PixlBit

I really don't have a problem with DLC in most cases. Does it suck that we're paying for stuff that used to be part of the games? Sure. But the only reason why we didn't pay extra for some of this stuff is because there wasn't a way to monetize it before. Some companies do it better than others. I'm guilty of buying the costumes for SF IV, and the way Capcom did that was pretty crappy, considering that you couldn't just buy the costumes you liked. I'm stuck with a cowboy version of Ken because I wanted the Japanese fisherman outfit for Ryu, for example.

You guys are way off base with Asura's Wrath. That's simply a matter of when Japanese marketing gets confused. The game has a satisfying, conclusive ending. There's one plot thread left hanging, but I considered that the hook for a sequel if they ever do one. I'd much rather get more Asura's Wrath now via DLC than wait for a sequel that will probably never come. Same thing for Alan Wake. That game did post release content better than pretty much anyone. There's no reason for Remedy to make a 60 dollar disc release to a commercial flop. But releasing an episodic sequel via DLC directly to the people that want it is a pretty awesome possibility.

We complain about DLC a lot, and it gets oh so tiresome. The simple fact is that it's still a new thing and people are figuring out how to implement it best. I expect all of these things to be worked out by the time the 8th console generation comes around. It should be mandatory for people to be able to purchase DLC from within a game with little to no break in the action.

You can't really blame them. Metroid wasn't a hit in Japan, but it was huge in the U.S. That's why the Big N had no problems letting Retro take over the franchise for three games.

I'm really happy to see this happen. I was worried about the fate of Dragon's Crown, and since this looks to have been a game that these guys have wanted to make since they completed Princess Crown (an awesome import) I'm glad that they get a chance to finish.

Except for the fact that I haven't even found time to finish the last 5-10 hours of ME 3. :P

I used to dislike his art, but it's really grown on me over the years. Especially because I've come to dispise Tetsuya Nomura's designs. A watercolor Final Fantasy would look so cool, and really shake up people's notions of the series.

Okay, that was adorable and awesome. Or adorsome. Or awesable.

Thanks, Mike. You had so many wonderful comments for this series the first time around, and I'm flattered that you still have things to say about it. The next podcast should be a lot of fun as I bounce these ideas off of Rob and Patrick.

Of all the things I wrote about, I really hope bigger companies embrace the idea of episodic gaming. I love Alan Wake. I really do. There is no logical reason for Remedy to release a 60 dollar retail sequel. Instead, sell new episodes directly to the people that enjoyed the first game. Once you have enough (and if it did well), release it on disc for a budget price. Sega could do the same thing with a new Shenmue game, but of course the problem there is that they don't have an existing engine to work from. Of course, Yakuza is kind of a spiritual successor to Shenmue...

And I don't know if you felt the same way, but GoW 3 kind of killed Kratos' character for me. Everything he does in that game seems worse than what the gods are doing. I felt like he had more depth in the first two games.

Do you remember the bonus content that unlocked when you beat the first game? There was a story about Kratos having a brother who died and was raised in Hades. He resented Kratos and wanted to kill him. That's where I want the series to go-new character, but related to the Kratos story.

I don't need more Kratos. His story has been told. There are far more interesting things they can do with this universe than fill in backstory that's already been covered.