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Gears of War 3 Takes DLC To a New Low

Chris Carlson — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 05:30:39 +0000

Epic Games have finally brought Gears of War 3 before us, but their attempt at DLC is the most pathetic approach I’ve seen this console generation. Before I dig into this issue, I want to clear a few things up. I’ve purchased every Gears of War title at midnight, including Gears of War 3.

I absolutely adore the series. In fact, if you were to have me select only one new IP this generation not to miss out on, and skip the rest, it would be Gears of War. I’m not telling you these things to make you believe my claims are legitimate. I’m telling you these things because I’m utterly disgusted as a fan, and I’m disappointed in Epic’s decision on how to handle Gears of War 3‘s DLC.

Normally when a company chooses to provide DLC that’s a blatant rip-off, I tend to ignore it and not purchase it. In fact, I’d make jokes about it and laugh it off. The difference is, Epic Games is known for listening to their fans, giving them what they want, and being very loyal. However, their decision to make their fans pay to unlock content already on the disc is a disgrace to their community. Paying for on-disc content isn’t something that hasn’t been done before, but Epic Games took it a step further.

You remember when you beta tested Gears of War 3 back in April and got to use that sexy urban camo? Did you realize that five months later, in order to use that camo again you would have to pay $3? Not only were you participating in a beta to make the overall product better, you were also “testing” paid DLC that had been completed nearly half a year before release. Take a look at this screenshot captured from Gears of War 3 multiplayer.

Pink Lancer Day 1!! Fuck Yeah!!! Oh wait, I need Microsoft Points.

Notice the pink lancer? Yeah, the one you can purchase for $3. This screenshot was taken from gameplay footage shown back in January of 2011. Nearly 10 months ago, Epic Games has shown off the pink lancer and even boasted about how players can choose a pink lancer if they wanted too. Not only was that a partial lie -since you must purchase it separately-, we were looking at screenshots from DLC nearly a year before release.

It only gets worse from here. Have you played a match with all bots yet? Manage to see characters like “Big Red Dizzy” and wonder how to unlock them? Too bad, you can’t. That’s even more on-disc DLC in which you’ll have to purchase at a later date. The most pathetic part of all of this, is Gears of War 3 offered $75 worth of DLC before the game was even out. More than the actual game cost, but for less content than the actual game we purchased.

Epic Games also took the approach of “pre-ordering” DLC before it becomes available. Paying $30 for the season pass will grant you the first four pieces of DLC at no additional charge. As long as that specific content isn’t locked on my disc, I’m perfectly fine with that. Do your thing Epic. But locking away multiple characters, 20+ weapon skins and god knows what else, is just wrong. If the game shipped with more than 4-5 weapon skins (disregarding the beta unlocks) and offered more at a later date that wasn’t included on the disc, I probably would have purchased all of them. Sadly, that’s not the case.

Want all these purty weapon skins? $45 please.

Lets take it further than that. Have you happened to look at the leaderboards? Specifically for Horde or Beast Mode? Try it, then hit left once on the D-pad and look at what pops up. Oh, what’s that you ask? A map that’s not even playable yet, like Blood Drive for example, or Azura. Now, I’m not going to harp too much on this, mostly due to the fact I have no physical proof these maps are already on the disc and awaiting “activation”. I have however, seen “leaked” footage of these maps being perfectly playable. So it’s indeed possible these three maps are already on the copy you paid for, but it’s not definite.

This may not mean much, but I’m glad to see the Xbox Live community rate these “weapon skins” down to one and two stars on the marketplace. I’m sure a bunch of silly stars with a number planted next to it means nothing to Epic, but to me though, that’s saying I’m not alone, and many others agree with such juvenile behavior from such a well respected company. Surely, this isn’t the first article you’ve seen written on this subject.

I love Gears of War, and I still love the work Epic has done and they will not lose me as a fan. They have however, lost a lot of my respect and have me on a thin line between not purchasing future Gears of War 3 DLC and supporting such behavior. I’ve seen some damn pathetic attempts to rip gamers off (Resident Evil 5 “Multiplayer”), but Epic has gone too far to the point where they disrespected their fans, and ultimately embarrassed themselves. I can’t express how frustrated and angry I was on September 20th around 12:30AM launching Gears of War 3; selecting my weapons, then going to choose a weapon skin and see nothing but a bunch of dollar signs with locked content. I was downright furious.

The worst part of it all, I defended Epic Games before I was aware of the weapon skin announcement. They made the announcement shortly after I finished my writing for that day, and some random person in my XBL party was talking about them having $45 worth of weapon skin DLC. I actually told the guy whoever informed him of this false information was a damn moron because, “Epic Games would never do something like that!”

I was so quick to defend a company I had much respect for that I made myself look like a total ass. Not only do I now feel like a complete dick for doing so, I feel ashamed that I stuck up for a company that was stabbing me -and its fans- in the back as I was praising them. Never in a million years would I have guessed Epic Games of all developers would do something so shady. So my question to you Epic is;

“Why?” Did Microsoft have something to do with this? Did you wake up one day and decide Gears of War wasn’t making you enough money? I can not see one legitimate reason to charge forty-five dollars for some damn weapon skins and locking multiple types of DLC on the disc I’ve already purchased. I feel betrayed and used, taken advantage of, by a company that I never thought would stoop this low.

We gave Gears of War 3 a 10/10 in our RipTen Review… but between a Rip and a Ten? This DLC plan gets buried.

To conclude my rant, I have created what I believe is one of the most awesome weapon skins of all time… for free of course.

Sorry, The Last Boss Fight Costs Extra — Some Devs Willing to Ship Incomplete Games

Chad Lakkis — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 04:31:08 +0000

A few days ago I published an article talking about the impact of used game sales and rentals on developers. The piece revolved around comments made by Frontier Developments’ founder, David Braben and his idea to create two price points/versions of a game — a model he compares to the film industry.

I really disagreed with the idea as well as the notion that the used game market is the root of the problem. Instead, I discussed an alternative solution which involved DLC content or “additional incentive” to buy a game new. That said, never in a million years did I think devs would be willing to consider making a vital part of a game — such as a final boss fight — accessible only via DLC.

Well, if you believe the comment made by Epic Games president, Dr Michael Capps, it seems that this concept has its share of supporters:

“I’ve talked to some developers who are saying ‘If you want to fight the final boss you go online and pay USD 20, but if you bought the retail version you got it for free‘. We don’t make any money when someone rents it, and we don’t make any money when someone buys it used – way more than twice as many people played Gears than bought it…”

Are you shitting me? A game that ships with no accessible ending? That is the best solution these assholes can come up with? Screw over the gamer? When I said that I supported DLC content as added value — I meant it. Added value doesn’t mean you strip away a game’s ending.

What a shame. If it ever comes to the point where large corporations start utilizing these types of tactics to improve their bottom line — I have one wish. I hope the greedy SOBs at the top all find themselves sick in a hospital bed at some point. Desperately in need of an organ transplant to live, they are greeted by a good doctor who walks in and utters the following words:

Sorry, organ donors are impossible to come by these days. Dr. Phil had a show on it. It seems that the lack of used products available to consumers has made people bitter. The overwhelming feeling is, if we can’t benefit from another person’s used stuff, then they won’t benefit from ours either. It’s a shame really — I wish there was more I could do.

Call me a sick fuck, but it would serve them right, and I sure as hell wouldn’t feel sorry for them. The moral o the story, be careful what you wish for.

Source: GI.biz

Toys”R”Us Wii Bundle Break Down

Andrew Podolsky — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 02:33:06 +0000

We recently reported a Wii bundle that Toys”R”Us is selling to consumers via their website, which consists of ten games that you must purchase at a cost of $700 in order to get the Nintendo Wii.

If you check out the aggregated review scores for the games in this bundle, you can see that most of the games rank in the fair-to-good range, with the lowest scoring a 5.4 (Soulcaliber Legends) and the highest ranking in at 8.6 (Zack and Wiki).

They’re not the triple-A Wii titles that would sell very well on their own, like Resident Evil 4, Trauma Center 2, Zelda, Metriod, or any Mario game, however as you can see below, there are a few standouts on this list that any Wii owner would be happy to have, if they don’t mind dishing out $700 all at once.

Gamestats

Spiderman: Friend or Foe – 6.0

Transformers: The Game – 6.0

Bee Movie Game – 6.8

Crash of the Titans 07 – 6.7

Dewey’s Adventure – 6.7

Zak and Wiki – 8.6

Raving Rabbids 2 – 6.9

Geometry Wars: Galaxies – 8.1

Petz Dogz 2 – NA

Soulcaliber Legends – 5.4

AVERAGE: 6.8

GameRankings

Spiderman: Friend or Foe – 62%

Transformers: The Game – 56%

Bee Movie Game – 70%

Crash of the Titans 07 – 70%

Dewey’s Adventure – 68%

Zak and Wiki – 86%

Raving Rabbids 2 – 68%

Geometry Wars: Galaxies – 80%

Petz Dogz 2 – NA

Soulcaliber Legends – 59%

AVERAGE: 68.8%

Toys”R”Us Offering “Bend Over” Bundle – Wii Plus 10 Games At Full Price

Chad Lakkis — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:07:45 +0000

Toys”R”Us has just gone above and beyond the call of corporate greed, in an effort to take advantage of every consumer interested in purchasing the popular Nintendo Wii console.

The retailer is offering what is perhaps the worst next-gen console “bundle” in the history of gaming: a Nintendo Wii and 10 games (no first party titles and all but one or two are total crap), all for the low, low bargain price of $700 (exactly what you would pay if you purchased everything individually).

“This Bundle includes: Wii Console, Spider-Man: Friend or Foe, Transformers: The Game, Bee Movie Game, Crash of the Titans 07, Dewey’s Adventure, Zak & Wiki: Quest for Barbaro’s Treasure, Raving Rabbids 2, Geometry Wars: Galaxies, Petz Dogz 2, and Soulcaliber Legends”

People buy the Value Meal at McDonald’s because they are essentially getting the fries for free. You sign up for the bundle from your local internet, phone, and cable providers, because it ultimately saves you money.

In general, consumers think they are saving money when they purchase a bundle, because that’s the way it usually works. Toys”R”Us is utilizing that mindset in an effort to trick consumers into helping them clear merchandise at a feverish pace.

Toys”R”Us is not bundling, they are banking — banking on the fact that consumers want the Wii console, and will be willing to buy all the crap sitting in their warehouse as well just to get it. No Mario, no Zelda, no Metriod — just pure greed from a retailer who is clearly banking on your dedication and devotion.

They firmly believe that you will do everything humanly possible to find a Wii for your child or loved one, and see no harm in screwing you in the process. As a parent and a consumer, you need to stand your ground and say no, or retailers like Toys”R”Us will continue to stockpile highly demanded merchandise and force consumers to buy items they normally would not.

This blatant act of pure evil preys on both unsuspecting and desperate consumers alike. The sad part is that this bundle is actually (according to the site) one of their best-sellers, and also (according to the comments left by consumers who purchased it via their site) nothing short of a ripoff.

Good system, bad bundle.
“Okay the Wii itself is fun, for a while at least. It has a few notable titles, although the games included in this bundle are rather low quality…your much better off buying the system by itself.”
- h4rdc0r3 from MI

Horrible Value
“All the games that come with it except for Zack and Wiki and and Geometry Wars are a bunch of horrible games no one wants. And this bundle is just a way to try to get rid of stuff that isn’t selling.

If you don’t like mediocre games, don’t buy this bundle, just buy a regular Wii.”
- blargh from New York, NY

Console fun; games – not so much
“I purchased this product because I couldn’t find another Wii available anywhere. The biggest downside is the games that come with it. I know other stores with online sites allow buyers to select from a list of games to include with the bundle. If that were the case, I would be more apt to recommend it. As it is, though, I wouldn’t suggest it…”
- Game Lovin’ Grad from Pittsburgh, PA

Note the next quote from user “Disappointed“, as he believes that the overpriced and poorly packaged bundles are being forced on consumers by Nintendo.

Tacky
“I have only played on the wii at a friends house. I would like to buy a system. I am disappointed with nintendo’s decision to limit the amount of systems in the stores, and force people to buy an overpriced bundle package. I will be patient, but the longer I wait the more I am considering the XBOX 360…”
- Disappointed from USA

Update: I have seen comments floating around about certain games in the bundle being unfairly called “crap”, and I apologize if I offended fans of one or all of the games being offered in this bundle.

That said, I am still disappointed in the retailers decision to force consumers to pony up $700 all at once to purchase the console plus ten games (regardless of the titles), with no discount, and no choice being given to the consumer regarding the games they will be forced to purchase.

If you are interested in knowing the scores for the games included in this bundle, check out Andrew’s breakdown here.

Source: toysrus.com