Devil May Cry 5 - Microtransactions

[Olinser]

So, the newest info from Devil May Cry 5 is that it has microtransactions included for SINGLE PLAYER.

LINK (https://www.gameinformer.com/2018/09/22/devil-may-cry-5-has-microtransactions-for-character-upgrades)

And worse, the developer is acting like this is a BENEFIT to the player, and it's 'giving people the option'. Same tired BS every developer tries to spew. They intentionally make progression slow and difficult to try and squeeze more money out of players.

As somebody that has played every single DMC game that has come out, the very idea that they considered this acceptable in a 100% single player game is offensive to me, and makes me seriously question whether I am going to buy this game at all.

I 100% will NOT be buying it on the release date and will wait until I can see concrete information on how badly they force you to grind in an attempt to squeeze you for money.



But on the plus side there is gameplay footage out there that shows both Lady and FINALLY the return of Trish!

[Zevox]

They intentionally make progression slow and difficult
There is no evidence that they will do that. They included this same thing in DMC4 Special Edition, and didn't change anything about its progression compared to the original game.

Seriously, as dumb as Capcom can be, there's no way they didn't notice controversies like that one recent Star Wars game and the effect they had on other companies that pull that kind of crap. I sincerely doubt DMC5 will be any different than DMC4SE in how this works - just a way for them to milk some extra cash from whatever small number of people are lazy enough to decide to just pay to unlock all the moves and upgrades out of the gate, not something that will affect normal players. Maybe I'll be wrong about that, we technically won't know until the game's out, but I see no reason to jump to the opposite conclusion when we have a precedent.

But yeah, the recent trailer for the game was actually pretty awesome. Love how Dante looks in this, and was very glad to see Trish and Lady (now if only they were playable). And I really hope that there's a boss fight with the Kylo Ren-looking dude from the end of it, getting to smash his face in would be pretty satisfying, if for reasons totally unrelated to DMC.

Dante's fight theme though is sadly not very good. Don't suppose there's any hope we'll be able to replace it with Devil Trigger...

[Scowling Dragon]

Seriously, as dumb as Capcom can be, there's no way they didn't notice controversies like that one recent Star Wars game and the effect they had on other companies that pull that kind of crap.

Nearly insignificant. Battlefront 2 was the exception (Even it only made a TON of money just not ALL the money). COD, Madden, and just about every big budget game like this did it at the same time and the whole internet is completly fine with it.

As a whole Gamers have very litte self control.

[Erloas]

There is no evidence that they will do that. They included this same thing in DMC4 Special Edition, and didn't change anything about its progression compared to the original game.

Seriously, as dumb as Capcom can be, there's no way they didn't notice controversies like that one recent Star Wars game and the effect they had on other companies that pull that kind of crap. I sincerely doubt DMC5 will be any different than DMC4SE in how this works - just a way for them to milk some extra cash from whatever small number of people are lazy enough to decide to just pay to unlock all the moves and upgrades out of the gate, not something that will affect normal players. Maybe I'll be wrong about that, we technically won't know until the game's out, but I see no reason to jump to the opposite conclusion when we have a precedent.


My guess is that they're simply betting that microtransactions are so ingrained in gaming at this point that people will just accept it and not complain too much. I didn't play the other games much, or at all that I can recall, though I know I've watched my brother play some of them, so I can't say how player upgrade goes, but I can't see this as being good for most any action or RPG like game. (clearly with player progression it at least has RPG elements even if they don't always call it that) There really is only a couple ways it can go: 1. the upgrades don't do much, so having all of them won't change a lot, 2. the upgrades are vitally important so: 2a. the game becomes trivially easy if you unlock them easier, or 2b. the game difficulty is scaled up rather quickly so that it is still a challenge when you buy all the upgrades.


1. Not a big deal, but doesn't seem very likely and why bother locking them behind an upgrade system in that case.


2a. They're willingly destroying the narative of the game for a few bucks. Not an issue for your average player, and we already see enough game mods to make games really easy that I could see it having an appeal to some players.


2b. Seems like the most likely option and it will be justified by saying "well the people buying them are the biggest fans and most dedicated to the game, so we want the game to be best for them." Which will turn parts of the game into a painful grind for non-paying players. It is also the option that makes them the most money. "But you don't have to pay" is also really easy to say, and it might be true, but the question of how much it detracts from the enjoyment of the game is hard to quantify, even if it is true.


So while they don't have to make the game more grindy to compensate, it is hard to see a good reason for them not to.

[Zevox]

There really is only a couple ways it can go: 1. the upgrades don't do much, so having all of them won't change a lot, 2. the upgrades are vitally important so: 2a. the game becomes trivially easy if you unlock them easier, or 2b. the game difficulty is scaled up rather quickly so that it is still a challenge when you buy all the upgrades.
None of the above has ever been true for any Devil May Cry game. Upgrades are important and helpful, opening up new moves, which leads to new combos and overall more options in combat, but the games are ultimately skill-based (these aren't stat boosts like in RPGs, which Devil May Cry is nothing like). A truly bad player with all of the moves available will still get beaten unless they set the difficult low enough, while someone who's extremely good at the game can just pick Royal Guard style and parry their way to beating the highest difficulty without ever unlocking anything (or dodge everything perfectly if playing Nero, since he doesn't get Dante's styles). Most will obviously be between those two extremes and be able to make use of the new moves, but the difficulty will still come down to how good they are at using them and avoiding getting hit.

[keepLooking]

Everything about microtransactions is actually fine unless EA cames in. Wonder how they changed the game mechanics in order to put as more grinding features as one can

[Delicious Taffy]

Dante's fight theme though is sadly not very good. Don't suppose there's any hope we'll be able to replace it with Devil Trigger...
What, you don't like the incessant high-pitched shrieking of a 14-year-old boy named Devon? You prefer music that sounds like the singer actually enjoyed recording it, mixed by a competent sound engineer?

[Winthur]

Everything about microtransactions is actually fine
Quite the opposite.
Take a look at Deus Ex Mankind Divided to see how a good single player game got chopped to pieces by greedy company policies and gained a ton of backlash through the whole microtransaction scheme it set up.
Microtransactions are a bad precedent, we don't want them.

[chainer1216]

Quite the opposite.
Take a look at Deus Ex Mankind Divided to see how a good single player game got chopped to pieces by greedy company policies and gained a ton of backlash through the whole microtransaction scheme it set up.
Microtransactions are a bad precedent, we don't want them.

Then theres Middle Earth: Shadow Of War.

[darkdragoon]

DMC4 SE had a "time saver" pack but it didn't change the upgrade cap.

[Zevox]

DMC4 SE had a "time saver" pack but it didn't change the upgrade cap.
:smallconfused: Upgrade cap? What upgrade cap are you referring to? Most upgrades in Devil May Cry are one and done, maybe with a second level at most. Unlock a new move, increase the distance a move travels, add a follow-up or transition attack, etc. There's only "caps" in that that there's only so many upgrades there to buy in the first place.

[Ignimortis]

:smallconfused: Upgrade cap? What upgrade cap are you referring to? Most upgrades in Devil May Cry are one and done, maybe with a second level at most. Unlock a new move, increase the distance a move travels, add a follow-up or transition attack, etc. There's only "caps" in that that there's only so many upgrades there to buy in the first place.

I assume that meant the HP/DT gauge cap. It's still 20 and 10 after buying the DLC, so, no harm done.

On topic, though - if Capcom does this the same way it was in DMC4SE, that is, access to higher difficulties without going through lower ones, free currency to spend (which is plentiful anyway, if you're a good player) and character skins with no mechanical effect - then it's fine. It doesn't affect gameplay, it doesn't affect leaderboards (if they're there at all), it doesn't affect anyone but the player.

[ANOTHERSTORY]

Another one bites the dust.