Princely DLC

I have already ranted about shady Downloadable Content in a previous post. It seems that the big publishers keep on pushing the limits on how low they can go with ripping off their legitimate customers. This time, the record is set by Ubisoft, publisher of the newest Prince of Persia game.

First off, I have to say that I loved the new Prince of Persia. It is, to me, an amazing accomplishment. The flow of the game is fast and catches the essence of what the prince is all about. Paired with one of the nicest cel-shaded graphics in gaming history, production values in par with Disney films such as Aladdin and Hercules, and topped with genuinely loveable characters, the game is just breathtaking.

How awesome that this is an actual in-game screenshot?

Therefore, when I have heard about the DLC planned for Prince of Persia, I got pissed. No, I was more than pissed. I was furious. I will explain with as few spoilers as possible: The game has a rather bleak ending, with no real conclusion. Since Ubisoft had already established that the new game is to be a first of a trilogy (an annoying trend, but one I can live with), I was satisfied with the ending, hoping that the next two would deliver the conclusion to the story. However… the new commercial DLC released by Ubisoft is called Prince of Persia: Epilogue. Can you see where I’m going with this? The DLC is an extra portion that contains a more “proper” ending for the original game! This isn’t a real expansion to the game. It contains a couple of new levels and moves for the prince and a new ending sequence that actually makes more sense than the original ending. And they are charging 10$ for it! They are charging the customers additional 10$ for content that was supposed to be an integral part of the original package for which legitimate customers paid 50$/60$ (depending on whether they bought it for the PC or consoles) . It’s as if that the game wasn’t completed by the time Ubisoft released it, and now that they finished the rest of the game, they have the nerve to release it as additional content for money! It is almost like being kicked in the nuts by a porn star; She lets you watch all the good parts but then she kicks you in the nuts.

 
It feels kind of like this

This is no less than a spit in the face of the customers by Ubisoft. Whereas companies like Valve are constantly releasing new maps and features for games they released years ago for free, Ubisoft intentionally cut the last part of their game, released the game and a few months later released that last part, charging no less than 10$ for it! There just aren’t enough words to describe how despicable this act is. I just pray that the majority of gamers, even those who loved the original game, would have the restraint and common-sense not to pay for this. We must draw the line somewhere!