Unacceptable: Mass Effect 3 Strips Core Content for Paid DLC

Quote :

Gamers who purchased Mass Effect 2 will recall that the standard edition of the game—both the console or the digital version on the PC—received with their copies the Zaeed DLC. Those who purchased the game secondhand or rented had to pick the DLC up from the online store to access the content.

The DLC added a new character, Zaeed, to the roster of party members along with a lengthy mission to attain his loyalty. Zaeed's presence, while not mandatory to the game's overall plot, added a bit of nuance to its narrative and the content was far from negligible.

Following the trend that began with the release of Shale as a DLC character in Dragon Age, and Zaeed in Mass Effect 2, BioWare once again plans to release a Day-1 DLC for Mass Effect 3. Other games have also done the same with their Day-1 DLC content, and examples can be found with Arkham City's Catwoman DLC and Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning's House of Valor DLC. It should be clarified that all this content is available to anyone who purchases the standard editions of these games, and comes at no extra charge.

Spoiler Warning: A minor plot detail follows.

Spoiler:

Here's where things get messy. Associate Producer Michael Gamble confirmed the leak on the BioWare Social Network with the following post (via Kotaku, again):

Hi all!

We're happy to confirm that Mass Effect 3: From Ashes DLC will be available at launch for all platforms. For those of you who have purchased the N7 Collector's Edition (including the PC Digital Deluxe Edition), you will get this content at no extra charge. We'll have a lot more details for you later this week! Stay Tuned!

From what I've gathered of this statement, it confirms that BioWare is bucking the trend it set with Dragon Age and followed up with its sequel and Mass Effect 2 by making the content a separate purchase for anyone who picks up the standard (non-Collector's or Digital Deluxe) edition of Mass Effect 3.

Previously in Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age, the only in-game content associated with the Collector's Editions were additional armor and weaponry. As I mentioned earlier, content as large as the DLCs including Zaeed and Shale were always included free of charge. Dragon Age 2 went a small step further, by restricting The Exiled Prince DLC to "Signature" copies of the game, which all pre-orders were upgraded to.

This has changed.

With Mass Effect 3, we now have to pay for content that's been developed concurrently with the rest of the game, but released separately for extra profit—and to make the Collector's Edition look more attractive to buyers.

It's understandable for DLC to be released separately and sold for an additional cost when they're developed as extensions to a pre-existing game or as 'added value items' impertinent to the core experience. However, it's unacceptable for core elements (in my very subjective opinion, this content has been vital in the past) of the game to be stripped out of the main game just so they can be sold separately for an extra price.

To draw an analogy, it's like selling a watch with one hand missing.

http://www.gameranx.com/features/id/5179/article/unacceptable-mass-effect-3-strips-core-content-for-paid-dlc/

There is also a video confirmation of this DLC, DON'T click the link if you don't want any spoilers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r578nJkoCyI&feature=watch_response

Fucking cunts.

I'm surprised to see such a potentially important character reduced to DLC. I pre-ordered the CE so I'll have it day one, still a shitty thing to do for people that are buying a copy new, they should have done it like Zaeed in ME 2.

My local gamestop didn't even have any CEs left...


I pre-ordered the standard thinking all I would miss out on was the cool art work and soundtrack.

This fucking blows. They better not price the character at 10 bucks.

Fuck this game and fuck Bioware for bending over to EA so easily. I hope people pirate the shit out of this game.

What the fuck.

BOYCOTT !!

FUCK YOU EA YOU MOTHERFUCKERS!!!!!!!!!!!

Lol, you guys seriously didn't expect this?

Should have stayed with Microsoft Bioware!!!

Stoney wrote:

I'm surprised to see such a potentially important character reduced to DLC. I pre-ordered the CE so I'll have it day one, still a shitty thing to do for people that are buying a copy new, they should have done it like Zaeed in ME 2.

After playing ME2 and realising that there was not a great selection of weapons I decided to buy the firepower pack DLC.

With that in mind I pre-ordered the ME3: CE as the biggest bonus is about half a dozen extra guns which is very handy for a soldier class.

Still utter bollocks this whole DLC culture we have these days.

Most likely its going to do a Final Fantasy XIII-2 and ask us to pay for the ending DLC.

Fuck you EA. Out of nowhere, you take the crown of Shittiest Publisher from Activision.

Let me list the number of games by EA that have pulled this shit already

Medal of Honor

Dead Space 2

Bulletstorm

Crysis 2

Battlefield 3

Nothing new here

@ TRF

They've had that crown for a long time now. It's Just EA makes great games but screws consumers, and Activision makes crappy games and screws consumers.

@ Ghost

That wasn't Bioware's decision. Their former parent company(Whom also owned Pandemic Studios) sold out to EA. Though I say Bioware and Pandemic should have been sold to LucasArts.

Chobo wrote:

@ TRF

They've had that crown for a long time now. It's Just EA makes great games but screws consumers, and Activision makes crappy games and screws consumers.

EA wasn't on my shit list until they started with Origin spyware and the Online Pass.

TheCinemaJack wrote:

Chobo wrote:

@ TRF

They've had that crown for a long time now. It's Just EA makes great games but screws consumers, and Activision makes crappy games and screws consumers.

EA wasn't on my shit list until they started with Origin spyware and the Online Pass.

They've done alot worse stuff in the past

Destroying Command & Conquer

Treating their devs like dirt

Shutting down Pandemic studios

Killing off the Renderware Engine

Absorbing any and all developers in their name brand ruining the competition

etc.

Chobo wrote:

They've done alot worse stuff in the past

Destroying Command & Conquer

Treating their devs like dirt

Shutting down Pandemic studios

Killing off the Renderware Engine

Absorbing any and all developers in their name brand ruining the competition

etc.

I forgot about Pandemic. That bugged me. But the rest I never really noticed.

Chobo wrote:

TheCinemaJack wrote:

Chobo wrote:

@ TRF

They've had that crown for a long time now. It's Just EA makes great games but screws consumers, and Activision makes crappy games and screws consumers.

EA wasn't on my shit list until they started with Origin spyware and the Online Pass.

They've done alot worse stuff in the past

Destroying Command & Conquer

Treating their devs like dirt

Shutting down Pandemic studios

Killing off the Renderware Engine

Absorbing any and all developers in their name brand ruining the competition

etc.

Don't forget about almost destroying the Bioware name by renaming studios as "Bioware" to try to ride of the success of the true Bioware.

They didn't Destroy BioWare. They seem to be doing just fine. But re-Branding new studios and slapping on the BioWare name doesn't really make them BioWare.