News | 3/15/2012 at 1:00 PM

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City DLC Goes on Sale Early on Xbox.com

Somebody jumps the gun by putting these guns on sale.

Don't you hate it when each retailer offers a different piece of preorder DLC and you just can't get them all without skipping out on paying your rent? Sometimes you can buy the DLC later online and sometimes you can't. Well, everyone has a fair chance at Resident Evil: Operation Racoon City's preorder DLC. The game may not be out until next week, but for some reason you can buy its DLC packs right now at Xbox.com.

The four RE: Operation Racoon City DLC packs listed on Xbox.com:

Elite Pack and Costumes - 400 Points - BestBuy preorder bonus
Play with Umbrella's special prototype guns in the Elite Weapons and Costumes Pack. Included in this pack are the pump-action Perforator, tactical Combat SMG, and alternate costumes for all 6 members of the USS Wolfpack. Power Pack and Costumes - 400 Points - GameStop preorder bonus
Dominate your opponents with the Power Weapons and Costumes Pack. Included in this pack are the high capacity Combat Shotgun, deadly Anti-Material Rifle, and alternate costumes for all 6 members of the USS Wolfpack. Renegade Pack and Costumes - 400 Points - Amazon preorder bonus
Get an edge on the competition with the Renegade Weapons and Costumes Pack. Included in this pack are the deadly Machine Pistol, the long barreled Cowboy Shotgun, and alternate costumes for all 6 members of the USS Wolfpack. Weapon Stash and Costumes - 640 Points - Included with the Special Edition
The ultimate arsenal upgrade! The Raccoon City Weapon Stash and Costume Pack features alternate costumes for the 6 members of the USS Wolfpack as well as access to 8 special weapons including the Combat Shotgun, Anti-Material Rifle, Machine Pistol, Cowboy Shotgun, Perforator, Combat SMG, Matilda, and Classic Launcher.

As far as I can tell, the same costumes are shared between each pack, making the weapons the real differentiator. We won't know for sure until the game launches though. The Weapon Stash and Costumes pack seems to include all of the other packs' weapons, so it would be the one to buy if you've gotta have the whole arsenal.

Of course, none of these packs should be necessary for gamers who pick up the Resident Evil: Operation Racoon City Special Edition. It includes:

Steelbook with exclusive art Stylized foil sleeve Umbrella Security Service embroidered patch Spec Ops Field Unit embroidered patch Eight bonus weapons (see above)

The costumes aren't actually listed, but since they are included in the 'Weapon Stash and Costumes Pack,' their inclusion would seem likely.

What do you think about Xbox.com selling preorder DLC to people who didn't preorder the game? Even though most of these packs don't seem like a tremendous value, I'd rather have the option of getting them than not. As for listing them before the game even comes out, that's got to be a mistake on Microsoft's part. But it certainly alleviates concerns about where to buy the game (and perhaps which edition to get).

Resident Evil: Operation Racoon City launches on Tuesday, March 20. Its campaign supports 4 player online co-op. We'll have a full co-op review very soon!