And now for..Please buy DLC to continue.

(And sex)

Ok, now let me just get one thing straight before we get to the main point here. I don't have a problem with downloadable content; if it's done properly. The way I see it, there are three kinds of downloadable content.

The Good kind:
This may seem disconcertingly vague as a description but it's really the best way I can describe it. I believe that downloadable content should be a reward, or even a gift from developers to the fans. TecmoKoei and Rocksteady have shown prime examples of this, with Rocksteady giving Arkham City customers a free Batman: Earth One skin in celebration of Christmas. TecmoKoei have released numerous free character skin packs and weapon packs, both on PSN and free to those whom are hawk-eyed on their various fan pages like Facebook and Twitter.
However, to simply expect a company to dish out free content to people is both unreasonable and incredibly unlikely. When it comes to the bottom line, these developers create games to earn profit and DLC is invariably a way to generate extra revenue, which is where the second 'good kind' comes into effect. DLC that isn't essential but isn't pointless either. The best way to embody this is with Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow DLC Reverie and Resurrection. The game boxed itself off fantastically and was a true gem in my eyes but these DLC were released to show what happened between the final scene of the game and the, aftermath of it. It was a nice little bonus, the game was perfectly fine without it but buying the DLC was enough for me to take it off the shelf and pop it back in the machine (even if the 2 DLC packs should have been one as they were both short and somewhat lacking)

The Neutral kind:

Downloadable, and buy this I mean, bought skins and background music or extra weapon packs of little to no importance at all, released simply for slight game enhancements or variations. Things that most people won't really bother with, but die-hard fans will want to purchase. These could really be given away for free but usually cost not that much, doesn't really harm to charge for them as businesses are, after all, about making money and these probably generate very little revenue as the number sold will be relatively low.

The annual fathers for justice meeting.

The BAD kind:

Here we are, the naughty corner; where a hell of a lot of developers are sat ignorantly sucking their thumbs, all accountable for following this route. The bad kind of download content can simply be reduced to, something which you should not have to pay for. It can be argued by people that you shouldn't really have to pay for anything beyond the game itself, and vice versa. Characters, multiplayer playlists or game modes, multiplayer itself that is actually ALREADY on the disc! (I'm looking at you here Capcom) 

Yes indeed, Capcom are notoriously bad for this kind of thing. Just look at 3 of their big releases, smash hit Resident Evil 5 was revealed to have multiplayer on disc but could only be unlocked if the DLC was bought. Street Fighter IV was released, a flurry of DLC followed, then Super Street Fighter 4, then after that Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition. Marvel vs Capcom 3 and the subsequent Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 is a mirror of this. This remorseless money grabbing technique is nothing less than shameful. 

However, can the developers really shoulder all the blame? Well in a sense yes, they're the ones doing it - but it begs the question, would they continue doing it on this large a scale if people weren't buying it? Maybe, maybe not. Unfortunately we'll probably never know, there will always be people willing to mindlessly and blindly shell money out to developers; be it rightly or wrongly. I suppose it's their money at the end of the day, and they have the right to spend it on whatever they like. Except the Thor game. It was AWFUL.

No really, its terrible.