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Posted by Rich Edmondson

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DOWNLOAD THIS, _____________(noun)!

WEDNESDAY, JULY 11 2007

It's been a while since I've talked about stupid video game stuff. What do you know, here is some stupid video game stuff.

The only time that I have downloaded anything from the Xbox Live Marketplace was when I was ________________ (adj.) after a night of ______________(verb). How about this? I'll pay $12.50 for 1000 Microsoft Points, just so I can download a Live Arcade game or remake of a game I played in my early years. Then after two minutes of play I discover that the game is complete ________________(noun) and I cuss out loud a couple of times while ________________(verb) down the hall to my room. Good idea _________________(noun). In most cases I will never play those games again, except Geometry Wars. G Dub is the only game on Xbox Live Arcade even remotely interesting. Oh, and Texas Holdem, which is the greatest XBLA (Xbox Live Arcade) game available. The download times are relatively fast but that doesn't make up for the fact that I am usually ___________________(adj.) that I spent the money even before the download is complete. The thing is that you can't spend all of those friggin' points.

Enough about those ________________(adj.)  points, lets get down to the nitty gritty.

Downloadable content is both good and bad. Companies like Microsoft use downloadable content as a way to nickel and dime its loyal customers to death. Xbox Live Arcade games are not the problem. It's having to pay for themes or gamer pictures. At least with XBLA games you can usually download a trial version and decide whether or not you want to _________________(verb) out the cheese. When it comes to downloading extra content for games, I have a different stance. I am a huge fan of Guitar Hero II. If you challenge me, prepare to be ______________(verb) in a haze of _______________(adj.) hammer-ons and pull-offs, then ____________(verb) with a huge ______________(noun) right against your ______________(noun).

There are 3 song packs available for the Xbox 360 verson of Guitar Hero II. In most cases you get one good song and two _________________(adj.) songs. Each pack costs 500 Microsoft Points or $6.25 to the lapers.

You can check out the list and judge for yourself, brought to you by MajorNelson.com:
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GH II: Song Packs (3 of 'em)

Name: Guitar Hero Track Pack 1
Price: 500 Points
Availability: Not available in Asia
Featured Songs: Bark at the Moon as made famous by Ozzy Osbourne, Hey You as made famous by The Exies, Ace of Spades as made famous by Motorhead, For all song credits please visit www.redoctane.com.

Name: Guitar Hero Track Pack 2
Price: 500 Points
Availability: Not available in Asia
Featured Songs: Killer Queen as made famous by Queen, Take it Off as made famous by The Donnas, Frankenstein as made famous by The Edgar Winter Group, For all song credits please visit www.redoctane.com.

Name: Guitar Hero Track Pack 3
Price: 500 Points
Availability: Not available in Asia
Featured Songs: Higher Ground as made famous by Red Hot Chili Peppers, Infected as made famous by Bad Religon, Stellar as made famous by Incubus, For all song credits please visit www.redoctane.com.
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These songs are okay to listen to, but I wouldn't want to play them during the game.

You might say "Hey Rich, I like these songs, I wouldn't mind being called a complete and utter ____________________(noun) and pay $6.25 for one of those song packs. But hey, that's just me." And I would say you are entitled to your opinion, ____________________(noun). No offense if anyone has bought these, if you did, you are all __________________(noun, plural). I am waiting to see if they will be free in the coming months because I am a _________________(noun).

It isn't that you might think that $6.25 isn't that much money and the songs might be worth it. It is about companies making it's fans pay for material that should have been in the game to begin with. What is to come? Developers leaving out the last level of a game only to make the _______________(noun, plural) who bought it, have to pay extra to get that last bit of content.

One of the most ________________(adj.) acts of downloadable content was the infamous horse armor, released by Bethesda for the game the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion for $2.50 or 200 points. $2.50 is not a lot of money but $2.50 for a digital set of armor for your in-game horse, give me a _______________(verb). Normally, downloadable content for PC games is completely free, so I'm not sure why consoles are being escorted respectively with courtesy and compassion for monetary value by Pimp Daddy Dopetastic Microsoft G, Funk Master Silky Sony Super Solstice, and Sticky Fingers Nintendo Clinton.

Not all downloadable stuff is bad. If a company wants to put out a map pack or special content for a couple of bucks to keep the games in the consoles a little longer, it's okay. As long as it becomes free after a few months. Let the early adopters spend the money if they want it but make it free to the casual gamers down the road.

The greatest use of this service is the downloading of game demos for free. This is a great asset for those of us who like to test games out before we spend our 60 ducketts or amass a gastronomical amount of debt on my, or I mean your, Best Buy credit card.