Metro 2033, released by THQ back in March, is finally getting some additional content. Previously announced in May, the “Ranger Pack” DLC will be made available to Steam and Xbox 360 owners on August 3rd. The content will be free to owners of the PC version and will cost 240 ($3) Microsoft Points for those of you who own the Xbox 360 version.
The add-on for this single player only game adds two new weapons, a new game mode, and new Achievements. A Heavy Automatic Shotgun and the Volt Driver are the two new weapons you will come across. These new weapons are designed to make you more formidable in the new game type called “Ranger Mode.”
This new game mode makes ammo less abundant, lowers the damage your weapons do, and removes the HUD. THQ claims this mode will make the game experience more immersive. One of the best aspects of Metro 2033 was the great atmosphere. If this DLC can immerse you even further into to the already moody atmosphere it may be worth playing. Along with those additions Xbox owners will also be able to earn an additional 250 achievement points.
While this add-on will be welcomed by some, I question charging for this type of content on the console side. This DLC sounds like it is basically a mod. Why do console player have to pay and PC players don’t? Fans have brought up this question to the developers and they responded that they wanted it to be free on the Xbox 360, but they were required to charge for it by Microsoft. “Microsoft rules mean we have to charge for DLC on Xbox LIVE... they let us set the lowest possible price”, was the response on the official Metro 2033 twitter feed.
What are your thoughts on this DLC and Microsoft’s policy of charging for anything on its marketplace? How can bandwidth for Microsoft be more than the bandwidth to deliver the same content to Steam users? Are the certifications for Xbox 360, with all consoles the same, more expensive than testing on all the possible combinations of PC hardware?
Sources: Game Informer, Metro 2033 official site and Twitter feed.