Everything Old is New Again

Time was, one thing clearly separated the worlds of consoles and the PC: console games never changed after their initial release, whereas PC gamers could expect a steady diet of patches, upgrades and mini-expansions. But over the first few years of the new millennium, as high-bandwidth home internet connections became more common and console hardware started to share more with its computer cousins, that all changed. Now, thanks to Sony and Microsoft's bulging online services, console games are taking the downloadable content lead.

And the range of games getting updates is steadily increasing. While downloadable extras tend to suit open-ended and multiplayer-focused games like Halo 3 or Motorstorm, even plot-heavy, non-multiplayer games like Bioshock enjoy bonus content, too. Content updates give developers a chance to extend the lifespan of their games, address popular criticisms of their gameplay or interfaces, and fix bugs -- and, in many cases, earn a few extra dollars along the way. But when does releasing downloadable content stop being a useful service and start becoming just another way to squeeze money out of consumers? And which games might opt for a stream of download content instead of a sequel? Read on for a selection of winners (and losers) in the downloadable content game.

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The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

One of the first Xbox 360 games to jump on the downloadable content bandwagon, Oblivion's first pack was not an unmitigated success. In fact, it's probably fair to say it was a bit of a debacle. Would you want to pay $2.50 for armor for your horse - armor that didn't actually do anything but look shiny? We wouldn't either, and Oblivion developer Bethesda found itself on the receiving end of considerable criticism for charging for the pack. (It's worth remembering that Bethesda eventually came out with some more worthwhile downloadable additions to the game, including a complete expansion pack Xbox Live users could buy and save straight to their hard drive.)

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Rock Band

Shifting 400,000-odd copies in its first few weeks of life is no mean feat for any video game, but when it's a game that costs two or three times as much as a regular release, it's doubly impressive. Rock Band's publisher EA continues to extract more money from purchasers of the game, thanks to its ever-growing catalog of downloadable tracks. Metallica, David Bowie, Black Sabbath and Radiohead songs have all popped up on Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network since its November release. Judging by the content packs' popularity among the sizable Rock Band community, the price point is easy to swallow, coming in at a couple of bucks or so per song -- and the weekly releases are planned to continue. It all raises the question: if you can keep customers paying for new songs every week, why bother to make a sequel?

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Crackdown

No game is perfect, and although the building-leaping, criminal-zapping Crackdown earned top reviews it wasn't without its flaws. Once you completed the game, for example, you couldn't keep roaming 'round the city tackling bad guys, and the third-person camera controls weren't quite to everyone's taste. Downloadable content to the rescue! A free update fixed these issues, and a $10 pack added new vehicles, game types, weapons and races. Best of all, if you wanted to try out the new toys without paying, all you had to do was join a multiplayer game hosted by someone who'd already shelled out the dough.

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Halo 3

Halo 3's downloadable content presents players with a conundrum: do you want to pay $10 and play new content right now, or would you rather wait until you can get it for free? Developer Bungie posed this question to Halo 3 owners last month with the release of the "Heroic Map Pack," and although there's no current word on when we can expect the three maps found in this downloadable expansion to lose their price tag, we're expecting to hear something in the next few months. If you don't mind paying up, though, there's good news: another three-map pack is also in the works.

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