Poll: Mass Effect 3 DLC - UPDATE!

[Smeggs]

I only wanted Legion and Garrus, and now you're telling me that to get DLC I need to buy these overpriced figurines?

WTF IS THIS SHIT, BIOWARE?

Is the DLC at least going to be offered for MS points? Because I seriously doubt that unless these DLC's are amazingly huge and amazing that just buying them with MS is cheaper than forking over nearly $20 each for a somewhat ugly figurine.

 

[Smeggs]

Small point, your statement should in fact read "if I've said it a million times, I've said it once" Otherwise it's just a nonsensical sentence.

No, the saying, "If I've said it once, I've said it [X] times" basically translates too, "I've said it once before, but nobody ever listens, so this is the millionth time for all you know."

He was right in the way he said it.

And double post. Nice.

 

[blind_dead_mcjones]

If I've said it once I've said it a million times

You Don't Have To Buy It!

seriously, if you don't want the DLC, don't buy the DLC

It's not a case of ignoring it if you don't want the product, in the OP I was highlighting the levels that Bioware/EA will go to to get more money. Look at how much each bit of "randomised DLC content" costs.

ha! you think thats outrageous, check out the prices of gundam model kits (or gundam merch in general) then you can complain about prices being outrageous.

seriously though, you're making a mountain out of a molehill, the DLC in the case of these figurines is just a slight bonus for buying the merchandice in the first place, and even in spite of the collective pricetag they're still more value for money than the some other stuff bioware is offering merch wise (like that M-8 Avenger rifle prop for example)

also you do realise the entire point behind any business is to make money correct?

 

[ResonanceSD]

If I've said it once I've said it a million times

You Don't Have To Buy It!

seriously, if you don't want the DLC, don't buy the DLC

It's not a case of ignoring it if you don't want the product, in the OP I was highlighting the levels that Bioware/EA will go to to get more money. Look at how much each bit of "randomised DLC content" costs.

ha! you think thats outrageous, check out the prices of gundam model kits (or gundam merch in general) then you can complain about prices being outrageous.

seriously though, you're making a mountain out of a molehill, the DLC in the case of these figurines is just a slight bonus for buying the merchandice in the first place, and even in spite of the collective pricetag they're still more value for money than the some other stuff bioware is offering merch wise (like that M-8 Avenger rifle prop for example)

also you do realise the entire point behind any business is to make money correct?

No, I actually had no idea, I thought businesses were there to give stuff away.

Your argument for pricing of a completely different product isn't so helpful. I could have made a comparison to the options on a Porsche 911, or Porsche merch and how expensive they were, but it's completely unrelated to the topic at hand.

Anyway, did you read how I phrased the poll? The popular answer seems to be if I wanted the swag, I'd have bought retail anyway

 

[blind_dead_mcjones]

If I've said it once I've said it a million times

You Don't Have To Buy It!

seriously, if you don't want the DLC, don't buy the DLC

It's not a case of ignoring it if you don't want the product, in the OP I was highlighting the levels that Bioware/EA will go to to get more money. Look at how much each bit of "randomised DLC content" costs.

ha! you think thats outrageous, check out the prices of gundam model kits (or gundam merch in general) then you can complain about prices being outrageous.

seriously though, you're making a mountain out of a molehill, the DLC in the case of these figurines is just a slight bonus for buying the merchandice in the first place, and even in spite of the collective pricetag they're still more value for money than the some other stuff bioware is offering merch wise (like that M-8 Avenger rifle prop for example)

also you do realise the entire point behind any business is to make money correct?

Your argument for pricing of a completely different product isn't so helpful. I could have made a comparison to the options on a Porsche 911, or Porsche merch and how expensive they were, but it's completely unrelated to the topic at hand.

Anyway, did you read how I phrased the poll? The popular answer seems to be if I wanted the swag, I'd have bought retail anyway

thats where you're mistaken because what bioware is doing with this figurine business is similar to bandai's marketing practice, especially where 'tamashii web shop limited' is concerned, in short they frequently offer 'special edition' figures, figurines and model kits (which in some cases are just an existing product but with a different finish or something to that effect) with ancilliary bonuses and 'promotional bonus codes' tacked on to commemeorate a new Gundam release (be it a series, OVA, movie, comic, video game, etc)

course this isn't limited to just gundam, it is also done with other franchises as well

and yes i did read the poll, but the poll is not the focus of my attention

 

[latenightapplepie]

I'm Commander Sheppard and this figurine scam is the most fail on the Internet.

It's not quite a scam, I think. Just a serious rip-off, really.

But your post still made me smile.

Yeah, I won't be going anywhere near this unless the figurines are really stellar.

 

[AD-Stu]

Lair of the Shadow Broker and Arrival have important plot details that you won't see in the actual game.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

TBH they're not really essential to the plot in that you could cover the same ground in the game's intro the same way the destruction of the original Normandy and Shepard beginning to work with Cerberus was covered in the intro to ME2. Getting to actually play those stories was cool, but if plot is all you're worried about then it would take almost no time at all to catch someone up.

And as someone mentioned in another thread, would you really prefer DLC with absolutely no meaningful plot as the alternative?

As for DLC linked to buying figurines... it's a non-issue since I don't live in North America but even if I did, there's no way I'd be spending money on a bunch of derpy-looking figurines. If past experience is any guide, they'll probably release the linked DLC content for purchase on its own at a later date, like they did with a lot of the exclusive weapons and armour from ME2. There's almost zero chance this will be vital or plot-related stuff.

 

[ResonanceSD]

Lair of the Shadow Broker and Arrival have important plot details that you won't see in the actual game.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

TBH they're not really essential to the plot in that you could cover the same ground in the game's intro the same way the destruction of the original Normandy and Shepard beginning to work with Cerberus was covered in the intro to ME2. Getting to actually play those stories was cool, but if plot is all you're worried about then it would take almost no time at all to catch someone up.

And as someone mentioned in another thread, would you really prefer DLC with absolutely no meaningful plot as the alternative?

As for DLC linked to buying figurines... it's a non-issue since I don't live in North America but even if I did, there's no way I'd be spending money on a bunch of derpy-looking figurines. If past experience is any guide, they'll probably release the linked DLC content for purchase on its own at a later date, like they did with a lot of the exclusive weapons and armour from ME2. There's almost zero chance this will be vital or plot-related stuff.

^ I agree with a lot of this. I mean come on, if you're buying DLC, you want the content first, not the figurines.

Also what's with restricting this to NA?

 

[Stormz]

Lair of the Shadow Broker and Arrival have important plot details that you won't see in the actual game.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

TBH they're not really essential to the plot in that you could cover the same ground in the game's intro the same way the destruction of the original Normandy and Shepard beginning to work with Cerberus was covered in the intro to ME2. Getting to actually play those stories was cool, but if plot is all you're worried about then it would take almost no time at all to catch someone up.

And as someone mentioned in another thread, would you really prefer DLC with absolutely no meaningful plot as the alternative?

As for DLC linked to buying figurines... it's a non-issue since I don't live in North America but even if I did, there's no way I'd be spending money on a bunch of derpy-looking figurines. If past experience is any guide, they'll probably release the linked DLC content for purchase on its own at a later date, like they did with a lot of the exclusive weapons and armour from ME2. There's almost zero chance this will be vital or plot-related stuff.

I still feel those missions should of been in the game to begin with. I hate any and all DLC if it has plot details that are important to the plot. I like DLC if it expands on the lore of the series and is completely optional. Example, Fallout 3 and New Vegas did this extremely well. Dragon Age origins as well.

"Exclusive" weapons and armour. AKA Items that were taken out of the game to nickel and dime the player. Again, Me2 had a pathetic amount of options for items unless you paid money. It's just unacceptable, it's suppose to be an RPG and yet the game has like 3 weapons for each catagory and a miniscule amount of armour mods. Want to customize your character? BUY OUR WEAPON AND ARMOUR DLC. It's a complete scam.

I'm not trying to attack you by the way, it's just so stingy of Bioware and people continue to defend their decisions.

 

[Weaver]

Soon bioware will stop making games and just start making parts of games.

 

[ResonanceSD]

Soon bioware will stop making games and just start making parts of games.

Well yeah, but there's a difference between good DLC (Broken Steel/Old World Blues) and Bad DLC (Horse Armor). The difference is content that extends the game versus content cut from the original.

 

[AD-Stu]

I still feel those missions should of been in the game to begin with. I hate any and all DLC if it has plot details that are important to the plot. I like DLC if it expands on the lore of the series and is completely optional. Example, Fallout 3 and New Vegas did this extremely well. Dragon Age origins as well.

"Exclusive" weapons and armour. AKA Items that were taken out of the game to nickel and dime the player. Again, Me2 had a pathetic amount of options for items unless you paid money. It's just unacceptable, it's suppose to be an RPG and yet the game has like 3 weapons for each catagory and a miniscule amount of armour mods. Want to customize your character? BUY OUR WEAPON AND ARMOUR DLC. It's a complete scam.

I'm not trying to attack you by the way, it's just so stingy of Bioware and people continue to defend their decisions.

It's cool, we can agree to disagree on this one and I'm absolutely with you on the weapons and armour point. I don't view them as being essential to the game (though I'd definitely miss my Locust from ME2 - and was the Collector Particle Beam day one DLC or not, I can't remember...) but bleeding us for them later is definitely a low move.

That said, right now I'm downloading the demo of some game I couldn't care less about just because it'll get me a free weapon and armour set in ME3... so I guess I'm making myself part of the problem by enabling them *embarrassed face*

 

[Soviet Heavy]

Soon bioware will stop making games and just start making parts of games.

They're devolving into dating sims, which Japan sort of already has covered. For fucks sakes, Katawa Shoujo has more believable relationships than Mass Effect.

 

[Weaver]

Soon bioware will stop making games and just start making parts of games.

They're devolving into dating sims, which Japan sort of already has covered. For fucks sakes, Katawa Shoujo has more believable relationships than Mass Effect.

Want to join the KS fans group?

 

[Soviet Heavy]

Soon bioware will stop making games and just start making parts of games.

They're devolving into dating sims, which Japan sort of already has covered. For fucks sakes, Katawa Shoujo has more believable relationships than Mass Effect.

Want to join the KS fans group?

Not really. I respect the developers for going into touchy subject matter, but I merely observe from a distance.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

"Exclusive" weapons and armour. AKA Items that were taken out of the game to nickel and dime the player. Again, Me2 had a pathetic amount of options for items unless you paid money. It's just unacceptable, it's suppose to be an RPG and yet the game has like 3 weapons for each catagory and a miniscule amount of armour mods. Want to customize your character? BUY OUR WEAPON AND ARMOUR DLC. It's a complete scam.

Here's a nice ironic quote from Mordin.
Skip to 1:50

Never had to buy our own weapons, eh Mordin?

 

[Tony2077]

sounds neat but all this whining its making me not want to be part of this community

 

[Xpheyel]

Of course, no one has actually drawn the line on what is nonessential. Technically, most of Skyrim's nonessential. But it'd be astronomically worse value and game if they'd parceled out chunks off the main quest as DLC, wouldn't it? Maybe you can't have battle axes or fire enchantments until you buy them for 2800 Bethesda Points? That would've been ok too. You don't need those things to get through the game either.

Can we go back to having $60 buy an entire game without the "nonessential" bits and pieces in half a dozen preorder bonuses, cross promotions, and wildly overpriced day one DLC? That'd be good.

 

[ResonanceSD]

Of course, no one has actually drawn the line on what is nonessential. Technically, most of Skyrim's nonessential. But it'd be astronomically worse value and game if they'd parceled out chunks off the main quest as DLC, wouldn't it? Maybe you can't have battle axes or fire enchantments until you buy them for 2800 Bethesda Points? That would've been ok too. You don't need those things to get through the game either.

Can we go back to having $60 buy an entire game without the "nonessential" bits and pieces in half a dozen preorder bonuses, cross promotions, and wildly overpriced day one DLC? That'd be good.

If I may start on the line.

The Arkham City "Skins" are nonessential.

Horse Armor is nonessential

By definition, anything "cosmetic" is nonessential.

I'd love a return to the days of reasonably priced, full games. Try telling EA/Bioware that.

 

[AD-Stu]

Can we go back to having $60 buy an entire game without the "nonessential" bits and pieces in half a dozen preorder bonuses, cross promotions, and wildly overpriced day one DLC? That'd be good.

That'd sure be nice - and while we're at it, can we have some kind of international pricing fairness too? As an Australian I'm reading this thinking "Wow, $60 is wicked cheap for a new-release game". Even though the Australian dollar is worth more than the US right now we'd still be charged more like $90 (the collectors edition preorder is actually costing me over $100).

Back on topic though, there is this nasty devil sitting on my shoulder telling me if the industry went back to including everything for one price then the game would be less widely marketed (keep in mind that part of the point of vendor-specific bonuses is to get GameStop/EB/whoever to push the game in addition to EA's marketing), would sell less copies, making the developer less money and we'd get shafted in some other way - maybe we'd get stuck with something like ME1's copy-pasted side quests locations instead of the ME2 system of having a unique map for each one.

I think what I'm saying is everything in moderation: while I might not like it, and in an ideal world the whole lot would be included for free, up to a point I can understand it and tolerate it. Beyond that point though it's just blatant gouging of our wallets and that's what really grates with me.