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DLC Confusion

I have a strange problem with  DLC (downloadable content): I have way too much of it. This unusual complaint stems from my tendency put off purchasing games until they are on sale. By that stage most of the DLC that was drip fed to early purchasers is often bundled with the main game or costs so little extra that it seems foolish not to buy it. Fallout 3, which I have just finished playing came with 5 DLC add ons. Darksiders II which I am currently installing has a ludicrous 13 additional DLC codes.

This abundance of DLC causes several problems. The first is trying to figure out what any of it is.  A single piece of DLC can contain anything from a piece of cosmetic armour to an entire new campaign and the grandiose names attached to DLC packs rarely give much clue as to what they contain. Even after figuring out what each piece of DLC is you are faced with the dilemma of whether installing it will improve or damage your game experience. It is regrettably common for DLC add ons to introduce powerful equipment to the player at early levels which spoils a lot of the challenge of the game. In rarer cases DLC can make the game harder (one Fallout 3 add on designed to be played after finishing the main campaign actually populates the world with harder monsters). I am a great believer in playing the game the way the designers intended it to be played so I really don't like game breaking DLC like this. Even when the DLC does nothing more than add additional missions to the game it can be problematic. I like finishing games. I like seeing the final credits roll and I am generally ready to move on once I have slain the final boss.

All this confusion has altered my opinion of DLC. There was a time when I considered it a bonus and was glad to get it. Now I consider it a nuisance and my default position is not to install any of it.


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