Nintendo opened up its press release with a little trepidation regarding the course and character DLC announcement today for Mario Golf: World Tour. Gamers don’t like day-one DLC, especially in games that have a history of offering unlockables.
Here’s how the start of the release runs. You can, of course, read it in full at the base of this post by clicking the show release button.
With 10 courses and 126 holes (an amount equivalent to previous games in the franchise), extensive multiplayer modes as well as regional and worldwide tournaments, the main game offers plenty of content for golf fans already. But players who can’t get enough golf and want to expand their experiences can purchase up to a total of 108 new downloadable holes and additional Mushroom Kingdom golfers.
It’s like Nintendo is essentially saying: Mario Golf: World Tour launches with a lot of content (the same amount that it’s always had). We’re also offering DLC that will nearly double that content for a few extra bucks.
Now, I’m in the process of reviewing this game literally as I type these words. The DLC is not available for me to purchase or look at. I know from the release, though, that “each pack includes two new 18-hole courses and a new playable character.” The first pack drops on May 2nd (release day), the second later in May and the third in June.
The DLC won’t cost too much. You can buy each pack of two courses and one character for $5.99. Or, you can buy a season pass (man, I hate those) for all three packs at $14.99. Buying all three packs through either method will get you a Golden Mario character who shoots coins out at each passing yard.
I’m of two minds with this news. First, day-one DLC always makes me cringe. We can’t be sure that this is the case, but developers and publishers elect to hold already finished content back to make an extra buck. That, for fans, is frustrating.
On the other hand, at more than six hours played in this game, I’ve only seen four of the 10 courses and haven’t even touched the online component (because it’s not up yet). I already know that I’ll be dropping the $14.99 for the extra stuff because I genuinely want to play it.
Mario Golf: World Tour has more unlockable content than ever before. Yes, there are characters and courses to earn at a constant clip, but there’s a lot more to do as well. You aren’t buying an incomplete game at launch that requires DLC to fully enjoy.
source:technobuffalo
