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Do Final Fantasy Fans Really Want Story-Based DLC?

At first, not being a multiplayer fan, I was one of the biggest supporters of story-based downloadable content for single-player campaigns.

But after seeing the DLC for Final Fantasy XIII-2 - and hearing about the possibility of more DLC - I'm starting to wonder if fans who enjoy good stories actually want such add-ons and expansions.

Thing is, it's kind of like finishing an epic plot with the lame "To be continued..." climax, which allows writers to leave us hanging and then force us to pay to see the rest of the story. I don't mind adding content to games, but I realize I do mind it if it affects a storyline that we expect to see in its entirety upon purchasing the game. I don't know if Square Enix has noticed, but it seems a great many FF fans are none too happy with the way FFXIII-2 ended, and are even less enthusiastic about the DLC that supposedly answers questions we have about Lightning and what happened after the end.

Extra content that gives you more weapons, items, maps, etc. is fine; it's only making a game bigger. But when you interrupt a narrative and dole out the rest in bite-size pieces...well, that's like buying a book, finding that it's only 2/3 written, and hearing that we'll get a few vague clarifications a little later on and oh yeah, we'll have to pay for them, too. The DLC that puts Lightning in the Arena and lets us use her in our party if we beat her? Fine, great. Doesn't really do anything to the story and it makes the game that much bigger and more entertaining. But story-based DLC is really starting to irk me.

Tags: final fantasy, final fantasy xiii-2, final fantasy xiii 2 dlc, ffxiii2 dlc

7/5/2012 12:12:25 PM Ben Dutka

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Comments (34 posts)

cLoudou
Thursday, July 05, 2012 @ 12:32:13 PM
Reply

What this FF fan really wants is for SE to first of all get Wada out, and 2, stop working on anything FFXIII related (DLC, another sequel, etc).
Last edited by cLoudou on 7/5/2012 12:34:55 PM

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Beamboom
Thursday, July 05, 2012 @ 12:33:07 PM
Reply

Story-based DLCs are fine when they are individual, standalone stories. My favourite examples in this respect are the Fallout and Borderlands DLCs.

That's how they should be, imo.

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Beamboom
Thursday, July 05, 2012 @ 1:25:16 PM

... Or the main DLCs for Saints Row 3! They are each hilarious, complete little stories.
My definitive favourite kind of DLC.
Last edited by Beamboom on 7/5/2012 1:26:39 PM

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frylock25
Thursday, July 05, 2012 @ 1:39:32 PM

another good example is bioshock 2. minervas den was an excellent stand alone dlc.

also i would like to add the la noire dlc.
Last edited by frylock25 on 7/5/2012 1:43:21 PM

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Underdog15
Thursday, July 05, 2012 @ 1:46:35 PM

Yeah, those standalone stories are great. That's the way that kind of dlc should be! Extra!

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Temjin001
Thursday, July 05, 2012 @ 12:40:02 PM
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Yeah, story plot DLC is sort of stinky.

I'm enjoying FF13-2 though. I think Noel's name alone is sort of a spoiler in itself. I pretty much expect the guy to sacrifice himself for the people. Noel is another name for Christmas and his last name might as well have a T at the end. Just saying

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Underdog15
Thursday, July 05, 2012 @ 1:47:31 PM

Well.... shit.

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WorldEndsWithMe
Thursday, July 05, 2012 @ 2:53:50 PM

That's not the ending, it's much lamer.

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Underdog15
Thursday, July 05, 2012 @ 5:16:26 PM

oh ok, good... then? (I don't know if I mean good.... lol)

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Temjin001
Thursday, July 05, 2012 @ 7:38:12 PM

well, crap. nothing gets a big lame label unless it's a lame dream reason. It's Wizard of Oz's fault!

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Temjin001
Thursday, July 05, 2012 @ 7:41:24 PM

dreams, amnesia, and time travel should become taboo plot points.

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Sogi_Otsa
Thursday, July 05, 2012 @ 12:41:31 PM
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Yeah, as long as the prices are low and the main story is done. i haven't bought the last chapter of Aura's Wrath because it's too much and should of been included. i actually have an idea too implement in games I'm writing out.
The extra's are more personally needed, like Character back story and extra storyline. but you know more then necessary all ready in game.

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Ninja_WafflesXD
Thursday, July 05, 2012 @ 1:08:36 PM
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Story DLC is fine if it's done correctly. Side-stories for both major/minor characters in the form of DLC? Fine.

EXTENDING the story via DLC (especially if parts of the main story is intentionally left out to cater for this) i.e. SE and their "Requiem of the Goddess" DLC? Yeah, no thanks :/

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duomaxwell007
Thursday, July 05, 2012 @ 1:08:57 PM
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yup i prefer story based DLC over ALL other forms of DLC.. story based DLc for ANy game i own is an automatic buy for me

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Jawknee
Thursday, July 05, 2012 @ 1:19:22 PM
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How about they make a proper Final Fantasy game first.

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frylock25
Thursday, July 05, 2012 @ 1:38:24 PM
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im not superstitious but 13 is generally a bad number. im starting to believe that ffxiii is just jinxed. everything that they do while making xiii will just come out messed up. that includes xiv since it is being made at the same time as xiii. look at versus. that game is a damn joke.

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WorldEndsWithMe
Thursday, July 05, 2012 @ 2:55:33 PM

Apollo 13 launched at 13:13 hours.

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frylock25
Thursday, July 05, 2012 @ 3:08:04 PM

ha ha really? i did not know that. they were extra f'd

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Ishkur
Thursday, July 05, 2012 @ 1:43:27 PM
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I've never liked the idea of DLC. Want to update my game? Sure go ahead. Want to make an expansion pack? Thanks! Want to charge me for things that used to be cheat codes? I'll pass. 'cept free to play, I guess I'm ok with that.

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Ultimadream
Thursday, July 05, 2012 @ 2:09:16 PM
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Nope! When I buy a game I want to know I have bought the full content, I can let go of petty things like costumes, but losing out on parts of the story can just ruin the experience. I generally enjoyed XIII-2, but I didn't fall for any of the DLC, The lightning one looked interesting, but should have been part of the game.

I will not except XIII-2 to be finished with DLC, XIII-3 is really in order to complete the XIII series - I look to it with enthusiasm, but I am sure most want them to just get over it and get on with XV. I too want XV, but S-E need to finish what they started with dignity...

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kraygen
Thursday, July 05, 2012 @ 2:24:59 PM
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I'm not a big fan of dlc in general, personally I think dlc should stick to additional weapons, costumes, equipment type stuff that can be added later for when you feel like playing the game again. It would also of course work for the online MP fans who want new stuff every few months.

The problem I have with story dlc is that great stories flow well and have a beginning a middle and an end. A series can work well because it can deal with different stories involving the same characters. Like a long story could have subplots for each game.

However when you make a grand, epic story and then start tacking on little tidbits, like oh yeah and this character went out for chinese food and battled a couple of monsters on the way, it doesn't flow well it feels cheap and gimmicky.

No one goes to the movie theater, watches a movie and says, now they need to make a 30 minute tv episode to show me how things happened after the movie. That would be horrible and people would stop going to the movies.

Story dlc just doesn't do anything for me. If you make me a great story in any format, I'll want to enjoy it again. Introducing zombies, vampires, or some other horror monster into it doesn't make me it worth it to me.

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Beamboom
Friday, July 06, 2012 @ 1:21:12 AM

There's plenty examples of successful transitions of movies becoming tv-series and the other way around.

Think of the (good) story-based DLCs as short stories from that same universe. It can easily be done, and done right.

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kraygen
Friday, July 06, 2012 @ 1:58:58 AM

You misunderstand, I'm not talking about an on going tv series that runs for an entire season or multiple seasons. No story dlc has 15 or more episodes to download.

I'm talking about seeing a movie and the end only being revealed via a single 30 minutes episode, would be dumb.

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Clamedeus
Thursday, July 05, 2012 @ 2:38:54 PM
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I'm not really a fan of Story DLC, If it's free, then maybe.

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WorldEndsWithMe
Thursday, July 05, 2012 @ 2:59:50 PM
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Story DLC is great as long as you aren't selling the rest of the story. If they wanted it in FF they should sell it as a series of side quests that have their own branching story line which ties into the main one somehow and also gives you neat stuff like costumes and weapons and extra monsters.

XIII-2 was a disastrously patched together set of reused maps and fetch quests and the ending that isn't an ending is just a slap in the face.

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LowKey
Thursday, July 05, 2012 @ 3:47:07 PM
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And yet I catch hell when I try to say these things.... Or when I try to explain the the industry is going down the crapper... Hearing this makes me sick to my stomach. And anybody who buys this DLC is a traitor and an enabler. Cuz if this DLC sells well, guess what? More devs will follow suit. This isn't one of my little rants. This will happen. Come hither and give heed. Don't enable this type of thing. If this pisses you off then say something. Defend the money you've spent, defend you right as a consumer.

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Rogueagent01
Thursday, July 05, 2012 @ 3:49:43 PM
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As long as it is DLC like "Dragon Age: Origins" had I am fine with it. That DLC didn't affect the games end results it simply brought more depth to the characters you were using in the game. Valkyria Chronicles also had good DLC that didn't mess with the end results. Any kind of DLC that plays a role in the ending of the game is a horrendous idea and should NOT be supported by anyone, unless it is free.

Its one thing to make a game that is known to have this kind of DLC from the beginning, but to make a game and then release any kind of end altering DLC is just bad business in my opinion.

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Temjin001
Thursday, July 05, 2012 @ 7:48:55 PM

those RPG types can get away with that because those are sub-plots that exist in a vacuum and have no bearing whatsoever on the main plot. It's one big reason linearity in story design will always win over the choose your own adventure types. Haha remember those books?

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BikerSaint
Thursday, July 05, 2012 @ 7:41:02 PM
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I'm not a player of the FF's(tried but just can't get into RPG's), but it sounds to me like SE purposely planned this whole game out to be nothing more than a bunch of episodes(including the main disc) just to further their treasure chests.

And if anyone remembers, a long time ago I said a that all that stuff that was chopped from their previous game would find it's way into this one, in one form or another????

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___________
Friday, July 06, 2012 @ 4:38:48 AM
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i dont see why not, as long as they dont do the usual, IE end the game abruptly and make people pay to get any closure.
there better off doing a side story and show the games events through a different perspective, like what darksiders 2 is doing.
or even show the events after the game like what revenge of harley is doing.
still cant get over that ending, i mean what the hell rocksteady!?
wonder how there going to do a new game now.........
its a shame there not doing a tie in game to the dark night rises, that actually looks really freaking cool!

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homura
Friday, July 06, 2012 @ 5:14:24 AM
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Miss the days when it's used to be unlockables.

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ethird1
Friday, July 06, 2012 @ 2:41:09 PM
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AFter playing the crappy DLC from Dragon's Dogma, I can appreciate any DLC coming from Square.

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DeathOfChaos
Friday, July 06, 2012 @ 7:01:23 PM
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What problem is there with DLC that adds to story, especially with a game like XIII-2? With the whole time travel and alrernate demensions thing going, all story additions are pretty much accptable, lol. A better example would have been Alan Wake. Finish the game, then buy your right to get to the store so you can buy the ending for the game... lame!!

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MMKM
Sunday, July 08, 2012 @ 12:02:00 PM
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To me, DLC now includes what expansion packs did in PC gaming, so I'm meh on that whole issue.

I do have a problem of being forced to buy the DLC in order to see the ending of a game's story. DLC that expands the story without skewing the main tale can be done well, such as I've seen with DA:O, LA Noire, and RDR. I don't want DLC that finishes what should have been in the original game to begin with. FFXIII-2's DLC is an obvious money-grab, the lowest form of DLC IMNSHO.

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