Last week, I was in a shop making a very important decision.

In one hand, Assassins Creed 2. I wanted to get started on the Assassins Creed 2 franchise (which is going to be its own trilogy once Assassins Creed 2-3 comes out...great.) before it ends.

This is the most original box art ever!

In the other hand, 1600 Microsoft Points. Both of these items would cost me the same, and I could justify buying both of them.

After a lengthy conversation with my brain, I made my choice to buy the Microsoft Points.
"Assassins Creed 2 has DLC that I'll get eventually. And there are plenty of full games on the Xbox Live Marketplace that I could spend these points on."
Then I got to thinkin', how much is my addiction to downloadable content screwing up games for me?

I purposefully avoided buying Mass Effect 2 and Assassins Creed 2 for a long time, both for the same reason: I knew they would have downloadable content available eventually. I don't get to buy many games during the year, so I want to get the most out of the few games I can get my hands on. That means if a game has add-ons available, I'm gonna buy them so I can keep playing the game as long as I can.

I've even heard from several people that Assassins Creed 2 has crap DLC that I don't really need to play. I still want it though! I want the "full" experience of the game: it would bug me to complete the main story and still see memory strands (or whatever the hell they call them) blanked out. I'm too much of a completionist to let that slide.

Downloadable content is not completely bad though. As you know, I have hundreds of songs for Rock Band. That game is the crowning example of how to do downloadable content. There's a full game without it, and you never really need to get any of the downloadable songs to have the "full" experience of the game. Still, people who don't at least get the free songs should just sell their game back to Gamestop tbqh. I mean, seriously. They're free songs.

If you don't have this song, we can't play Rock Band together.


There is the other end of the spectrum of games with just too much downloadable content. I'll probably never play Castlevania HD because there is so much add-on content and I think I'd go crazy if I didn't buy it all. The problem is I'd also go BROKE if I bought it all. Also, I didn't like the demo that much.

Exciting multiplayer gamep-zzzzz

Still, my compulsion to own the "complete" version of every game has lead me to some stupid downloads. I probably own every free thing on the Xbox Live marketplace.

Am I ever gonna buy Marvel vs. Capcom 3? Hell no, but I have the first Shadow Battle pack!
Will I ever buy BlazBlue? Unlikely, but I have the latest system update- just in case.
Is Red Dead Redemption ever gonna drop below $20 so I can buy it? Probably not, but once Undead Nightmare went on sale, you bet your ass I bought it. Might as well, right? It's only on sale for a limited time, and I might be playing that game this year!

"Hey Perfidious," you ask, "Don't you already own every Sonic game, on like four different platforms each?"
And to that I say, "Yes, but Sonic and Knuckles was on sale for 120 points. 120 points! That price is BELOW STUPID!"

So, I'll fully admit that I'm addicted to Microsoft Points and getting downloadable content. All of this downloadable content I've gained. And it'll all be gone by the time the next console generation starts...sad.
But do you wanna know about a game that had no DLC and didn't need it because it was a classic?


That's right, Gears of War 2. 50 Cent doesn't need $20 dollars of extra maps to make a better game than you.