[You know, when I first heard about Download Content, it was 2007, and Lost Odysee was a brand new game glinting on store shelves. I gotta admit, I was pleased and excited at the idea. To think! A creator of a game could go back after a while and make some more stuff for said game title and it would be completely optional. Therefore, it would be targeted towards the REAL fans of the game, the players that enjoyed the game so much, they wouldn't think twice about paying ten dollars for an expansion. As a matter of fact, I found myself thanking the developers as I paid the money at times. What a new, wonderful turn of events. Or so I thought]

[It wasn't long before DLC was abused - severely. What was made as a way to service the fans of a game or series soon became a way to cut costs and time tables. Developers started putting out games unfinished, only to offer "you'll get some DLC later" as an excuse. Thing is, you have to pay 9.99 for an expansion...plus tax. So, now we find ourselves paying 60 plus tax for a game, and then up to 20 dollars more on top of that, taxable of course, and it only serves to fill out the game! We're not paying 60 dollars for the complete game anymore, we're paying 80. What happened?]

[Of course, a lot of companies deny they are committing this terrible sin, and who would we be to prove they are? Well, let's look at companies like Atlus and Rockstar. Atlus is preparing a HUGE DLC Expansion for 3D Dot Game Heroes. The expansion will include new dungeons, new weapons, and over 100 new playable characters. The price for this gem? Nothing. It's completely free. And this isn't rounding out an unfinished game either - 3DDGH is a very well rounded game, with no holes or gaps. So, for purchasing Atlus' game, you get rewarded with a plethora of free content. Hmmmm, who else does that?]

[Rockstar, on the other hand, puts out their games BEYOND complete. They polish over every frame, adding in even the most minute of details. Their latest hit, Red Dead Redemption, has sold tremendously well, and that game is all the craze lately among gaming communities. So, it didn't come as a surprise, but more like a gift from God, when Rockstar announced an overhaul expansion for RDR. ENORMOUS new levels, sprawling across the desert plains, Weapons, dialogue, sidequests, whatever you could possibly imagine. The price for this expansion? Just 9.99. Most companies would make two or three different expansions for 9.99 each, and added together the material still wouldn't be as much as is included in RDR's expansion]

With all this said...what does the future bring? I can only imagine how much worse things will get with DLC. Companies will go cheaper and cheaper, until we're buying our games one section at a time. Look at Sonic 4! It is to be released in 'episodes.' Hmmm....sounds fishy...

But hey! What do I know? I've only watched company after company, developer after developer take us to the cleaners. And while a few good companies seem to exist out there, their numbers are far outdone by the numbers of developers, new and old, that are trying to make their quick buck on us, via DLC. What can we do to change the future of games for the better? I ask myself that a lot these days. I'm sure some of you do as well. -Astro9-