"Versus" is out, but gamers aren't done pissing on Capcom
After much drama, Capcom finally released the "Versus" DLC for Resident Evil 5. Think that's the end of it?
Well, it isn't. Xbox 360 gamers are creating quite a stink over the 400 Microsoft Points pricing for this add-on, given that the DLC is only 1.8 MB -- pretty small considering some of the heftier packages we've seen from other studios. This led many to believe the DLC is merely "unlocking content" already on the disc, despite what Capcom's VP of Strategic Planning & Business Development Christian Svensson had to say.
Prior to Svensson's forum post, Capcom released a statement attempting to quell all this gamer rage, in which they admitted the DLC "makes use of the assets that exist in the game." Still, the company insisted this add-on was "above and beyond the initial scope." Basically, the code for Versus mode is already there in Mercenaries, which is why the file size is so small.
And that is the problem. Many gamers feel they have already paid for the content by buying the full game, as the DLC does not include new assets. Inversely, Svensson said this add-on was not just an unlock. But if it looks like a duck, smells like a duck, then what else could it be?
360 owners aren't singling Capcom out; previous incidents have shown us that this crowd tends to get pissed when companies charge for unlock codes -- Resident Evil 5 just happens to be the biggest title to receive so much flak for it.
forums
Eh, guess we'll see how this pans out.
The single player Resident Evil 5 experience is fantastic, and worth the money. The Co-op portion is even better. If Capcom wants to charge for the multiplayer competitive play, God bless it, they've earned it.
What you're saying about how the experience is fantastic is no excuse. Would you be willing to pay £40 for cod4 single player, only to have to pay extra for the multiplayer?.. and when you question it, people say "the single player is so good it's worth the money"
If DLC is going to add something geniunly new to a game (e.g. a new song on guitar hero, or a new map pack.. or whatever) then fine go ahead and charge for it. I have a problem with it when they add game modes that the game is already fully capable of, but were left out of the final release to be sold at a later date. is this not what's happening now?
That would be hilarious. If that the case then Capcom is straight up lying. Unless they have programmers from the year 2089 which are writing holographic code or something, there is no way in the universe that the Versus mode can be contained in 1.8MB.
As for the DLC itself, *maybe* Capcom is justified selling the MP mode separately. But this is terrible because it sets a very awful precedent. If there is not a big backlash over this, then it is an inexorable fact that within not that long from now, games will be sold with just their core functionality, and then all their extra game modes will be sold as DLC, when, once upon a time, before, games use to include all that stuff for the one time price of the game.
Jack-=> Games are really expensive to make. But you know what? You budget for that. RE.V is set to make many tens of millions of dollars, so I wouldn't really buy feeling sorry for Capcom about not making enough money from it.
It is perfectly reasonable to think that game developers can budget their titles, weighing off the amount of resources needed to make a game, versus the profits.
I'm not saying all DLC is bad, of course. Something like Rockstar's GTA IV DLC is awesome, or Mass Effects. Those represent good value; this versus mode DLC represents a good money grab IMHO . First they lied about it about not being ready for release, and now they are lying about the DLC being anything besides an unlocking code.
Same issue, yet that was let go a while back...
The file size is so small cause the DLC doesn't add any new character models, maps or anything of the sort to the actual game
The 1.86mb file is not an unlock key, it's basically just code but it took a team of people and probably a good amount of time to develop this DLC.
They’ve already confirmed the development of this DLC started AFTER the development of the main game had finished.
The charge for this DLC and the actual price are entirely reasonable but people are still going to kick up a shitstorm and cry.
Ronald Reagan used to use a similar expression