Does anyone else think 2K is starting to get carried away?

[Ticaliano]

I'm all for DLC content as a compliment to the core game and a means of supplemental income for the game makers, but this is really starting to seem like excessive greed. A lot of content being offered as DLC should clearly be a part of the base game.  $4.00 for 4 additional moves? $10.00 for "future" stars (only 2 of which whom can actually be considered "future stars?")   

I'm sorry, but this DLC outline stinks. Let's break it down:

• The Accelerator, available for a suggested price of $4.99, gives players instant access to all content within WWE 2K17’s VC purchasable section (excluding DLC), plus control over rankings and attributes for all playable in-game characters.

• The Future Stars Pack, available for a suggested price of $8.99, adds Austin Aries, Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, Mojo Rawley and Tye Dillinger to the playable roster.

• The Hall of Fame Showcase, available for a suggested price of $9.99, allows players to recreate iconic battles from WWE history in their storied settings, including:
  • Cactus Jack & Diamond Dallas Page vs. The Fabulous Freebirds (Jimmy Garvin & Michael “P.S.” Hayes) (WCW Saturday Night 1992)
  • The Fabulous Freebirds (Buddy Roberts & Michael “P.S.” Hayes) vs. Kerry & Kevin Von Erich (WCCW 1986)
  • Ivory vs. Jacqueline (SmackDown 2000)
  • Sting (gold and black tights) vs. Ric Flair (Clash of Champions 1988)
  • Sting (n.W.o. Wolfpac ring gear) vs. Bret Hart (WCW Halloween Havoc 1998)
  • Papa Shango vs. The Godfather (Dream Match)
  • Big Boss Man (with Albert) vs. Big Show (Armageddon 1999)

• The Legends Pack, available for a suggested price of $8.99, boosts the playable roster with a collection of WWE Legends, including Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake, Eddie Guerrero, Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, Sycho Sid and Tatanka.

• MyPlayer Kick Start, available exclusively for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One for a suggested price of $9.99, gives players control over their created Superstar’s rankings and immediate access to all clothing which provides attribute boosts in MyCareer mode.

• The New Moves Pack, available for a suggested price of $3.99, provides a new set of maneuvers for players to add to their virtual arsenals in WWE 2K17, including the Swingout Neckbreaker (made popular by current WWE Raw Women’s Champion Charlotte), the Elbro Drop (made popular by Zack Ryder), the Face Wash Combo (made popular by Samoa Joe) and the TJP Clutch (made popular by current WWE Cruiserweight Champion T.J. Perkins).

• The NXT Enhancement Pack, available to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One players for a suggested price of $9.99, gives players access to Apollo Crews, Nia Jax and Shinsuke Nakamura as playable characters, and 50 percent more points at the NXT level in MyCareer. PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 gamers can still gain access to this trio of NXT Superstars by obtaining the NXT Legacy Pack, which will be available for a suggested price of $4.99.

Now let's add it all up:

Base Game (Next-Gen Consoles): $59.99

The Accelerator: $4.99

Future Stars Pack: $8.99

Hall of Fame Showcase: $9.99

Legends Pack: $8.99

MyPlayer Kickstart: $9.99

New Moves Pack: $3.99

NXT Enhancement Pack: $9.99

[You have to figure Goldberg will eventually become available as separate DLC, but no confirmed pricing is available as of yet. Still, it's something to keep in mind.]

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

After adding it all up, the total cost to own the "complete" WWE 2K17 experience (before any and all applicable sales tax): $116.92.

It must really be nice being the only wrestling game in town. I mean how else would you be able to get by year after year consistently putting out a mediocre product while expecting exorbitant amounts of money in return? That's over $115.00 dollars on a game that's released annually, is already shipping in a grossly outdated state, still possesses inexcusably bad (if not downright offensive) commentary, and has made only minimal enhancements to core game play.

It's starting to become clearer to me than it's ever been. Instead of focusing on truly making this game amazing, it seems like the main decision makers are more concerned with spending their time on devising clever new ways to bleed the customer dry. Maybe that's why this franchise still hasn't made the strides in quality and enjoyment that it should have at this point. I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parade, but WWE 2K17 looks to be more of the same in that department. 

 

What do you guys think? Am I alone in my thinking?  I'm curious to see how the poll turns out. 

[Codes.]

The moves pack is 30+ moves as always and those are just some of the moves that will be in it!

[HiPcavallo]

I'm fine with the moves pack since it gives them an excuse to add more Indy moves to the game, but it's always pissed me off how they've withheld moves of in game characters for these packs. But yea in general I agree, last years pricing (at least for season pass, some of the packs on their own were overpriced) seemed fair as far DLC goes. But this year doesn't really add anymore than last year and they both bumped up the price, and kept Nakamura, Crews, and Nia Jax out of the season pass in a seperate pack that is overpriced. I'll buy it all the same but I'm not happy about it.

To be fair this isn't strictly a problem with this series though. Too many games pump out overpriced DLC or lackluster content for the sake of having DLC, I saw this coming the moment the concept of DLC was first implemented in video games.

[Tornado_X]

in Canada 2K17 is $79.99 with a 13% tax

[the King Lives]

i told you people when the nxt collection was announced to pay the 89.99 and buy the nxt enhancement stuff when it's released. that it would be about 10 bucks for an even 100$ for everything but nope. as usual i was looked over. .. Goes back into corner

I'm fine with the moves pack since it gives them an excuse to add more Indy moves to the game, but it's always pissed me off how they've withheld moves of in game characters for these packs. But yea in general I agree, last years pricing (at least for season pass, some of the packs on their own were overpriced) seemed fair as far DLC goes. But this year doesn't really add anymore than last year and they both bumped up the price, and kept Nakamura, Crews, and Nia Jax out of the season pass in a seperate pack that is overpriced. I'll buy it all the same but I'm not happy about it.

To be fair this isn't strictly a problem with this series though. Too many games pump out overpriced DLC or lackluster content for the sake of having DLC, I saw this coming the moment the concept of DLC was first implemented in video games.

no, if they pulled a 2k15 and had 3 showcases and charged extra for the 4 packs when it should include everything, that would be a rip off. so yeah i think this is okay to deal with considering what fallout 4 and even arkham knight pulled

[mrelectriccity]

true but u can get the digital deluxe for like $80 and comes with all of that with season pass, thinking maybe the nxt pack may not be included but i know most of the dlc are included

 

but i got my digital deluxe edition for only $45

Edited September 22, 2016 by mrelectriccity

[the King Lives]

true but u can get the digital deluxe for like $80 and comes with all of that with season pass, thinking maybe the nxt pack may not be included but i know most of the dlc are included

 

but i got my digital deluxe edition for only $45

digital deluxe on current gen is 90 not 80.

[EXecutionerX85]

I'm going to be spending 150 on this one game lol 115 for the NXT edition including shipping overnight and the season pass..this game is going to make me broke LOl

[bravebird31]

... (In my jerkiest voice) I play it on PC so dlc prices don't affect me, BWAHAHAHAHAHA. Ok now I feel bad.

[Ticaliano]

For the record, I'm not against DLC in games. I'm especially not against convenience-based DLC. I understand a lot of guys who play the WWE games have wives, kids, girlfriends, and/or a family to take care of and worry about, so they might not have the same amount of leisure time us single fellas have. In that sense, I honestly don't mind seeing things like "The Accelerator" on offer for an additional $5.00, or something like the "My Player Kick Starter" for $10.00. Hell, I would even go as far making an argument justifying the sale of Goldberg as DLC once the pre-order incentive expires.

But, for the love of God, please do not ask me to fork over additional money for access to characters like "Gallows & Anderson" or "Mojo Rawley." That just feels like a slap in the face. The argument for content-based DLC might be more palatable if these games were discounted year to year. But they're not. Every year, we give 2K at least $60.00 in order to play the latest WWE games on our consoles. That's not exactly chump change. Many of us are repeat customers - so where's the thanks for this ongoing customer loyalty?

 

I guess I'm just under the belief that 2K has decided on prioritizing their selfish business model at the expense of value. Call me crazy, but I think it's fair (more than fair) to expect content like "Showcase Mode" (plus all of the accompanying wrestlers featured in said mode), standard NXT talent, and even most of the Legends to be included with the base game.

[reifschneider]

Yeah, 2K Sports have been pretty insidious with their DLC this generation, from their very aggressive pushing of in-game currency in NBA and general year-to-year weirdness for WWE, like Paige being season pass only in 2k15 to this year's price hike for what appears to be less content since there's no Showcase Mode for those Showcase Matches to take place in. Hell, just now in NBA 2k17, they released a $15 College Showcase gimmick that adds 10 all-time all-star college teams...that can only be used in offline quick play and are mostly comprised of players already in the game. It really sucks and makes me very cynical towards 2k in general. But at the same time, NBA is best-in-class at every other part of the game so you can forgive some shit, but WWE is far from that standard. 

But back to the DLC question, putting it all together I think you got 29 characters (not all but most unique) for $25 last year, and this year you get 32 characters (not all but most unique) for $40*. That's just not a good strategy. Almost as bad as putting Nakamura in that debut trailer when most people won't be able to buy him for months.

*(I'm pretty sure the NXT edition stuff isn't part of the season pass, if it is then it would only be $30, which is closer to being a good reason to raise the price)

But, for the love of God, please do not ask me to fork over additional money for access to characters like "Gallows & Anderson" or "Mojo Rawley." That just feels like a slap in the face. The argument for content-based DLC might be more palatable if these games were discounted year to year. But they're not. Every year, we give 2K at least $60.00 in order to play the latest WWE games on our consoles. That's not exactly chump change. Many of us are repeat customers - so where's the thanks for this ongoing customer loyalty?

This is my other issue--if this is meant to be a sports game, why are we paying for these kinds of roster updates? No sports game on the market has done that. NBA Live 08-10 would charge people who bought the game used, but that's the closest any series has come. Hell, even with Legends, Madden adds historic players to the ultimate team pool all the time, and it is entirely possible to get and use those players for free. Thinking through all of this now, I'm not even sure if the WWE team's issue is greed or just an inability to move on from an archaic content system.

[the King Lives]

For the record, I'm not against DLC in games. I'm especially not against convenience-based DLC. I understand a lot of guys who play the WWE games have wives, kids, girlfriends, and/or a family to take care of and worry about, so they might not have the same amount of leisure time us single fellas have. In that sense, I honestly don't mind seeing things like "The Accelerator" on offer for an additional $5.00, or something like the "My Player Kick Starter" for $10.00. Hell, I would even go as far making an argument justifying the sale of Goldberg as DLC once the pre-order incentive expires.

But, for the love of God, please do not ask me to fork over additional money for access to characters like "Gallows & Anderson" or "Mojo Rawley." That just feels like a slap in the face. The argument for content-based DLC might be more palatable if these games were discounted year to year. But they're not. Every year, we give 2K at least $60.00 in order to play the latest WWE games on our consoles. That's not exactly chump change. Many of us are repeat customers - so where's the thanks for this ongoing customer loyalty?

 

I guess I'm just under the belief that 2K has decided on prioritizing their selfish business model at the expense of value. Call me crazy, but I think it's fair (more than fair) to expect content like "Showcase Mode" (plus all of the accompanying wrestlers featured in said mode), standard NXT talent, and even most of the Legends to be included with the base game.

you obviously do not know how the develpment process works.  there was a guy on another forum by the name of wildknight who didn't seem to grasp this either so for that reason i'm just going to stop right here and let you do some research

[Ticaliano]

No, Julio, I have absolutely no idea how the development process works. Please, enlighten me.  

In fact, why not share your astonishing level of knowledge and masterful command of the subject with ALL the rest of us "clueless folk." To do even a fraction less would clearly be a disservice to this entire community. 

[HiPcavallo]

i told you people when the nxt collection was announced to pay the 89.99 and buy the nxt enhancement stuff when it's released. that it would be about 10 bucks for an even 100$ for everything but nope. as usual i was looked over. .. Goes back into corner

I'm fine with the moves pack since it gives them an excuse to add more Indy moves to the game, but it's always pissed me off how they've withheld moves of in game characters for these packs. But yea in general I agree, last years pricing (at least for season pass, some of the packs on their own were overpriced) seemed fair as far DLC goes. But this year doesn't really add anymore than last year and they both bumped up the price, and kept Nakamura, Crews, and Nia Jax out of the season pass in a seperate pack that is overpriced. I'll buy it all the same but I'm not happy about it.

To be fair this isn't strictly a problem with this series though. Too many games pump out overpriced DLC or lackluster content for the sake of having DLC, I saw this coming the moment the concept of DLC was first implemented in video games.

no, if they pulled a 2k15 and had 3 showcases and charged extra for the 4 packs when it should include everything, that would be a rip off. so yeah i think this is okay to deal with considering what fallout 4 and even arkham knight pulled

They were overpriced as well though (although I do love playing as Red Hood in Arkham Knight <3). As I said it isn't just a 2K WWE problem, it's a problem with video games in general. Not to mention content that should be on the disc will be withheld for the DLC, for example you can safely assume any character specific moves that we already had will be DLC exclusive.. They did that last year with Randy Savage and he was on the fucking disc to begin with. Shit like that is just bullshit and dilutes the experience for anyone who either can't afford or isn't willing to pay for the DLC. I think the DLC is decent but it is overpriced and a rather blatant cash grab, and compared to last year they haven't added anything extra to justify the increase in price.

[the King Lives]

i told you people when the nxt collection was announced to pay the 89.99 and buy the nxt enhancement stuff when it's released. that it would be about 10 bucks for an even 100$ for everything but nope. as usual i was looked over. .. Goes back into corner

I'm fine with the moves pack since it gives them an excuse to add more Indy moves to the game, but it's always pissed me off how they've withheld moves of in game characters for these packs. But yea in general I agree, last years pricing (at least for season pass, some of the packs on their own were overpriced) seemed fair as far DLC goes. But this year doesn't really add anymore than last year and they both bumped up the price, and kept Nakamura, Crews, and Nia Jax out of the season pass in a seperate pack that is overpriced. I'll buy it all the same but I'm not happy about it.

To be fair this isn't strictly a problem with this series though. Too many games pump out overpriced DLC or lackluster content for the sake of having DLC, I saw this coming the moment the concept of DLC was first implemented in video games.

no, if they pulled a 2k15 and had 3 showcases and charged extra for the 4 packs when it should include everything, that would be a rip off. so yeah i think this is okay to deal with considering what fallout 4 and even arkham knight pulled

They were overpriced as well though (although I do love playing as Red Hood in Arkham Knight <3). As I said it isn't just a 2K WWE problem, it's a problem with video games in general. Not to mention content that should be on the disc will be withheld for the DLC, for example you can safely assume any character specific moves that we already had will be DLC exclusive.. They did that last year with Randy Savage and he was on the fucking disc to begin with. Shit like that is just bullshit and dilutes the experience for anyone who either can't afford or isn't willing to pay for the DLC. I think the DLC is decent but it is overpriced and a rather blatant cash grab, and compared to last year they haven't added anything extra to justify the increase in price.

definitely can't disagree with that.  but i mean you're not going on and saying that Eddy Guerrero is a waste and sid is an even bigger waste like that WIldknight guy has been doing over on the forums of solitude or whatever that place is called (yup i'm daring him to jump into this convo just in case he happens to see this post) but seriously, yeah that Batman DLC was overpriced, as was the Gears of War 3 dlc stuff. but like you said ever since they started with dlc we all should have seen this coming. the thing is the wwegames didn't really start to take full advantage of it really until 2k took over.  I mean that Showcase season pass was probably the biggest bit of highway robbery i could ever describe lol. then let's not forget the disaster the future stars pack brought to universe last year. let's hope that doesn't happen again lol

[HiPcavallo]

I'm satisfied with the DLC, Shinsuke Nakamura, Eddie Guerrero, Gallows and Anderson and all the NXT guys are solid additions, I'll admit I had higher hopes for the legends content but the Freebirds, the Von Erich's, WCW Bret Hart, and Tatanka are pretty solid additions I'm happy to see. But considering the bulk of the legends I was wanting are on the disc anyway I'm fine with it, it's unrealistic to expect Ill get everyone I want and I can use caws to fill the gaps. Like I said I'll be buying the DLC regardless, my only gripe with it is I don't feel it's good value for what I'll be paying.

[Ticaliano]

my only gripe with it is I don't feel it's good value for what I'll be paying.

You obviously do not know how the development process works. 

[the King Lives]

my only gripe with it is I don't feel it's good value for what I'll be paying.

You obviously do not know how the development process works. 

 

no you don't know how it works.. are you that tomato dude from the 2k forums cause you make the same silly threads like he does... "why is Nakamura in the enhancement pack,. why is  Mojo DLC, Why is the sky blue, why are people black".. i can go on and on.. if you're not him then he must be a brother of yours lol

[HarlotEffect]

You know you could always wait for stuff to go on sale. Which it does. It's how I got the 2K16 season pass on sale. Sure you have to wait, but with all good games coming out the wait shouldn't be too hard.

[sdd619]

No not really no. I mean its pretty much the same thing as Last year. I will even go as far as saying that the DLC this year is the best it has been ever. Is it missing some people yeah, but for what we got. I am ok for & we can use for Caws.

[HiPcavallo]

my only gripe with it is I don't feel it's good value for what I'll be paying.

You obviously do not know how the development process works. 

 

no you don't know how it works.. are you that tomato dude from the 2k forums cause you make the same silly threads like he does... "why is Nakamura in the enhancement pack,. why is  Mojo DLC, Why is the sky blue, why are people black".. i can go on and on.. if you're not him then he must be a brother of yours lol

So I actually do know how the development process works? Thanks for clearing that up Jeff.

[fufu ÷]

Paying for additional characters who have already been made for the game before it was released seems a very underhand tactic to me. It's acceptable when it's something like a Showcase, because it's giving you a game mode that you wouldn't have had in the first place, but with the DLC superstars it's just a very blatant case of looking to milk every last drop of money for something that could without any trouble have been added into the game. If it weren't for the value of CAW parts, I wouldn't bother with the additional characters, outside of the NXT and Future Stars packs.

I think some developers forget that they take $60 for the standard edition of these games, which is already more than what was paid on previous generations for far more complete games.

[the King Lives]

my only gripe with it is I don't feel it's good value for what I'll be paying.

You obviously do not know how the development process works. 

 

no you don't know how it works.. are you that tomato dude from the 2k forums cause you make the same silly threads like he does... "why is Nakamura in the enhancement pack,. why is  Mojo DLC, Why is the sky blue, why are people black".. i can go on and on.. if you're not him then he must be a brother of yours lol

So I actually do know how the development process works? Thanks for clearing that up Jeff.

the thing is, i'll give you an example. everyone wanted Roode, Gargano, and Ciampa in, and now everyone is assuming they should have been in. but what most don't know or grasp is that all 3 of them just signed full contracts that allows merchandising rights. when they signed their part time contracts earlier in the year they didn't have merchandising rights. If there's no merchandising rights, they can't be in a game. and dlc is normally proposed, submitted to wwe, and finalized around July/August which would have been around the time that they signed those full contracts.  I think the only head scratcher would be epico and primo. although they didn't even debut really till around june (?) i know they had vignettes before then but i don't recall them actually being in a match till june or july. or maybe wwe/vince just didn't want them in as the shining stars. only Vince, WWE, and 2K heads know the answer to that question.

 

But i've never understood why someone would complain that someone is dlc.  My thing has always been as long as they made it into the game that should be what matters. although if it was up to me the would have all made it in, including rhyno

[MepsiPax]

You know you could always wait for stuff to go on sale. Which it does. It's how I got the 2K16 season pass on sale. Sure you have to wait, but with all good games coming out the wait shouldn't be too hard.

i hate to admit it but he has a point, you know.

[mrelectriccity]

... (In my jerkiest voice) I play it on PC so dlc prices don't affect me, BWAHAHAHAHAHA. Ok now I feel bad.

true but u have to wait several months after its release on consoles before u even get to play it, as the pc version usually comes out around 4-6 months afterwards

Edited September 23, 2016 by mrelectriccity