134 réponses à ce sujet

[von uber]

My main gripe with the dlc is that it is still full price for the pc version and has never (as far as I am aware) been discounted.
I spent about 3 times the cos of all three games together on dlc, and this was back in October last year, over 18 months after me3 release (to say nothing of me2).

[Antmarch456]

Hi, so ugh...in my country: the DLCs are a bit more expensive than usual because of taxes. So stop complaining, thank you.

[Excella Gionne]

I got From Ashes for $10 along with N7 weapons. Of course, I could have hax'd to get those N7 weapons, but I wouldn't have gotten From Ashes. Leviathan DLC was worth maybe $6 to me, at most, 'cause it wasn't all that good but it was a filler. Omega DLC may have been worth $8 - 10, at most. Citadel DLC may have been worth $12, but $15 is exceptional. EA really did bump up their prices more than they were worth.

[Grieving Natashina]

From Ashes--$10

Citadel--$10

Arrival/Overlord/LotB/Leviathan--$7 a piece

Kasumi and Zaeed were free

I paid $32 for the trilogy. 

 

So, for $73 total (US), I'd say I got my money's worth.  

 

When it comes to a new game, I never buy a DLC new outside of when I used to play MMOs.  I always wait a week or two after it comes out to read reviews from both players as well as the more professional reviewers I usually trust.  I avoid "gaming journalists" like IGN because they rarely tell the truth about a game's flaws.  If the overall reaction is positive, then I'll consider picking it up.  If the overall reaction is "meh" or "it sucks," I generally avoid it.

 

Before I got any DLC for the ME games, I did a lot of research on places like here, gamefaqs, and looked up reactions from reviewers such as Angry Joe.  I weighed the pros and cons and decided from there.  

 

One major compliant I have about ME2 and ME3: I own the DLCs legitimately, and it's on my user entitlements page.   For both games, I have to use an outside program (the PCCPatcher for ME2) and a couple of replacement .dll files (for ME3) just to get the damn DLC content authenticated.  I would use non-modded files from a clean install and it still wouldn't work.  Both the program and the file are okay by EA/BioWare, and they aren't considered a violation of the TOU but I shouldn't have to use them for DLC that I paid for and got off of the official site.

 

Since all the program does is patch the files correctly, possibly increase saves, (I haven't gotten that to work at all) and allows the cheat console to enable; and all the .dll files do is make sure the authentication goes through properly, it's okay by the company.

 

DA2 has a similar problem with the Exiled Prince DLC (the game would hang,) but the workaround for that is to backup and remove the update patch for the DLC.  Then replace it after the quest in Act 2.  Fun times. 

[Farangbaa]

I blindly buy DLC for games I love. Usually skip on things like appearance packs though.

[AlanC9]

I got From Ashes for $10 along with N7 weapons. Of course, I could have hax'd to get those N7 weapons, but I wouldn't have gotten From Ashes. Leviathan DLC was worth maybe $6 to me, at most, 'cause it wasn't all that good but it was a filler. Omega DLC may have been worth $8 - 10, at most. Citadel DLC may have been worth $12, but $15 is exceptional. EA really did bump up their prices more than they were worth.

I've often wondered if the Citadel price was an experiment to see just how much they could get the hardcore fans to pay.

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

I bought Omega for 500 MS points; Leviathan last week for $5; from Ashes day one $10; and Citadel DLC a month after release; plus the Cerberus weapons pack and an appearance pack for Liara.

 

At the PC prices, I don't think I'll be getting anything for my PC version since i can hack the weapons and appearances, and the DLCs just aren't worth it to me there since I already know what they are. I played LotSB on the 360, and I seriously don't want to try flying that damned thing with keyboard and mouse, so we'll skip that, too.

[SporkFu]

I played LotSB on the 360, and I seriously don't want to try flying that damned thing with keyboard and mouse, so we'll skip that, too.

On my last playthrough I found it.... problematic. But also awesome in a why-won't-the-damn-mako-climb-the-damn-mountain kinda way. 

[Larry-3]

I have never got any weapon DLC's; only story. What do I need an extra weapon for? I am a Adapt, I can screw up the battlefield with my generic version of the Force. Also, I do not even own all of the DLC's. I never got Arrival for Mass Effect 2, or Omega for 3. I might get Omega at some point, though. I do not replay Mass Effect 3 as much as 1 and 2.

[Voragoras]

I do agree that Day 1 DLC, and plot-essential DLC as well, should all be free. Players shouldn't be penalised or left with a lesser experience/understanding of the main storyline because they can't really afford to shell out £40-50 for the original game, then another £20 for the DLC. That's almost £100 - some Collector's/Limited Editions don't even cost that much, and they come with a lot of extra stuff. Leviathan and From Ashes qualify as this for me - not only is it Day 1 DLC, but Javik is a Prothean, and you can't honestly withhold someone from a race so central to everything that's going on and sell it for £6. Leviathan also explains the existence of the Reapers, which is also a crucial part of the vanilla game, and to prevent players who just can't afford to pay that much money at once is kinda exploitative, tbh.

 

But, I don't have an issue with side-story DLC or small, quirky DLC (like Feastday or the alternative outfit packs) costing money, because... Yes, your gaming experience isn't as full as someone who did buy the DLC, but the main plot is still intact, and you're not really getting an incomplete game. Omega is only tangentially related to the Reapers, and Citadel is a goofy feel-good addition that lends a surprising amount of gravity to the war. Neither of them are necessary to understand everything else, and imo are like interactive versions of things like novels/comics - fun supporting stories that don't really contribute much to the overarching quest.

[KaiserShep]

I blindly buy DLC for games I love. Usually skip on things like appearance packs though.

 

This is usually what I end up doing too. I played ME3 so often because I couldn't get enough of the universe, so anything that gave something new in it was something I had to have. If it ended up being crap, well that sucks, but I'm sure I've wasted more money on some other nonsense at some point. But this hasn't failed me so far.

[RedCaesar97]

Price is really only an issue if you end up hating or disliking what you bought.

 

Other than the ME2 appearance packs, I bought most of the DLC for ME1, ME2, and ME3, and enjoyed them all to some degree.

 

I will echo what others have said in this thread: I have spent money on things I have regretted later. It happens. And I buy DLC for the games I like to play. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't. 

 

 

- - - 

 

And as for From Ashes, that was free to people who bought the Collectors Edition, along with some extra weapons. i bought the regular version then bought the DLC. Kinda disappointed that the guns were never released as DLC, but whatever. 

 

And the developers explained that From Ashes was created after the main game, but they built 'hooks' into the main game so that Javik would have regular dialogue throughout the game. As I have read on other sites as well, development for a game can end months before release, before it goes into packaging, and also certification. Certification involves the console manufacturer (Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo) verifying that the game according to various standards. During that time, developers have time to continue working so that time is usually now spent creating DLC for the game.

 

Plus, sometimes content is cut or left unfinished from the main game for various reasons, usually due to time constraints, so DLC can be a way to finish that content and provide to the players.

 

 

Having story 'critical' content added as DLC is certainly an annoyance, but From Ashes is hardly the worst offender. (I think Asura's Wrath got caught a lot of grief by having an entire ending added as paid DLC if I recall.)

[Allison_Lightning]

Price is really only an issue if you end up hating or disliking what you bought.

 

Other than the ME2 appearance packs, I bought most of the DLC for ME1, ME2, and ME3, and enjoyed them all to some degree.

 

I will echo what others have said in this thread: I have spent money on things I have regretted later. It happens. And I buy DLC for the games I like to play. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't. 

 

 

- - - 

 

And as for From Ashes, that was free to people who bought the Collectors Edition, along with some extra weapons. i bought the regular version then bought the DLC. Kinda disappointed that the guns were never released as DLC, but whatever. 

 

And the developers explained that From Ashes was created after the main game, but they built 'hooks' into the main game so that Javik would have regular dialogue throughout the game. As I have read on other sites as well, development for a game can end months before release, before it goes into packaging, and also certification. Certification involves the console manufacturer (Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo) verifying that the game according to various standards. During that time, developers have time to continue working so that time is usually now spent creating DLC for the game.

 

Plus, sometimes content is cut or left unfinished from the main game for various reasons, usually due to time constraints, so DLC can be a way to finish that content and provide to the players.

 

 

Having story 'critical' content added as DLC is certainly an annoyance, but From Ashes is hardly the worst offender. (I think Asura's Wrath got caught a lot of grief by having an entire ending added as paid DLC if I recall.)

 

 

Javik ended up feeling different to me. Maybe, it's because I played a lot (up to Earth) without most of the DLC the first time but I never got the whole 'he has to be in the game' vibe. It's different to Kasumi and Zaeed- he actually feels like an extra and don't get me wrong, I love him and I am grateful I have it for my PC/XBOX 360.

He does end up feeling like a novelty item- great for shaking up Liara's little world view, I loved the fact in my last Priority: Thessia playthrough that Tali sounded exasperated with her. But he never felt essential to Mass Effect 3 in the way Leviathan did for me.

 

It's sad but I'm kind of tempted to buy the digital deluxe upgrade for my PC version for the extras I don't have sometime in January. The only reason I never pre-ordered the Collector's edition was I was in the middle of playing the second game- it's ten dollars and the soundtrack would be pretty cool along with other bonuses. I had gotten a new laptop, brushed off the copy of Mass Effect a friend recommended I buy that I couldn't really play with my older computers. I fell head-over-heels and I finished the first game and literally checked my mailbox like an addict, waiting for Mass Effect 2.

 

Although, I'm sad I just found out my favourite store already sold out of most of the sizes of the pretty dress I found on the website and I was willing to drop money on a whim as long as it looked good on me. I already have eleven dresses and enough clothing to go about a month without doing a wash load. I think my worst is the hundred I dropped on knee high, black high heel boots which I then frelled my knee in and couldn't wear any heels including the boots I had rarely worn. I ended up getting rid of a lot of expensive heels I couldn't wear anymore. That fills me with intense embarrassment.   

[Legion of 1337]

It's EA and their money grubbing.

 

Having to work around plot-integral DLC really screws with the sotry progression. 'course, I don't think all the DLC is even good anyway. Bring Down the Sky is good. Arrival and Overlord both suffer from meh gameplay but at least Overlord had an interesting tale to tell (however, Arrival still needs to be there). LOTSB is a masterpiece of course. Javik is amaxing. Omega is the second worst DLC after Pinnacle Station, which I regret even mentioning. Leviathan is great. The Citadel is great but doesn't fit in the game unless it takes place AFTER the end of ME3.

 

Of those, Arrival, Leviathan, Javik and LOTSB are plot integral and should have been in the game to begin with.

[Farangbaa]

Citadel is the best DLC ever. Have you ever laughed so hard about a game? (excepting crazy things like Leisure Suit Larry)

[Voragoras]

The Citadel is great but doesn't fit in the game unless it takes place AFTER the end of ME3.

 

I think it fits if you imagine it the day before setting off on Priority: Earth. One last hurrah that makes the goodbyes on the surface that much more depressing to play through.

[Farangbaa]

Before Cronos you mean and that's when you should have the party anyway, everybody will be there.
The party is as you say, one last hurrah before everybody probably dies. (winning is a long shot, even with the Crucible)

[Voragoras]

Before Cronos you mean and that's when you should have the party anyway, everybody will be there.
The party is as you say, one last hurrah before everybody probably dies. (winning is a long shot, even with the Crucible)

 

Yeah, my bad. I tend to refer to the whole endgame period as Priority: Earth, even though you're railroaded into the quest from the start of Cerberus HQ.

[Statichands]

Some DLCs are planned. I've grown to accept DLC. Nothing is cheap anymore so studios have to scrape in as much money as they can. If you don't want to buy a dlc, don't buy it. 

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

They used to do expansion packs for games. DLCs have taken their place. The limiting factor has been the 2 GB size for the 360. But really that only limits when they're doing a ton of cutscenes and cinematics.

[congokong]

I agree. It's a shame. Back in my day when you went to a store to buy a hard copy of a game you had the whole game. DLCs including "Day One" content practically just taken out of a complete game, chain exclusives, and console exclusive content are the new way of gaming and it isn't likely to change.

 

Why is it different now? Greed obviously, but developers have been motivated to take this controversial path largely because of the loss of profits from the used gaming industry. Chains like Gamestop have really hurt developers since any used game purchased from them is basically a lost sale for the developers. This problem doesn't apply to DLCs. Quite the opposite since you almost never get sufficient "bang for your buck." Many gamers (like me for the Mass Effect series) will swallow their pride and overpay to get all the content available for a game they love.

[Allison_Lightning]

I agree. It's a shame. Back in my day when you went to a store to buy a hard copy of a game you had the whole game. DLCs including "Day One" content practically just taken out of a complete game, chain exclusives, and console exclusive content are the new way of gaming and it isn't likely to change.

 

Why is it different now? Greed obviously, but developers have been motivated to take this controversial path largely because of the loss of profits from the used gaming industry. Chains like Gamestop have really hurt developers since any used game purchased from them is basically a lost sale for the developers. This problem doesn't apply to DLCs. Quite the opposite since you almost never get sufficient "bang for your buck." Many gamers (like me for the Mass Effect series) will swallow their pride and overpay to get all the content available for a game they love.

 

The used game market is a joke. Even if you could buy second hand recent release PC games (their departure was ironic- Mass Effect 2 PC can be played second hand and got Cerberus Network new whereas Mass Effect 3 got merely an online pass at the base game), they'd have the same problem that console ones do. 

 

In Australia, second hand console games aren't that much cheaper than their brand new counterparts and the second EB games (which I think is an offshoot of Gamestop) see the local market depleted of a game, their second hand copies of that game skyrocket in price. They'll actually resist ordering in new copies just to flog the second hand game market at a higher price.

[RiouHotaru]

For starters:

 

1. DLC isn't priced according to quality or size
2. Javik isn't story-critical, by a long shot.  He adds lore to the story, but in no way is he remotely central to the main plot.
3. Leviathan is the same way, it's nice to know where the Reapers came from, but does it really change what ending you'd pick?  Probably not.

[Voragoras]

For starters:

 

1. DLC isn't priced according to quality or size
2. Javik isn't story-critical, by a long shot.  He adds lore to the story, but in no way is he remotely central to the main plot.
3. Leviathan is the same way, it's nice to know where the Reapers came from, but does it really change what ending you'd pick?  Probably not.

 

They're not central to the quests of the main plot, and it makes sense to complete the game without them, but the entire trilogy has been discovering the Protheans and figuring out what the Reapers are and how to beat them, and the entire first game was dedicated to uncovering the mystery of the Reapers, and how the Protheans fit into that. The second game would count if the original script had been adhered to, showing the results of the harvesting and how they corrupt the DNA of what they take to fit their purposes, through the human reaper and through what they discover of the Collectors' origins.

 

Each game has uncovered more and more about this thread, and sure, Leviathan doesn't give you a beat-em strategy, and neither does Javik, but they're still crucial enough to the questions that've been asked across the three games to count as lore-essential for me. A plot is more than just what ending you get.

[RiouHotaru]

They're not central to the quests of the main plot, and it makes sense to complete the game without them, but the entire trilogy has been discovering the Protheans and figuring out what the Reapers are and how to beat them, and the entire first game was dedicated to uncovering the mystery of the Reapers, and how the Protheans fit into that. The second game would count if the original script had been adhered to, showing the results of the harvesting and how they corrupt the DNA of what they take to fit their purposes, through the human reaper and through what they discover of the Collectors' origins.

 

Each game has uncovered more and more about this thread, and sure, Leviathan doesn't give you a beat-em strategy, and neither does Javik, but they're still crucial enough to the questions that've been asked across the three games to count as lore-essential for me. A plot is more than just what ending you get.

 

But that's why they're DLC.

 

One thing people seem to forget is that back in the day, if content was cut from a game, it was often never heard from again because it was difficult justifying it back then.

 

Bioware explicitly stated that if Javik wasn't DLC, he'd just be cut out and never seen the light of day.  One of the nice things about video games these days, is you can write a story too big for the core game, take out parts that aren't critical to your plot, and give them to your audience later.