Topic: Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Impressions

[the_dan_x]

Two sets of DLC in less than a week for the 3DS in Japan? Oh my!

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/impressions/29286

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy released in Japan recently and along with it the second batch of downloadable content on the Nintendo Network which came in the form of downloadable songs. This is the second set of DLC to be released on the 3DS and it all happened in a span of just a few days. For the most recent Theatrhythm, there are a total of eight songs (see a full list of the songs here) available to purchase and for a limited time, they are priced at 100 yen (down from the 150 yen price tag they were originally announced at)! While Daan Koopman gave you an extensive post about his experience with the the DLC from Tobidasu Puricula Kiradeco Revolution, I’m going to let you know what to expect from the most recent release from Square Enix in Japan.

Accessing the DLC works very similarly to Tobidasu Puricula. From the main title screen, there is a special section clearly labeled to access the downloadable songs. After touching this, the 3DS scans your 3DS for the SD card and then sends you to a brief loading screen before bringing up the full list of available songs. By clicking on the song, the option to purchase it appears on the lower right hand side of the touch screen. After touching this button, an eShop overlay initiates and if you have enough funds, you are given the details and asked to confirm your purchase. From there, your song begins to download and you can see a progress bar indicating what percentage of the file is downloaded. During the download process, you are unable to suspend the download or close the system. However, with most of the files between 35-40 blocks, the downloads are typically done in around 15 seconds. The files that you download can only be played in the Challenge mode of the game and cannot be used in the story mode.

The download process for the DLC for Theatrhythm Final Fantasy (and for Tobidasu Puricula) is a great step forward for Nintendo. Transactions are fast and hassle free, and you are able to get your content in a matter of seconds. Unfortunately, the only thing I did not get to try directly from this section of the game was adding more funds to my account. Based on Daan’s impressions of Tobidasu Puricula and considering how similar the DLC works for both games, I would imagine adding funds is quick and painless.

[xcwarrior]

Are we seriously happy that Square Enix is charging you extra for songs that should have been in the game? Yeah, figured as much.

[NWR_pap64]

No one is being "happy" here, Danny is just explaining how the DLC system works since all of it is being run on Nintendo's new online module, and considering how crappy it has been in the past, the fact steps are being made is worth being pointed out.

[Enner]

Hey, maybe there are a lot of the songs you want in the base game already.


Anyway, nice to read that the system isn't broken. Now here's to hoping that it isn't abused too much.

[Vahne]

Square Enix's explanation is that they can't cram all the songs they wanted into the game cart, something about 80 songs already in the game.

[NWR_insanolord]

If there are 80 songs on the cartridge you don't get to complain that the DLC should have been in the game.

[the_dan_x]

Vahne is right. Square Enix did say that they just couldn't cram all of the songs onto the cart. Heck, they're planning to add over 50 songs to the game before it's all said and done. That's a lot of content and at 100-150 yen ($1.25 - $1.88) a pop, big fans of the game are going to sink upwards of 5,000 yen into DLC alone. That then leads to the question, "Does this game feel incomplete without the DLC?" Absolutely not. It doesn't feel at all like content was intentionally removed from the game or that anything is missing from the final product. Not having the DLC is not going to detract from your experience.

[Lady Mushroom]

DLC is potentially a great addition to the functionality and possibilities of games. And yes it also has the potential for being abused by cheap nickel-and-diming publishers - but let's not jump to the conclusion that all DLC is like that. The best protection is for customers to be discriminating and avoid dishonest DLC. And yelling "rip off" at ALL DLC is NOT discriminating and doesn't help at all.


Actually this seems a good example of GOOD DLC. Plenty of content in the first place and, frankly we are not necessarily going to want our systems clogged with EVERY song, so we get to choose which ones to add to the original 80.


One question: is DLC like downloadable games - ie do we own it once paid for whether it is on our local system or not? It could be good to keep the system clear of large amounts of extra content while being able to re-download it whenever we want it.