Bitmob_vb_ Bitmob is now a part of VentureBeat
Separator

Longing for the days without DLC or yearly updates

Default_picture
Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Star Fox 64 for the N64

I've had a big problem with video games lately--I don't know whether I should buy them anymore. It's not like I don't want to play in intense, competitive fights with other players in Marvel vs. Capcom 3.

I simply don't know whether I should buy the first version or if I should wait for the super ultimate game-of-the-year edition with the DLC built in.

I miss the old days, when console game developers were willing to pull off a wider variety of games. Games such as Star Fox 64 pushed the limits of what was humanly possible in a linear 3D shooter game. We didn't need a second yearly edition of Star Fox 64--it stood out by itself as one of the best shooters of its time.

Platform jumpers revamped their graphics with bizarre new graphic styles and characters. Sly Cooper snuck around 3D environments to avoid spotlights and alarms. Ratchet and Clank turned the platformer into a colorful shooter with a diverse crowd of unique enemies and robots.

Fighting games didn't have updates every half year or so. Although Capcom released many iterations of Street Fighter 3, I already knew that I could buy the best version in the Street Fighter Anniversary Collection for the Playstation 2. Even the King of Fighters franchise ventured into integrating basketball players and psychics in their new reiterations.

Now the game publishers have to release yearly editions of popular game franchises, just so that we don't forget them in the future. As much as I love new editions of Call of Duty and Street Fighter 4, the constant release schedule has kept me from ever buying into these franchises.

Which version of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is the best? Should I wait for the best version of Marvel vs. Capcom 3? Should I even bother buying into all the DLC updates? All the purchasable options are literally keeping me from purchasing any new games in today's gaming market.

I long for the simple days of Nintendo, when we only had a new edition of a game franchise every two or three years. Animal Crossing only had a few new reiterations to an excellent game formula. I didn't need extra DLC to get the full enjoyment of this franchise. I could simply collect a massive number of furniture and wallpaper with only a single game purchase.

As the online game marketplace expanded, the release schedule tightened. Now I have to buy all the new updates just to exploit the full enjoyment of a fighting game. I need the newest version of Call of Duty just so I could experience the new balanced system of multiplayer battles. I need a DLC update just so I could play with zombies in Borderlands and Red Dead Redemption.

The market just isn't as friendly as it was long ago. Perhaps the video game companies are buckling down under the pressure of the economic recession. Whatever the case, they threw all reasonable standards for a slow release schedule out of the window in the last few years.

I still wish for those old days, when I didn't need a new DLC expansion just to get the full enjoyment out of a video games. I guess I just have to face the fact that those days are now long gone.

 
Tags: DLC, Street Fighter 4, animal crossing, Star Fox 64, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Borderlands: The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare, Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3
Problem? Report this post
BITMOB'S SPONSOR
Adsense-placeholder
Related Stories
 
Comments (12)
Add a new comment
Img950653
Paul Alexander
July 26, 2011

I understand the sentiment. I've spent somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 hours playing NBA2K11 since I bought it 3 or 4 months ago, and barely cracked open all the goodies. Now that a new one is already on the horizion (in the midst of a lockout, no less!) I can't help but feel like all that work was for naught.

Default_picture
Jonathan Oyama
July 27, 2011

I used to love sports games a long time ago, when I didn't worry about the changes in each edition. Sadly, I bought into the Wii version of Madden NFL, thinking that the motion controls were very high class. I was dead wrong and the awful motion detection tainted my love for modern sports games.

That's not to say that the new sports games are bad. I love seeing how EA makes unique changes to each version. I just wish that there was a better way to distinguish each one. It's the same way that I keep failing to distinguish each Final Fantasy game from the others.

Dscn0568_-_copy
Chris Hoadley
July 27, 2011

For good or bad, Fighting games have always had yearly updates. Street Fighter 3 and Street Fighter 3: Second Impact even came out during the same year like the two Marvel vs. Capcom 3s did. The constant updates did bring in the crash of fighting games in the 2000s (well, it was more the lack of new Capcom games since other developers still published fighting games as usual). But it is a paradox for fans to want new characters and balance changes, yet complain about yearly updates.

My advice to you is to buy the first game or the first update, which usually addresses the biggest issues with the first game's balance. If you truly like that game then you'll have no problem paying for future updates. I only bought Guilty Gear X2, played it casually, and ignored the four updates that came after it. I still enjoy playing it, though I do wish I bought Accent Core+ for collection purposes. Still, you'll never know which version is the definitive version until the developer stops making games for it, and that's usually when people stop playing it.

Mikeshadesbitmob0611
Michael Rousseau
July 27, 2011

You know what they say. The 3rd Strike is what counts.

Default_picture
Jonathan Oyama
July 27, 2011

@Chris: I was going to just go with the first game, until Capcom announced that Strider would deservedly return to MvC3. For the most part, you're right about just buying the first version or the first update. I could give many examples:

As much as I liked the Soul Calibur sequels, I think 2 had the biggest impact on me. 2 introduced one of my favorite female fighters--Talim. I also loved the cheesy quest structure in the game. The graphics were the biggest step up though, because I felt that the first one really needed a facelift.

I also agree with your choice of Guilty Gear X2. After a certain point, I lost track of all the updates and I should have just settled with the first X2. Oh well, I suppose I'll find one eventually.

@Michael: Haha, I can't even remember the whole release schedule of Street Fighter 3. I think it got much easier when Capcom just included the third impact in the anniversary collection. Gill is still really annoying though.

Default_picture
Eric Koziol
July 27, 2011

I found the answer in retro gaming. With hundreds of titles I never got around to, leaving the graphics and power push for the stuff I never played years ago was the best choice for me. I still buy new games, but it's much less frequently than retro stuff.

Default_picture
Jonathan Oyama
July 27, 2011

I completely understand where you're coming from. I really miss the old days of video games, especially the classic JRPGs. Those games really packed a long, amazing storyline in a small package. I still enjoy an occasional game of Borderlands, but the storytelling component just isn't as overly epic and grand as it used to be in the JRPG boom.

On the plus side, games like Bioshock are contributing a considerable amount of atmospheric storytelling. I think it's only a matter of time before we start remembering the classic first-person shooters that really mattered in their heyday. In the meantime, I guess I'll stick to my JRPG collection.

Mindjack
Samir Torres
July 28, 2011

It's bad when game companies release costly updates to their games, but it's even worse for hardware, like the Nintendo DS or PSP. I stuck with my DS Lite and never got a DSi, but I was tempted.

Very rarely do I buy DLC for my games. However, if you absolutely love a particular title and play the hell out of it, DLC can be a welcome addition.

Default_picture
Jonathan Oyama
July 28, 2011

The PSP and the DS have an even tougher time with providing any updates at all. I think Dragon Quest 9 was the only portable game that successfully made the DLC work. It was pretty much an online marketplace that changed its inventory every week. I loved the concept, even if the online multiplayer never made it to America.

Even the DSi never really integrated the Internet marketplace well. At best, their selection was more like a bunch of cheap cell phone games. However, the home consoles always have some very nifty add-ons. I especially love dressing up my XBox 360 avatar with whatever random outfits look trendy on my girl.

...girl avatar. Ahem.

Mindjack
Samir Torres
July 28, 2011

That's a cute little outfit on your girly avatar. I wonder what your PS Home avatar looks like, if you hang out there.

Comic061111
Dewan J. Haque
July 31, 2011

Honestly I think of most DLC as 'Expansion Packs' that offer more of what you enjoyed, or possibly a deviation from the norm.  I don't have any issues with them inherently- though some of them are not quality at all.  Expansions have been around forever, but until they came out- the game that was released was the ultimate edition.  It's the same thing with DLC.

At the same time, I feel that DLC needs to be priced according to the content.  I'll pay 5-10 dollars for a few more hours of what I've enjoyed in a new environment with new goals, or possibly for more options in my base game.   I won't pay money for map packs or items, however.  Those feel like cash-ins, the items specifically.

Default_picture
Jonathan Oyama
August 03, 2011
It's really a matter of shopping around. Many of the FPS DLC packs add in quite a lot of new content. On the other hand, I still can't buy Mega Man 9 DLC without thinking that I'm wasting my money. I guess in some cases it depends on the type of game. On the other hand, there's no way that I'll buy some of the Blazblue DLC unless I have a good supply of money. I don't think that it's worth all that money just to get a new announcer voice.

You must log in to post a comment. Please register if you do not have an account yet.