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360 Secures Exclusive Tomb Raider DLC
Exclusive third-party downloadable content is a growing trend on Xbox 360.
The upcoming Tomb Raider: Underworld will be the latest title offering Xbox 360 exclusive DLC after it launches, co-publisher Eidos said Monday.
Eidos will offer two packs for download, titled Tomb Raider: Underworld – Beneath the Ashes and Tomb Raider: Underworld - Lara’s Shadow.
Beneath the Ashes is set after the events of original Tomb Raider: Underworld and will be available on Xbox Live Marketplace this Christmas, featuring a new environment an new enemies.
Tomb Raider: Underworld – Lara’s Shadow will launch in "early 2009," and will sport "a new kind of playable character."
The announcement of Tomb Raider DLC follows the announcements of high-profile Xbox 360 exclusive content for Grand Theft Auto IV and Fallout 3, leaving PS3 owners without the option to buy additional content to stretch the life of the games.
The Crystal Dynamic-developed Tomb Raider: Underworld is slated for release in November.
You know, GTAIV, Fallout 3, The Orange Box, and now Tomb Raider: Underowrld all, either subconsciously or voluntarily, support Microsoft's plan to nickel-and-dime gamers. Microsoft hung its hat on DLC as a new revenue stream. Now, big-budget multiplatform games are using this tactic as a way to drive sales of the 360 version. Microsoft rewards the developers/publishers with kickback from DLC sales.
Microsoft appears to have a very consistent strategy this generation. The more DLC consumers buy, the faster our HDDs fill up, thus resulting in us feeling the need to buy larger, proprietary HDDs. I wish that MS would allow the 360 to utilize external HDDs as if they were the of the proprietary nature. That would make the DLC doctrine much more pallateable to your average poor gamer like myself.
Not too sure why you have labelled DLC for expanding Gameplay in such a negative way... It is additional content made after the game was released, referring to the developers cut of the DLC sales as a kickback makes it seem like something dodgy is going on. Its only expansions in the same way that people have bought expansions for games in the past... just via the internet... the developer getting paid for their extra development seems fine to me.
MS have paid companies to make this content exclusive in a similar way as is done with general game exclusives. The DLC exclusives is likely to help game sales on the 360 over those on the PS3 as fans will want the expansion packs.
As for DLC being a way to nickel-and-dime gamers... you still get the game when you buy the game, if you dont want additional stuff dont buy it, in the same way as you wouldnt have bought expansions for other games in the past.
I utterly agree on the HDD issue, being able to use a usb external drive for save data and downloaded data would be in credibly handy.
As 3rd parties find making games exclusive isn't good for business, they move to DLC. Sorry, but I still have not jumped on the DLC bandwagon and don't feel the need to unless it was a significant amount of new features, or simply an expansion. Even so, it will not drive my platform purchasing choice. Didn't work for GTA4 and will not work for Tomb Raider.
Edit- Apparently this goes beyond exclusive DLC to Tomb Raider also having an exclusive demo for the 360. If that is the case then I will not be touching the game at all. DLC is one thing but to go as far as not giving one portion of your potential customers a playable demo....well that just tells me you do not want me to purchase your game. Source here: http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2008/10/06/tomb-raider-dlc-ps3/
Fallout 3 is definitely going to keep going with lots of extra features like Oblivion did. The people at Bethesda really do a great job of keeping games like that supported for long periods of time.
Microsoft is doing a great job of securing exclusive features for their games. The next Tomb Raider game is the first one that is TRULY designed for the hardware of this generation. It is going to be a VERY SPECIAL game!
Honestly, the new Tomb Raider game, and the rumor of the TRUE sequel to Perfect Dark, called Perfect Dark 2 really have me excited!
Cool, wonder if Fallout 3 will keep going like Oblivion did with all the extra content.