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DLC Quest Review
For the purposes of this review, the PC version was played
Unlock Review Section Titles: 5 coins
What is happening to the gaming industry? We live in an age of almost circular mistrust and exploitation. With piracy and second hand sales apparently ever increasing and a continual drain on the potential earnings of game studios, it's time for them to hit back. And they do this with downloadable content.
Downloadable content is the scourge of the consumer, a desperate grab for more money from the creators. We know you bought your game, but pay more! Pay more to see the ending, to see the plots, to improve your power... Pay more to complete your experience!
Okay, that might be slightly unbalanced (and not representative of my actual views, that's for another time), but it was only an introduction. It is hardly going to be news to anyone that some of the practices creeping in to gaming are unpopular, or at best divisive. There are some thoughts that, with the birth of microtransactions and freemium set-ups, we are heading toward some sort of dystopian future for games.
That's where DLC Quest comes in! An indie developed 2D platformer which pretty much bases itself in this vision of the future of gaming, where anything you could possibly want in a game comes...as an extra!
Of course, this doesn't mean that the game becomes extortionately expensive, as this is done with tongue planted firmly within the cheek. It serves to ridicule not only the poor practices that are heading this slippery slope, but also other parts of the general gaming world.
DLC Quest offers two separate, but linked, campaigns – DLC Quest and Live Freemium or Die, which are both provided in the package. Fortunately, the developers obviously resisted the urge to forge a bond with the ironic and hypocritical by making Live Freemium or Die into paid downloadable content.
So what's the context behind the parody? Well, in DLC Quest, the player takes control of Player, a sprite-come-hero that is dragged into the the perils of the village, aided in his various quests by the magnanimous shopkeeper offering all sorts of goodies that are necessary for defeating the bad guy and saving the princess and all of the other gaming clichés you can think of. It must be said that DLC Quest is very short and to the point, with some (but not a lot) of exploration to be done before even 100% completion.
Live Freemium or Die is a “direct sequel” of sorts to DLC Quest, and provides a much more fleshed out experience than that of the former. Continuing the rather contrived storyline to this point of DLC Quest, Live Freemium or Die continues following Player as he investigates a recent string of related deaths in the village, providing a much larger scale of map for exploration and a slightly more directed story than the first part of the duology.
Gameplay-wise, the DLC duo doesn't really do anything to innovate, nor does it do anything particularly wrong. The game plays as a fairly simple 2D platformer, with each game providing a slightly different platforming mechanic to get around with. It must also be noted that Live Freemium or Die adds a little more of the challenge that DLC Quest was pretty much devoid of. That being said, it's hardly Super Meat Boy and won't provide too much of a headache to anyone. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as it allows many people to enjoy the concept and humour within, but don't come in expecting to be tested.
So if DLC Quest isn't going to win awards for its gameplay, what about the graphics and sounds? Well, once you've unlocked the audio and visual packs, it can be seen that it is a fairly basic affair. The 8-bit visual style pays good homage to the early days of gaming history, whilst the fairly catchy (albeit short, much like the game) chiptune background music also adds to the aesthetic. These provide a great contrast to the issues of modern and future gaming models that the game attempts to address.
So, if you're wanting a AAA blockbuster that's going to provide you with hours of content and the complexities that come with it, then you are looking in the wrong place. If you're wanting a technical masterpiece or keyboard smashing difficulty, then your experience is not here. If, however, you are looking for a short and simple distraction, at only a fraction of the price of a map pack, with plenty of satirical amusement (As such, it could be described as a much more concise version of what Duke Nukem Forever tried to be), then look no further than DLC Quest – and be happy that the industry haven't quite plunged to the depths that the game attests to!
Unlock Final Review Score Pack: 8 coins
For the purposes of this review, the PC version was played
Unlock Review Section Titles: 5 coins
What is happening to the gaming industry? We live in an age of almost circular mistrust and exploitation. With piracy and second hand sales apparently ever increasing and a continual drain on the potential earnings of game studios, it's time for them to hit back. And they do this with downloadable content.
Downloadable content is the scourge of the consumer, a desperate grab for more money from the creators. We know you bought your game, but pay more! Pay more to see the ending, to see the plots, to improve your power... Pay more to complete your experience!
Okay, that might be slightly unbalanced (and not representative of my actual views, that's for another time), but it was only an introduction. It is hardly going to be news to anyone that some of the practices creeping in to gaming are unpopular, or at best divisive. There are some thoughts that, with the birth of microtransactions and freemium set-ups, we are heading toward some sort of dystopian future for games.
That's where DLC Quest comes in! An indie developed 2D platformer which pretty much bases itself in this vision of the future of gaming, where anything you could possibly want in a game comes...as an extra!
Of course, this doesn't mean that the game becomes extortionately expensive, as this is done with tongue planted firmly within the cheek. It serves to ridicule not only the poor practices that are heading this slippery slope, but also other parts of the general gaming world.
DLC Quest offers two separate, but linked, campaigns – DLC Quest and Live Freemium or Die, which are both provided in the package. Fortunately, the developers obviously resisted the urge to forge a bond with the ironic and hypocritical by making Live Freemium or Die into paid downloadable content.
So what's the context behind the parody? Well, in DLC Quest, the player takes control of Player, a sprite-come-hero that is dragged into the the perils of the village, aided in his various quests by the magnanimous shopkeeper offering all sorts of goodies that are necessary for defeating the bad guy and saving the princess and all of the other gaming clichés you can think of. It must be said that DLC Quest is very short and to the point, with some (but not a lot) of exploration to be done before even 100% completion.
Live Freemium or Die is a “direct sequel” of sorts to DLC Quest, and provides a much more fleshed out experience than that of the former. Continuing the rather contrived storyline to this point of DLC Quest, Live Freemium or Die continues following Player as he investigates a recent string of related deaths in the village, providing a much larger scale of map for exploration and a slightly more directed story than the first part of the duology.
Gameplay-wise, the DLC duo doesn't really do anything to innovate, nor does it do anything particularly wrong. The game plays as a fairly simple 2D platformer, with each game providing a slightly different platforming mechanic to get around with. It must also be noted that Live Freemium or Die adds a little more of the challenge that DLC Quest was pretty much devoid of. That being said, it's hardly Super Meat Boy and won't provide too much of a headache to anyone. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as it allows many people to enjoy the concept and humour within, but don't come in expecting to be tested.
So if DLC Quest isn't going to win awards for its gameplay, what about the graphics and sounds? Well, once you've unlocked the audio and visual packs, it can be seen that it is a fairly basic affair. The 8-bit visual style pays good homage to the early days of gaming history, whilst the fairly catchy (albeit short, much like the game) chiptune background music also adds to the aesthetic. These provide a great contrast to the issues of modern and future gaming models that the game attempts to address.
So, if you're wanting a AAA blockbuster that's going to provide you with hours of content and the complexities that come with it, then you are looking in the wrong place. If you're wanting a technical masterpiece or keyboard smashing difficulty, then your experience is not here. If, however, you are looking for a short and simple distraction, at only a fraction of the price of a map pack, with plenty of satirical amusement (As such, it could be described as a much more concise version of what Duke Nukem Forever tried to be), then look no further than DLC Quest – and be happy that the industry haven't quite plunged to the depths that the game attests to!
Unlock Final Review Score Pack: 8 coins
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DLC Quest Review
For the purposes of this review, the PC version was played
Unlock Review Section Titles: 5 coins
What is happening to the gaming industry? We live in an age of almost circular mistrust and exploitation. With piracy and second hand sales apparently ever increasing and a continual drain on the potential earnings of game studios, it's time for them to hit back. And they do this with downloadable content.
Downloadable content is the scourge of the consumer, a desperate grab for more money from the creators. We know you bought your game, but pay more! Pay more to see the ending, to see the plots, to improve your power... Pay more to complete your experience!
Okay, that might be slightly unbalanced (and not representative of my actual views, that's for another time), but it was only an introduction. It is hardly going to be news to anyone that some of the practices creeping in to gaming are unpopular, or at best divisive. There are some thoughts that, with the birth of microtransactions and freemium set-ups, we are heading toward some sort of dystopian future for games.
That's where DLC Quest comes in! An indie developed 2D platformer which pretty much bases itself in this vision of the future of gaming, where anything you could possibly want in a game comes...as an extra!
Of course, this doesn't mean that the game becomes extortionately expensive, as this is done with tongue planted firmly within the cheek. It serves to ridicule not only the poor practices that are heading this slippery slope, but also other parts of the general gaming world.
DLC Quest offers two separate, but linked, campaigns – DLC Quest and Live Freemium or Die, which are both provided in the package. Fortunately, the developers obviously resisted the urge to forge a bond with the ironic and hypocritical by making Live Freemium or Die into paid downloadable content.
So what's the context behind the parody? Well, in DLC Quest, the player takes control of Player, a sprite-come-hero that is dragged into the the perils of the village, aided in his various quests by the magnanimous shopkeeper offering all sorts of goodies that are necessary for defeating the bad guy and saving the princess and all of the other gaming clichés you can think of. It must be said that DLC Quest is very short and to the point, with some (but not a lot) of exploration to be done before even 100% completion.
Live Freemium or Die is a “direct sequel” of sorts to DLC Quest, and provides a much more fleshed out experience than that of the former. Continuing the rather contrived storyline to this point of DLC Quest, Live Freemium or Die continues following Player as he investigates a recent string of related deaths in the village, providing a much larger scale of map for exploration and a slightly more directed story than the first part of the duology.
Gameplay-wise, the DLC duo doesn't really do anything to innovate, nor does it do anything particularly wrong. The game plays as a fairly simple 2D platformer, with each game providing a slightly different platforming mechanic to get around with. It must also be noted that Live Freemium or Die adds a little more of the challenge that DLC Quest was pretty much devoid of. That being said, it's hardly Super Meat Boy and won't provide too much of a headache to anyone. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as it allows many people to enjoy the concept and humour within, but don't come in expecting to be tested.
So if DLC Quest isn't going to win awards for its gameplay, what about the graphics and sounds? Well, once you've unlocked the audio and visual packs, it can be seen that it is a fairly basic affair. The 8-bit visual style pays good homage to the early days of gaming history, whilst the fairly catchy (albeit short, much like the game) chiptune background music also adds to the aesthetic. These provide a great contrast to the issues of modern and future gaming models that the game attempts to address.
So, if you're wanting a AAA blockbuster that's going to provide you with hours of content and the complexities that come with it, then you are looking in the wrong place. If you're wanting a technical masterpiece or keyboard smashing difficulty, then your experience is not here. If, however, you are looking for a short and simple distraction, at only a fraction of the price of a map pack, with plenty of satirical amusement (As such, it could be described as a much more concise version of what Duke Nukem Forever tried to be), then look no further than DLC Quest – and be happy that the industry haven't quite plunged to the depths that the game attests to!
Unlock Final Review Score Pack: 8 coins
For the purposes of this review, the PC version was played
Unlock Review Section Titles: 5 coins
What is happening to the gaming industry? We live in an age of almost circular mistrust and exploitation. With piracy and second hand sales apparently ever increasing and a continual drain on the potential earnings of game studios, it's time for them to hit back. And they do this with downloadable content.
Downloadable content is the scourge of the consumer, a desperate grab for more money from the creators. We know you bought your game, but pay more! Pay more to see the ending, to see the plots, to improve your power... Pay more to complete your experience!
Okay, that might be slightly unbalanced (and not representative of my actual views, that's for another time), but it was only an introduction. It is hardly going to be news to anyone that some of the practices creeping in to gaming are unpopular, or at best divisive. There are some thoughts that, with the birth of microtransactions and freemium set-ups, we are heading toward some sort of dystopian future for games.
That's where DLC Quest comes in! An indie developed 2D platformer which pretty much bases itself in this vision of the future of gaming, where anything you could possibly want in a game comes...as an extra!
Of course, this doesn't mean that the game becomes extortionately expensive, as this is done with tongue planted firmly within the cheek. It serves to ridicule not only the poor practices that are heading this slippery slope, but also other parts of the general gaming world.
DLC Quest offers two separate, but linked, campaigns – DLC Quest and Live Freemium or Die, which are both provided in the package. Fortunately, the developers obviously resisted the urge to forge a bond with the ironic and hypocritical by making Live Freemium or Die into paid downloadable content.
So what's the context behind the parody? Well, in DLC Quest, the player takes control of Player, a sprite-come-hero that is dragged into the the perils of the village, aided in his various quests by the magnanimous shopkeeper offering all sorts of goodies that are necessary for defeating the bad guy and saving the princess and all of the other gaming clichés you can think of. It must be said that DLC Quest is very short and to the point, with some (but not a lot) of exploration to be done before even 100% completion.
Live Freemium or Die is a “direct sequel” of sorts to DLC Quest, and provides a much more fleshed out experience than that of the former. Continuing the rather contrived storyline to this point of DLC Quest, Live Freemium or Die continues following Player as he investigates a recent string of related deaths in the village, providing a much larger scale of map for exploration and a slightly more directed story than the first part of the duology.
Gameplay-wise, the DLC duo doesn't really do anything to innovate, nor does it do anything particularly wrong. The game plays as a fairly simple 2D platformer, with each game providing a slightly different platforming mechanic to get around with. It must also be noted that Live Freemium or Die adds a little more of the challenge that DLC Quest was pretty much devoid of. That being said, it's hardly Super Meat Boy and won't provide too much of a headache to anyone. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as it allows many people to enjoy the concept and humour within, but don't come in expecting to be tested.
So if DLC Quest isn't going to win awards for its gameplay, what about the graphics and sounds? Well, once you've unlocked the audio and visual packs, it can be seen that it is a fairly basic affair. The 8-bit visual style pays good homage to the early days of gaming history, whilst the fairly catchy (albeit short, much like the game) chiptune background music also adds to the aesthetic. These provide a great contrast to the issues of modern and future gaming models that the game attempts to address.
So, if you're wanting a AAA blockbuster that's going to provide you with hours of content and the complexities that come with it, then you are looking in the wrong place. If you're wanting a technical masterpiece or keyboard smashing difficulty, then your experience is not here. If, however, you are looking for a short and simple distraction, at only a fraction of the price of a map pack, with plenty of satirical amusement (As such, it could be described as a much more concise version of what Duke Nukem Forever tried to be), then look no further than DLC Quest – and be happy that the industry haven't quite plunged to the depths that the game attests to!
Unlock Final Review Score Pack: 8 coins