Xboxist

Street Fighter IV Costume Packs Way Over-Priced

The first generation of online consoles (PS2 and original Xbox) lured us in with flowers and chocolates, and enticed us with the sweetness of free downloadable content (DLC). Now that the bromance is over, we've been hit with micro-transactions and horse armor. The stink of it hit a new low when Capcom released the first of five costume packs for Street Fighter IV last week, each costing $3.99. Have game companies gotten us confused? We know we don't have a donkey mask on 'cause it ain't Halloween just yet.

It's sad to think that alternative costumes were included free not too long ago in games like Dead or Alive 4, which had up to 8 costumes per character for players to unlock through normal game progression. To collect all five Street Fighter IV costume packs would cost $20. The message game companies are sending us is that they are going to nickle-and-dime the fanbase to death, even after we supported their new $60 game on day 1. How about offering us die-hards limited time access to free content during the initial week of the game's release as a show of appreciation? Have the late adopters cough up the extra $20, instead.

Sure, no one is forcing people to buy these things, but if you're a true collector of a game series who wants the complete package, it's hard not to feel taken advantage of or not feel annoyed by the cheap ploy. Namco Bandi is doing it right by releasing a new support character every couple of weeks for Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm. Not only does this keep interest alive and have players return to the game for a new experience, it is a low cost method of advertising.

Criterion's Burnout Paradise is another great example that kept excitement alive a year after its release by offering up free updates to the game world that added new modes and enhancements. With such high commitment to the community and game platform from the developers, it makes purchasing later more fleshed-out DLC, a palatable decision for consumers.

Alternative costumes have always been unlockable rewards for progressing through a game. Not anymore. They've joined the ranks of EA's "pay here to unlock all items/parts" category of DLC. Konami tried this with Beautiful Katamari, which charged gamers for "unlocking" levels that already existed on the game disc. Gamers and the enthusiast press were in an uproar, and the game's low score reflected exactly what the publishers were showing us -- animosity and disrespect.

The recent trend of offering new levels as DLC is also a disturbing development. The games in question, Tomb Raider: Underworld and Prince of Persia, both had weak abrupt endings that had unsatisfied gamers scratching their heads and looking for "new" levels to complete their enjoyment of the game's story. Could this be a tactic of publishers withholding a better ending to make gamers more willing to pay for "extra" content --- new levels that offer closure to the game/story experience? Who's to say there isn't a hint of truth in this? After all, the sign of a bad salesman is being too obvious and letting them know you're selling them a car with half a tank.