Portal 2 - DLC Backlash

[Ranorak]

And in comes the bann hammer.

I'm guessing that it may be beyond you that I could be not entirely serious.

It's kind of amusing to see this backlash.
I wonder if it also happened if they sold Portal 2 for the regular price, and sold a Collectors edition with hats for 20 dollars more.

I'd be ok with that. Only fools get those more expensive editions anyway.

So.... If all the DLC was unlock on the special edition for 20 dollars extra, it wouldn't bother you?
As in.... EXACTLY the same as now? You pay more, you get more?

Except it's now optional to the point of 1 item at the time, instead of all-or-nothing.

 

[Hydro14]

As Legion's stated with a bit more subtlety:

This is situation 1: it's £32 of game, £28 of which is items that you're not getting, leaving you with £4 of game that you paid £32 for.

This is situation 2: It's £60 of game and items; you're getting £32 of game which is exactly what you paid for.

That really doesn't hold any water. You can't tell me with a straight face that this cosmetic stuff (which apparently doesn't matter, according to Valve Defence Force) is worth the price they're asking for. I paid for a game, I don't expect to get £30 of game and a load of stuff missing.

It's only missing if you believe it should have been there in the first place. Why do you believe it should have been? I agree it's not worth £28, which is why I'm not buying it. I do believe the game was worth £32, which is why I bought it. Simple market forces state a product is worth what the buyer is willing to pay. If you don't believe a game without aesthetic character customisation is worth £32 then that's a fair call, but the fact that character customisation is available for an extra cost shouldn't have any bearing on the initial purpose.

 

[Zay-el]

I'd give this merit if the DLC content were levels, challenges and all that, but SKINS? Since when have we become so incredibly vain, that we need to play dress-up with every single game imaginable? It's skins, people. There's a lot of other stuff on gaming grounds to b**** about, hate to break to ya. If you wanna play Barbie's Makeover in every single game you own, be my guest, but don't complain that you have to pay.

 

[Assassin Xaero]

No, actually, it's not. How about you stop being so obnoxious. If I spend £30 on a game I expect that to be EVERYTHING, not 'that minus the sum of £28 of DLC'.

I never said TF2 had day 1 DLC,

You said 'TF2 did this', when it didn't. Take it back.
The issue is that this is all day 1 DLC. The TF2 stuff was added later, that's excusable. This isn't.

No he didn't; back off. He said: "It's all cosmetic, so I don't really care. I know TF2 did this". He was saying that all of TF2's was cosmetic.

 

[zelda2fanboy]

Meanwhile, the US continues to be in two (maybe three) wars. Men, women, and children are murdered every day with (probably) your tax money. Also, there starvation. Lots of starvation.

I just can't work up enough ire to be even a little bit upset by this. Microsoft sells avatar clothes and their system costs upwards of 300 bucks. With no games! And you have to spend 60 bucks just to play online to get any use out of buying the clothes. The only company that doesn't do micro transactions, day one DLC, and packages additional content with their products is Nintendo, and you probably all hate them, too.

I'd rather see people complain about the game having a campaign clockin in at about five hours and no challenge mode or advanced chambers.

Very true. Strongly considering canceling my amazon preorder that hasn't shipped yet on that basis alone. It will be $30 in a year, and probably have a GOTY edition that will include some hats, and probably by then, some challenge maps. Then again, I waited for challenge maps in the original Portal on xbox live arcade, and they were pretty lame compared to the value the Orange Box had.

 

[MrSalamandra]

I love this site. Everyone complains endlessly about day 1 DLC and micro-transactions, but when Valve does it half of the forums are leaping to their defense or pretending they've never had a problem with it.

Also, could I get some English in these captures please? I don't speak fucking Latin. Could we at least use text that's actually readable instead of unintelligible scrawling?

I don't think that people are saying that these micro-transactions are a good thing, just one that is pretty inconsequential to the actual game.

 

[Azo Galvat]

There needs to be a line drawn. This purely cosmetic stuff, even though it is Day 1 DLC, seems okay to me because if I don't buy it, I miss nothing.

But then we get things like Dragon Age II and even Dragon Age: Origins selling entire characters and quests day 1. Why was this not included with the game if it was ready for the game's release? DA:O had the decency to include a voucher for Shale, so people who buy the game new could get the DLC without worrying, but DAII has no such thing for Sebastian, when they could have done it just like they did with Shale.

THAT is what needs to stop, developers selling entire segments of their game on day one. Either complete the game and offer Day 1 DLC codes in the game for anyone who buys new, or release it as part of an expansion pack farther down the line.

 

[A Pious Cultist]

My reactor was definitely: Hats? Are you fucking with my Valve?

But yeah, so long as they don't charge for maps and stuff that isnt purely decorative I can tolerate it.

 

[AbsoluteVirtue18]

I love the people using this as a weapon against Valve. It's hilarious, because it's stupid. It'd be different if this was like Broken Steel or something, but it's just cosmetic crap, like gamer pics or avatar items.

[sub]It's funny as hell, I swear to God it is.[/sub]

 

[Ranorak]

I love this site. Everyone complains endlessly about day 1 DLC and micro-transactions, but when Valve does it half of the forums are leaping to their defense or pretending they've never had a problem with it.

Also, could I get some English in these captures please? I don't speak fucking Latin. Could we at least use text that's actually readable instead of unintelligible scrawling?

I have always been, and always will be, a pro-DLC person.
Day 1 or not.
Micro transactions for vanity stuff is fine by me as well.
It's all a matter of "if you want it, buy it. If not, not."

So, I'm not pretending to have a problem with it.

Will I buy Marvel vs Capcom 3's Shadow Battle, which is basicly a battle against NPC's but they fight like someone "famous". No, I won't. But I don't care that there is the option, and others might.

 

[Xanadu84]

If a game as presented is worth the cost, buy it. If it is not, don't.

Do the same with DLC.

If you buy the game and the DLC because they are worth the price of the content, but you spent more money, then that is not the company ripping you off. That is a company succeeding in properly pricing there games and content. You know, like a company.

I mean seriously, The only possible course of events is that you buy things you want to buy, and not buy things you don't. Don't want to buy that Map Pack or that hat? Be glad other people are, increasing the incentive to lower prices of the base game knowing it will increase Microtransaction sales. You do want to buy that map pack or hat? Welcome to this thing called the Economy where you trade money for stuff you want. Unless you are incapable of a reasonable evaluation of a game, DLC can not hurt you.

 

[Catalyst6]

I didn't buy the game. I'm angry on behalf of the poor souls who got conned out of what they bought. To my mind, you'd be justified in pirating the hell out of all that 'extra content' that is priced completely disproportionately to the game you paid for.

ARE YOU A MAGICIAN? Because your credibility just vanished into thin air. Well played, friend. Well played.

OT: While it is technically DLC, I don't see why everyone is up in arms about it. After all, it's silly cosmetic nonsense, you don't *have* to get them. In fact, there's really not much point to it, since it's a first-person game...

Yes, Valve is trying to score an extra buck off the kind of person that paints his TF2 hats with different colors that he bought off the store. I've never really understood it, but hey, to each their own.

I'd be surprised if there aren't/will be many more *unlockable* hats and such with additional achievements and whatnot. Perhaps the addition of more challenge levels, completion leading to a new hat? Who knows.

 

[maddawg IAJI]

Just further proof that Metacritic cannot be trusted. After the Dragon Age II fiasco, I wouldn't be surprised if games like L.A. Noire get really low scores.

 

[Bill Bread]

Just further proof that Metacritic cannot be trusted. After the Dragon Age II fiasco, I wouldn't be surprised if games like L.A. Noire get really low scores.

I hope you didn't just hope that LA Noire will be as 'good' as 'fantasy dating simulator 2'.

 

[maddawg IAJI]

Just further proof that Metacritic cannot be trusted. After the Dragon Age II fiasco, I wouldn't be surprised if games like L.A. Noire get really low scores.

I hope you didn't just hope that LA Noire will be as 'good' as 'fantasy dating simulator 2'.

I enjoyed Dragon Age II, I understand that it had its faults, but a 5.0 in an industry where a 7.0 means the game is horrible? That doesn't make sense. Not to mention that if the folks at Metacritic are getting their briefs in a bunch over 1 Day DLC, imagine how they'll feel about pre-orders from different distributors.

My point still stands. Metacritic, specifically the user reviews, are about as untrustworthy as the critical reviews.

 

[goldendriger]

If it was extra maps and stuff and you guys were pissed, i could understand. But hats and stuff? really? I dont see the point personally, if it doesnt add anything in the game then dont get it. If you dont buy it then Valve might get the idea...although the idea of "Here have a red hat..not gimme $30" is a bit daft to me

 

[Wargamer]

Alright, first off - does Portal 2 REALLY have Day 1 DLC (ie: significant parts of game content - like Shale from Dragon Age - locked out unless you pay £15 or use a one-use-only code to unlock) or is it just that there's a load of alternate skins available to buy?

Secondly, I know exactly why companies are doing this, and I know squarely where the blame lies - with you. Specifically, with every one of you who'd rather save £5 by buying used than paying for a new game.

Seriously, I remember going to buy Dragon Age on the day of release. I went into GAME (which I'm convinced is the UK branch of Gamestop, and have thus stopped buying from them) and selected out a £40 "New" copy of Dragon Age, complete with the free unlock codes to get me an extra £15 - £20 worth of stuff.

Do you know what the **** behind the counter said? "We have a used copy for £2 less." The company had gone and given some moron £20 for a brand new copy of Dragon Age, which they were going to flog to me for £38, and thus STEAL FROM ME by making me pay £20 online for content I get for free buying new. Incidentally, how much do you think the game developers get for that used copy? Nothing.

THAT is why Day 1 DLC exists - because businesses like Gamestop are built around taking money away from the game developers.

If you don't buy new, you don't have the right to protest Day 1 DLC. If you do buy new, it doesn't effect you anyway.

 

[Knight Templar]

Just further proof that Metacritic cannot be trusted. After the Dragon Age II fiasco, I wouldn't be surprised if games like L.A. Noire get really low scores.

I hope you didn't just hope that LA Noire will be as 'good' as 'fantasy dating simulator 2'.

Have you ever played a dating sim or DA2? I admit I've only seen, never played, dating sims but even I can tell DA2 isn't a dating sim.

You really harm your credibility with statements like that.

 

[Ranorak]

Alright, first off - does Portal 2 REALLY have Day 1 DLC (ie: significant parts of game content - like Shale from Dragon Age - locked out unless you pay £15 or use a one-use-only code to unlock) or is it just that there's a load of alternate skins available to buy?

Secondly, I know exactly why companies are doing this, and I know squarely where the blame lies - with you. Specifically, with every one of you who'd rather save £5 by buying used than paying for a new game.

Seriously, I remember going to buy Dragon Age on the day of release. I went into GAME (which I'm convinced is the UK branch of Gamestop, and have thus stopped buying from them) and selected out a £40 "New" copy of Dragon Age, complete with the free unlock codes to get me an extra £15 - £20 worth of stuff.

Do you know what the **** behind the counter said? "We have a used copy for £2 less." The company had gone and given some moron £20 for a brand new copy of Dragon Age, which they were going to flog to me for £38, and thus STEAL FROM ME by making me pay £20 online for content I get for free buying new. Incidentally, how much do you think the game developers get for that used copy? Nothing.

THAT is why Day 1 DLC exists - because businesses like Gamestop are built around taking money away from the game developers.

If you don't buy new, you don't have the right to protest Day 1 DLC. If you do buy new, it doesn't effect you anyway.

Actually, this isn't even actual Day-1 DLC.
It's a bunch of novelty items you can buy that give your robot a silly hat in Co-op.
It's not so much DownLoadable Content. As it's Downloadable Hats.

 

[Wargamer]

So, wait, you mean this is just like the "Week 1 costumes" that LittleBigPlanet AND LittleBigPlanet 2 had?

Funny, I don't recall Troll Rage at the fact Media Molecule had "day 1 DLC". *rolleyes*