at least scamco has the courtesy to release this at a lower price point. the razor and blades approach is way less offensive to me than $60 big budget games with map packs, campaign content dlc, extra modes dlc etc.
most dlc is content that publishers force their developers to cut from the retail package with the express intent of selling it through microtransactions, which is an entirely new revenue stream for them. as long as a retail game conforms to the bare minimal of expectations (6 hour campaign, 5-10 mulitplayer maps), publishers can just hold back content for downloadable services. there's too much money to be made, and they're getting away with it.
the only genuine, non-scamish dlc that wouldn't-make-me-completely-ashamed-to-buy that i've seen this generation is the fallout episodes. those are the absolute closest dlc has come to approximating the ideals of pc expansion packs from the 90s. they're thematically different enough that they couldn't be included in the original game and they expand on the narrative and pre-existing game world in a number of ways.
dlc for any given game is one (or more) of five things:
1) cynical attempt at extracting more money out of consumers
2) obscuring a necessary price hike (game budgets are too high, profit margins are too low)
3) a new viable and legitimate business model, provided the game is priced appropriately at retail to reflect the lack of content
4) a new method of delivering expansive/episodic content without releasing at retail, not possible in previous console gens
5) extending the lifespan of a multiplayer game and blunting the used game market by leveraging content over a longer period of time
most dlc falls under the first two and last categories, unfortunately
oh, and namco can get bent. i'm a huge ridge fan, but they are really testing my faith with this. i have so many great arcade racers in my library that i can boot up and have a blast with any time -- wipeout xl, outrun 2, shox, sega rally, wave race 64, ridge racer v, etc. another 30 fps ridge with rehashed content (?) isn't in the least bit exciting to me.
to the calculator someone!
