Let's kick off this article with some current-day realities - not negative as such, but perhaps uncomfortable. At the moment, especially with the Wii U, Nintendo is responsible for producing the bulk of high-quality retail releases. There are partners or second-party studios producing some key efforts - like Xenoblade Chronicles X and Devil's Third - and some multiplatform releases, such as LEGO Dimensions and Guitar Hero Live, but those are very slim pickings in comparison to current-gen home console rivals the PS4 and Xbox One.
There are limits to what Nintendo can do, too, especially as - in this generation - it's also working on a range of 3DS titles, the 'NX' platform, mobile content with DeNA, and its Quality of Life (QoL) projects. Producing major retail games isn't exactly a rapid process, especially for any project that's taking a fresh start - Intelligent Systems can utilise a number of familiar assets and techniques with Fire Emblem: If, for example, but we imagine Code Name S.T.E.A.M. was in the works for much longer. High quality takes time, but even more so if you can't simply tweak work done in previous games.
We're seeing an interesting trend at present, as Nintendo is becoming hugely familiar with DLC practices and is becoming increasingly active in that area. The intriguing part is that it's not so long ago that 'sequel-itis' was a hot talking point among Nintendo gamers - particularly in relation to New Super Mario Bros. U, there was some argument over whether we were having too much Mario and, beyond that, too many of the 'same games'. Naturally not everyone agreed with that argument in late 2012 / early 2013, but it was certainly discussed.
Yet the attitude towards DLC seems to prompt instinctively different reactions. In a series of polls earlier this weekend we asked for reader's views on the prospect of Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros. almost as 'platforms within platforms'; in other words, if DLC was a continual feature for the rest of this generation, would that be welcome? The majority seemed to like the idea, which has been helped by the general popularity of the DLC.
Perhaps it's about branding and format, in terms of perspectives around 'too much of the same thing', and Nintendo seems to have learned that lesson. If, for example, there are another two Mario Kart 8 DLC packs, that would effectively deliver enough tracks for what could have been a figurative Mario Kart 9, but there'd likely be little sentiment of Nintendo over-milking its kart racing cash cow with this DLC, and instead - potentially - a public perception that fans are being given great additional content to keep a top title active.
Much of that comes down to how good the DLC is and how much it costs, of course. It's not a stretch to say that the two Mario Kart 8 DLC packs - the second of which is just days away - have been very well received, in terms of how good the new tracks have been but also the pricing. On the flipside, you can pay more for a bunch of superficial Mii costume outfits across the two versions of Super Smash Bros., so there's a sense of Nintendo still finding the right balance and primarily acting as a business. The Smash Bros. audience is perhaps a little more of a 'core' base, so the big N is pushing its luck with committed gamers whereas, perhaps, the broad universal nature of Mario Kart has prompted a more generous approach.
This perspective of 'platforms within platforms' is an interesting one, however, especially as both franchises can incorporate a range of IPs and brands; Mario Kart 8 is the first (non-arcade) entry in that series to do so. Additional DLC could just keep on coming in both cases, and that seems to be a welcome possibility, especially for the racing title. It's a slightly more curious situation with Super Smash Bros., where the extras so far are characters and costumes - Nintendo still remains a little too quiet of the arrival of online Tournies. After fears that Masahiro Sakurai was burnt out and contemplating his future, we now have the Smash Bros. Fighter Ballot suggesting DLC will continue for the rest of this year at least. How much of that is being driven and led by Sakurai-san will be interesting to see.
What we're seeing is a blend of Nintendo sticking to its principles while also adopting ideas pioneered by rivals. The idea of consistent DLC to keep selling a game well beyond launch is familiar in racing games, FPS titles and a range of genres besides, with 'season tickets' being particularly common - Koei Tecmo is a master of this too, as we saw with Hyrule Warriors. Yet Nintendo is doing this instead of a frantic annual turnaround of its biggest brands, an area for which it was criticised with Mario games between 2010 - 2013, in particular.
Games like Call of Duty lay it on thick with DLC but still have new games every year, but Nintendo is adamant that key 'one per generation' rules won't be broken for some brands. Mario Kart and Smash Bros. fall into that rule. As 'platforms', both can certainly sustain themselves over the next two years if required, too - it's harder work with Super Smash Bros. across two systems with diverse capabilities, but it's not hard to envisage that we'll still be looking ahead to more DLC across both these games into 2016.
From Nintendo's perspective it's logical to flesh out these games - it fills gaps in release schedules (as these April arrivals have done) and is likely to be economical in terms of resources. The expertise and engines are in place and finely grooved, unlike when starting afresh; with so many early delays in 2013 to Nintendo games in this HD era, that's a comforting place for the company to be.
In the question of resources, though, safe bets like these could divert attention from fresh projects. For every piece of DLC we enjoy, those developers will have been working on these extensions rather than other projects. Balance is key - when do we want less DLC and more diverse releases? Or do you we want as much of a good thing as possible? At the moment the sentiment in our polls was for the latter, but that could change in months to come.
With Nintendo's focus spread across so many projects and platforms, efficiency and 'easy wins' will always be sought. Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. seem to be delivering that - more gameplay with less games.
The new evergreen for Nintendo could be digital-only, and just one more example of Nintendo's move away from old-school policies.
Comments (69)
when do we want less DLC and more diverse releases? - Always.
(Even more so if one of the people tied up with DLC is Sakurai given that he made Kid Icarus : Uprising which is exactly the sort of thing I want more of.)
in a perfect world we wouldn't need nintendo to pad out game releases with DLC but we dont live in that world. I think Mario Kart and Hyrule Warriors are good examples of how to keep a title going via DLC and i'd certainly prefer large DLC packs over yearly releases running on the same engine using the same assets.
Additional: I don't Mind season passes, they offer all the DLC at a discounted rate. I understand some people are worried about taking the plunge blind but they aren't time sensitive, you can wait for reviews for one/some/all the DLC before paying (looking at you destiny).
The MK8 DLC has been great. I'd certainly rather see a decent DLC pack every 6 months than yearly releases, and 1 game per generation can be a long wait, so this is a great solution. MK8 is DLC done right.
The Smash Bros DLC has been pointless nickel and dime. either beef it up to make it worthwhile, or don't bother. Smash Bros is the type of DLC we don't need.
If they do it the same way as they do with mk8, I have no problem with it.
Times chainge if they can give you a lot of content for practicly nothing and it gives you for a longer time more gaming pleasure, I have no problem with it.
But buying costumes for 4€ that's too much for my taste
To me it just seems like you'd be replacing one form of "milking" with another. And MK and SSB have never been milked anyway. Each generation's MK and SSB has had evergreen appeal because they've been fantastic games, they don't need a relentless stream of extra content to stay fun. They already have loads of content anyway.
Personally, I'd rather spend my money on supporting other games than just being tied down to one forever. Plus when Mario Kart 9 comes around I want to be excited for it and want to have waited for it, not to have been exhausted by never-ending Mario Kart 8.
I agree. DLC done right, like the Mario Kart 8 DLC, will increase the life of a game and keep the fanbase happy, in terms of the DLC being worth the little that it actually costs. If Nintendo ever wants to do DLC for their games, they should go off of the Mario Kart 8 framework.
I keep bringing up Mario Kart 8 and as annoying as it is to hear that Mario Kart 8 is DLC done right, nobody can deny that the DLC is fantastic, reasonably priced and full of content. Personally, as many games that I brought for the Wii, me and my brother would always go back to Mario Kart Wii, same for Wii U, we can buy Mario 3D World and Smash Bros, but it's Mario Kart 8 that we always go back to. And I don't know about anybody else, but I'm always down for more Mario Kart 8 DLC, if the content stays at the same amount and it's priced the same as well.
I agree with @Haywired.
I don't think the DLC Packs for Mario Kart were a problem, I enjoyed them. However, I don't want to see more MK8 DLC. I'd rather see new games.
We can never escape the flood of hate comments and complainers. Personally I would love the Mario Kart 8 and Smash DLC to run at least two more years. I already preordered pack 1 and 2 on MK8 and bought the costumes and Mewtwo on Smash and I don't see the problem besides the price. Oh well, the world is full of haters
Like most, I would be extremely excited for more Mario Kart 8 tracks and characters and more Smash Bros. characters (and possibly stages).
Keep in mind that each Mario Kart 8 seems to be introducing a new gameplay mechanic (MKWii--bikes, MK7--gliding, underwater, MK8--anti gravity). It's only logical MK9 will introduce something new so you don't really need to complain about new retro tracks coming to MK8's DLC packs since they can always come back again with the new mechanic.
The new tracks have been great, but I'm not crazy about more MK8 DLC. The developers can't risk delaying MK9 in the future.
@daveh30 You do realize you could apply what you just said about Mario Kart DLC to Smash Bros right? The wait time between Mario Karts 7 and 8 was about 3 years, the wait time between Brawl and Super Smash Bros for 3DS was 6 years, arguably making DLC for Smash Bros. a better idea than DLC for Mario Kart 8. Besides, the characters in Smash Bros. have more frames of animation than just steering and throwing stuff making them more labor intensive so OF COURSE they're gonna release them one at a time.
@daveh30 I completely agree with the DLC on MK8, it's great and even comes at an affordable price. While yes, it would be nice to see some more well known (Bowser's Castle from Gamecube ) courses get the HD antigravity facelift, but the courses we have been given have been diverse and well done. But to that point they are all optional, there is nothing key or necessary to enjoying MK8 about them. The same can be said for Smash. The suits I ended up buying and while they are cross platform for $9, they do seem a little much for what you get. Extra characters for $5 would be a good thing, allowing people to pick and choose buffet style what they want, but still enjoy the core game without them. But that takes me back to the Smash outfits. I more or less knew what I was buying before I did so, there were no promises of future content. Mario Kart on the other hand did ask for us to prepay without knowing what we getting really beforehand, but the value proposition was definitely better. I suppose only Nintendo knows how valuable the Smash suits were to players in how many they sell. But if people like me are going to spend (or waste) money on items like this and 3DS themes that don't affect the key gameplay, we are bound to see some hits and some misses on Nintendo's attempts at DLC. Myself I can't really argue against them because I like to see new content for both games. Hopefully Nintendo can dial in the formula a little better with a season pass or something for Smash. I'd love to see a few characters and a few more stages in a pack for a reasonable price.
DLC so far has been done in a fantastic way. I think Mario Kart 8 could handle one more pack, a battle pack perhaps; it's not just about racing after all! A couple of the DLC courses could work in Battle Mode and if it meant getting old school arenas in the game; all the better!
As for Smash Bros., well... we know what's happening there. Pricing could be a little lower but it's still good.
@rferrari24 Nintendo is most likely toying with Mario Kart 9 right now. The engine has already been established for Mario Kart 8. I think with Nintendo's expanded offices in Kyoto that it would be nice if they could keep pushing out a little content here and there for MK8 while they prep the new game.
@Octane It seems like most are in agreement that more Mario Kart DLC is a good thing so long as it doesn't slow down the development of the new game. I'm thinking we will likely see another pack or maybe two before specs on the new Nintendo hardware (NX or Wii U successor) become finalized and the development team becomes fully immersed in the new game.
@Larry433 the time frame stuff absolutely does apply to both games, never said it didn't. The difference is with MK8 they're bridging that gap with meaningful DLC that adds gameplay. In the case of smash, they've added nothing of substance. MK8 is DLC done properly. With Smash, I'd say flesh it out into a meaningful pack with either a new mode or new stages, or don't bother. Yes, some people buy costumes that do nothing, and that's fine, but it does nothing to extend this game into a "platform within a platform" or an evergreen release as described in this article.
Realistically, so far, Smash does not deserve to even be mentioned with this topic. The article should be about MK8 and Hyrule Warriors. Those have been the only two games with an evergreen release approach taken.
Mario Kart 8 feels like a complete game without the DLC, and the add-ons are just a way of lengthening the appeal, which I welcome. That, and you get 50 percent more tracks for a paltry few dollars. This is DLC done right.
Smash Bros, on the other hand, feels forced. Mewtwo is great, and I'm looking forward to Lucas, but the costumes are a ripoff. I bought them and instantly regretted it.
Basically the Nintendo customer base is small but eager to buy into Nintendo. I suspect per head Nintendo fans spend more on the Wii U and 3DS, amiibo and Nintendo DLC than the average PS4 or XB1 owner spends on their chosen console . And if they had more to sell, we'd most likely buy it.
It isn't extortion (like Marcus Beer would have you believe), most Ninty fans want to buy 95% of what they are selling. All we ask is ENOUGH CHANCE TO BUY IT!!!
I'd love to hear that there will be another set of tracks released in Nov. and then April/May 2016.....
Are the "pickings" really that much better on PS4 and XB1, though? I haven't seen anything yet to make me want either one.
@Nico07 Honestly I don't think we will see more MK8 DLC. There's a reason why day-one DLC is so popular, the longer you wait with DLC, the less people buy the DLC. DLC that's been released two years after the game's initial release probably won't make them a profit anymore.
@daveh30 OK I agree with the new game modes, but explain to me how a new stage, which is basically just a backdrop if you take away the stage hazards, Adds more substantial game play than a character you actually play as.
@BlackSpy You win the internet sir/ma'am.
@Dr_Corndog for now, not really. My Xbox One hardly gets any play time and it has a lot of the same games as PS4, which I'd probably get about the same amount of enjoyment from if I had one.
@Octane Not sure that would apply to Mario Kart. People play it in large numbers until the next one is released.
Those other games you refer to are basically forgotten by that point. (And whereas the 3rd parties would have to pay to advertise Nintendo can make people aware for free on the eshop as annoying as it might be).
Civ V had its last expansion 3 years after release. (Is it bigger than Mario Kart ? almost certainly not the Wii incarnation).
(I don't want more but I would buy it presuming the price etc stays the same.)
Two DLC packs,200 cc and the amiibo costumes for MK8 are enough,more content would be too much.
I don't like Super Smash Bros's DLC at all so far.If the rumor is true,I might buy Ryu but not Roy.
If each new game, much money is invested and ultimately rather low profits or losses are received; If the use and development "constant" of DLC and free-to-play is to "lower" losses (and, why not, gain more and more money), then, The future will be better not already invested in new versions of existing games and use DLC (which are cheaper than a full game), so would obtain more profits; however, a game like FIFA, for example, it would be good to use that instead of a new version every year, but every year, this game generates more money for each new version, here is where ideas and opinions are divided...
Here, is when, also, Enter the famous vicious circle, "if it is a good DLC or not, if abused or not the extra content, if the company wins or loses money, or if consumers spend or not spend"; in any case, nowadays, as is the situation for new games, that will continue for a long time...
@Octane I think if DLC where done we wouldn't just now be seeing a DLC shop in Smash. We wouldn't be polled on what future fighters we want. I think Nintendo's testing the waters still. You have to remember Nintendo is not EA, they'll never have day one DLC.
Mario Kart 8 is in my mind the perfect entry to the franchise and the reason on top of the obvious stuff like HD making four player games playable in a way that I didn't find the Wii version, is DLC keeping the games fresh and meaning that nearly a year on my daughter and I are guaranteed to give it a go every time the Wii U is turned on - I can't say that about any other game on the system.
In fact if they keep the DLC train running I could see a Mario Kart-only Wii U as a perfectly sensible purchase.
Seeing as games like Mario Kart and Smash are only released every five years or so I am completely okay with dlc being released every now and then in order to keep those games at the top of my play list. Games like Call of Duty I almost never buy dlc for however since it is annualized.
'but those are very slim pickings in comparison to current-gen home console rivals the PS4 and Xbox One.'
Slightly off topic i'll admit but i wouldn't say the pickings are that great with those two. I've had a PS4 for about 4 months now alongside my Wii U but it rarely gets used, whereas the Nintendo machine is used daily for a whole range of games/ activities.
I recently asked friends about where the 'great' next-gen games where and they were unable to reach any consensus, going as far to admit that so far with this generation they felt they've been sold a bit of a dud.
Each to their own game-wise of course but I think time will be kinder to the Wii U, it's the best console around at this time for me.
Dlc done well is great but I'd really rather new games.i hear people in work say things like "nintendo are just toys ye buy to play smash n mario kart".in the long run it doesn't help the public perception of nintendo,and while I love mario karts dlc there's no way it shoulda become common for a console to built round 2-3 games a year kept going with additional content in my opinion it's the wrong answer to the lack of games problem.dlc should be a thank you to fans not a way to get more hardware buyers it just doesn't make sense imo.
@Haywired that really seems to be the balancing act. I think two packs is good, they kept the game feeling fresh for a year and it's time to move on.
If they do anything though it seems the battle mode should be addressed. It seems to be the only weak spot in an otherwise great game.
Having just read the Sega 3d classivs article before this one, it's got me thinking how cool it would be to get retro dlc! I'm thinking along the lines of vc games like for example mk64 getting new tracks or racers. It wouldn't be as difficult or time consuming as newer games and would be a major draw for people who have their original carts etc and wouldn't buy vc equivalents....could even do new tracks done old style instead of retro tracks on new games o_0
I've enjoyed a few games on PS4 so far, Resogun, Wolfenstein, Last of Us etc... But nothing comes close to MarioKart 8! For me it's the best game of the generation so far and I can't see anything beating it. I've got everything crossed for DLC packs 3 and 4 being announced at E3!
@Larry433 thats not really the point at all. the point is what we have gotten for Smash Bros is not the kind of DLC that extends the life of a game. What we have gotten for MK8 is. If Nintendo is gonna start offering more DLC to pad its release schedule, DLC like what we have gotten for MK8 suits that purpose. DLC like what we have seen for Smash does not. Thats it.
DLC can be big fun (the Mariokart tracks as a good example), but that shouldn't be a reason to skimp out on new releases!!!
@unrandomsam I know a game like Mario Kart is still popular years after its release, but I have to presume that there will be a point when DLC isn't going to make them a profit anymore. We'll see. Personally I think it's enough, and since Nintendo hasn't really talked about it, they might have the same mindset.
Generally speaking, I can't stand DLC but Mario Kart 8 has pretty much nailed it and will sure go down as one of the best games in the whole series. Personally I think the track selection is just right after DLC pack 2 but I wouldn't mind some new racers from other franchises (Samus, Zelda, etc.). The game will be perfection if Nintendo releases a free DLC to add a proper battle mode (like Mario Kart 64) to the game.
I sure hope the 'NX' system is the unified platform they touted over a year ago. It would solve a lot of the problems managing different versions of big games on handheld and home console. It would be more efficient in producing games and DLC, so we could have MORE DLC and MORE diverse games. The unified platform really does let Nintendo and gamers have their cake and eat it!
I personally love DLC. Keep bringing that DLC!
@Nico07 - They may never have Day 1 DLC in name, but having 3 amiibo costing about $12 each to unlock the missions in Splatoon is about as "Day 1 DLC" as you can get w/o it actually being called DLC. In fact its even worse than DLC b/c it will require buying a toy to unlock it and it will already be on the disc but you cant just pay to unlock it you have to use a toy.
My problem w/ DLC is the potential natural evolution. Sure MK8 and SSB and even Hyrule Warriors and Pikmin 3 were complete games and you dont need the DLC. But at what point do games start getting released incomplete, or episodic? I dont want to buy incomplete games and wait for the rest. Look at what happend with Lego Hobbit. They released a game of the first 2 movies of a trilogy and said the 3rd movie would be released as DLC. A year later they said it wasn't going to be.
And since the first MK8 update I havent been happy w/ how the menu makes it look like you need to pay for the rest of the game. I know most of us on here bought it at or shortly afer release so what we saw was a complete game, but anybody getting the game this summer during the long Wii U drought is going to pay $60 for a game thst looks 2/3 complete after it updates, and I really dont like them selling an incomplrte looking game like that. The DLC should only appear after you purchase it, not before.
@rjejr You have a point on Splatoon. For Smash you could say that Amiibo is $300+ Smash DLC in a way. In Smash, Amiibo content isn't as necessary as Amiibo is content in Splatoon.
@rjejr Not a fan of episodic releases either. I waited for all episodes and a final review before getting Resident Evil Revelations 2.I agree with you on how the MK8 menu is pushing the dlc. It could upset people who recently purchased the game.I'll say the dlc bundle has a very attractive price point for anyone who has held off on it.
I highly doubt the mii costumes took that much time to create. Not too sure that is holding up significant progress on any future title.
The difference between what Nintendo is doing with DLC and what just about everyone else seems to be doing in terms of DLC (I'm lookin' at you, 'Destiny') is that they actually finish a full fleshed out game, and add to it with new content over time instead of releasing a nearly empty 'base' game and releasing DLC in a fashion that 'unlocks' content that is already on the disk. This can be seen as lazy by some, but it takes much more time and people to complete full games these days, and in many cases (Mewtwo for Sm4sh for example) they simply ran out of time before release and finished up the assets after the game was released.
Mewtwo wasn't trapped in some locked code on the disk as day one DLC, and neither were the extra characters and tracks for Mario Kart 8. Any time this is the case with DLC, especially for games as universally fun and timeless as these, it is always a good thing. As for focusing time and effort on DLC instead of new 'fresh' ideas, they have whole divisions that focus on different games all the time and I hardly believe that working on the DLC for some of Wii U's most important games are going to put much of a dent on other projects.
I think the biggest danger is when the next generation comes, how do you put out a new game that tops a Mario kart with 100 tracks? Or SSB with a roster of 80? Eventually the DLC thing should play out, I would think a year or two after the initial release.
I'm perfectly fine with DLC as an alternative option. I LOVED the Mario Kart 8 DLC. It was basically half a game for only $12. To me, it was an amazing deal. As for smash, what a waste of money. Who would pay $5 for ONE chatacter? Or several dollars for some mii skins? To me it doesn't seem worth it. If I pay that price, I should get at least 2 characters and even some stages. The sad thing is, most people will probably buy it. But count me out. I would love to see more DLC for Mario Kart 8. It hasn't gotten old yet, I still play it frequently.
I have mixed feelings. This constant expansion of the games feels almost like a mobile gaming business model. I'm reminded of the iOS version of Ghost Trick, where the download was free, but it only gave you the first 2 chapters...and then you had to pay for 3 "level packs" (ridiculous for this game!) or pay for the entire story all at once.
DLC has a LOT of advantages for Nintendo. There's the obvious case where somebody buys Mario Kart 8 for $60, then continues to buy DLC over a few years. But what if somebody buys Mario Kart 8 used from eBay? Nintendo makes no profit from that game sale. But if they buy the DLC, then Nintendo does profit after all.
With all the DLC, Mario Kart 8 is going to be absolutely huge. Far bigger than any other Mario Kart game so far. It's unprecedented. As mentioned in this and earlier articles, Mario Kart 8 has become a PLATFORM for Nintendo. I kind of wish they'd give Mario Kart 7 a similar amount of love — it's a lot of fun, but seems tiny in comparison to its Wii U sibling, with its DLC and 200cc.
I'd be very curious to see if Nintendo ever releases a "complete" version of Mario Kart 8 in the future, when they are no longer adding to the game.
I call, er, bovine fecal matter on the whole "A game should be complete when I buy it" argument. Guys, it's about time Nintendo started embracing DLC for real. We're in 2015 and yes, downloadable add-ons are definitely a thing. There's no denying that Smash Bros. and Mario Kart 8 are complete games on their own right, we can't stress that enough. However, the only real alternative to add-ons is waiting for each series' next installment in order to see new characters and settings. And quite frankly, it's a good thing Nintendo replaced an outright painful wait with a much more tolerable one. If Smash turned down DLC once again - as I feel they should have implemented them back in Brawl - we'd settle with the roster as it is, only to find ourselves crossing our fingers the next time an early SSB5 playthrough reveals the entire roster. It's about time we could see new fighters added to the game without waiting for another iteration in a series that takes years for each game to come out. As for Mario Kart 8, it has an even better quality to price ratio and I'm glad I got the season pass earlier, given the tracks that have been revealed lately. I don't mind the character pricing in Smash myself though, quite frankly. Yes, I'm aware that we paid 50 bucks (or euros in my case) for a game featuring just as many characters, but to me, paying five in order to see a character that previously could only be seen after the wait for a new game - provided he or she would be in the new game at all - is more than worth the price.
So, yeah. MK8 and SSB4 are already complete games on their own right, and DLC does the exact same thing it's supposed to do: breathe even more new life into them. Deal with it.
They could just expand their Studios to make more DLC AND more new releases .... just saying ...
Retro Studios, Monolith Soft nee at least 2 full sized teams .....
A new EAD team that focuses on DLC could be an idea too. This team would work together with the team that made the core game, to ensure consisten quality.
New EAD teams in generel for mobile, handheld and homeconsole would be great, so they can take more risks while producing these "safe bets".
I feel that DLCs are a great addition as long as they're not day one dlcs. In the case with MK8 and Sm4sh I would say that more content is good. We're not getting that many releases on the Wii U so expanding on the replay value of existing games is a good thing.
As you say, 'Much of that comes down to how good the DLC is and how much it costs, of course'.....
.....and that is the main factor. Except that the cost comes down to what is good value for money rather than what is affordable to the average gamers.
The original game (disk) cost me £35 and has 8 cups, that's £4.38 per cup. The DLC costs £7 per cup. That is not good value. If I want to pass my game on to a friend, they would have to pay again for the DLC.
Lets not for get that this extra content keeps Mario Kart 8 alive at a time when Wii u games are few and far between, filling the gaps for Nintendo.
Cost aside I am happy to buy the DLC content for Mario Kart. But most other games I would not purchase DLC and I would not buy a game that relies on the Amiibo toys.
As long as new downloadable content doesn't dilute the quality of future released games from Nintendo, I'm all for it. As long as they keep the prices reasonable that is. I still think 4-5 bucks for a single new fighter in Smash Bros. is too much. Especially when it doesn't include a new map based on the character. In these instances I feel Nintendo has messed up the pricing, but there is always the golden rule. If you don't like it, don't buy it. Gamers will have to vote with their wallet.
Its £7 per pack of two cups if bought separately OR I think it was £11 for both packs (four cups) if bought together. And yes, your friend would have to download the DLC themselves, thats pretty much the point of DLC and applies to all games with it, so don't blame just Mario Kart 8.
For games that only get one iteration per platform I think DLC is a great idea (games that can be extended...not Zelda or Metroid). Plus it opens up for mothball franchises to get more exposure (fzero courses)
after a while DLC can get boring and annoying like they say too much of a good thing is bad so yeah no matter what game it is <.<
I would love the idea of constant DLC opposed to having a sequel. Thats basically what Project M has done with smash bros brawl and has really extended the life cycle of the game with new content that makes it feels fresh again. I definitely think Nintendo should go that route, it easier to give a car a new coat of paint than to build 1 from scratch.
@Nico07 - I'm actually OK w/ the SSB DLC as its practically worthless anyway as far as unlocking new things in the game. You can play 4 on 4 or 1 on 7 using CPU players w/o buying amiibo, and I'm not sure they unlock much more than that. We have 2 amiibo - 1 each for each of my sons - and they play a lot of SSB on Wii U but they rarely touch there amiibo since levleing them up to 50 in 4 hours.
The Splatoon amiibo however seem to "unlock" parts of the game, and seemingly important parts at that. And if Splatoon amiibo are as rare as Little Mac and Wii Fit Trainer and Animal Crossing amiibo that's going to make it even worse. And it's already bad as you can't buy a squid amiibo separately, thats just wrong.
@Superryanworld - I bought the MK8 DLC a few days before the 1st set of tracks released in Nov., thought it was well worth it for 16 tracks at the $12 discounted price. But I don't like those big blank spaces in game. Hyrule Warriors has a box on the start-up screen, I'd be ok w/ that, a box that says "see avaible items to purchase in the eShop". That' show most games do it.
But I'm afraid MK9 will release w/o only 16 tracks for $40 and then we'll have to wait every 6 months for more tracks. It put it's on a path similar to "free-to-start". I don't want my gaming to be continual waiting, but that seems to be the future of gaming.
I'd have to agree with others - MK8 DLC is done the right way. But Smash Bros. DLC could use improvement. Like they could throw in some more stages, or a new game mode, or something.
@unrandomsam I don't think I can add anything to the first comment of the thread. I certainly agree.
It's always fun to see people get so defensive at the tiniest little criticism of anything Nintendo does. "I prefer less DLC"
"Oh god the haters won't shut up"
What?!
It's always fun to see people get so defensive at the tiniest little criticism of anything Nintendo does.
Well those people who criticise DLC don't have to download it.
I have been enjoying the DLC for MK8 and Smash 4 so far.
Quick correction, Xenoblade X is not being made by a partner or a 2nd party studio. Monolith Soft is fully owned by Nintendo. They are first party!
In the case of MK8, I totally loved the first DLC and can't wait for the second one to be released.
I never was a fan of DLCs (unless they provide a separate new story like the GTA IV Add-ons), but I would buy every MK DLC if they keep up with the first two ones. For example I'd like to have a pure F-Zero DLC and so on.
Regarding SSBU: I haven't got that far into the game and I'm not sure if I would buy DLCs for that, unless there would be new fighters (like Ryu, for example) which I are an must-have for me.
Smash DLC is okay. You don't have to buy it. I got a couple of the Mii costumes I like, and now i actually enjoy playing as my Mii Proto Man character. However, a lot of the costumes are not very interesting to me, so I didn't buy them. I got the Mewtwo for free, so I can't complain there, and generally I think fighters and stages are exactly the kind of DLC I want. It's a great way to promote new releases and draw interest for less well-known games in the Nintendo universe. I mean really, if not for Melee, how many of us would be playing Fire Emblem now? Some, but probably not nearly as many. I feel like Shulk in the game could do the same for the Xenoblade series. Maybe Lucas's popularity finally gets us a localized version of Mother 3 (LOLyeahright).
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