Tag: Downloadable Content

EVO 2015: All DLC Can Be Unlocked For Free In ‘Street Fighter V’!

by Josh Jackson

As one of the biggest perpetrators when it came to nickel and diming in their games with downloadable content in the previous generation, it looks like Capcom is working towards regaining some goodwill.

At EVO, the team behind Street Fighter V revealed that the copy you buy early next year will be the only copy you ever need to own. In lieu of the “Super” or “Ultra” versions that have become a running joke over the years, (so much so that the company teased itself when it released Super Ultra Dead Rising 3 Arcade Remix Hyper Edition EX,) the team promised that all content would be rolled out over time as its completed, which can potentially extend the life of the game for years to come.

But how much will this cost? According to Capcom, it’s free if you want it to be! While the option to purchase these characters with Zenny, (which is bought with real money,) the hilariously named Fight Money can be earned through regular play. Fight Money can be cashed in to buy the new content in game, allowing players to travel back to ten years ago and actually unlock new fighters just by playing the game. Exactly how difficult it will be to accumulate this currency has yet to be detailed, but the fact that everything can be used in game without paying an extra dime is definitely a step in the right direction.

To me, this is the best case scenario of what DLC can be. When it was first promised all the way back in the original Xbox days, it was advertised as a type of PC expansion set for consoles, which would expand our games for years to come with huge amounts of content. What we ended up with, was disc locked content that was already completed and planned before development, content being pulled out of games to sell later, and releasing bare bones titles that would later sell the same kinds of items that would have been unlockable only a few years prior. If this model proves successful for Capcom, we can only hope more of the industry will follow suit.

Don’t forget to pre-order in time to join the PS4 online beta on July 23rd! Let us know what you think of the news, then get your games ready and throw down with us later this week!

Source: IGN.com

Nintendo Dives Into The World Of Season Passes With ‘Mario Golf: World Tour’

by Josh Jackson

For the most part, Nintendo has stayed away from downloadable content until very recently. Adding new level packs in games like New Super Mario Bros 2 and Pikmin 3 amongst others have served as the company’s way of testing the waters with paid expanded content, but it looks like they’re going all in with Mario Golf: World Tour for the 3DS.

If you happened to steer clear of the many Mario spinoffs that have been released over the years, I assure you that Mario Golf has traditionally been one of the better ones. After playing a demo at Wondercon this year, it seems like everything is essentially the same as previous years on the Mushroom Kingdom greens. New power shots accompany the tried and true two click swing mechanics of most mascot golf games of this nature, where pressing A in sync with the power and accuracy meters result in better shots. The demo had standard tournament mode, coin mode where players collect coins with their swings, and ring mode, where the goal is to hit the ball through, well… take a guess.

Mario Golf World Tour Screen 1Fun times were had, but you can’t expect too much change from a golf game.

It was just as fun as I remember it, if not a little familiar. But the most significant change to the series won’t come until release date, when Nintendo launches their first DLC Season Pass with the title. DLC is a sensitive subject for many in the gaming community. Some see it as a great way to expand on a game, while others see it as a cash grab that can be used as an excuse to hold back content for the purpose of selling it later. While some might have seen Nintendo’s attempt at the business strategy as the end of times, their approach with Mario Golf seems to be pretty reasonable.

Adding 108 holes and four extra characters to a game that already features 126 holes to play on, the $15 or $5.99 that the individual packs cost can almost double the amount of content. Starting on May 2nd, (the game’s release date, which is usually a DLC cardinal sin), players can pick up the Mushroom Pack, which comes with Toadette. The Flower Pack with Mario Galaxy star, Rosalina, and the Star Pack with New Super Mario Bros U newcomer Nabbit, will release in the coming weeks. Those who buy the pass will gain exclusive access to Gold Mario, who comes with the Golden Flower power up, causing his shots to generate coins as they travel! Buying all of the individual packs will unlock him as well, but only once the last pack is released.

Mario Golf World Tour Gold MarioAll Gold Everything

While this is all well and good, some fans might still see this as nickel and diming, (which I admittedly did too at first), but considering the game is already being sold at a discounted price of $29.99, including the season pass makes it about five dollars more than a standard 3DS game for double the content. Combined with the online functionality and tournaments that it promises to bring, and it’s looking like a pretty good deal. To top it off, each pack will have demo versions so you can try before you buy. That’s something every piece of DLC should have if you ask me. I could have saved a decent amount on crappy Rock Band tracks if I had known they had boring track layouts.

So what’s the verdict on Nintendo’s approach of their first season pass? Do you think other companies should follow this model, or do you think it’s a slippery slope leading to us having to pay for our special worlds in later installments? Let us know, and be sure to check back for a full review of Mario Golf: World Tour in the days after its release.