As you probably know, there are 12 additional characters that appear in the portable, Playstation Vita version of the game. These characters were later released as purchasable DLC for the console versions on July 31st, 2012. The fact that the data for the characters, alternate costumes and colors was previously discovered on the disc (by hackers) stirred up quite the conspiracy, and the "Capcom hate machine" bandwagon of 2012 was born.
I didn't join the hate bandwagon in the mid 90's and, once again, I'm not joining it. On that note, I'd like to give my two cents on the matter. . .
Some gamers felt "cheated" that this content is already on the disc, because to access it, they have to purchase a small file that simply "unlocks" it when it becomes available. They feel entitled to the content from the start, since they bought and "own" the physical disc. Capcom
explained that the information is on the disc in order to "
save hard drive space and to ensure for a smooth transition when the DLC is available".The data also allows people to
play against the 12 new characters &
see the alternate costumes when they're released if they choose
notto purchase them. Personally, nothing about this format bothers me, but some gamers out there seem to have a "false sense of entitlement and expectation".
Something that the rabid complainers fail to realize is that this DLC was originallydeveloped
with the intent of being DLC. That means it potentially wouldn't even exist in the first place without the DLC distribution process.
Believe it. It doesn't matter if it's locked on-disc DLC, day 1 DLC, or month 6 DLC. I wholeheartedly agree that a product should be complete when it's released, but the thing is...
SF X Tekken could've very easily been called "complete" at around 25-30 characters. Fans should be thankful that the dev-team took the extra time & effort to create 12 additional characters. (Too bad that "effort" didn't show up in some other areas of the game, though).
SF X Tekken includes
43 iconic characters from the start (PS3 version). That's
far above the standard for a new fighting game. Gamers complaining about not being able to use the other 12 characters right off the bat (which weren't even finished at the time), are being a bit greedy I think. I understand their point of view, and they have a right to feel
that way if they choose. I can only speak for myself... and I don't feel cheated. I'm glad I didn't have to buy a new disc-based "Super" version of
SFXT. I agree Capcom could've made better decisions on the business front, but as a long time fan, I think we're lucky to have this many characters in the game. The fact that Capcom continued supporting
SFXT with 12 additional characters after the initial release (
superb choices at that), only sweetens the deal.
In continuation, I think some of the "new" fighting game fans need to take a step back and get some perspective. In the early 90's, many of us used to play
Street Fighter 2 (among many other games) at arcades, religiously... putting in 50 cents, with each play, to use a few of those 8-12 characters over and over (and over times 1000). Even
after I bought several variations of the home versions of
SF2 (at $70 a pop) I
still put money into those arcade machines...
and you know what? If for some reason you weren't a "good" player at your arcade, you had to pay
MORE money... AND LIKE IT...
or you could go home as a sore loser and play your SNES or Genesis version by yourself and pretend to have friends.
YEAH... I SAID IT.
History has repeated itself
many a time. Over the course of a decade, I must've spent 100's of dollars on
MVC2 in the arcades. Then I bought the Dreamcast version when it came out, and guess what... I
still put gas in my car, drove to the arcade, and put countless dollars into that
MVC2 machine for many years to come. I did the same thing when
Tekken 5 came out in arcades and on PS2. I even traveled to distant arcades (hours away) simply because they had better competition. So I guess that's why I can't relate to gamers who are raging about an
optional $8-$20 DLC to unlock new characters/content in a game... something that no one is forcing them to buy.
If you like the game, what's the problem with spending a few extra bucks on it and supporting the company that made it? In my book, the DLC is reasonably priced (not to mention color packs & other updates are free). Plus, if you own both the PS3 & Vita versions, all 12 DLC characters are completely free... which isn't a bad deal.
Finally, let's not forget about "time release" characters that both Namco and Capcom previously used in arcade games like
Tekken 2,
Tekken 3 and MVC2.
Manymonths after the original release of those games, additional characters became playable to keep the game fresh and exciting (and it worked). It would appear that Capcom simply wanted players to first enjoy the "vanilla" version of the game and let a little suspense build up... so give'm a break. Besides, what's the fun of having
everything unlocked at once? Are you
really going to master 55 characters at once? No... you're not. Put down the torches, people. There are more important things to worry about in life.
In closing, gamers of this generation are able to sit on their asses at home, play a next-gen fighting game with players all over the world (for free), and some of them have the audacity to sit behind their keyboards and complain about optional DLC that costs them around the same price as lunch? Uhh... to those people, I say go out and buy yourselves a damn Happy Meal, you cheap, cheap ********... (& STFU). Just kidding. But seriously, stop whining. ~TFG Webmaster
