In Part One of this editorial, we looked at the strengths and weaknesses of disc based content delivery in music games. To summarize that discussion, disc based games are portable and keep resale value, while swapping discs and flooding the market are problematic. Let's consider the pros and cons of DLC, followed by some final thoughts on the matter.
Why Downloadable Content Is Good:
Backwards compatibility: Probably the greatest advantage to DLC. Harmonix was the first to implement backwards compatibility, allowing all Rock Band content to work in Rock Band 2. Not only was the DLC compatible, but you can even export all the songs on the RB1 disc to your hard drive, and play them in RB2! This is fantastic, and we'll have more to say about it later.
Longevity: DLC keeps you going back to a game, far longer than you would otherwise. When one of your favorite songs is available to download, you'll dust the game off and check it out. Of course, if you already have the gear out, you might as well play a few old favorites, too. For our family, this happens every month or so, and it's just as much fine every time.
Something for everyone: DLC allows for music that is more experimental, or very different from typical music game fare. There's a lot of variety in the DLC for Rock Band, for instance. From Country and Disney Channel stars to Spongebob and The Monkees, DLC allows publishers to take a chance on music that they might not be willing to make full disc based games out of. With hundreds of songs available, anyone can find something they'll enjoy.
Impulse buys: $2 is a minor amount of money, even in a bad economy. For less than the cost of a gallon of gas, you can add a song to your gaming library. It's almost a nobrainer, and it's tough to control yourself when the price is so low. Contrast this to a full $60 disc, which is an amount that will make you think twice about whether you "need" it or not.
No breaks in the fun: Being able to queue up a massive list of songs keeps the good times flowing. Having all of your content available in one game engine means there's less time spent restarting, signing in, connecting controllers, etc.
Paying for content only: Let's face it, very little has changed since the first 4 player music game came out. Minor gameplay tweaks aside, we're basically playing the same game that we have been for quite a while. Buying DLC feels like a valid extension of the game, adding content only, whereas disc based content gives you the impression that you are paying a premium for what is, in essence, the same game you already have.
Why Downloadable Content Is Bad:
Not so "new and shiny": Gamers are a fickle lot, and have a long established way of looking at games. Once you have "completed" a game, it loses some of its appeal. Sure, there may be more songs to play, but if you've beaten career mode, you often feel like it's time to move on. Gaming habits are hard to break.
DLC is not very portable: Taking your DLC with you can be a pain in the neck. Many factors have to be considered: moving gamertags, internet connections, the hard drive or memory card itself, etc. When a friend calls and asks you to bring the latest disc, it's grab and go, but if you have DLC you'll often not even bother.
Achievement envy: This one's for the cheevo chumps. Disc based games offer lots of chances for new achievements and trophies. That has not been the case for DLC in music games so far. I wonder why this is, since DLC packs add to achievements in many other games.
It's yours forever: Once you buy DLC, it's always yours, with no refunds or returns. There's no selling it, or trading it in. Not a deal breaker, for sure, but it is worth considering. Thankfully, with music games, you know exactly what you are getting with your DLC in the first place. (I'm bitter I can't Ebay away my bad decision to buy Pokemon Ranch for the Wii.)
Technical issues: DLC takes up space, obviously. If you don't have a hard drive, you are pretty much out of luck. Even if you do have a hard drive, the space fills up quickly. Also out of luck are those without an internet connection. Disc based content solves both of these problems.
When I started thinking about these issues, I always felt that DLC would come out the winner in a landslide. It's hard to argue with no disc swapping and cheap prices, when I can pick what I want. However, the appeal of the extra features of disc based content, plus the inherent monetary value of physical media, is compelling as well. In the final analysis, I still think DLC comes out on top, but I believe the real winner here is the music game consumer.
Competition always leads to innovation. Guitar Hero and Rock Band are both solid franchises, and each have made improvements to the basic formula over time, leading to a very highly polished experience for gamers. It seems like when one series has a good idea, the other implements it too. GH World Tour used the 4 player band mode of Rock Band, and the Beatles Rock Band takes a page from GH Aerosmith and Metallica. Guitar Hero 5 promises backwards compatibility with previous DLC, copying what was easily the greatest feature of Rock Band 2. Harmonix has released much of its DLC in Track Pack disc form, similar to the GH releases.
Perhaps the best solution of all would be to give players the choice. Why choose disc or DLC, when you can have it both ways? Consider the following, an idealized scenario. DLC would be released every week, and disc based compilations of the same songs would be released at nearly the same time. If you want just a few songs, grab them at $2 a pop, or, if there's a lot of good stuff you like, spring for the whole disc, which would be priced at a bulk rate discount. Core game revisions would still be released on disc. Why stop there, though, when you can take it a step farther? Give gamers the option to export songs from any music game disc to the hard drive, and make those songs, and any other DLC compatible with all future revisions to the core game platform. As with the Six Million Dollar Man, the technology is here to do this, and it would rebuild the music game genre into something truly great.