It's a debate that's been going on for awhile in the gaming circles. Do some gamers have a sense of entitlement? No, haven't heard of that debate? Then lemme take it a step back: Do you have a right to be pissed when your favorite game gets whored out on DLC Street?
Now we're on the same page.
For full disclosure: I hate DLC. I think it flies in the face of the purity of gaming. Sounds pretentious, yes, but it's true. Nothing aggravates me more than seeing a new slightly-better armor piece pop up on the Xbox Marketplace for Mass Effect 2, especially when it comes months after the game came out! Why don't you just sell me the fucking I-WIN Button when money gets tight?
To that end, whenever one of these armor pieces or horse armor pieces comes out and I get hit by an announcement on my Facebook feed, the arguments are always the same - and not so polite. On the one hand, you've got the people like me, who just don't think it's worth it. Sure a couple bucks for armor on Mass Effect 2 isn't so bad in the grand scheme of things, but why the fuck would I buy that? I've already beaten the game. The DLC that BioWare have released thus far has been slightly better than suck - because it's free. Plus, it's the principle of the thing. I would never pay to make a gaming experience slightly better.
On the other hand, you have the people who are likely going to buy the DLC regardless, and want to turn the argument around and show just how snobby the other side is. The whole, "Quit acting like BioWare owes you shit" argument, which also pisses me off, but whatever. No, BioWare doesn't owe me a goddamn thing. The only thing they owe me is $60 worth of a gaming experience after I walk out of GameStop. That's it. I pay, they provide a service. They don't provide? I take my money elsewhere. That's the beauty of capitalism.
At the same time, I don't like that BioWare think that they can nickel and dime their fans to death by putting out little things like armor pieces. Extra characters and missions? I can begrudgingly get behind that if the price is right. But a list of not-even-just-okay armor pieces and weapons? That's bad business practice to me.
But here's the kind of DLC I can get behind. The Singularity Weapon for ME2 that I got for free when I preordered the game. Honestly, I would have bought that if I hadn't got it for free, because it added a level of entertainment to the game. Charging up that weapon and creating a black hole in the middle of the field that most of my enemies will be sucked up into is amazing to see, and it's fun. The only point of contention there would be that it came out the same day the game was released, but I can understand EA and BioWare taking steps like that to deter piracy instead of resorting to UbiSoft's terrible, 1984-ish DRM system.
Another kind that I like would be Bethesda's expansions for Fallout 3. Despite the mixed reviews on the five expansions, I can tell that they weren't just thrown together overnight. Plenty of voice acting, new weapons and armor, nice action set-pieces, a bunch of new quests, new areas to mess around with: all for ten bucks each. BioWare could learn a thing or two about making an expansion from Bethesda.
So there you have it. But am I wrong to think that way? Many people would think that I have an aura of "entitlement" for wanting a game company that I admire to put out GOOD DLC that doesn't amount to a slight stat upgrade for a game that I've already beaten. Give me a reason to play the game again JUST to use what you've given me, BioWare.
The difference:
"Hey, Knight, we totally just put out some new DLC!"
Eh?
"Yeah! Now you get a slight upgrade to your biotic abilities!"
I, uh...Mmmhmm, I'm gonna pass.
"Okay...ah...Oh! We have this gun that when you shoot it, it creates a goddamn black hole that destroys all the enemies it touches!"
!!!
"And we've created an expansion where you have to fight to regain control of a device that controls the weather!"
Wow! That's...That's from Fable II.
"Nooooo."
Yes, yes, it is.
"Nooooo, come on. You can bring back your dog and everything."
I'm leaving now.
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