U.Gamers Podcast #125: Downloadable content woes, featuring Star Wars Battlefront & Metal Gear Solid V
Summary: Jon has a bone to pick with the upcoming downloadable content release schedule for Star Wars Battlefront, and Cody debates with him whether Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is guilty of DLC misdeeds. <br> Show Notes:<br> <br> * Photo credit: <a href="https://flic.kr/p/wFk7KR">Marco Verch</a> via <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/30478819@N08/">Flickr</a><br> * Jon recounts the tale of one man’s <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/3t78j6/in_august_my_psn_account_was_hacked_and_i_found/" target="_blank">ridiculous customer service experience</a> with Sony<br> <br> * Cody counter-points with some good customer service experiences he’s had with Sony, which somehow leads to Jon talking about a subscription he has that allows him to listen to old baseball games… which is completely pointless<br> * Jon is not a fan of how difficult it is to unsubscribe from basically anything on the iTunes Store<br> * Jon claims that if you get a “dumb” customer service representative, sometimes you can get totally screwed<br> * Cody posits that stupidity isn’t the only thing that can affect your customer service experience, as many people are great and many people are just kind of terrible people<br> * Jon and Cody argue about whether they’re even arguing at this point in the customer service conversation<br> <br> <br> * They transition into downloadable content (DLC) discussion mode, starting with a reference to the atrocious DLC in <a href="http://gamelifebalanceus.com/039-tower-defense-and-free-to-play-gaming-extravaganza/" target="_blank">Plants vs. Zombies 2: Garden Warfare</a><br> * Jon gives a primer on the Battlefield video game series, since <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars_Battlefront_(2015_video_game)" target="_blank">Star Wars Battlefront</a> is essentially a Battlefield game and the third game in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars:_Battlefront" target="_blank">Star Wars: Battlefront series</a><br> * Jon explains the <a href="http://starwars.ea.com/starwars/battlefront/season-pass" target="_blank">$50 Season Pass</a> available to order pre-release, and why he thinks that’s too expensive and splits the player base too dramatically<br> <br> * Is the initial offering for the game too thin at $60 for a game that’s been in development for a very long time? Cody doesn’t think it is, and discusses with Jon<br> <br> <br> * Cody discusses his history with the Call of Duty DLC map packs and how dissatisfied he was with the maps<br> * Jon compares Destiny’s latest expansions to the price of the season pass to highlight its absurdity to him, and Cody argues why the content is “worth it” to some<br> * In Cody’s world, it’s just as offensive to have <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJz_KjNHACk" target="_blank">spent $20 on a game like Gone Home</a> as it is to spend fifty bucks on some DLC, then reminisces on his multiplayer days playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and 3 with his friends<br> * Jon concedes that he is probably “just old” and seamlessly transitions into a discussion on in-app / in-game purchases, which seem a little more frightening<br> <br> * Cody helps enable the most seamless transition basically ever<br> <br> <br> * Cody explains the online multiplayer in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, including Forward Operating Bases (FOBs), your staff, R&D, and offense/defense when infiltrating bases in multiplayer mode<br> <br> * Jon is a fan… up until Cody starts talking about how you can buy insurance, using real-world money, to “insure” your virtual characters from being captured by online adversaries<br> <br> <br> * The verdict is out regarding exactly whom is the target of <a href="http://metalgear.wikia.com/wiki/Metal_Gear_Solid_V/Downloadable_Content" target="_blank">the game... </a>
