Downloadable content over Xbox LIVE and the PlayStation Network with things like add-on packs, map packs and character and item additions (and anything else you can think of) is now commonplace in the world of videogames and has come a long way since the laughable ‘horse armour incident’ with Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.
Nowadays, we mostly just hop online and get the latest patch or buy the latest content, but this past week we’ve seen two ‘new’ ways for us to experience that content with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, so our Question of the Day is:
What DLC delivery innovations do you want to see?
With Modern Warfare 3, it’s now no longer good enough to have simply bought the game to get the latest content - you also have to be a Premium member of Call of Duty Elite to get it ahead of everyone else.
With Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, however, the latest map pack allows you to preview the content by downloading it and trying it out for three days, before which it expires - you don’t have to pay a cent to see this content before making a purchase decision, which is smart.
What do you think of these ‘innovations’ in downloadable content delivery and how do you want to experience and attain content in the future?
(If you have a Question of the Day that you would like to put to the El33tonline community, mail it to oliver[@]el33tonline.com and we’ll send it out, with credit of course!)
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Comments:
I like the systems they have now. Haven't tried elite or GOW seasons pass...but all I would like for the DLC's is for them to a little bit cheaper. I don't mind paying 800MSP for a DLC, but 1200 is bit much, and if its just a few maps for multiplayer then they should make it like the dance games, 520MSP or so....
I'm not sure I like the "Elite" model where they sell you a pricey premium service on top of a pricey game. I'm not entirely against season passes, provided they give you a decent discount on all the content, but I only consider them for games I'm really attached to, otherwise they just add R200 to R250 onto the cost of a game. I wouldn't have bought the Gears 3 season pass if it hadn't been discounted on the year end sale.
The 3 day free trial idea is nice, but it's not exactly revolutionary. People don't buy map packs because they like the new maps, they buy them because otherwise they get excluded from a lot of games. If you're going to be playing a multiplayer game regularly, 3 days free access probably won't mean much to you.
What would I like to see in terms of DLC delivery innovations? Lower prices. I don't know about other people, but it's a much easier decision for me to buy a 240MSP or 400MSP add-on than a 1200MP map pack, I have to be far more certain of the value I will get from it before dropping a larger amount on an add-on.
I agree with Graeme a hundred million percent, spot on! I have actually never bought DLC in my life (unless it comes as part of a retail version for about R50 or so more), but sometimes I look at DLC and think "man I kind of really want that!" but the prices just keep me away :(