Downloadable content is nothing new to the video game industry.  The basic concept has been around since the Atari 2600’s GameLine service.  Obviously the tech of the early 1980’s limited the use of such a service.  It was attempted again, over ten years later, by Sega.  The Sega Channel was more of a joint service since you had to purchase a special adapter via your cable provider as well as an extra monthly charge.  Although very similar to the XBLA or PSN service we’ve all grown accustomed to, I don’t believe the Sega Channel sold very well back then.  Even though it offered the availability of up to 50 titles, it was definitely ahead of its time.  I’ve never known anyone who used it.  Next in line was the Sega Dreamcast and this was the first one to get it right.  The service was free, the DLC was free, but no games were available to download.  You could play a select few co-op or versus online.  They even made a Broadband adapter.  We’re talking 1999 to 2002 here and the content available to download was actually very similar to what we pay for today.  New weapons and Levels for Skies of Arcadia, extra tracks for 4×4 Evolution, extra mini-games for Rayman 2, events for Sonic Adventure, and a slew of games supported leaderboards.  I admit that a basic rankings system is expected in almost all games developed this generation, but all those others are perfect examples of what we used to get as a reward and are now forced to pay for.

The issue here is are we getting the full experience when we purchase new games outside, or even during the first week of release?   I understand the need for pre-order bonuses and exclusives but I struggle to condone it.  The argument usually made is that the used game sales go straight to the store selling the used product and the developer/publisher sees none of that money.  So they do everything they can to ensure customers buy new copies.  What I can’t comprehend is that, majority of the time, the store that is most responsible for selling used copies and hurting the industry gets the best pre-order item available.  Whether it’s extra levels and weapons, a new game mode, or even a whole storyline, the stores that supposedly do the most damage to the profit margin consistently get the top incentives.  It feels like a really backwards system to me, and I’ve always had a hard time buying into it.

With the recent release of Metro: Last Light, the DLC controversy has sprung up yet again.  Before we get into it, Metro: LL is a fantastic game and it’s just being mentioned as a jumping point. A whole mode is missing from that game.  Available only to pre-orders and Limited Edition copies (first run manufactured for retail) is the Ranger mode.  Essentially an ultra-hard difficulty, Ranger mode was advertised as “the way it was meant to be played.”  So to play the game as the developers truly intended I have to pre-order it, be luckily enough to find a limited edition copy in a store within the first week (currently no limited edition seems to be available for download), or pay an extra $5 to unlock Ranger mode.  I’m a hardcore gamer, I play all my games on harder difficulties and I require the tenser experience to fully enjoy most titles.  I wouldn’t want to play Metro: Last Light any other way, but I have too many other games on my plate right now to justify purchasing another full priced game.   So it seems it’ll cost me extra to play Last Light the way I prefer, and the way the devs intended.  That just isn’t fair.

It feels like it hurts the avid gamer more than anything.  I can’t remember the last time I purchased a FULL game.  Even when purchasing pre-orders, there’s almost always a retail exclusive.  Get this extra mode if you buy it at this store or those extra levels if you buy it at another.  It seems as though you cannot obtain the full game unless you pre-order it from three different stores, which is ridiculous and I hope no one ever does that.  For the most part, the exclusivity drops after a few months and those extras hit the market at retail prices.  Then, usually ten to twelve months later, a full copy of the game releases.  Often labeled as a “Game of the Year” or “Complete” edition (Komplete if it’s a NetherRealms game), this copy has all the previously released DLC added into it.  It’s even sold at a cheaper price and that’s a real slap in the face.  Loyal customers, early adopters, whatever you want to call us, our wallets are punished for paving the way for the game’s immediate success.  I’m sure a lot of people don’t have too big of a problem with this concept.  We are fans of the development studio or game franchise after all and, of course, we want it to be successful.  But how do we constantly rationalize this business practice?  What costs me $60-80 on day one could cost someone else $30-40 or less a year later.  I know it’s not simply about just being patient because if we all waited for the GOTY edition, would that ever even release?  I would assume that if a game doesn’t sell well to start off, it won’t be rewarded with extra content later down the line.  There are always those niche titles that become cult hits and release a director’s cut or something similar but that’s a rare occasion.

The new practice is referred to as a Season Pass.  Pay $20 now for $30 worth of content over the next year.  This system makes a little more sense since it’s cheaper to buy it from the get go, but eventually that complete edition will still be available at a discounted price regardless.  We’re still stuck at the same concept, what used to be a free reward is now a paid extra. The most heinous examples are usually found in fighting games.  Extra characters and, eventually, a story mode will cost a pretty penny for Injustice: Gods Among Us.  Dead or Alive 5 currently has over $100 of extra stuff.  All of which are cosmetic, various skins and costumes, but the exact same type of content was rewarded to the player as they progressed through the game in Dead or Alive 4, no dollar sign attached.  Any recent Capcom title has a slew of pricey DLC, some of which can only be obtained by buying a whole new copy of the game.  So you have to buy the same game again but with an “Ultimate” moniker for some extra characters.  Most of this content has been proven to be coded on the disc.  That’s what really irks me about the whole concept.  DLC. Downloadable Content.  It’s rare that you’re ever actually “downloading” any new content.  It’s more often than not already on the disc and we’re simply paying for the privilege to use that content.  As far as I am aware, FarCry 3 is the only game to honestly label the extras properly as ULC (Unlockable Content.)

Going back to Metro, Koch Media (the game’s publisher) seems sincere about the DLC concept but it’s still a little hard to believe.  In a recent interview with PC Gamer they stated “Game makers and publishers now live in a world where offering game content as a pre-order exclusive is a requirement by retail…”  Does that mean it’s now a legal issue or will the major retailers simply refuse to sell the title if there’s no DLC content attached?  Both of those options seem outside of the realm of possibility.  It has the slightest air of believability since they also state that they “rejected requests to make story content or additional missions exclusive” but alas I’m not convinced.

Others who are just as frustrated with DLC as I am usually say the same thing… Speak with your wallets and the business will change.  Don’t buy the game or don’t buy the DLC and eventually they’ll stop forcing it on us.  However I think it is way too late for that.  That’s the voice of a minority of purchasers.  The basic concept of DLC seems to be cemented into every faucet of the gaming industry.  We may have dug our own graves, albeit set up brilliantly by big business.  Originally under the guise of cosmetic editions not necessary to enjoy the full game, DLC has now branched off to whole sections of genuine content.  Content which will be forever missing unless you pony up the cash.