Wii Warm Up: When a little extra is too much
Hear the one about the WiiWare game that cost 500 Wii Points and came with 1,500 Points worth of downloadable content? We refer, of course, to Space Invaders Get Even!, a title that we have gushed about for some time, only to discover it comes with some very pricey DLC. Once we've forked out 500 Points for the barebones game, we've still got to pay three times that again for the full package, essentially making it more expensive than (almost) all other WiiWare!
We understand why DLC appeals to publishers such as Square Enix, and we also know that we don't have to download it (so please, no need to enlighten us in the comments), but do you think Space Invaders Get Even!'s DLC is excessive? Where do you personally draw the line on what you'll spend on downloadable extras? And in your opinion, what percentage of a game's total cost should consist of DLC?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
bilbravo @ Aug 27th 2008 8:07AM
It depends on the game and what it adds to the exerpience really. Warhawk's booster packs are $8, but they add a lot of reply value. COD4 could add another map pack for $10 and I'd buy it also. It also helps that the Warhawk devs add lots of FREE content as well, so it makes you want to support these guys.
To answer the question more directly, I would pay a total of what the game costs in DLC if it added a lot of replay value and/or changed gameplay. I would not buy this Space Invaders DLC, nor will I buy the original game now that I see what they're doing.
Mark @ Aug 27th 2008 8:34AM
I think it's fine, it's kind of a rental before you buy the full game. Depending on how much you like it, you can pay only what you want for the game.
Al3xand3r @ Aug 27th 2008 9:00AM
Square simply know people are cheap and would go "ZOMG TEH MOST EXPENSIVES WIIWAER GAEM IS SPACE INVAEDERS, I DON'T BUY IT SUCKS" if they had charged $20 for it right off the bat. Separated it in smaller chunks is a good marketing scheme while it doesn't affect people who would buy it anyway.
You know, people paid 500 or however many points for Star Soldier R which basically has one level (ok, two if you push it, with the 5 minute mode). Would it be so out of touch if they offered another 1.5 levels for another 500 points for that game? I don't think so, in fact, I'm sure people do crave more Star Soldier R. It's the same exact case here, why put a negative spin to it?
This does look like a very high quality WiiWare title anyway, you either want to buy it or you don't, that's all there is to it. The pricing is fine.
raindog @ Aug 27th 2008 9:21AM
I think this would be a 20 dollar game.... if I could buy it on disc and therefore be able to play it on whatever Wii I wanted. I love Space Invaders, so I might eventually give in and go for it anyway, but knowing that I need to pay full (budget) retail price to play the whole game without getting all the benefits of a retail game has stopped it from being a must-buy.
If they put a game as big as, say, Twilight Princess up on WiiWare, I'd probably pay about 25 bucks for it. I think that having it exist only in digital form automatically equates to a 50% reduction in value in my book; it would be worth more if the game were transferable and resellable, but it's not. The iPod generation will feel differently, but I'm from the cassette-tape generation.
Garu @ Aug 27th 2008 9:28AM
For $20, I'd rather have it on a disk.
Mr Khan @ Aug 27th 2008 4:15PM
It depends on what exactly you're shelling out $15 for, and in what size of each downloadable piece
It's easy to cry foul, just looking at it, but is it adding functionality that should have been in the game in the first place? Or is it really expanding the game to make it more than it is?
Sisyphus @ Aug 27th 2008 8:23PM
I don't mind it in this case. It offers a low financial entry point ($5) which will allow me to see if I like it. If I do, I can get more packs when I want. If I don't like it, no big deal.
Roto13 @ Aug 28th 2008 11:13AM
Too many developers release incomplete games and charge extra for DLC. It almost makes me want to call it one of the worst new developments of this hardware generation. But then, there are game that are pretty full when they're released and add DLC later, so some companies use it right.
Plus, everyone knows Gamerscores are the worst thing to come from this hardware generation.
raindog @ Aug 29th 2008 7:25PM
Wired's review said that the first 5 bucks only gets you a couple of levels and a boss battle. It sounds to me like more of a paid demo that lets you buy the rest of the game than any real value-added DLC.
I think they'll still do well with it because a lot of people remember Space Invaders and this looks really pretty. But I think I'm going to pass unless and until it gets a retail release (or I chip my Wii and buy the European version.)