Watch Dogs 2 – Season Pass
Season Passes have garnered a rather poor reputation over the years thanks to some titles either not providing enough content to justify the price, or the DLC itself being lackluster. However, the recently released Watch Dogs 2 is curiously missing a number of different cosmetic outfits that are being sold for upwards of $7.
Given that the entire idea of purchasing a Season Pass is to obtain all of the DLC for a certain title, the fact that Watch Dogs 2 still gates off content is unforgivable. In an age where some companies will just give players costumes for free, the fact that you don’t even obtain simple clothing DLC with your Season Pass is a problem. Anyone who is willing to put their faith in a developer should be given access to all additional content regardless of what it may be.
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided – Praxis Kits
When it comes to DLC, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided’s Praxis Kits feel incredibly out of place since they are never needed. Effectively what they allow users to do is buy points to spend on upgrades for Jensen, nullifying any challenge within the title itself. Given that Praxis points already unlock at a steady pace and can even be discovered or purchased in-game via credits, this feels as if it’s trying to subvert the gameplay itself.
It also doesn’t help that a lot of the actual unlocks only cost a small amount of Praxis points, meaning it won’t take long for players to get the abilities they want. On top of all this, none of the Praxis points that you purchase will carry over to multiple save files or repeat playthroughs. This means if you want to either start over or try a different character build in Deus Ex, users would have to constantly rebuy these upgrades. Given that the Deus Ex series is all about multiple playthroughs, there is no reason why customers should be punished for wanting to try the game a second or third time, especially when the items being offered can directly affect the gameplay.
Ark: Survival Evolved – Scorched Earth
The problem with Scorched Earth isn’t that the developers priced it at $19.99 but that Ark: Survival Evolved was still in Early Access when this content was released. No game should have paid content released for its user base while still in development as Ark: Survival Evolved was still missing some core features at the time.
Given this isn’t a big triple A title, it gives off the impression to users that the developers care more about siphoning off money instead of finishing their title. As one can imagine, Steam was flooded with angry complaints from Ark’s fan base after the expansions reveal. There was also the problem of Scorched Earth introducing dragons to this world, which was severely imbalanced for PvP. Given that they can not only fly, but also deal massive damage, it gave DLC purchasers a huge advantage. In a game where players sometimes struggle to survive, giving those willing to pay an additional $20 for an advantage feels unfair to the core players.
DC Legends – Gems/Hero Fragments
Mobile games have always had a problem when it comes to DLC, but the recently released DC Legends may be the biggest offender in recent memory. In order to unlock new characters such as Superman, Batman, or Deadshot, players need to either earn Hero Fragments or purchase them via gems which is one of DC Legends’ in-game currencies. Each character has a set number of Fragments needed before they can be obtained, which can be a grind if you want more popular DC superheroes. This can cost players over $25Â just to obtain a single hero if they decide to buy a character that’s on sale.
However, unless a character is on sale, users will need to purchase Premium Bundles which don’t guarantee a hero of any kind and will typically just give players a random assortment of Hero Fragments. This can lead to a ton of frustration as users could spend buckets of cash without ever getting a character to play with. The fact that this entire game is based around having stronger and stronger heroes, having them locked behind a paywall can easily stunt anyone’s progress if they’re not willing to pay.
DLC is meant to enhance the experiences of games, but developers need to recognize what a fair price is for their additional content. Locking content that can have a drastic effect on the gameplay itself is unfair to the consumers and these four titles are perfect examples of this practice. While 2016 had some superb expansions released, there have been cracks in the armor that shows just how important balancing price and content is.
Published: Dec 28, 2016 09:30 am