this game. I kinda had a feeling it would suck as soon as it was announced.

I think it is the same deal, at least I think. I saw the PC version listed when I pre-ordered my 360 copy.

 

[Shamanic Rhythm]

I recently picked up DA:O. I thought it was the best RPG I've played in years, seriously. It did so many things right I lost count of them all. But I've been on the fence about the idea of playing the sequel ever since I heard that they wanted to make it more like Mass Effect 2, which is about as sad an excuse for an RPG as you can get without involving Final Fantasy (kidding! don't flame me...) This is pretty much only adding to my lack of enthusiasm.

So what we have here is that instead of taking the normal route of releasing a game with a high level of content and hoping that is reflected in the review score, EA are actually cutting out some of that content and only offering it to people who buy it without waiting to read the reviews. I'd like to see ANYONE try and justify that.

 

[Desert Tiger]

At least make an effort to look like you aren't trying to fuck us over, EA.

 

[Steam Colossus]

If you're announcing DLC before the game's out, EA, you're just fucking us out of release content.

This man is right. If the game was free you could justify the release DLC. Although I'll probably buy it...

 

[syltman]

"This is murder"

"No what happened to my family"

Puts on glases

"That was murder"

Yeaaaaaaaaaaah!

Oh this is true.

 

[L4hlborg]

Looks interesting enough. I mean for free. Don't understand the obsession with preordering, but if it gets me free extra stuff, why not?

Pre-ordering is where people get all the extra stuff. If you don't Pre-order, you either don't get the content if you buy it normally later, or you have to buy it later for ten bucks or something(usually months later when they finally let other people get it).

Also there are the money incentives. All I do now is pre-order. Last year out of 4 of my pre-orders from Amazon.com, I got 20 dollar game credits for two of those pre-orders. One I used on one of those 4 pre-orders(Got the Castlevaina: LoS collector's edition for 60 instead of 80), and the other credit I used just a week and a half ago. I hadn't played Dragon Age yet, so I used that credit to get the Dragon Age Ultimate Edition for $29.99 instead of $49.99.

So now I research what games are going to come out and pre-order the ones I know for sure I am going to end up buying not long after launch. With Amazon, if you throw in and extra 99 cents, you get it delivered on release day.

There is your answer about pre-ordering, at least the reason I do it. It is convenient and you get some cool extra stuff and deals.

Already pre-ordered Dragon Age 2.

I do understand why people preorder. What I don't understand is why do the developers/publishers/retailers want us to preorder the game. Is it because we would get the game before any reviews came out? Or do they want to maximize first day sale numbers?

 

[Tiswas]

How about instead of pre-ordering your game I wait a few months and get it pre-owned for about a tenner (about the going rate pre-owned for DA this time last year.) You don't get any money and I can choose whether I want to pay for some more DLC. (Which I wont.)

Instead the money can go towards...I dunno. Lets just say Okamiden.

 

[beefpelican]

If more people preorder a game, EA gets a better idea about how many units to make and whether to start on DA 3. If you want people to preorder you provide them with an incentive. Seem like just smart business to me.

 

[slothlordcarl]

If you're announcing DLC before the game's out, EA, you're just fucking us out of release content.

Exactly. This is not additional content, this is getting people to pay more for content, more than likely, stripped from the game itself. DLC as a trend is rather abysmal and a terribly rapist practice in the game industry these days. Please do not support these things as it will only make them worse.

Remember back in the day when Bioware released packs of content for free and heavily supported community mods and content? Yeah, not so much anymore. They should have stayed independent of EA, which is a cancer in this industry.

 

[XT inc]

I hate these lofty preorder bonuses, I don't know if they are going to be good or not, they should be in the game anyway, and if the game flops I paid top dollar for it. I get that they want to curb used sales, but putting the content gun to my head and saying, buy it new or the game will be less than optimal is a shitty way to go about things.

 

[XT inc]

I think games now that we get could be called the Capitalist cut of the game. It isn't the game well true and complete it's the edition the devs make as unfinished as possible to milk it for more and more money. Movies have directors cuts and edits to where they feel the film is correct, we just have our media so that no one can have the same opinion of a game because they all played different edits of it with different plot lines and stories, because one guy pays 59.99 and the other buys a limited edition with 40 dollars worth of expansion, thusly creating a sort of DA2 lite and DA2.