Or, for the lazy gamer, pay your way to new content.
The subject of DLC has been an issue of much debate as of late, especially when it comes to the PS Vita and the way games and extra content are priced. We’ve already seen a rather confusing pricing structure for Ridge Racer, and now we’ve got information on a more generous route that Namco Bandai is taking with its popular Katamari series.
As with many games, Touch My Katamari will be getting a great deal of DLC, from new missions to song packs. However, all of this content can be earned with in-game currency called “Fan Spirits”. Finding ten Fan Spirits will unlock a piece of DLC for free. You can also opt to purchase Fan Spirits in sets of 3, 5, or one at a time. The pricing for the set of 5 Fan Spirits breaks down to about $2.50, so taking the time to find ten Fan Spirits would save you around $5 dollars. That is, if you want the extra content.
This particular pricing model is actually more like the kind you would find in a social game for Facebook or mobile games. You can unlock all of the content on your own through normal gameplay, but for those looking to speed up the process, new missions and music are only a click away. Namco Bandai did a similar thing with Tales of Vesperia on the Xbox 360, which allowed players to purchase in-game gold, item packs, and even accelerated experience gains for Microsoft Points.
It should be noted that these prices are for the Japanese release of Touch My Katamari, and may not be reflected in the final product when it’s released Stateside. We will let you know if things change before the North American release of the game.
Alternate Take: "Namco finds new ways to fill your memory stick up with crap that should've been part of the main game to begin with."
Though kudos for Namco finding a unique way around not buying DLC. Will that make me accept DLC? Nope. I still have to work for it. Oh boy, I can't wait to play the upcoming Smash Bros. and I have to play the game in order to get DLC for free.
:(
But Matt, what do you call unlockable characters? Don't you have to work for those already?
Except they are part of the game already, they don't have to be downloaded onto storage for you to use them. This is basically Namco's way of saying "hey, you don't have to pay for DLC unless you do this in the game. But hey its free instead of having to buy it!"
This is not what unlockable means to me. Do I like challenges that give me something in return? Of course! Who doesn't? But Namco is doing it the wrong way and is making you work for stuff that shoud've been in the main release, not as a priced add-on.
Its driving me bonkers man.
Not sure I follow the complaint here. Seems like they are just making what were once cheat codes DLC. Annoying and stupid, for sure, but you seemingly do unlock it right in the game, unless I misunderstood the story. No downloading unless you want to cheat your way through the content.
Also, we don't know what the extent of the DLC is. You're hinging your argument that this is going to be an incomplete game when in reality we could get a fully fleshed out game with DLC rewards for those that spend a lot of time on it.
Also, it looks like the Vita may be moving towards tiered pricing, so if Katamari comes out for say...$20 would you still have your complaints?
Yes. I don't care what the add-on stuff is nor what the price is, it can still be part of the game itself instead of being a price add-on. That is why I dislike DLC so much.
At least some of the missions for this game are post-development add-on content. In those cases, it's pretty cool that you can earn them through gameplay if you so choose.
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