Topic: First Revelations on WiiWare DLC

[NWR_Neal]

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King features $13 of downloadable content available via an in-game menu.
 http://nintendoworldreport.com/newsArt.cfm?artid=15687

 With WiiWare already out in Japan for a week, the first bits of downloadable content are showing up. The first game to have DLC is Square-Enix’s Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King.    

The available downloadable content adds up to a total of $13, which is almost as much as the $15 price of the game itself. In these packs, you get three different races to populate your city with (300 Wii Points each or 800 for all three), some new outfits (two at 100 Wii Points each) and some new buildings (one at 200 Wii Points and one at 100 Wii Points).    

The block sizes for the content range between 1 and 3 blocks. The fact that the content is so small in size brings into question whether or not this downloadable content is actually a download. This is strikingly similar to the burgeoning video game controversy of whether or not downloadable content is truly downloadable, which is a point of criticism of the recent Professor Layton and the Curious Village. Along with that,  the new buildings you can get aren’t immediately available after you download them: a new dungeon appears that you first have to beat before you can actually access your new buildings. In order to access any of these features you have to re-download an updated version of the game to access the downloadable content menu.    

One bright spot about the downloadable content menu is the fact that it is in-game and easy to navigate, meaning players can spend their Wii Points straight from the game instead of having to boot up the Wii Shop Channel separately.

[NWR_Neal]

Stupid horse armor bullcrap...

[Morari]

THIS POST HAS BEEN CENSORED FOR YOUR PROTECTION

--Bureau of Internet Morality

[blackfootsteps]

Sounds like a fair bit of cash for not much content at all.

[NWR_pap64]

So...15 dollars for the original game, plus 13 dollars for the additional content equals...28 dollars for the complete game!

And yet, some fanboys WANT DLC on the Wii, for the sake of competition...

[animecyberrat]

So you have to unlock the content you bought, what a rip off.

[NWR_insanolord]

So...15 dollars for the original game, plus 13 dollars for the additional content equals...28 dollars for the complete game!

And yet, some fanboys WANT DLC on the Wii, for the sake of competition...

People want DLC on the Wii for things like Rock Band where it's used in a good way and not just to nickel and dime people. Nobody wants this.

[Smash_Brother]

Hmm, I hope this doesn't set a precedent...

[NWR_pap64]

So...15 dollars for the original game, plus 13 dollars for the additional content equals...28 dollars for the complete game!

And yet, some fanboys WANT DLC on the Wii, for the sake of competition...

People want DLC on the Wii for things like Rock Band where it's used in a good way and not just to nickel and dime people. Nobody wants this.

Since you mention it, I think the only genre that benefits from DLC is the music and rhythm genre.

Adding a couple of songs adds to the game's life and the possibilities are endless. The DLC in other games, though, are mostly superficial, shallow extras which could have easily been added during development.

[LuigiHann]

While I do agree that they've totally missed the point, this may do well simply because it fills the niche of "stuff I can spend that leftover 400 points on."

[Smoke39]

Since you mention it, I think the only genre that benefits from DLC is the music and rhythm genre.

Adding a couple of songs adds to the game's life and the possibilities are endless. The DLC in other games, though, are mostly superficial, shallow extras which could have easily been added during development.

You can use the same logic for music games; they could have just added more songs during development...

But really, you can't just keep adding stuff to a game before releasing it.  Eventually you have to call it done and ship it.  Additional content can be fun even for games that don't feel lacking in content on their own.  Back in the day, it seemed like every successful game got at least one expansion pack adding new missions and perhaps a few new features.  DLC has the potential of providing that same quick "more of the same" more economically than doing a full retail release.

In fact, if you take the concept to the extreme, you get episodic content, which a number of developers have been praising for a while (though TellTale is the only company I know of who's really gotten the quick release schedule down).

Basically I'm saying DLC has the potential to be more than just "superficial, shallow extras" for genres other than music/rhythm.

[NWR_pap64]

Yeah, but with music games there are licensing issues which can prevent its inclusion during the development of the game. Stuff like levels, costumes and items can be done in a small period of time (I'm well aware that this stuff can take time and end up getting deleted, but sometimes its so small that its weird that they couldn't add it during development).

I guess the general agreement is that DLC can be a double edged knife for both gamers and developers; On one hand, it expands the game's life without the need of releasing yearly expansions and patches, but can also be used to squeeze every dollar out of the gamer (especially if the content is already there to begin with and all you pay for is the key to unlock it).

[UncleBob]

Music games work well with DLC as you can easily set the game's engine up to adapt to downloaded songs - which can be developed over longer periods of time and downloaded using little memory.  Configuring other titles to work with DLC seems like it'd be harder.

Anywhoo, with this FF title, you buy an item, then download a whole new level that you have to beat to get the item?

It seems to me that the extra level is the thing you're actually purchasing.

[Smoke39]

Yeah, but with music games there are licensing issues which can prevent its inclusion during the development of the game. Stuff like levels, costumes and items can be done in a small period of time (I'm well aware that this stuff can take time and end up getting deleted, but sometimes its so small that its weird that they couldn't add it during development).

Blah blah blah.  Where you choose to draw the line is completely arbitrary without knowing the precise circumstances of each game's development.

I guess the general agreement is that DLC can be a double edged knife for both gamers and developers; On one hand, it expands the game's life without the need of releasing yearly expansions and patches, but can also be used to squeeze every dollar out of the gamer (especially if the content is already there to begin with and all you pay for is the key to unlock it).

Basically.

@Bob: The point is that developing additional content for an existing game is very easy compared to starting from scratch.  There's a lot of potential for asset-reuse, let alone using the same engine.  Some games may have inherently simpler content than others, but the point still stands.

[IceCold]

Goddamn Square Enix.

[Ceric]

In this case I'm pretty sure all the races where in there for most of development simply because they all play such a key role in Crystal Chronicles as a series.  I think they should of had a difficult way to unlock them in game and for the people who don't want to do that the DLC.

[vudu]

Hmm, I hope this doesn't set a precedent...

Don't buy it.  Maybe that will be the precedent.

[Smash_Brother]

I don't plan to, but the FF nuts who will buy it are going to set it anyway.

[KnowsNothing]

DLC will destroy gaming if it is not stopped.

[vudu]

I will destroy DLC if it is not stopped.

[Kairon]

I plan on downloading $11 worth of that $13 DLC.

[Caliban]

I'm not getting this game, period.

[pSYCO-gAMER321]

I bought and downloaded the game. Still haven't played much of it. Not really sure if I want the DLC. At the moment. So far it's entertaining.

[Ceric]

I bought and downloaded the game. Still haven't played much of it. Not really sure if I want the DLC. At the moment. So far it's entertaining.

You can read Japanese?  You'll have to tell me what this game is like.

[Ceric]

I have to say I was looking at the cost of Mobile Phone Games and I couldn't help but think that 8 bucks for solitare makes game like Pixel Junk Monsters look like a steal.