DLC - expensive but worth it?

Just written another post for GamingBolt.com... Is downloadable content great for gamers or just another cash cow for developers?

Having just forked out for a brand new game, it’s never too long before the gaming faithful like myself are faced with a dilemma… After handing over our hard-earned cash, should we then spend a small fortune on additional downloadable content (DLC)?

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is a fine example of this quandary. Not only had we paid a premium for Infinity Ward’s epic shooter compared with the cost of most games but we were then teased with a new map pack. Well, I say new – in fact, it contained only a few new maps, merely recycling two from the original Modern Warfare! It also proved to be some of the most expensive DLC released so far. The cheek of it.

It seems, however, that millions of us gamers were perfectly content to part with our hard-earned cash no matter what the price or content. To capitalise on its success, the word on the street is that Activision now plans to release a second batch of DLC later this year…

Suffice to say, games developers are a canny lot. They nurture their audience and get us hooked, teasing us with additional maps, costumes or missions. And we lap it up.

There have been plenty of stories on this very site in the past month announcing the release of fresh downloadable content for recent or upcoming releases...