March 12th, 2012
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BioWare and EA have been taking some heat as of late for Mass Effect 3‘s “From Ashes” DLC being hidden on retail copies of the game. Game Informer reached out to the publisher who has responded to these reports…
In a statement made to Game Informer, EA has clarified,
“From Ashes is a 600 MB+ download with all new content, including the mission on Eden Prime, new dialogue options and conversations with Javik, new cinematics, the Prothean weapon, and new appearances for all squad members. All of the above content was completed while the main game was in certification and are not available on the disc.
“As stated previously, in order to seamlessly integrate Javik into the core campaign, certain framework elements and character models needed to be put on disc. We did something similar with Zaeed and Kasumi in Mass Effect 2.”
From Ashes is included with the Collector’s and Digital Deluxe Editions of Mass Effect 3 for free. If you bought the regular version you’ll have to pay $10.00 for the content. The DLC includes a new squadmate and missions.
“Certain framework elements” or not, the DLC was available for purchase the same day Mass Effect 3 was released which will always have fans questioning a company’s motives. Is the “From Ashes” day one DLC too much too soon? Give us your thoughts below.
Source: Game Informer
8 comments from members, join the discussion in the forum >>>
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Day 1 DLC is indefensible.
Working on this set of missions has taken time out of development and has ultimately negatively affected the quality of the base game, as well as depriving fans of the series of the full game despite paying for it.
F**k Bioware/EA, I’ll be getting this game used, if at all.
Don’t think I’ve ever seen you post angry before bud.
Personally, I say phuck capcom. There are 12 dlc characters ON DISC in streetfighter x tekken that you’ll have to pay extra for to play as.
Yeah can you say craigslist purchase?
AINSLEY!I understand your anger on this one mate as im sure meany others out there do also,How on earth can any developer release DLC content on day one!its absurd!EA and BIO did this with mass 2 also’ and all us gamers can see is that there being money grabbing greedy bastards,We should get all thats been made on day one and not be ripped off like they always do!F..KS me off!.
EA might be the biggest offender when it comes to squeezing DLC money from users. The last few Tiger Woods games came with fewer courses on the disc than what EA eventually released as add-on content. That is completely unacceptable. Guess what… not only did I not buy the DLC, I didn’t even buy the games themselves because of this, and I usually bought Tiger Woods every year. That is the only way we are going to send the message to publishers like EA who take advantage of its customers: don’t buy the product!
Day 1 DLC is a tough one because on one hand, it extends the life of a game if the customer is willing to buy it. On the other hand, some say it should have been a part of the product to begin with. In any case, I think this is why people should not buy games on release day unless they know what they will be getting. Don’t buy games blindly and complain afterwards. If you have a problem with the product, you can always wait a while until it drops in price and the price becomes reasonable to you.
There’s also the fact that many games are released bug infested or with some internet problems. Such was the case with Skyrim, Dead Island, Brink, Fallout 3 and Vegas, Resistance 3, AC Brotherhood… suffice to say that many games that were released in the last few years had problems and they were AAA games on top of that. This is why I tend not to buy a game unless it’s unlikely to have such problems (linear single player games or games from certain companies) or I wait a couple of weeks until the bugs have been ironed out. In order for this trend to die out (the patch later idea), we need to resist the urge to buy on launch day. I’m not saying we have to wait until the games hit the bargain bin, but to at least know what you’re paying for. Sorry for long rant.
The only reaso this was released as DLC was coz Bioware couldnt fir in on the $hitbox discs. Once again M$ and their $hit as system is holding back this game and the entire industry with it.
Then, EA, would you please explain how the DLC can be unlocked on the PC by changing one line of game code?