Originally Posted by
Emerald Lance
It isn't just Capcom that's doing on-disc DLC; when downloading a DLC, look at the file size (if it's 180kb, then it's already on the disc).
I've been saying that we're headed towards another crash for years now, and it's stuff like that. To be perfectly honest, I think the way Microsoft is handling it with how the new Xbox works is probably the best way to handle it, even if it puts me out of a comfort zone I've been in for so many years. The used game model of the past few generations (where developers don't see a dime from used game sales) has to go, no matter how much we consumers really really really like getting cheaper games. The biggest reason developers put such a emphasis on pre-orders is because that's the only way they can make money anymore; nobody will buy a game new when it's available used for $5 off (plus whatever discount they're already getting from having a Gamestop card).
As you mentioned before, releasing largely unfinished games and charging consumers to unlock the rest of the content (and passing it off as DLC) is really popular right now among the big developers, especially Capcom, and ESPECIALLY] EA, which only serves to undermine the value of true DLC (not to mention rub those companies' reputation through the mud). Speaking of EA, buying out smaller companies just to earn a quick buck isn't helping the medium either, and it really hurts us all when the companies that EA buys are only allowed to produce their most famous games. Like buying out Bioware and then only letting them produce Mass Effect and Dragon Age games, or buying Visceral and only letting them produce Dead Space games. And then, when a specific game doesn't meet sales expectations, EA completely disbands the group, never to make any of their games again.
I'm gonna be honest here guys. I really kinda hope we do go through a crash soon. There are still companies out there that care about what we think of them (Nintendo, Ubisoft, FromSoftware, etc). As soon as the industry starts looking grim, the unfaithful companies like EA and Capcom will leave. Then we just let the decent companies build the industry back up again by their own rules. Sure, they'll have more power and will thus be just a bit more corrupt, but I'd be willing to bet one of my kidneys that it won't be anywhere near as bad as EA or Capcom. And then, if companies like EA and Capcom want back in (remember, after they BAILED), they'll have to play by the rules set by the better companies (at least at first).
At least, that's how I hope it turns out. Either way, it's practices by companies like EA and Capcom that are driving the industry into ruination right now.