The PC Version of LA Noire Fills Me (Alex) With Unnecessary Internet Rage
Good news: LA Noire is finally getting released on the PC! (Woo!) Also good news: It comes with all the DLC! (Wooooo!)
Now, it's difficult to come up with any valid reason to be annoyed by that, but the thing that grinds my gears is the title of this version; "LA Noire: The Complete Edition". Granted, it's a tiny thing to get worked up about, but the wording implies that I didn't buy the full edition of LA Noire for my Xbox 360 back in May. That what I bought was some kind of delicious fruit trifle, but without those little chunks of peach and pineapple that make it blissfully good. (Editor's Note: Fruit trifles! Oh, Alex. You're so British.)
I loved LA Noire, and I bought that Rockstar Pass that got all the DLC as soon as it went of the Marketplace, so I'm not saying LA Noire is bad, no sir. I just believe the bluntness of "The Complete Edition" is very telling of the direction big budget titles are now taking. A lot of the time, when buying a game, you're not buying everything that game has for you, you're buying the majority of the game for the entire price. The idea of DLC is great, you get another slice of the game you love for an extra fee, but in some games, DLC has grown to be more of an annoyance than a perk. Stuff like On-disc locked content, Pre-order bonuses and Retailer exclusive items can be really ugly and irritating, and it was this LA Noire Complete Edition that made me realise that.
It's understandable in some cases why things that look a little seedy happen. Take day-one DLC for example, that may seem like a money grabbing tactic, but most of the time, when a game is shipping, the studio who worked on it have a choice: Make more game content, or have a Ping Pong Tourney. While most would choose to show off their Table Tennis skills, those studios want to make more game, and the only way to get it out there once the game has shipped is via DLC.
It's a rant alright, verging on some sort of mad conspiracy, but it's worth thinking about this affecting games in the future, like some smart shoppers have. Why buy Borderlands now when you can wait 12 months and get the Game Of The Year edition with all the trimmings for the same price? It's inevitable we'll be seeing things like this happening more in the very near future, so people who complain about it (like myself) are going to have to get used to it.
In conclusion, sometimes DLC can suck, but most of the times it's alright. Also, LA Noire is good, go buy it if you don't have it already. Or don't, I'm not incharge of you.
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October 7th, 2011 - 00:40
“…the wording implies that I didn’t buy the full edition of LA Noire for my Xbox 360 back in May.”
Well there’s your problem right there (I kid, I kid).
I do agree with your rant though. To date, I have never once bought a single piece of DLC (Magicka Complete Collection notwithstanding). To me, the idea of charging $5-$15US on a single map/map pack/skin pack/weapon pack is absolutely ludicrous. It really is nothing more than money gouging at its finest.
Some may argue that once a game is being prepped to ship and awaiting certification (considering most games these days are multiplatform/console focused) that the devs have ample time to add content that they wanted to include on the disc but couldn’t. Although when said content is nothing more than a skin/re-colour that could be done in a day or a map copied and pasted from a previous installment of a franchise, the idea of DLC being nothing more than to fool people into handing over money begins to ring true.
This being said/written, I am absolutely tempted to purchase ‘The Missing Link’ DLC for Deus Ex: HR. Not only did I absolutely enjoy DE:HR and in no way felt cheated that I was missing out on some content (Note: I bought the ‘Collectors Edition’ [not to be confused with 'Augmented Edition'] that was only available in Europe/Australia that included the weapon packs and the extra level which to be honest, aren’t really worth fussing over), it looks like Eidos Montreal have not slapped this together in half a day or used content that was cut. It looks as if Eidos genuinely care about the game and its fans by putting a lot of time and effort into the DLC.
All in all though, bring back the ‘Expansion Packs’. Those things rocked (Tiberian Sun: Firestorm comes to mind for the quality of the ‘Expansion Packs’ I’m referring to)!
Oh, and L.A. Noire on PC is going to be sweet. NO GAMES FOR WINDOWS LIVE! FUCK YES!
October 7th, 2011 - 02:29
Wait, no GFWL? YES!!
I agree, expansion packs are fine, when they add a decent amount of content for a reasonable price. If enough effort’s been put it, that’s when it’s a positive, but it’s the gradual release of tiny bits of DLC that makes them seem less like an addition to the game, and more like missing piecesof the game.
I like you style Klink, when the zombies come, I’m putting you on the “Save” list.
October 7th, 2011 - 11:19
The article tag was the best part. I lawled.