So, we liked Crackdown, like, alot. Both Chuf and I enjoyed it on different levels, and playing much different characters, but we both felt that it was a largely satisfying departure from previous “sandbox” games. However, one bone of contention has been the total 900 gamerscore points that are available in the title; when Microsoft makes the thousand point marker mandatory, releasing a first party game without that number makes it feel like it’s not quite complete (which is one reason why we still haven’t put up a review). On the last podcast, I mentioned that I thought that Realtime Worlds and Microsoft would release the long promised Crackdown downloadable content (including the promised free update that would bring the game up to its mandated thousand gamerscore points) after the Halo 3 beta was over in June. My reasoning in this was that Crackdown has a very high retention rate among people that bought it, at least anecdotally, because the disc is required for the Halo 3 beta. It also stood to reason that once the Halo 3 beta was over, the game would be much less visible. So releasing DLC after the Halo 3 beta ended, giving people a reason to keep the game and continue playing and picking it up.

Of course, I’ll be more than happy to take all of that DLC now instead I guess.

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Downloadable content, or DLC, has become something that permeates almost the entire gaming community.  With the exception of the hand held market, and even then you can download demos, DLC has become something that all gaming platforms are trying to push.  But what exactly makes DLC good and what makes it bad?

Bad downloadable content comes across when players feel like they are being gouged (aka Guitar Hero II for 360) or when it just doesn’t provide anything that makes the game compelling (horse armor in Oblivion).   This type of DLC only ends up alienating players or becoming something they just pass on because it does not reinvigorate our desire to keep playing a game we’ve already completed or gotten bored with.

What then makes DLC content good then, you ask?  Well first off it has to reinvigorate a person’s passion to play a game.  It should also be priced in such a way that it does not make players feel like they are overpaying.  Granted in the case of Guitar Hero it is understandable from a market perspective to charge 2$ a song but people think that it is too much.  And if the consumer thinks the price is too high then it is too high.

But let me reemphasize that good DLC reinvigorates a person’s passion about a game.   It should encourage a person to dust off a title or keep playing a title that they already own.  It doesn’t have to reinvent the game by introducing a new game type but if it does that isn’t terrible either.  Hopefully the new Crackdown DLC, which you can see a picture of here, will encourage players not to just trade in their copies of the game after the Halo 3 beta ends.

Good DLC benefits not just the gamer but also the industry.  By giving players a reason to hold onto their games they help curb the rate of trade-ins.  This in turn will help to sell more units since players will not be able to find the games used.  Publishers are happy and you are happy because you have reasons to keep playing games.  More importantly, you are not helping support the main way EB games and GameStop make their profits.

Hopefully players will police the world of DLC with their wallets to the point where we can weed out the shit that bombards us daily on live (aka picture packs).  For now it’s an economic experiment; be a smart guinea pig, dammit.

Chufmoney

So if you look at the navigation bar on the site banner, you might notice that we’ve added a new link: podcasts. We did our first one today, and while it was a hell of a lot of work (as I also coded the page for them today as well) it was also a lot of fun. We hope to be able to do it on a bi-weekly basis at least. Check it out and let us know what you think in the comments. And I apologize now for the echo; it was a technical issue that will hopefully be resolved next time around. As for me, it’s sleepy time.

-Aegies

So I forgot my wallet in editor Ian Johnson’s car. Alas, I did not realize this until he was back in Menlo Park, CA, and working hard at testing the next big Crystal Dynamics release. So after calling him repeatedly only to learn his cell phone broke, I emailed him to tell him that Arthur and I were journeying to his fortress of nerditude in order to obtain both the key to my financial security but also an impromptu tour of the building. After driving nearly three hours in traffic and through a ghetto we reached the Crystal Dynamics HQ. Unfortunately Ian forgot to tell us we needed a keycard to get in after three and so I was forced to just yell his name over and over outside the building. Although apparently my screams went unnoticed Ian sensed us through telepathy and came outside. Unfortunately our “tour” really consisted of us walking down the main hallway where we got to see all kinds of awesome photos as well as the testing dungeon. While I cannot say what game they were working on I can say that it will be nothing you have probably not played before. The coolest part was all the gigantic statues they had of major Eidos characters, including Kane which we took a picture with (to be posted soon).

After obtaining my wallet and soujourning another 3 hours back to Davis, Arthur and I finally picked up our retail versions of crackdown. While I was only mildly happy about this I have to say that changed drastically after I got home and started playing the single-player campaign. While I still wish that the single-player missions felt different from one another I really do feel that this game is pretty great. It could have stood on its own two feet, without the Halo beta package, but I think the press that Halo helped get the title will be good for it. The design of the game is solid, the city is well made to really cater to your super powers. However one must play this game on at least Ruthless in order for it to present any sort of challenge. For really experienced gamers I would say try the hardest skill, that one will make you feel like you are earning those achievements. Look for our full review in the coming week, but I would say that this game is a worthy purchase for the amount of content it provides.

Chuf (Anthony Gallegos)