7 Stupid Features Gamers Paid For that Should Have Been Free

Publishers are always looking for new ways to monetize games. That’s understandable, making them is an expensive process. But over the years there have been some truly awful and shameless examples of extortion and borderline scams to tempt players into spending money that they should really never have to. Here we’re looking at 7 examples of features gamers paid for that should have been for free.

If you’re interested in reading some other interesting lists, check out our list of Switch games under $20, or the 15 best Gen 4 Pokemon you should catch.

Asura’s wrath – true ending was a DLC

Look, nobody minds paying money for quality DLC content. When substantial expansions offer new stories and gameplay for players to continue enjoying a product, that’s worth paying for. But hiding the actual ending to a premium product behind a paywall? No beauno.

That’s exactly the scenario we were faced with in Asura’s Wrath, a beat em’ up circa 2012 with an episodic story. Following a controversial cliffhanger ending much belied by fans, it was Capcom later announced a DLC content would conclude the game’s story.

Unfortunately, said DLC wasn’t a freebie. Players had to cough up and additional $7 for what Capcom labeled “the true ending.” This is a feature that should have been free. Buy it here.

Paying to see nipples in The Saboteur

Microtransactions are part and parcel with the video game industry these days. Thankfully, at least in the AAA scene, it feels as though we’ve gone through the worst of them and are heading out of the other side to a space where truly ridiculous cases aren’t able to exist as they did before. The Saboteur’s infamous nipple show is a relic from a different time.

Another example of a feature that should have been free: In an inventive way to prey upon the libido of its target audience, EA implemented a $3 microtransaction price for players to see digital boobies in one of The Saboteur’s red light district nightclubs. The dancing girls were clad in garters and naughty underwear as standard, but real-world money would have them remove their bra for a quick thrill.

A truly shameful microtransaction.

Paying the rename your character – Heroes and General

During its early access beta, the free-to-play war sim Heroes and Generals had one dubious as heck paywall. When players recruited new soldiers they were assigned a random names. If one wanted to change those randomized name to their preference –which you’d have to agree is a fairly typical customization option– they’d have to pay for it.

A basic name change function should never be something players have to pay extra for, even in a free-to-play game. I’d wager that did more to off-put the player base than it did actually garner profit for the publishers. This is certainly a feature we would have expected to be for free.

Mortal Kombat – Easy Fatalities

The iconic Fatality finishing move has long been a hallmark of the Mortal Kombat franchise. It was a huge part of what made the game so popular back in the 1990s. In later games, the ability to destroy opponents in bloody final moves evolved into a tricky button input that demanded skill and precision. In Mortal Kombat X, though, a simplified version of the moves could be purchased as $0.99 microtransaction.

Called Easy Fatalities, players could essentially pay to cheat the game. The entire process of learning the controls and mastering its challenge –you know, the “fun” of the experience– could be tempted away from players with a shameless paid cheating option.

What’s next, paid instant headshots in CS: GO?

Resident Evil 2 Remake – Paying for original music

Resident Evil 2 Remake has us very excited. After a long wait for Capcom to revisit what has to be series’ best game, we’re stoked to see a full remake in a glorious new graphics engine. Thanks to the new over-the-shoulder gameplay lifted from RE4, we’re looking forward to a blend of nostalgia-fueled excitement and an all-new gameplay experience. From what we’ve seen (and played in previews) so far, it’s definitely transporting us back to our childhoods. But what’s up with the music?

As it turns out, the iconic Resident Evil 2 soundtrack from the original is available. Great. Except you’ll have to pay for the game’s special pre-order edition if you actually want it at launch.

Why, oh why, should players have to pay extra for Capcom to include a music overlay that was recorded 20 years ago?  Something as simple as that should surely be free.

MGS V – FOB insurance

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain was critically acclaimed when it launched back in 2015. It did more than a few things very well. The awesome stealth action, compelling multiplayer, and addictive gameplay loop of building your mother base with captured soldiers. But it wasn’t all sweetness and roses.

Something called FOB insurance really riled players up. Essentially, the FOBs, operating bases that were able to be attacked by other players in multiplayer, could have their contents insured for a price. By paying a fee to Konami, players could recover lost items and attack others without fear of consequence. Basically, a scheme that swung the balance in favor those with fat wallets.

Metal Gear Survive – Extra save files

Konami outdid themselves with this one. Metal Gear Survive was never a popular concept to begin with –a zombie survival game that felt as though it was using Metal Gear brand power for a cash grab.

But the controversy didn’t end with its final release when players discovered that they’d have to spend extra cash to acquire more than two save slots. There was no way to accumulate the necessary currency in game at all. And even worse, the 1000 coins required for the slots couldn’t be purchased in a neat 1000 coin package. Konami forced you to purchase 1150 coins, just to squeeze out another dollar or so from you.

There’s absolutely no excuse for charging players for additional opportunities to save their progress.