23 September 2008
Josh

Mega Man 9 downloadable content packs coming in October

Mega Man 9 DLC (downloadable content) will be released starting in October, Capcom has revealed. This includes the rumored Proto Man DLC that adds him as a playable character . . . at a cost of $2. And that’s only the beginning of the pricing for those gamers who want additional content than what is initially available for $10.

According to the instruction manual for the WiiWare version of the game (which came out yesterday), there will be five pieces of DLC in total that will release on October 6th and October 20th. It is possible that some of this extra content could be included in the Xbox 360 or PS3 versions of the game, but it’s doubtful given that the Proto Man DLC has already been announced at the same $2 price point for both PS3 & 360.

The additional DLC for Mega Man 9 will include:

* Endless Attack - October 6, $3: “Test your skills on a stage without end. Try to break the record for getting the farthest. Results will be displayed in the Rankings. Not compatible with Challenges.”

* Proto Man Mode - October 6, $2: “Play the game as Proto Man. You can use the shield while jumping. Some of Proto Man’s abilities may differ from Mega Man’s. There is no story for Proto Man. Not compatible with Rankings or Challenges.”

* Hero Mode - October 20, $1: “Play the game with a more difficult level of enemy distribution. Not compatible with Rankings or Challenges.”

* Superhero Mode - October 20, $1: “Play the game with a super difficult level of enemy distribution. Not compatible with Rankings or Challenges.”

* Special Stage - October 20, $1: “Gives you another Time Attack Stage to try, including a new Boss at the end! Results will be displayed in the Rankings. Not compatible with Challenges.”

If you add up the cost of all these pieces of content, then the price of Mega Man 9 shoots up from $10 to $18.

Charging for this so-called “additional” content has also angered many gamers, who feel that it should come free as unlockable content, as it would for any other retail game. However this will most definitely serve as an experiment for Capcom, who will judge whether or not they can or should charge for this kind of “additional” content in future games based on sales of Mega Man 9 and sales of it’s downloadable content.

Which definitely puts gamers in a precarious position, given all the excitement surrounding the “return to 8-bit glory” of Mega Man with the release of this game. It’s a sad situation indeed if you ask me, and I hope that the backlash Capcom has already endured so far on message boards across the web will send them a strong enough signal to stop with the nonsense charges of small content.

Via 1-Up

24 September 2008 11:25
Cachinnus

Had Mega Man 9 been released back in ‘96 following 6 on the NES, it would have cost 50 dollars anyway.

But I don’t know how that compares to inflation.

24 September 2008 11:47
supadupagama

The price for the game itself is fair, I agree. But what I think most people have a problem with is that if feels Capcom cut certain features out of the game so they could sell it for more.

25 September 2008 01:01
Lanny Heidbreder

Good grief. If there were no DLC and the whole game had cost $20, no one would be complaining. But idiots with preconceived notions scream about anything they’ve decided is cool to dislike.

Think of it this way: The whole game costs $18, and was always supposed to cost $18, but they’re letting less hardcore people experience the main part of the game for a discount, or choose which extra features interest them.

Or, y’know, don’t. Sit there doing what you always do, whining and expecting everything for free and pirating music and games that are ridiculously priced because, y’know, the CDs they come on only cost pennies to reproduce!

25 September 2008 01:03
Lanny Heidbreder

(Not that I’m saying any particular person reading this is necessarily a copyright infringer, just that there’s a large intersection between the groups of “media infringers” and “people who whine about paying for things”)

26 September 2008 22:26
Cid Voorheez

who cares. whats another 8 bucks. the game is awsome and i it is gonna get my support. i luv it

27 September 2008 15:24
PPtrueno

I don’t think any of you were “forced” to buy this game anyway, so if you like it buy it, and if you liked it very very much, well then, spend another 2 or 3 more bucks on it. Besides, it is a great game so it recieved my total support, I’ll spend $12, ’cause mega man rules!! love it!!