Announcing DLC before a game is released...

[Andy]

To view the article that these comments correspond to, please visit http://thisismyjoystick.com/editorial/a ... s-released

[Trent]

Personally I think DLC is ok, as long as it's good value for money and well done, not some tacked on piece of shit.

I think announcing DLC early is a good way to sell more games, but it also just lets everyone know what they can look forward to. I bought Oblivion and sunk about 100 hours into it but felt that wasn't enough. Because I bought the Game of the Year edition I got all the DLC free, so I knew right from the start that I have the Shivering Isles sitting there waiting for me. It was reassuring and exciting to know that, even after everything was done in Cyrodill, I still have some places to go. To know that there's definately going to be Skyrim DLC won't affect my choice to purchase it, but it means I can look forward to some extra areas or quests to distract me from the main plot or prolong my game once all the boxed quests are done with.

As for the LA Noire thing, I think DLC loses its value over time. People know that if they wait for a while it'll come down in price, go on sale or get bundled with a re-release if the game does well enough. Fact is people can't wait, and so they buy it there and then. Even if they wait and like a year on it's still the same price, at least they took the chance. People want it asap and after it's been out for a while sales drop off and it becomes less important to the companies. Also, console-centric games being released on PC is a tentative thing at the moment so chucking in some free DLC will help entice PC gamers to hook up a controller and take a chance. Although if they don't release that version on consoles at some point I will be a little bit vexed...

Nice article buddy

[JamesIreland]

Just to add to this, go and have a look at RAGE apparantly there is an area within the game you cannot access without buying the DLC and it gives you a taster of what to expect but you have to pay for the DLC to continue. That to me is fucking bullshit, as it's pre-meditated.

[Andy]

James, EA already tried that two years ago. Only it was worse then as it actually affected the game:

http://thisismyjoystick.com/editorial/t ... s-to-come/

[Trent]

I agree James in that case bullshit is certainly present. Putting an area in the game that you can't reach unless you pay is just fucking teasing. DLC areas should be brand new and almost unknown to people who don't have the DLC. Like in Fallout, all the DLC is optional and you can still explore a full, rich, massive world without it. All the DLC takes you to new places, albeit from cleverly hidden 'portals' in the vanilla game world. I think it's very clever how a nondescript pipe can become the route to The Pitt or an unassuming structure can actually be the top entrance to a secret underground complex.