DLC Or Bust

Consumer Media has come a LONG way from which it first started. One item that falls under this category is Video Games that we all know and love! With the evolution of video games, comes the evolution of supporting the games that we enjoy to play and would like to support franchises to expand their horizons to see possible games in the future. One way that we as consumers support franchises is by purchasing DLC.

DLC has been around for PC gamers longer than console gamers due to the capability of Expansion Packs, while the rise of DLC for console gamers became prevalent the most during the Sega Dreamcast/Playstation 2/Original Xbox generation. With the consistent rise of DLC, the main way it has become accessible is through either online with fresh, new content (which will be referred to as Pure DLC), or by items already on the disc which would normally be accessed through playing the game normally, but the developer decided to charge a bit more to have it unlocked (which will be referred to as Locked Disc DLC).

With Pure DLC, it can be as simple as new weapons to use for missions (an example would be Payday 2), new costumes, characters, and/or stages (Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate Edition has a vast amount of this content), or it can be as expansive as new areas to explore and new story lines to explore (Fallout 3 had multiple DLC items to expand their game, or you can look to the ever popular World of Warcraft for expanding their game and story further beyond the Real Time Strategy games that started the series). This type of DLC is normally available

With Locked Disc DLC, it is on the finished product, but the developer has decided to not release the content unless people pay for it or pre-order the product. Usually, the content can be costumes, characters, and/or stages (recently Hyrule Warriors had a pre-order offer depending on where you pre-ordered the game from. One costume was a set from the game Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, or Skyward Sword for both Link and Zelda, as well as if you registered the game through Club Nintendo, you got 2 additional DLC Costumes for Ganondorf from the games Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess. All the noted DLC has also been planned for release on the Nintendo E-Shop at a later date).

I personally prefer Pure DLC to Locked Disc DLC personally. Due to the Pure DLC being new content that needs to be downloaded, you usually need an internet connection (unless you picked up a Game of the Year Edition, which usually includes all the DLC on a separate disc included), and Locked Disc DLC doesn't usually offer much variety. I want to be able to pay developers for stuff that expands the gameplay with a new experience, not just for authorization keys for items that should be unlockable through normal gameplay. I occasionally pick up the Locked Disc DLC, but it is rare.