Has Dragon’s Dogma 2 taken microtransactions too far?

Is Capcom justified in releasing the game with 21 downloadable items?

[SoloGamer1]

all which you can earn IN THE GAME BY PLAYING.. sheesh.. people need to chill and stop trippin'.

[TheProfessional]

Yeah and that's exactly why we have $70 games, $60 season passes, games as a service and micro transactions. If you can't call out these giant companies for being shady just because you like the game...

[TiredGamer]

The fact that new big budget games are only $70 is one of the reasons that we have all these micro transactions. When you have diverging variables (one side = size of staff/overall game budgets, other side = price of games relative to historical buying power), market forces will be forced to pull the sides together. So that means either game prices OR game revenue increases, or game staffing and game budgets decrease. Since the latter has persisted, publishers must find ways to increase revenue. A $10 increase in new game prices over the last 20 or so years is far below actual inflation rates.

Truthfully, actual point-of-sale new game prices, adjusted for the declining time value of money, are the cheapest that they have been in 20 years. Look it up.... $70 USD today is equivalent to $38.84 in 2000.

https://www.usinflationcalc...

[anast]

@Tired

The standard editions (incomplete game) are $70. Complete games (deluxe +) are from $90-$100. They raised the price on the incomplete versions of games.

[Crows90]

@tiredgamer

Nope. They said the same about $60

Our dollars were worth more before...now each dollar is worth less but prices are much higher. So it is not equivalent.

40$ in 2000 with wages back in 2000 made sense....wages haven't really increased much since then.

Not to mention that the wider appeal...the lower the cost. Not to mention the prominence of digital games which should keep costs down....yet they only increase.

Inflation is fine as long as wages keep up. Wages have not been keeping up for middle or lower class

[victorMaje]

@Tired

Really? The argument is that they cost a lot to make so mts are needed?
Are you defending mts in a single player game?
Do you not see how having mts in games is not just a question of profit but also of change in game design? Do you care how games are designed?
You want predatory corpo mechanics in your games?

[just_looken]

I know its very hard to believe for alot of internet users but the world does not revolve around America.

If you do not live in america like over 90% of the world videos games are over $100 for the base version even though last gen they were at most $70.

Like america the average wage has not gone up but we see far more higher price hikes on everything.

For me dragons dogma 2 base is $95 pre tax fuck that.

[shammgod]

You haven’t even played it. Man up

[NotoriousWhiz]

U.S. stats:

Median annual wage in 2002: $27,690
Median annual wage in 2022: $46,310

Average annual wage in 2002: $31,898.70
Average annual wage in 2022: $61,220.07

Sorry, whose wages haven't gone up? That's between a 50% and 100% increase.

[S2Killinit]

I would normally agree w you, but I also feel bad for single player story driven games. Everyone wants devs to make them, but when it comes to money they arent allowed to do Remasters, they arent allowed to sell you items, they get hammered by reviews. With people dismissing them if its not pure perfection. (Even then people bi*ch)

Then we find out people spent 1 billion dollars on microtransactions in a live service game.

Well?

[H9]

Listen I understand what you mean, but this isn't a specific microtransaction problem, this is a industry wide problem, if MT aren't treated as an all evil plague, they will not go away, you can back to the history of every consumer practice, and you will always see that the only way a predatoy practice gets killed is that people treat it like the plague

[S2Killinit]

I would agree on a principle level.

BUT imo at this point you are only further impeding developers from making single player AAA story games because these are the only ones that are actually criticized for microtransactions. We give live service a pass, then bash on the ones that aren’t.

Even if we were holding all games to same level, you are fighting a futile battle, because microtransactions are making billions. (We just had an article saying a live service game made $1 billion in microtransactions. What is a single player game developer to do? (We even criticize them when they rerelease their own game to capitalize on what they made)

[H9]

I understand what you mean, but we need to not give anyone a pass on this, live service included, and yes they make a lot of money because most people don't care and keep buying but we can't stop resisting because others don't want to!

[Crows90]

Yeah...they used to be called cheat codes....smh

[anast]

It's a full priced game. Everything should be included. This is why they raises the prices of games.

[victorMaje]

Since you can earn them in the game then why have the equivalent mts? Why make a fast-travel mechanic paid instead of designing it differently where the player unlocks it more frequently? Why a paid option? Unless you know some will pay for its practicality, which should have existed as an in-game mechanic but is now a paid option thereby changing the underlying design of the feature.

[gold_drake]

capcom has done this with every resi game since 2, with devil may cry 4 and 5.

we should be complaining about the poor Performance

[H9]

Both, every bad thing needs to be addressed

[Rainbowcookie]

Just don't buy it?

[Kaii]

I'll be handing out homework In the form of research on the essence of the boiling frog syndrome because the comments already are afflicted with this.

*Performance comment Is spot on 5+ points.
Accepting that these publishers have these types of mtx In games Is tiring, "well, they've done it with their other IP" so should we accept it? Your acceptance of it happening is ruining gaming, just to make it clear.

But it's okay though, you can earn the stuff ingame. 🙃

[isarai]

No. What's dumb is the huge bandwagon to attack THIS game of all game with MTs. Does it deserve to be criticized 100%! But the response is hugely disproportionate to the subject. Literally all ive heard since this game came out is DG2 getting reamed for some of the least intrusive MTs in recent memory. Why are we not flipping out on ither recent releases like literally any if the 2k games including WWE 2K, or Planet Zoo which literally has a $69.99 season pass just to unlock certain animals.

But no lets write 5 articles daily for almost a week for MTs you wouldn't even know existed unless you specifically looked for them in the store.

[CrimsonWing69]

Thank you. I’ve been trying to say this for the whole week.

[Crows90]

Nope...it would be dumb if this game had no appeal..

This game has huge appeal and attention...hence why it is targeted above others with less mainstream appeal.

Nobody cares about games barely anybody pays attention to or plays...or even knew existed in the first place. You cant use nothing burger games as the excuse for why an important game shouldn't be targeted.

[isarai]

@Crows90

No one plays NBA 2K? No one plays WWE?

[Gameseeker_Frampt]

@isarai

If you think Dragons Dogma 2 is the only game being attacked here for microtransactions, let me refresh your memory.

https://n4g.com/news/255440...
https://n4g.com/news/246924...
https://n4g.com/news/258749...
https://n4g.com/news/258827...

[isarai]

@Gameseeker

Learn to read, i said nothing like that at all.

[shammgod]

Yep. MTs are in a ton of games now, but these delicate flowers pick and choose which game to pile on.

Every game release now comes with a ton of baggage and you get people piling on that have never even played the game and don’t even plan on playing.

People are so miserable and delicate now that they have to try to make others miserable that simply want to enjoy DD2. Same with Hogwarts and this will continue cause gaming is becoming a cess pool with the sweet baby’s and delicate flowers of the world.

Let me know how many people on this board are boycotting DD2 and I will buy a copy for each one

[gold_drake]

no ones accepting them, but if they have happened for years now, for capcom games specifically, it will not change.

but having optional dlc microtransaction bs is not my priority if the game plays like shit

[CrimsonWing69]

It took as far as GotY contender RE4 Remake, so what do you think?

[CosmicRavenN3]

Having not actually played the game, but only heard about what microtransactions are on offer, no. Dragon's Dogma 2 has not taken microtransactions too far. I think a game would have to go to extraordinary lengths to qualify for the statement 'taken microtransactions too far.'

I mean, I remember a rant from yonks ago (Dungeon Keeper mobile) which, just from memory, went WAY further than Dragon's Dogma 2, with literal days of waiting to mine a single block, and a huge price mark-up to advance.

So, no, Dragon's Dogma 2 hasn't gone 'too far.'

[CrimsonWing69]

Agreed.

[Crows90]

Mobile...which is atrocious....compared to console gaming ...which would like to be atrocious but we have stupid people complaining....is that what you mean?

[victorMaje]

Yet.
If you don’t react, they will. Eventually your favorite franchise/genre will have a very different game-design (which apparently many take for granted), and then it’ll be too late.

[Inverno]

Let's not exaggerate, ladies. Don't pretend that we've not seen dlc for things easily obtainable with other games. You really do need to vote with your wallets cause this it's unacceptable with the 70 dollar price tag. That simple.

[CrimsonWing69]

How would this game be any different without the microtransactions. I’m going to challenge you here, if you take away the movies for this game, what changes? If you say nothing, then what’s “unacceptable” exactly? That they give you options?

I’m not going to miss out on a hyped game because people have issues with micro-transactions. Don’t get it twisted though, I’m not dropping a single cent of my money on the micros, but I will buy the game to play.

[Inverno]

That's what I'm saying doe, vote with your wallet and don't buy into the mtx. It's literally all that can be done, because casuals will most likely buy the game to and buy into the mtx and there's not much the hardcore can do about that.

[jznrpg]

They aren’t needed but they shouldn’t be there either.

[SPEAKxTHExTRUTH]

Why are people still complaining about this? MTX are here to stay just like all the other scumbag tactics companies use to get more money out of us. Just shut up and don’t buy games with scumbag practices it’s that simple.

[ModsDoBetter]

Ironic your username is speakthetruth yet you want people to shut up and roll over for greedy monetisation.

[CrimsonWing69]

What’s greedy about optional micros? Would you say they’re not greedy in something like Helldivers 2?

[SPEAKxTHExTRUTH]

You got it all wrong bud because everything I said is a fact. Please point on something I said that is not the truth? MTX, season passes etc have been here for over a decade now and do they show any signs of slowing down? No. If you don’t like it don’t buy it is that not truth? Yes. So exactly where am I not speaking the truth?

[shammgod]

Oddly enough, I call DD2 game of the year!!

[Crows90]

There's the issue with individuals perfectly happy with it and those that will consistently bash it....

Those bashing it ...for better or worse...make publishers tread carefully.

Those in support are just here to complain about the complainers.

[ModsDoBetter]

@Speak

"Just shut up"

Speak, shut up, shut up, speak?
Ironic.

[SPEAKxTHExTRUTH]

I only want people like you to just shut up. You have nothing of value to say. Calling people Xbots says all that needs to be said about you.

[anast]

When am I going to get the Beyonce-Mr. Beast cross over pawn? Once they drop that I'm in.

[MrBaskerville]

They haven't done much that haven't been done constantly for the past 15 years. I Fail to see how this is suddenly a bridge too far. It was always stupid, but it's so common that it seems odd to be offended when a game like this shows up, where the mtx is totally useless and barely advertised. Meanwhile other games get away with having pop ups and dedidcated in-game menues filled with this stuff.

I feel like everyone started taking crazy pills.

[DivineHand125]

Not even close to being too far. These are just no*b traps.

[Dirtnapstor]

You haters are ridiculous. These mt are hardly worth talking about. The fact they are available was a misstep, but Capcom has done this in almost every game since forever... nothing is forced upon you.
If you're that weak when you see the opportunity to buy in game, maybe you should avoid gaming altogether.

[MrBaskerville]

They would only be noteworthy if it was a new concept.

I get that people want to fight back, just a little weird that this is the hill we are going to die on out of all the possible hills in the gaming world.

[TwoPicklesGood]

If you don't like them, don't buy them. Simple.

[Pyrofire95]

I think I'm in the camp that believes the devs chose bad MTX options on purpose in the face of Capcom forcing them to do it. The options available really dont make sense.

[CantThinkOfAUsername]

In a world where we have a DLC being sold for $70, has microtransactions, a single pack for $100, Battle Pass for $30, and it tops the chart, yeah, let's complain about a game with $3 one-time-use items that you can earn in-game.

[Christopher]

With murderers out there ,why worry about the thieves logic here. We can complain about all things that are bad.

[CantThinkOfAUsername]

Complaining about microtransactions is pointless and changes nothing in reality was my point. How long have gamers been complaining? Since Oblivion's horse armour? and what has changed since then? Activision gets rewarded with $5 billion last year. EA, Activision|Blizzard, Ubisoft, Tencent, all post 70% revenue from microtransactions alone. Try to convince them that they're stupid and wrong.

[MrBaskerville]

@CantThingOfAUsername
Tbf, nobody really complains about those guys. It's only an outrage if the game has performance issues on pc. People are willing to eat up a much worse as long as they like the game. Also, no one is talking about Helldivers 2 for some reason.

[Christopher]

Too far? No, just more of the same crud that, IMHO and that of others, shouldn't exist. Design games so people don't feel the need that they have to spend money to do basic things in game.

[MrBaskerville]

The game is designed exactly like that. But they threw in some useluss stuff anyway, stuff that would normally be a preorder bonus.

Unless you think buying 1 out of 11 available port crystals is a sign that they designed around it. Really need that 2 bucks from a tiny amount of players.

[ddsgdsgdssg]

wow. this might be the most important issue of our generation, maybe even all human history?

[fsfsxii]

These nerds will bene over backwards to defend capcom for shitty practices and bad performance. Wtf? Have some self respect.