Gaming in the days of Day One DLC

[shopkins]

When I was a kid the process of obtaining a game included:

A. Buying the game.
B. Taking the game home, opening it, putting it in my console and playing it.

The process of obtaining Mass Effect 2 and the available content today, however, consisted of:

A. Preordering the game at Gamestop in advance to get the preorder bonuses.
B. Worrying that the Gamestop guys would screw up the preorder bonus some way and I wouldn't get it.
C. Paying for the game today and noting with relief that the preorder bonus was attached with a card.
D. Taking the game home and signed into Xbox Live, which I don't have my console set to do automatically. Opening the game and putting it in the console.
E. Being confused by a screen that asks me to make a new EA account or use my old one.
F. Remembering that I had an EA account from Dragon Age but not for sure what it was. To keep from accidentally registering a new one and possibly removing my access to the Blood Dragon armor from Dragon Age I Googled for a few minutes and finally found the place on EAs site where you can test to see if you have an account. I successfully signed in to my account, signed out and then entered it in the box on my screen on my game and hoped it worked. Had to make sure boxes to send me EA spam were unchecked.
G. Happily, it worked. I located the card from my box and entered the code for the Cerebus Network.
H. Cerebus network working, I downloaded the Blood Dragon Armor, which it thankfully recognized automatically, and the Normandy Crash site. Doesn't take too long. I noticed the new character wasn't working and was worried, but after a few more minutes of Googling I found that he had been delayed.
I. Trying to find a place to enter the code from the Gamestop card in the game.
J. Reading the card. Feeling stupid when I saw that I had to go to another Web Site.
K. Finding the place on that site to enter my EA account.
L. Being told that I had to also create a Bioware account, which I did. This process failed once. Had to make sure boxes offering Bioware spam were unchecked.
M. Now registered with both, entering the code in the appropriate place on the Web site.
N. Resetting my console so the Cerebus network would recognize the new DLC.
O. Downloading the new DLC. Quick download, even on my crappy connection.
P. Playing the game. Whee! It's pretty damn good, actually.

Don't get me wrong, it's still fun and it's not a serious gripe, but if they're going to keep including day one DLC and pre-order bonuses to get people to buy new, I hope they'll find a way to make it less of a hassle.

Anyone else find it to be annoying? I know I could just forget about the stuff that's not in the box, but I like to have everything and, especially with Bioware, some of the stuff they're forcing to be downloads now are major things like new characters.

[segagamer4life]

so far unfortunately I have to say this seems to be more the norm from EA as of late, its a bit rediculous, and what happened to that day one free DLC??

[shopkins]

so far unfortunately I have to say this seems to be more the norm from EA as of late, its a bit rediculous, and what happened to that day one free DLC??

Turned out to be just one piece today because the extra character was delayed. I don't know what's up with the tank they promised, maybe it comes with the extra mission they've already released, but there's no DLC that says "new tank."

[Cloud121]

N. Resetting my console so the Cerebus network would recognize the new DLC.
O. Downloading the new DLC. Quick download, even on my crappy connection.
P. Playing the game. Whee! It's pretty damn good, actually.

Don't get me wrong, it's still fun and it's not a serious gripe, but if they're going to keep including day one DLC and pre-order bonuses to get people to buy new, I hope they'll find a way to make it less of a hassle.

Anyone else find it to be annoying? I know I could just forget about the stuff that's not in the box, but I like to have everything and, especially with Bioware, some of the stuff they're forcing to be downloads now are major things like new characters.

This is where I'm completely lost. The Blood Dragon Armor showed up fine from my PS3 Dragon Age, along with the Normandy Crash DLC. I entered everything exactly as I was supposed to. And.... Nothing....

[heybtbm]

When I was a kid the process of obtaining a game included:
A. Buying the game.
B. Taking the game home, opening it, putting it in my console and playing it.

That's funny because my experience with Mass Effect 2 consisted of the following...

A. Buying the game on Amazon.
B. Having it arrive today. Opening it, putting in my console and playing.

Things only are complicated if you make them so. YMMV.

[Kid Ice]

Things only are complicated if you make them so. YMMV.

I disagree. Sometimes I find myself jumping through hoops just to *play* a game I already own.

edit: Joystiq confirms it's complicated:

http://www.joystiq.com/2010/01/26/ho...t-2-dlc-codes/

[NayusDante]

PC gaming isn't getting any better either. We still have to configure everything manually for the best performance and quality, then find out that our choice of videocard provider breaks certain functionality in the game and requires a specific setting to be disabled. And when we want to play online, it involves opening the right ports on our router. And that's BEFORE you bother registering five different accounts!

I seriously hope that we go to a console-only future where everything just works. None of this activation code crap, just the simple plug and play of the late 90s and earlier.

[scooterb23]

Of course, back in the old days you didn't have widespread online capabilites, the easy ability to play against people around the world, the ability to fix bugs once the game was released, or the ability to add in extra content to an existing game. So I think having to deal with some extra hassle to play games these days is just another necessary evil.

[shopkins]

One of the major problems people are running into is at the EA sign in screen that confused me. If you forget that you already have an EA account or just go ahead and make another one on that screen for some reason then you've screwed the pooch and you actually have to get in touch with EA to merge your accounts to get all the DLC. Hopefully they'll come out with an easier fix, though. I was worried there was potential for it to go wrong, that's why I left it on that screen for several minutes while I confirmed my EA account instead of putting in what I -thought- it was and risking accidentally making a new one.

I know I could ignore the DLC and have an easier time, but the parts they force you to download are actually good, so I'm hooked. Shale was a really fun character for Dragon Age and the Blood Dragon Armor is neat in both games.

I get your point, scooterb23, and I love gaming more than ever. I like the content, I just wish they'd find an easier way to deliver it to me.

[NayusDante]

I don't think that there's a question that DLC has changed the nature of gaming, and I don't count it as a positive. Patching has changed the game as well, certainly not for the better.

I understand that some games have bugs, but there's less pressure to put out a fully working product on day one. DLC, however, is nickel and diming customers for trivial content like character skins and multiplayer maps. If you're going to put out a "director's cut" DLC module, that is a valid use of the medium. Sadly, that's not the norm and sales figures for trivial DLC don't support that change in direction.

If we went back to "what's on disc is what you get," I would not complain.

[Flippy8490]

I don't like DLC. I never will like DLC. Nothing beats buying a game in person, not online download crap.

[Oobgarm]

The OP is referring to extra DLC that comes with a copy of a retail game.

[Lady Jaye]

I agree that the in-game bonus via DLC can be a bit much. Hopefully, they made it different this time so that if you delete part of your DLC, you won't get a message saying that you must download it again (Dragon Age Origins, I'm looking at you).

And that's why I'm getting the regular edition of ME2. I don't really feel like spending 20 minutes entering codes and the DLC doesn't interest me as much as it did with DA:O. This being said, will still need to go through some hoops to apply the Blood Dragon armor from DA:O.

And I agree that this seems more like EA's doing than Bioware. I wonder if there will be in-game advertisement for DLC missions like they did in DA:O?

[DigitalSpace]

Yeah, that's pretty annoying. Now imagine doing all that for a game that starts with a lame tutorial before allowing you to get to the good stuff...

[TVs Hasselhoff]

Coulda been worse...

You could have done all of those steps in preparation of playing Saboteur.

[shopkins]

Yeah, that's pretty annoying. Now imagine doing all that for a game that starts with a lame tutorial before allowing you to get to the good stuff...

Actually, even though they disguise it as an action scene the first real section of Mass Effect 2 is rather tutorial heavy.

[IcBlUsCrN]

im with the op on this one even though im a little different.

I am usually left wondering what the dlc is like. Dont have internet at home so game updates or dlc is out. Kind of used to it now though, going on 3 years since iv been on xbox live. I also wonder if my gamer tag is even valid anymore.

[Jorpho]

Hey, at least you don't have to worry about losing your original floppies or your copy protection wheel!

[shopkins]

Hey, at least you don't have to worry about losing your original floppies or your copy protection wheel!

Type the fourth word in the fifth paragraph on page 98 in your manual to see my response.

[maxlords]

It took me almost an hour to get all my DLC codes, EA accounts and whatnot set up. Pissed me right off.