One of the biggest gripes I have with DLC, is that though it’s a great idea on paper – being able to deliver new content for existing to gamers easily through digital distribution – it’s used for all sorts of cheap cash-ins it really shouldn’t be. Bethesda kicked it off with their laughably expensive and wholly pointless horse armour. Capcom’s taken the DLC bull by the horns and run with it – charging people for palette swaps, dip-switch settings and other things that really should just be part of their games.
The DLC that really irks me though, is the sort that costs you money to unlock items in games that really should be earned through regular play – and Battlefield 3 has joined the list of games that’ll charge particularly lazy or unskilled gamers for unlocks.
As of yesterday, the Battlefield in-game store and Sony’s Entertainment Network have had DLC available that unlocks the gear that long-term players have acquired through hours of play. Here are some of the packs available:
- Kit Shortcut Bundle: Immediately unlocks all items unique to the four playable classes
- Vehicle Shortcut Bundle: Immediately unlocks all items for all vehicles
- The Ultimate Bundle: Immediately unlocks all items from all other available shortcut packs
According to DICE, these unlocks are “the perfect way to gain some ground on the veterans online.” A credit card may unlocks extra gear – but sorry, Battlefield newbies – no amount of money is going to buy you any skill. It’s currently available only on PS3 – so expect a whole lot of people with really big, powerful guns and gear running around getting shot in the head.
What do you think? Does this sort of DLC level the playing field for new players – or does it just cheapen the experience for those who’ve actually put in the slog?
On the subject of the PS3 version of Battlefield 3, the game’s just received a mammoth update that fixes all sorts of issues – and allows for private servers to be rented. Also, DICE reminds PS3 players that they ought to re-download the “Back to Karkand” DLC if they originally did so before March 13 – as it contains numerous bug fixes.
If you are a PS3 player and Back to Karkand owner and you have not re-downloaded Back to Karkand – please do so now. The new revision of Back to Karkand that went live March 13 contains a bug fix that fixes the weapon animation bug on Back to Karkand maps. It also has some critical fixes to our back end code that ensures a smooth compatibility with future expansion packs such as Close Quarters and Armored Kill.
Last Updated: March 28, 2012
