The weekend discussion: “Do you buy DLC? And if so, what?”

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1 min read

This weekend’s discussion comes courtesy of a comment left by our good friend Chalgyr yesterday.

There’s obviously a lot of DLC out there, some good, some bad. Some bad DLC you end up buying anyway because it’s for a good game. I’m sure there’s a case out there somewhere where a bad game has been made good thanks to DLC…

Anyway – if you buy DLC, what DLC do you buy?

Going for a record of number of times I can type “DLC” in one story, here…

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  • So to kick things off…

    I buy a lot of DLC. There's quite a few games out there that I really like, and DLC is an easy way to extend the value I get out of my favourite games.

    And, yes, that includes costumes – I've bought alternate costumes for FFXIII-2, Warriors Orochi 3, Dynasty Warriors 7, Hyperdimension Neptunia.

    I've also bought additional stages for some of the games above, and I've just gone and bought all the extra songs currently available for Theatrhythm.

    I do still need to buy the DLC for Skyrim and Amalur, though…

  • I have purchased three songs for Theatrhythm: Fighting Fate, Cosmo Canyon, and The Final Battle, and I will most likely invest in NSMB 2 DLC levels.

  • Generally, no. It has to be a game that I am either extremely fond of or hopelessly addicted to. The average game doesn't warrant it unless it's crucial to the experience (though I've never encountered that in my collection).

    That said, I'll probably buy even the lamest DLC if it adds more length to an already long game (that I play a lot). I found myself purchasing trivial things like alternate costumes for the first WiiWare Final Fantasy game and even the *shudder* Sonic Adventure DX add-on on PSN.

  • If I find the DLC to be (A): justifiably priced and (B): adding new content to a game I really liked, then I will usually buy the DLC. A good example of this is the Borderlands DLC; while I didn't buy the DLC at full price (I had Borderlands on Steam), I found that the DLC added a justifiable amount of content to charge the $10.

  • I'm going to beat you with the DLC thing, Matt.

    If the DLC is good DLC and not bad DLC I will buy the DLC. I will not buy the DLC if the DLC is for a game I do not own and on a console I do not own. However, if the DLC is good but it is DLC….

    (ahem)

    The only DLC I've actually bought is for Mighty Switch Force. For now, anyway.

  • Do you think we can break the record for DLC in a post, and the number of times DLC is mentioned in the comments of the DLC post? I wonder what the record for mentioning DLC currently is in a post on DLC, and if the world record people will count all the DLC comments as well?

    I have never purchased DLC, and as of now, don't plan on purchasing DLC in the future. I think this was the first year I have officially "purchased" a digital PC game, can't think of any before this year that weren't just Flash based/browser based games.

    With there being so many games on the market that use DLC, it's not going away, and while DLC can provide extended life to games, DLC just doesn't appeal to me right now. There aren't any games I own that the DLC really stood out as a reason to purchase it, except one, and I still didn't purchase that content…because I'm cheap. So, no DLC for me.

  • I used to buy a ton of DLC… I haven't bought anything in a while though because I sort of made a promise to myself that I wouldn't. I honestly found that -unless it's something like a new character in a fighting game- I just don't use it that much once I buy it.
    Even single player stuff for games I really like I don't seem to get around to. I bought Minerva's Garden for Bioshock 2 and played it once for something like 10 minutes- never went back to finish it and I freakin' love Bioshock!

  • Ain't no DLC like west coast DLC, 'Cause west coast DLC don't stop, so when you see a.. *cough* uh, so.

    I like the idea of DLC when it's done right and it doesn't seem like they're just soaking you for more money. Generally I don't buy for the simple fact that I usually don't complete the game. Hard to justify extra content, right? 🙂 I think I have some DLC sets on Steam where they were running some insane deal. Hard to pass that up.

    At this point I'd buy anything Portal-related and plan to get the coin rush DLC for NSMB2. Might look at two of the Mega Man 9 DLC's at some point.

    Stevo: Does mighty switch force have additional items to buy? I remember they released the May update which included new levels and ultimately convinced me to buy the main game.

  • What do you think it would take to get you interested in DLC, Coffee?

    Also, well played. You're a true master of unlocking… DLC.

  • Howdy Robert!

    So, the DLC that appeals to you is exclusively the extra levels? Have you ever been tempted by costumes, or extra characters?

  • It's going to be interesting to see Nintendo's approach to DLC, given they're the last major company to start.

    I suspect it could be a very good thing indeed.

  • I don't even really see the point in it right now honestly. Most developers are planning it from day one, and unless I'm really, really, REALLY into a game, I probably won't even look at it. Black Ops Zombies map pack, with the "Moon level", actually had me interested, because it looked like a new map design, that had some extra thought/effort put into it. Other than that, I honestly don't even remember the last DLC I have looked at for a game…

    One reason to hold off is I don't see the point in purchasing DLC because many of the games release "GOTY Editions" that include the DLC content.

  • For the most part I'm primarily looking for extra content/levels. Though I did buy Killing Floor and all of the DLC which includes character packs. They were so cheap (like 0.20/ea) I thought I would give them a go.

    Other items like the Portal micro-transactions for skins, scuba gear, hats, etc.. really don't interest me much. Now that I've said that I'm sure something utterly useless will grab my eye. 🙂

  • I also agree with the sentiment that developers are leaving out game content to release it — for a cost — via DLC post release. Most every DLC package I've purchased makes me feel this way and it's quite frustrating.

    With that said, I think the DLC packs for MotorStorm RC were perfectly priced (as well as the game) and offered a sufficient amount of content for the cost as well. I'd gladly purchase anther DLC Track Pack the instant it hit the market, if it ever does.

  • It really depends on the DLC. I've never been one to buy new skins for my fighters, or armor for my horse *grins*. But I bought a lot of the other Oblivion DLC, and I have picked up multiplayer map packs for CoD games – basically the DLC has to hit a couple of criteria for me. A) I have to care about the game in a first place. A lot of games I play through, and I'm done with them and may not b all that interested in extending the experience. The DLC also has to add something substantive that I'm interested in. Mass Effect, Oblivion, Dragon Age and Fallout 3 are all good examples of games I enjoyed a great deal and wanted to 'play them more'. So expansions that add missions, gear, storyline – those are wins for me. Gun skins for Gears of War 3 or different outfits for Ryu in Street Fighter IV? I may enjoy those games bt not enough for cosmetic DLC.

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