Downloadbale Content

I, myself have been a slave to ‘Downloadable Content’ which is also known as ‘DLC’, I have spent quite the amount on the Playstation 3 network buys DLC for some of the games I have, because I felt the need to!

Downloadable Content adds new features and content to already-distributed video games via the Internet. Examples include new maps for FPS games, new songs for rhythm games, and new cars for racing games. The games I’ve played, especially on the next generation consoles, every game has DLC, and it has its pros and cons. So in this blog I will discuss the types of DLC and the questionable DLC.

Types of Downloadable Content:

DLC can come in many forms, often including one or more of the following:
Levels - Content that adds new maps or puzzles to the game. Examples include the Map Packs for Modern Warfare 2 and the Puzzle Packs for the Xbox Live Arcade release of Budku Soduku.

Campaigns/Quests - Content that builds a new story upon the main game, while adding or not adding new maps. Examples include the expansions and bonus quests for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, the five expansions for Fallout 3, and the four expansions for Borderlands.

Gamemodes/Rulesets - Content that adds new game modes or rule sets to the game. Examples include the Suppertime of Destruction Pack for Snoopy Flying Ace and the Strategic Options Add-On Pack for Halo Wars.

Songs - Content that adds new songs that are either playable (commonly found in rhythm-based games) or alternate game songs (found in other games). Examples include the playable songs in the Rock Band and Guitar Hero series and the Downloadable Music series in Soul Calibur IV.

Equipment/Clothing - Content that adds new equipment and clothing to characters in the game. Examples include the Costume Packs in Street Fighter IV and the Additional Character Colors content for Blazblue: Continuum Shift.

Characters - Content that adds new characters, usually with different abilities and attributes. Examples include Makoto Nanaya in Blazblue: Continuum Shift.

Vehicles - Content that adds new vehicles to the game, sometimes with unique abilities and attributes. Examples include the downloadable cars in Burnout Paradise and Forza Motorsport 3.

Cheat/Boost - Content that unlocks part of a game that is normally earned just by playing the game. Examples include the Time is Money Pack for Skate 3 and the In-Game Money content for The Godfather: The Game.
 

Questionable Downloadable Content:

The Horse Armor paid DLC from The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, a popular example of "Nickel and Dime" DLC. Sometimes paid (and even free) DLC can come with shady and controversial practices, which causes many gamers to question and debate the ethics of Downloadable Content. These practices include:

"Nickel and Dime" DLC - Trivial content that players can pay real money for, such as skins and decals.

On-Disc DLC - Content that is included in the original game release, but is locked until players download "content keys" (which have a noticeable tiny file size, 128 kilobytes for Xbox 360 content). Not too questionable for free On-Disc DLC, such as the down-loadable costume keys in Dead Rising, but very questionable for paid On-Disc DLC. Some games, like Burnout Paradise, include the locked content in a game's patch. This form is DLC is sometimes done in multiplayer games so that other people can see the "paid content" of other players.

Paying $1.50 for a model of a gun in Just Cause 2 and a scooter with guns– What a rip off!