Before the Great Ending Fiasco of 2012, there was another issue that roused the passions of the Internet (not hard) in relation to ME3. That issue was Javik, the glowing eyed woodlouse kinden to the right (bonus points if you get that reference). For those that don't know, Javik represents a piece of day one DLC. If you bought the Collector's Edition of ME3, he came as part of the game. If you only bought the standard version, Javik and his related mission would set you back an additional $10 (or there abouts). And the fans went wild, just not in a good way.
Before we get into why Javik (and day one DLC in general) isn't actually a bad thing as far as I'm concerned, let's be clear about what we're talking about. We're not talking about "Project $10", despite the annoyingly similar price tag. Project $10 is something that you only get if you buy a game new and, usually, represents some aspect of functionality that has been intentionally crippled and must be restored. ME3 actually has this, in the form of the "Online Pass". Project $10 is a bad idea for many reasons. It's also not what we're talking about. Day one DLC is some addition to a game that is available for purchase from the start. It's an expansion pack, only released when the game is brand spanking new. Not having Javik doesn't impair my ability to play ME3, in the same way that not having the River expansion doesn't limit you from playing the orginal Carcassone. (Which you should totally do, by the way.) He's an extra. A bit of fluff for those willing to shell out. He's the blackend soul of the games industry and represents everything that is wrong with the world.
The thing is, because it is available from the start, from the moment the game hits the shelves, there is a feeling that day one DLC represents a piece of the game you've paid for already. You shelled out £40, damn it, don't you deserve the whole game? Well, yes, but who's to say what the whole game is? Mass Effect 3 is easily 20 hours long. That's no Skyrim or Kingdoms of Amalur, but it's about 2.5 cover based shooters. (Three, if you're using Gears of War 3 as your measuring stick.) That's a goodly amount of game. £2 per hour, if you play through it only once. Isn't that good value? Is it somehow incomplete? Are we somehow entitled to get everythinga games company does just because we bought the game?
I would have thought the answer was pretty obviously "no", but geekdom is nothing if not prone to a sense of misplaced entitlement. Bioware cheated us out of a bit of ME3. Stephen Moffat denied us our god given right to a full season of Dr Who. George Lucas betrayed his fans and deserves to be forced to the Phantom Menace on endless loop until he weeps for mercy. (Well, ok, maybe that's a little too forgiving. Let's make it just the bits with Anakin and Jar-Jar.) But the truth is we're not entitled to any of these things, just as we're not entitled to a decent ending to ME3, or anything else beyond what we paid for. (Which is, let's remember, simply the opportunity to shoot imaginary men in the face with imaginary magic power IN SPAAAAAAAAAAACE! It's hardly world peace.) Despite this, people get all het up about day one DLC, as if it's the worst thing since International Rugby Challenge. (And if you get that reference too, you're obviously Douglas Aiton.)
It's not though. It's just an expansion pack. Buy it or don't. It's your call. Just don't try and claim that you're entitled to it.
