Ah the good old days, when developers couldn't release a half ass game and fix it later with a patch. Yes with the inclusion of internet connectivity on our consoles, developers and publishers have found a new way to screw us over. Sure PC gamers have been getting patches and bug fixes and even new content for free for years, but since our overlords cant get away with charging money for the PC gamers, they have turned to the console.

Its great when a developer supports their game throughout its lifetime, when they bring out new content, or fix bugs or even create a community from their followers. Problem is other publishers and developers don't always follow in the footsteps of Bungie and Valve, why would they when they know there are always suckers to be had.

Let me make this clear, I am not opposed to DLC. What does scare me is when they force me to unlock features or levels in a game that I should not have to pay for. Its obvious that many game creators already have ideas about what to release as DLC later on the line, they just don't start thinking of new content if they see that their game is a hit. This is why I don't bitch about the Downloadable Content for Fallout 3 or GTA 4, because they already have the full game on the disk, their DLC provides new content, and I would happily pay $15-$20 to play another storyline in Liberty City.



Games like Burnout Paradise and GTA 4 gives me hope for the video game industry. I remember how quickly Rockstar had released a patch for GTA 4 as soon as people found the glitches. Metal Gear Solid 4 has no trophies, but Burnout Paradise, a game more than a year old has updated their game to include free content and trophies. But, that's not the point, because I don't expect everyone to give out free content, but when I pay full price for a game, I expect you to support it thoroughly. This is why I would wait to buy Valve games on the console, I know Valve not making games on the Playstation has more to do with their lack of Playstation programmers and not their "bias", which is why I would be fine with Left 4 Dead on the PC instead of a bad port to the Playstation.

The virtual store has opened up new possibilities, more and more I see new smaller game developers popping up, creating small and innovative games. I would like to see the bigger developers take this to the next level, these smaller games can be used as a big marketing push for the larger games. I wouldn't have even thought of buying Street Fighter 4 had I not played Street Fighter 2 HD, and being a "born again" Street Fighter player, I would gladly buy The Collectors Edition and the Tournament Sticks if I had the money. Its not just Street Fighter, games like Bionic Commando Rearmed encourages me to stay hyped for the new Bionic Commando and Mega Man 9 gives me a chance to play the old games I never got to play.

Just give me a good game, make sure its the actual "full" game, don't just shovel DLC on my face just so I wont sell my copy to Gamestop. Otherwise I wont buy your game, I'll just Gamefly it, its as simple as that.




Podcast You MUST listen to this week -- The Bugle Episode 63
You MUST listen to it, otherwise you're a wanker.



Cheers to Sarcastic Gamer for this little gem.