The problem with DLC

[Sol_HSA]

The move towards more and more DLC is worrying to me, if only because of historical perspective.

Here's an example. The wing commander kilrathi saga. EA bought origin, and the box was released after that. So there's no reason why EA wouldn't keep hosting the DLC, now is there? It's not like they went out of business, or lost origin's data or something..

So what happens when you go to the well-advertised URL? Yes, you guessed right.

The same goes for other old games, like a certain need for speed title where you could download more cars.. and they even had a poll, and the majority liked the idea. The idea that you can get "more free stuff" for the game you bought.

I'd rather the whole game came on the disc.

 

[TelHybrid]

I think the worst kind of "DLC" is where it's content already on the disc, and you have to pay to access it.

I say fuck you to any developer who does this.

Going back to your example, I noticed a similar problem recently. Marvel Ultimate Alliance used to have character packs on the LIVE marketplace, but you can't access them now, even though you can see silhouettes of the characters on the select screen (which is annoying) and you need the DLC for 250G of the achievements of that game.

Downloadable games have this problem too. I purchased Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 on live arcade when I 1st got my 360. Recently I bought a 120GB HDD without a transfer kit, and redownloaded all my arcade games, and MK3 wasn't even on my download history due to being taken off the marketplace.

It's fucked up.

 

[Glamorgan]

Ugh, guys, there are one of these threads a day. We get it. You don't like DLC. Even though I completely agree. But that is irrelevant!

 

[the_pleasure_is_mine]

Yeah that's seriously bad.

They should offer discs for old content or something...

Or just make sure they host it for a very very long time.

This is one major drawback of DLC which is a massive shame cause I'm generally all right with DLc (as long as it's not already on the disc and we're paying for an unlock code).

Downloadable games have this problem too. I purchased Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 on live arcade when I 1st got my 360. Recently I bought a 120GB HDD without a transfer kit, and redownloaded all my arcade games, and MK3 wasn't even on my download history due to being taken off the marketplace.

Just to say. If you still have your old HDD and a USB stick you can use the USB to transfer the game, I had hundreds of saves I didn't want to lose and used a 2GB stick to transfer it across in parts.

I hope you can get your game back!

 

[JWRosser]

Going back to your example, I noticed a similar problem recently. Marvel Ultimate Alliance used to have character packs on the LIVE marketplace, but you can't access them now, even though you can see silhouettes of the characters on the select screen (which is annoying) and you need the DLC for 250G of the achievements of that game.

I noticed this. I downloaded the character pack and sometime later, when I was playing the game again, I thought "I wonder if there are any more?" So I looked and the game has been taken off the system. It's weird.
The Assassin's Creed II DLC annoyed me. "Oh these kind of important events happened...but you have to pay to see them..." It wasn't even that good - just an extra couple of hours play time with no new achievements or anything. I didn't bother with Bonfire of the Vanities.

That is the problem with a lot of DLC. If it adds an extra few missions, generally I don't find it's worth it - like the Saints Row 2 DLC. Similar to AC2, it only added a couple of extra hours semi-decent play time, and it wasn't even that great.

The best DLC, in my opinion, is Fallout 3's. With The Pitt being the worst, all of the DLC was enjoyable and fairly time consuming, especially Point Lookout and, moreso, Broken Steel. GTA4's DLC was ok, but quite samey - Lost and Damned was just about motorbikes and Ballard of Gay Tony was all about helicopters and blowing things up.
Resident Evil 5's DLC was a bit weird. The two new campaigns were good. Even if they weren't that long, they were fun - especially Lost in Nightmares which gave a very nostalgic feel. However the online Verses mode was a bit of a let down I thought.

 

[Hamster at Dawn]

This is a problem that I have never considered before. I suppose we can get GOTY editions of games like Fallout 3 but for most games, the extra content will just fade into obscurity. On Xbox Live, you get prompted to download the latest free updates when you start up the game but what happens when the successor to the 360 is released? I kind of doubt that the updates will still be available and, even if they are, they're bound to disappear further down the line. I'm not a big fan of DLC anyway as there's a thin line between post-release support and holding back to cash in. Free DLC will always be welcome but, as you have pointed out, it's still better off on the disc.

 

[Anah'ya]

So you'll be upset when your disc breaks and they won't give you a free one as replacement? Or when your digital purchase is lost due to a system crash and the company went out of business/game is no longer published?

Honestly.

Really?

Backups aren't so hard to make. Though I do get how it is easier to blame someone else.

I like DLC. More fun out of a game I would have otherwise shelved long ago. And paying money keeps the developer in business, which eventually leads to more games that I enjoy. I believe that me, as a gamer, profit from this situation.

 

[mad825]

and here it is! the internet (or even the search engines ) have failed!

EDIT: contact EA, they still might provide you with the DLC