Great article, Evil!
'Bout time you contribute around here
.
'Bout time you contribute around here
.
Game not over, man: New content keeps old games alive
Editorial | July 27, 2010 11:12 pm
By PureEvil x21
Game not over, man: New content keeps old games alive
by Ben Silverman
July 27 11:15 A.M.
Buzz up!
Years ago, long before video game consoles were as powerful and as web-connected as PCs, a game would end when the credits rolled. You might wind up replaying it if it was a real winner, but usually a beaten game would live out its existence on a dusty shelf.
These days, however, the end of a game is often just the beginning of the adventure.
The downloadable content (or DLC) era is here, and if the revenue figures are any indication, it's here to stay. Earlier this month Bloomberg estimated that the Xbox Live network has cracked the $1 billion revenue mark on the year, due in part to sales of extra game content.
“The old playbook of ‘launch and leave’ is a relic of the past,” Xbox COO Dennis Durkin told the financial site. “Today with Xbox Live, it’s now about ‘launch, sustain, retain’ by continually adding new content that enhances the original experience.”
DLC varies just as much as the games they expand. Some DLC packs offer more multiplayer levels, while others add hours of new material for a fraction of the cost of a new title. And in a few cases, the stunning amount of post-launch DLC rivals the content found in the original game. If you're looking to expand your horizons, check out these DLC-rich games:
Mass Effect 2
The problem with playing through a video game trilogy is the downtime in between releases. But when it comes to Mass Effect -- and specifically, this year's top-rated sequel Mass Effect 2 -- the waiting isn’t the hardest part at all, thanks to generous amounts of post-release content. New characters, items and missions have arrived nearly every month since its January release; the latest, "Overlord," has been lauded for its emotionally engaging story.
Red Dead Redemption
Rockstar's Wild West romp is raking in the dough, but rather than get greedy, the publisher is turning those earnings into savings for gamers. The first bit of DLC, "Outlaws to the End," introduced new co-op missions and multiplayer modes -- entirely free of charge. That's just the start, too: four more free packs are coming over the next few months, making this one gift horse, indeed.
Fallout 3
If ever there were a game that didn't actually need DLC, it's this massive, open-world role-playing smash. To developer Bethesda, however, its sprawling nature just meant more room for new tales. The company doled out a whopping five expansions, which wound up raising the game's level cap by 10, changing the original ending, and throwing in an alien abduction sequence for good measure. Taken together, the expansions are bigger than most stand-alone games.
Dragon Age: Origins
The epic role-playing game is the gift that keeps on giving. In addition to its 70+ hour main campaign and solid "Awakening" expansion, gamers can download three hefty mission sets that, among other things, lets them see how the other half lives by playing as the dreaded Darkspawn enemies. Hint: they live very well.
Borderlands
This first-person/role-playing hybrid was one of the biggest surprise hits of 2009, but not to developer Gearbox Software. Three downloadable expansions have added all sorts of new missions and locations, not to mention enough new loot to make the desert badlands look like Wal-Mart.
Grand Theft Auto IV
How do you expand one of the biggest games ever created? Carefully, of course, which explains why there have only been two expansions to gritty city drama GTA IV. They couldn't be more different, either: one puts you in the boots of a rough and tumble biker, while the other tasks you with protecting a flamboyant club owner.
by Ben Silverman
July 27 11:15 A.M.
Buzz up!
Years ago, long before video game consoles were as powerful and as web-connected as PCs, a game would end when the credits rolled. You might wind up replaying it if it was a real winner, but usually a beaten game would live out its existence on a dusty shelf.
These days, however, the end of a game is often just the beginning of the adventure.
The downloadable content (or DLC) era is here, and if the revenue figures are any indication, it's here to stay. Earlier this month Bloomberg estimated that the Xbox Live network has cracked the $1 billion revenue mark on the year, due in part to sales of extra game content.
“The old playbook of ‘launch and leave’ is a relic of the past,” Xbox COO Dennis Durkin told the financial site. “Today with Xbox Live, it’s now about ‘launch, sustain, retain’ by continually adding new content that enhances the original experience.”
DLC varies just as much as the games they expand. Some DLC packs offer more multiplayer levels, while others add hours of new material for a fraction of the cost of a new title. And in a few cases, the stunning amount of post-launch DLC rivals the content found in the original game. If you're looking to expand your horizons, check out these DLC-rich games:
Mass Effect 2
The problem with playing through a video game trilogy is the downtime in between releases. But when it comes to Mass Effect -- and specifically, this year's top-rated sequel Mass Effect 2 -- the waiting isn’t the hardest part at all, thanks to generous amounts of post-release content. New characters, items and missions have arrived nearly every month since its January release; the latest, "Overlord," has been lauded for its emotionally engaging story.
Red Dead Redemption
Rockstar's Wild West romp is raking in the dough, but rather than get greedy, the publisher is turning those earnings into savings for gamers. The first bit of DLC, "Outlaws to the End," introduced new co-op missions and multiplayer modes -- entirely free of charge. That's just the start, too: four more free packs are coming over the next few months, making this one gift horse, indeed.
Fallout 3
If ever there were a game that didn't actually need DLC, it's this massive, open-world role-playing smash. To developer Bethesda, however, its sprawling nature just meant more room for new tales. The company doled out a whopping five expansions, which wound up raising the game's level cap by 10, changing the original ending, and throwing in an alien abduction sequence for good measure. Taken together, the expansions are bigger than most stand-alone games.
Dragon Age: Origins
The epic role-playing game is the gift that keeps on giving. In addition to its 70+ hour main campaign and solid "Awakening" expansion, gamers can download three hefty mission sets that, among other things, lets them see how the other half lives by playing as the dreaded Darkspawn enemies. Hint: they live very well.
Borderlands
This first-person/role-playing hybrid was one of the biggest surprise hits of 2009, but not to developer Gearbox Software. Three downloadable expansions have added all sorts of new missions and locations, not to mention enough new loot to make the desert badlands look like Wal-Mart.
Grand Theft Auto IV
How do you expand one of the biggest games ever created? Carefully, of course, which explains why there have only been two expansions to gritty city drama GTA IV. They couldn't be more different, either: one puts you in the boots of a rough and tumble biker, while the other tasks you with protecting a flamboyant club owner.
(Source: http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/plugged-in/game-not-over-man-new-content-keeps-old-games-alive/1406283)
Keywords: DLC, LIVE, Game, Content
