It was funny at first – the “horse armor” that Bethesda sold in Oblivion caused amusement and became a meme symbol for the embarrassment of DLCs. Unfortunately, since 2006 the situation with microtransactions has become tragic and publishers no longer have any resistance against us paying for more and more money for the most trivial items in their games.
10. The Fourth Elder Scrolls: Oblivion – Horse Armor
The idea of selling “Horse Armor” in 2006 seemed ridiculous to most gamers. Unfortunately, the concept that Bethesda pioneered in the AAA industry took hold. You all know how to keep going.
For $2.50 in the Horse Armor package, we received two color versions (silver and gold) of the same armor for our X360 mount. The equipment was only cosmetic and did not change the stats of the horse in the game. This downloadable content was criticized in 2006, but unfortunately after a while it turns out that there are many people willing to buy it. In an interview in 2016, Todd Howard stated that Oblivion’s Horse Armor is “surprisingly one of the most popular content Bethesda has ever created.”
9. Ghost Recon Wildlands – Narco . Road
The Steam user rating for this DLC speaks for itself (the average on Valve’s digital distribution platform is 16%). Narco Road is a poorly designed and ridiculed by fans. The add-on is completely against the spirit of the base version of Ghost Recon Wildlands. Instead of offering more familiar gameplay, Ubisoft has gone in the direction of…car racing and stunts – with poorly resolved controls. The goal of such struggles is to “conquer the results of social media”. drama!
8. Resident Evil 2 and 3 – All rewards are unlocked
Capcom’s new $5 release offers an option to unlock all content in Resident Evil Edition 2 and 3, which awaits any game owner who typically completes all of the challenges included in these titles. This does not seem to require any further comments.
7. Castlevania: Harmony of Despair – Music Packs
The publishers’ ideas about our wad of bullshit for money are almost inexhaustible. In 2010, Konami went so far as to offer two bundles for PS3 and X360 with additional music to play in the background of Castlevania: Harmony of Despair levels. This downloadable content is priced at $2 a piece.
6. Street Fighter III: Third Strike – Color Pack
Unfortunately, Capcom managed to push us with really poor DLC and the “Color Pack” is perhaps the best example of such dubious activity for the Japanese company. For $3, the publisher of the Land of the Rising Sun offered Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike DLC to provide access to… alternate color versions of existing character outfits. To make it even more entertaining, our online opponents did not see these colors during the game, unless they themselves said DLC.
5. The Vandal – Midnight Show
Publishers have sometimes tried to take advantage of players’ low instincts to grab more of our pockets. This was the case with The Saboteur, for example. This production provided DLC (not currently available on digital distribution systems) showing bare breasts of dancers working in a nightclub. Sexual attraction was offered at the price of the boxed version, but people who bought, for example, an “alarm clock” with an already used DLC token, had to spend $3 on this bonus.
4. Metro: Last Light – Stalker Mode
The publisher of Metro: Last Light has decided to sell as DLC… an increasing difficulty level for Metro: Last Light, called “Ranger Mode”. This feature is priced at $5 at digital distribution systems. The unit is included, according to the marketing description, to provide a free “full immersion in the action” with the purchase of a more expensive special edition. It’s good that although the last “Redux” chaser mode is already included in the basic package.
3. Battlefield Series – Ultimate Shortcuts Packs
The final embarrassment is that publishers provide quick access to themes, items, and content that is already in the game. What used to be presented as completely free cheats for impatient people is nowadays bloated for a lot of money. This is the case with the “Ultimate Shorcut” bundles, presented on the occasion of the premieres of the following installments of the Battlefield series. After purchasing such downloadable content, players get instant access to the entire arsenal of guns and items that can usually be unlocked in the multiplayer game of this shooter. This is the “shortcut” for impatient people. O norms, O temporary!
2. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 – crosshairs (red dot)
The publisher of Black Ops 4 showed the limits of what could be sold in the form of DLC, who decided to sell for $1 … the viewfinder. Exactly the red dot, given for distribution during Christmas 2019 (and a few days later a full 50% discount – possibly as part of a charity Christmas idea).
1. Mortal Kombat X – Easy Fatalities
Publisher Mortal Kombat X felt it would be a good idea to sell Fatalities’ implementation options in an easier way. This possibility was introduced in 2015, among other things, on the PlayStation Store for … $5. It is worth taking this embarrassing step from Warner Bros. I remind you that in the past, these features were added to games such as cheat/reward options. Totally free.
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