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What would happen if Sega sold us the DX & Battle modes separately today?


Badnik Mechanic

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Back during the days of the PS3 and Xbox 360, Sega decided to re-release Sonic Adventure 1 & 2 onto XBLA and the PSN.

Only... they did something to maximise profits. 

They released the standard base games, and then sold the 'DX' and 'Battle' modes as separate DLC. This is despite the fact that the versions of the game updated were the Gamecube versions of the game and not the Dreamcast versions.

Meaning Sega effectively blocked off a chunk of both game which we had to pay £2 per title to unlock.

And.... from my memory.... we were all... kinda ok with this?

I was trying to think back to when this got announced and I remember one or two complaints, but for the most part, the majority of people just didn't seem to care too much about it.

 

And then I think to the reaction Super Sonic got and I have to wonder... if Sega tried this today... how much would it backfire? Or would everybody go along with it again?

 

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This is a really good point after all that happened with Super Sonic. I think there was very little commotion over separating Battle and DX as DLC because they were just re-releases of games already super old that have been re-released numerous other times. For Adventure, I remember most people were more mad about how the screen was surrounded by an ugly purple border, but that's it. I don't remember hearing any uproar over SA2 not having Battle DLC, but maybe that's just because all of that content is much more subtle and actually, technically, passes as legitimate DLC. It's lazy and money grubbing, but the material is decent as DLC content. I think most people didn't even notice and if they did they didn't care. I'm guessing since Sonic didn't really have a bad track record with paid DLC at the time. Unleashed had a lot of good DLC and even 06 had a lot of extra content to add with its DLC, so this was the first time the paid DLC became really questionable but it could be somewhat forgiven since they're old games and it's the first time they tried getting away with it for Sonic (to my knowledge).

Super Sonic being paid DLC was ridiculous because one of the most basic parts of any Sonic game was ripped out and poorly implemented back in with a price tag. It was yet another nail in the coffin that is Forces laughable reputation. 

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They were nice minor additions, to add what the Gamecube versions added to the original games.

But eh. Wasn't that bad. I didn't really mind it. It's different to the Super Sonic situation, in which we're paying for a feature that has always been free in every other Sonic game. Plus, it's really easy to get the games and their expansions included real cheap, so it doesn't really become a problem.

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You were only paying a fraction of the game's original price for those versions, right? And the DLC was only a few bucks more? That doesn't seem unreasonable to me. Like, there's not much difference if they charge $10 for the base game and $3 for the dlc or if they just sell the full pack for $13.

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I still don't get why they made the DX and Battle additions optional DLC. Especially when both HD ports are primarily based on the GameCube versions anyway.

It irked me that I had to get seperate DLC just to unlock the full multiplayer experience for SA2, cheap as it may be. Like, I didn't think I would have to pay for a separate piece of content that should be (and technically WAS) in the game to begin with. Especially when the only things that change cosmetically are the menus.

And then, there's the SA1 port... Now, if SA1 without the DLC looked like an upscaled port of the Dreamcast version, then maybe I could understand having the DX 'upgrades' as seperate DLC. But no, it has the DX graphics anyway, so what was the point of making it separate? All it does is block content behind a paywall.

To answer the question: It annoyed me back then, and it would still annoy me now.

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I thought it was dumb then and I think it'd be even dumber now, especially when all of that was included in the gamecube releases anyway.

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The content isn't considered great by many so it's just not going to be a big deal. Nobody really misses mission mode and Chao karate. I think all of the content should be included in a rerelease but the content they held off is entirely worthless to me so I wouldn't care if they did it again.

Super Sonic being DLC was an outrage because of the principle, but I don't think that would have been a big deal either had it been given time to settle.

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I think it's more so that the game itself, as in the full main content that you wish to purchase isn't the stuff being lobbed off. If I'm buying Sonic Adventure, I'm doing it for the main game that I enjoy so I can have a graphically enhanced and easier accessed version of the game's story. I couldn't care nearly as much about the optional missions nor the Metal Sonic skin.

Not to mention that as people said, this DLC is enough to justify as DLC. It was content added on a later release to an already existing product. While ideally, I would've preferred a whole package deal, It's not as insulting to re-release the main game/product and then release the stuff of a later release down the line. It also helps the main products themselves are pretty dirt cheap (Unless things have changed, Adventure 1 is £3 on PSN and sometimes even cheaper if a sale is on, while Adventure 2 is £6). 

Super Sonic on the other hand is a far bigger insult to be sold as DLC. This is something that's always been an extra unlockable feature for 100%ing the game. Something to work towards. Something that let you broke the game for the level of effort you placed in. Chopping off something like this would be like if you chopped off money and weapon cheats for a GTA game and tried to resell them to you as DLC. I'd even argue it's somewhere near the level of Konami currently having the balls to try sell you a fucking save slot. This is a common feature of a game - a 100% bonus. This isn't something I should have to pay for. 

And that's amped up by the fact Forces has so many crappy side-missions that involve speed-running stages with insanely strict time limits only to get the biggest insult of having nothing for your efforts. You never retake 100% of the world, you never unlock Super Sonic, you get nothing, Good Day Sir. Super Sonic is a insult of an DLC.

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Didn't like it but I took it because it was a meaningful add on.  I only bought Battle DLC.

Super Sonic on the other hand... No thanks. Barely added anything to Forces, and it has been a more iconic thing within the franchise compared to some extra modes that were added to two games. And it's just feels more weird to have to buy something I'm so used to unlocking and enjoying since forever now. 

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Supersonic didn't add achievements/trophies though. The DX/Battle DLC did. 

While both are base game pieces purposely blocked off to maximise profits. The Xbox and PS crowd certainly have a fair amount of Achievement/Trophy hunters, and usually when we pay for DLC, we expect new achievements attached to paid DLC. 

So paying £2 for a few more achievements to chase down is no biggie for me personally, I have SA2B on the Gamecube as well as the Dreamcast Original. I could have just played them. But I chose not to. I chose to pay for this. 

Had the Supersonic DLC cost from the get-go, then no, I would never have bought it, because it doesn't give me any achievements to go after

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When I bought Sonic Adventure, I never bought the DX upgrade because internet reviews told me it only added minimal content and it would make the title screen uglier.

But so help me, those SEGA jerks have kept the Sonic Generations Casino Night pinball inaccessible for years now, and it looks like they'll never let me pay money for it. Poor planning from them, I say!

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If that happened today in 2018?? Absolute bedlam. Every one has a voice and lots of people like to complain. As you said, Just look at what happened with the Super Sonic DLC.

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I agree with the idea that it's prolly related to the price of the base product and the percentage of content you get.  £6 for a Sonic Adventure game is already a steal, so £2 on top of that is nothing really.  Also for that £2, you're getting multiple hours' worth of content.

Like, if they sold Sonic Adventure 2 in four pieces - £2 for the Hero Story, £2 for the Dark Story, £2 for the Last Story and bonus games, £2 for the ": Battle" content - I'd be like "you guys are crazy but sure that adds up about right in terms of value for money".

Meanwhile Sonic Forces already costs £35 for the base game - a concept that has always included Super Sonic in previous Sonic releases - so charging £2 for that last little single hour's worth of (recycled) content to play all the compatible stages as Super Sonic... yeah feels dumb.

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I probably would consider it a nice extra, but at the same time, they're about the only thing that makes the two ports feel like an 'upgrade'. Without those extras, they're pretty lazily done and even downgrade areas of the DC originals.

So I wouldn't mind the DLC but I'd question buying the two main games themselves in the first place.

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I'd buy it if I still lived at home or if it had online features but battle unless your around a lot of friends did not really add that much more

 

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