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True Endings as DLC?!

Reallink

Member
Well you can't fairly single out Capcom, this was clearly the intent with ME3 as well. There's always nerd rage and forum complaints over stuff like this, but it never amounts to anything tangible and the publishers know this. Online passes, exclusive preorder bonuses, $200 collector editions, horse armor--pick your poison. Gamers are the most captive market of spineless sheep that exists in today's economy and they have demonstrated there is really no limit to what they will support. Their response to this type of content will be buying it in droves. I foresee any kind of ME3 ending/epilogue DLC potentially being the most successful in XBL/PSN history--certainly the highest attach rate. I'm not really sure if gamers are too stupid to realize what kind of message their sending here, or if they really don't care and just enjoy complaining about it.
 
Well you can't fairly single out Capcom, this was clearly the intent with ME3 as well. There's always nerd rage and forum complaints over stuff like this, but it never amounts to anything tangible and the publishers know this. Online passes, exclusive preorder bonuses, $200 collector editions, horse armor--pick your poison. Gamers are the most captive market of spineless sheep that exists in today's economy and they have demonstrated there is really no limit to what they will support. Their response to this type of content will be buying it in droves. I foresee any kind of ME3 ending/epilogue DLC potentially being the most successful in XBL/PSN history--certainly the highest attach rate. I'm not really sure if gamers are too stupid to realize what kind of message their sending here, or if they really don't care and just enjoy complaining about it.

Beautifully put. I couldn't have said it better myself.
 

madp

The Light of El Cantare
I was going to bring up Prince of Persia 2008, but I was already beaten to the punch. I never actually finished the game myself, so I'm not sure if I would have been upset or not by the existing ending. =P

I've always personally felt that PoP 08 had one of the most outstanding endings in any video game ever, so I have zero desire to ever play the Epilogue. I suppose in this particular game's case, it all comes down to how dissatisfied you are with
everything you've worked for for the entire game being reversed at the end
.
 

Cartman86

Banned
If ending was satisfactory already then additional content is a bonus. If it wasn't then yeah I would like to see more (assuming that content is good). In the case of ME3 they could easily fuck it up by "re-doing" the ending (retcon) which would be weird. I'm quickly caring less and less about this whole artist vision being ruined by vocal fans when developers are constantly changing games in development and with sequels when fans (or everyone) don't like something (Assassin's Creed for example). Don't change if your studio doesn't like the changes, but if you think they are better then go for it.
 
it doesnt matter if the game sucks or not,

it's about the industry starting to do this BUY DLC ENDING for games.

this is the start, and everybody else will follow suit, and you people will buy it anyway....

voting with our wallets really dont work when people... dont care.
 

Emitan

Member
it doesnt matter if the game sucks or not,

it's about the industry starting to do this BUY DLC ENDING for games.

this is the start, and everybody else will follow suit, and you people will buy it anyway....

voting with our wallets really dont work when people... dont care.

It started with Fallout 3 dude. Its not really a thing yet. Calm down
 

notworksafe

Member
it doesnt matter if the game sucks or not,

it's about the industry starting to do this BUY DLC ENDING for games.

this is the start, and everybody else will follow suit, and you people will buy it anyway....

voting with our wallets really dont work when people... dont care.

Sounds like it's more of an expansion than an ending. I've got no problem with DLC expansions being sold for games that didn't sell well enough to justify a full blown sequel.
 

ultron87

Member
it doesnt matter if the game sucks or not,

it's about the industry starting to do this BUY DLC ENDING for games.

this is the start, and everybody else will follow suit, and you people will buy it anyway....

voting with our wallets really dont work when people... dont care.

If the game already includes a satisfying ending adding additional post conclusion campaign content for money is no problem at all and has been happening in the industry since the first game that ever got an expansion pack.

DLC is not an intrinsically bad or anti-consumer concept.
 

DCharlie

And even i am moderately surprised
True endings as DLC, but how can i respect their artistic vision!

(you can, their artists have the vision of you spending more money!)

Personally? I'm annoyed that more and more stuff we took for granted has been "monetized"

I expect a game, even now with changed rules, to fulfill certain basic criteria and that includes "the single player contains the full mainline story"

If there's a "real" ending DLC? Personally i think that's not acceptable.
 

Pie and Beans

Look for me on the local news, I'll be the guy arrested for trying to burn down a Nintendo exec's house.
The game literally yanks your dick about the True Ending. No more of this satisfying ending bullshit. The 'original' ending is incredibly abrupt, with no real closure other than YOU BEAT THE BOSS, YAY - roll credits.

Upon finishing the end credits, the game pop-up says "get enough S ranks to see the TRUE CHAPTER 18". I had already got enough on my first playthrough, so went to play this TRUE CHAPTER 18 from the menu. Except TRUE CHAPTER 18 is the exact same as the Chapter 18 I had just played, except it has an added cutscene bolted onto the very end where some missing characters return and THE TRUE ENEMY IS REVEALED. TO BE CONTINUED!

What? What the fuck now? This time around the game pops up telling me to complete it on harder difficulties and with different metres to see everything it has to offer. Fuck this, off to GameFAQ's onto how to actually unlock this final boss fight.

My jaw was open for like 5 minutes upon reading that I couldnt unlock it, but rather, I would be able to purchase the fucking true end of the game in a month or so. What? WHAT. All of my goodwill and enjoyment of this admittedly incredibly shallow yet ridiculous in an endearing way game, replaced by blue balls and white hot fury.
 

Crocodile

Member
For people who want a brief, spoiler-lite synopsis of the last chapters of the game it goes like this:

Regular Ending

-You just beat the Big Boss
-As he dies, he says "You Fool! Only I could beat Bigger Boss! We are doomed!"
-He dies and Bigger Boss shows up!
-You go and kick Bigger Boss' ass
-You return from beating up Bigger Boss, get the Girl and celebrate
-However, characters and plot points that were important and left hanging are never brought up again........

True Ending
-You just beat the Big Boss
-As he dies, he says "You Fool! Only I could beat Bigger Boss! We are doomed!"
-He dies and Bigger Boss shows up!
-You go and kick Bigger Boss' ass
-You return from beating up Bigger Boss, get the Girl and celebrate
-A comrade of Big Boss, who got their ass handed to them a few chapters back and then disappeared, shows up seeking revenge on behalf of Big Boss
-Suddenly another character who you haven't seen in a while shows up, proclaims "Can't let you do that!" and bitch-slaps Big Boss' friend
-This character then reveals that they are in fact BIGGEST BOSS, were responsible for everything that happened the entire game, assumes their "true" form and taunts you
-The End.........

So........yeah. The regular ending is a conclusive/happy ending but under any scrutiny you'd question the quality of the writing due to several dropped story points. Not like something left to interpretation but rather things that were just plain forgotten about. The true ending completely overwrites the regular ending and ends on a big cliffhanger.
 

megalowho

Member
At the very least, this isn't a case of "Oh, you didn't like it? Er, how about a different ending for more $$?" The true ending nonsense was baked into this game, though I thought it was setup for a sequel not DLC since nearly all of the main plot threads are resolved.

Pretty ugly experiment Capcom is going with here, and I loved Asura's Wrath. Torn between ignoring this because I find the business model distasteful or ponying up because I legitimately want more content and wouldn't think twice about buying DLC if it wasn't positioned like this.
 

Sblargh

Banned
One problem is this guessing game regarding what was cut, what was not, what could be released with the game, what couldn't.
Another problem is that the purpose of the DLC is to extend the game, if the game is story driven, then it does so either by offering an alternate view of the same story, a prologue or an epilogue.

So, are we gonna be happy when the DLC is a prologue and feel cheated when it is an epilogue?

Of course I don't like the idea of cutting content on purpose just so it can be a DLC later on, but, since we don't know if that's the case (and it seems more complex than that anyway), if you liked the game, if you liked the story, why not pay 6 bucks to see what happens to these characters you liked 5 minutes after the ending?
 

Eusis

Member
I'd at least wait awhile before grabbing. Some of these things seem to be written off as failures if it takes too long for them to get sales. But, yeah, this DOES sound kind of lame now.
 

saunderez

Member
The "true ending" for Asura's Wrath was an insane out of the blue twist that has nothing to do with the main storyline involving the Guardian Generals and honestly I have NFI how the DLC is going to play out.
 

Jigsaw

Banned
even worse than true ending dlc is when they promise you the true ending and then it adds nothing like prince of persia 2008 epilogue or witch hunt for dragon age

haven't played me2 arrival and lord of shadows dlc yet,but i guess they aren't worth it either

i liked the expanded ending in fallout 3
 
The "true ending" for Asura's Wrath was an insane out of the blue twist that has nothing to do with the main storyline involving the Guardian Generals and honestly I have NFI how the DLC is going to play out.

Uh yeah, that. It's just this out of nowhere fucking SWERVE, with no real resolution given whatsoever. If it had a bigger fanbase like ME3, more of a stink would probably go about it.

But I think like, 300 people bought that game, so nobody cares?
 
ANY GAME THAT PULLS THIS SHIT IS AN INSTANT-NEVER-BUY IN MY BOOK.

This gen has given us some amazing stuff, but it's also taken the practice of selling the consumer an incomplete product to an absurd, whole new level.
 

Jaxter09

Member
I'm guessing a majority of people who buy games don't finish them. Selling the ending as DLC would give the buyer extra incentive to see the game out and keep it off the used shelfs for a bit longer.
 

Ill Saint

Member
Did anyone that actually beat Asura's Wrath feel like the ending was lacking? Because this really sounds more like a tiny expansion pack than a bolted on ending.

No. Ending was fine (both of them), and the game itself was the most over-the-top fun I've had in gaming for a decent while, so I'm satisfied.

Wow, as if Asura's Wrath wasn't already completely offensive to my sensibilities for what a game should be.

Have you actually played through it?
 

Zabuza

Banned
I just rent every game that does this and watch any DLC goodies that add to the story on Youtube. Don't support this bullshit.
 

Pie and Beans

Look for me on the local news, I'll be the guy arrested for trying to burn down a Nintendo exec's house.
If that happened to a game I liked, I'd be breaking the game disc in half.

I wisely rented it. Had I purchased it for full whack on launch day I would have most likely lost my goddam mind.
 
I rented the game as well. It's an interesting experience, but it's $60 bucks for cromulent gameplay and lots and lots of QTEs. It's more story then game, and it's a story that charges extra for an ending!
 

~Kinggi~

Banned
RESIDENT EVIL 6, if you thought that 'To Be Continued' screen was exciting, HOLY SHIT JUST GIVE US 10$ USD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


These devs have turned into fucking scam-artists. There is nothing justifiable about these endings coming out after release. No developer worth anything wont think an extra 5 minutes to know what the ending to their story will be so its not like these are afterthoughts.

People keep buying this shit so devs have thrown ethics out the window and fully embrace raping you.
 

Sadsic

Member
so DLC endings now exist, do DLC penultimate scenes come next? then DLC antepenult gaming? then DLC beginning scenes? then DLC whole games?

this is literally the slippery slope fallacy coming to life
 

CamHostage

Member
I've always personally felt that PoP 08 had one of the most outstanding endings in any video game ever, so I have zero desire to ever play the Epilogue.

So far no game I've played has released without a satisfactory ending in and of itself, or at least have been designed as complete experiences. The DLC endings have been nice toppers, but not required experiences. If a game company were to leave you with nothing at the end, that'd be screwed.

I guess FF XIII-2 is that game that crosses the line? But I feel like that, you maybe were not necessarily shocked by an "Empire Strikes Back" kind of ending, plus reviewers were clear about it in time. Not sure if that is an excuse.

Even though people are pissed at Mass Effect 3, I still think it fit in on the other side of the line. People hated that ending for two reasons, one is because it filters away many of your choices, and second because it was apparently not good enough for a capper on 3 games. Neither case says to me that this was a bait-and-switch though, I haven't completed the game but everything I've read about that ending says that it was the creators' idea of a finale, with room for DLC and maybe "new trilogy" sequels but still a definitive end. This scramble to provide a new ending (which we're not sure what they'll charge for, if they even charge at all... I don't know what this will cost but the smart PR move would be to give it away before the protesters crush your other planned DLC sales plans) doesn't seem premeditated.

It's a worthy subject for discussion, but I haven't seen any company willfully abuse the DLC system the way the fear originally went yet... it could be coming, though.
 

Ahasverus

Member
I've always personally felt that PoP 08 had one of the most outstanding endings in any video game ever, so I have zero desire to ever play the Epilogue. I suppose in this particular game's case, it all comes down to how dissatisfied you are with
everything you've worked for for the entire game being reversed at the end
.
I AGREE
I got surprised when I read online impressions, it was the first ending this generation that made me go "Wow, espectacular" it was like a tale in itself, I have zero desire to play the epilogue too. Perfect as it is.
 
.... well.... yeah.

It's not the devs fault that you didn't personally like their story. You can hide behind "it was incomplete" all you want, but at the end of the day, you're just upset because you didn't like something. This is not an objective situation.
EAPlant1.jpg
 

Kintaro

Worships the porcelain goddess
Pfft. what made you think that you were paying for an ending when you buy a game? This DLC had a separate budget and was set aside for that purpose. Acting like you're entitled to a complete story. You're lucky we even anything on the disc at all!

DLC FUTURE!
 
Pfft. what made you think that you were paying for an ending when you buy a game? This DLC had a separate budget and was set aside for that purpose. Acting like you're entitled to a complete story. You're lucky we even anything on the disc at all!

DLC FUTURE!

I appreciate the sarcasm here, but I totally read that in my head in a smug executive's voice and it kinda made me wanna punch the monitor.
 

Lindsay

Dot Hacked
$7 for a true ending vs...

$5 for new characters (or worse... "skins")
$10 for online
$15 for a few maps you'll never be able to use once mp dies
$10+ for full games which can be pulled from your purchase history

...doesn't sound so bad. That said: do not want. Not now, not ever!
 
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