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Bastion Getting Free DLC Everywhere But Xbox 360

Stranger's Dream add-on includes two game modes, and a new "Who Knows Where."

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When you think about some of 2011’s best downloadable games, Bastion immediately comes to mind, and if you’ve been hoping to scratch that itch again, Supergiant Games has what you need.

On December 14, Supergiant Games is launching the Stranger’s Dream downloadable content, which includes a new “Who Knows Where” section, complete with new voice overs, and two new modes. Score Attack Mode starts players at level one with all spirits and idols unlocked, and No-Sweat Mode is the equivalent of very, very easy--you can continue where you die.

Stranger’s Dream won’t cost a dime on PC, but you’ll have to pay $1 on Xbox Live, as Microsoft has some very strange, inconsistent policies when it comes to offering free content on its service. Supergiant Games alluded to wanting to make the content free in its announcement post.

“The Stranger’s Dream DLC will be available for 80 Microsoft Points ($1) on XBLA, which we can’t make free due to Microsoft policy, so it’s about as close as we could get,” said the company. “Though, since you’ll be getting a good chunk of new content, we think you’ll be satisfied with your purchase.”

That content will also come to the Google Chrome, which may come as a shock if you haven’t heard that Bastion is also fully playable through Google Chrome now. Yes, the browser! It means Mac owners can check out this spectacular action RPG. That version is available right now, and if you want to see how well it does/doesn’t work, you can play the prologue for free.

Patrick Klepek on Google+

171 Comments

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forkboy

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Edited By forkboy

Fuck you Microsoft.

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BisonHero

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Edited By BisonHero

@SparkleMotion said:

Couldn't they have just added all of this stuff in a patch, avoid calling it DLC and avoid having to make people pay for it?

As far as Microsoft is concerned, patches on the 360 are supposed to be for balance fixes, or bug fixes. Generally, most patches are fairly small in size, because they're just some small changes to the code.

If you make a patch that contains a bunch of new levels, new audio, new modes, etc., like this one, it would be large and Microsoft would be able to tell. Apparently, the only time Microsoft allows for free DLC like this is if it's free on a competing console, by which they mean "if it's free on the PS3".

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HKZ

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Edited By HKZ
@Grimluck343: You just don't get it. The price isn't the issue. I'm sure everyone here would be more than happy to pay $10 for DLC for a game as good as Bastion. It's the fact that Supergiant Games wanted to give their content for nothing to owners of the game and Microsoft, unlike every other gaming platform in existence said "fuck you, you're charging for it and most of that money is going to us." Yeah, they are getting money, but they didn't want it because they wanted to give it to you for free and do you really think the majority of that is going to Supergiant? Hardly. Supergiant is being bullied into Microsoft charging for something they didn't want to. I would gladly pay $10 like you would. But if they want to give it to me for free I'll take that too. But I AM NOT going to basically pay Microsoft $1 for something they don't deserve to get and I'm sure as hell not buying into their asinine "points" system that never works out to be what I want to buy, but rather what they want me to overbuy and never be able to use the exact amount I need. They make oodles of money of this dumbass system and I'm not going to buy into it. After the bullshit advertisement update to the UI on the Xbox without ANY benefits, this content bullshit makes that system less and less attractive every day. No other platform does this shit with DLC releases except Microsoft and they aren't doing anything to make the DLC. Distribution costs aside, they charge for access to media like Hulu, Netflix and ESPN3 despite having absolutely nothing to do with that content being produced, distributed, or advertised. They aren't losing out by allowing free DLC, they want to make more money of content they don't produce. How you can't get that through your thick skull is the question of the century. It's literally black and white.
 
Assuming what you say is true, a gaming website ToS and one from the likes of Sony and Microsoft are in no way the same. Giantbomb and Whiskey don't require anything like what Sony and Microsoft do to use their services. An account here is completely free, and Whiskey will never check to see if you are anything more than a valid email address. Want to use Xbox Live? Credit card info. Want to have your hardware warranty honored on either system? Name and address please. I expect Sony and Microsoft to keep the data they require safe and they've basically told everyone that if we fuck your shit up, you have to go up against our lawyers on your own. In other words, "try and fuck with us over losing your information because of our lackadaisical attitudes towards security and we'll fucking bury you in court." So yeah, there's that MASSIVE difference between the two.
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HKZ

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Edited By HKZ
@Grimluck343 said: 

1. No one's forcing SGG to put up this content. If they were as angry about it as you are, then they would have made it PC exclusive DLC. But they didn't. So I guess now we can argue about the integrity of SGG allowing Microsoft to charge $1 for DLC?


Problem is, Microsoft is stepping on their dick. They either don't release the DLC on Xbox on principle and screw thousands of fans out of DLC, or they cowtow to the ridiculous policies of Microsoft and release the DLC for a dollar, almost none of which they will see.
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Donos

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Edited By Donos

Huh, haven't seen a good internet rage over nothing in a while. To the DLC... I don't think I'm going to get it. Company policies come down to wallet votes, and I'd feel gross voting for this one.

I have a feeling the xbox DLC will see very, very few purchases (indy game = small hardcore fanbase ~= willing to go to other platforms), maybe it'll set a useful precedent.

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kennybaese

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Edited By kennybaese

I need to go download this thing in Chrome.

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phampire

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Edited By phampire

free pc updates is win! running bastion on chrome is pretty nifty.

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UsbCable

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Edited By UsbCable

I've had 100 something points sitting in my account for months so I'm good but that sucks for people that don't. At least SuperSexy will get some change out of it.

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AxleBro

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Edited By AxleBro

lol, serves everyone right for not getting it on pc, master race.

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MysteriousBob

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Edited By MysteriousBob

DLC for one of my favourite gams of the year? Sure!

WAIT, 80MS POINTS JESUS CHRIST I'M NOT MADE OF MONEY

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ABritishNerd

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Edited By ABritishNerd
@Zero_Dude

WOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Your avatar is extremely relevant to this news post.
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arx724

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Edited By arx724

@AxleFGK said:

lol, serves everyone right for not getting it on pc, master race.

Yeah, serves me right for wanting to support them sooner. I sure did a horrible thing.

I could easily acquire it on PC as well if I was interested in the DLC, so what's your point?

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FunExplosions

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Edited By FunExplosions

The 360 also does a weird thing that is typically unknown to most gamers, where if a developer releases a game on any other platform before they release it on the 360, they cannot ever release it on the 360. Sounds like I made it up, I know. If I cared more, I'd look it up and show it here. There have been some very few almost-exceptions to this rule, where dlc had been put out on other platforms before on the 360, but I'm sure there was some weird skirting-the-boundary kinda stuff happening in those instances. So if you have indeed released a game on the PS3 in hopes of also releasing it on the 360 some day, your dreams have already been crushed.

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Skald

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Edited By Skald

Bastion is now the best browser game ever.

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Jonnyflash80

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Edited By Jonnyflash80

That's a pretty shitty policy that Microsoft has. I'm not too up in arms about it though. $1 is almost free anyway.

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aseddon130

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Edited By aseddon130

@FunExplosions:

tell that to Joe Danger, you could argue they got around it with the 'Special Edition' bit but it was still on PS3 first.

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FunExplosions

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Edited By FunExplosions
@aseddon130 said:

@FunExplosions:

tell that to Joe Danger, you could argue they got around it with the 'Special Edition' bit but it was still on PS3 first.

There was talk of it being really dated, and every developer is clueless as to why the hell they haven't gotten rid of it. The most likely answer, is because they can get away with it: they have the best tools available for indie devs, and they have the user base to back them up. Somehow there have indeed been instances where this rule seemed to be disregarded my Mircrosoft, like with Arkham Asylum's Joker release-day content for the PS3, where that technically should prevent the game from its Microsoft release. Probably the high sales expectations made Microsoft reconsider. As for Joe Danger and other anomalies, I have no idea how that happened.
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soupbones

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Edited By soupbones

Can't wait - best XBLA game this year.

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Deleth

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Edited By Deleth

Bah, new Achievments. :(

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AxleBro

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Edited By AxleBro

@Arx724 said:

@AxleFGK said:

lol, serves everyone right for not getting it on pc, master race.

Yeah, serves me right for wanting to support them sooner. I sure did a horrible thing.

I could easily acquire it on PC as well if I was interested in the DLC, so what's your point?

it was a joke. no need to get butthurt buddy.

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arx724

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Edited By arx724

@AxleFGK said:

@Arx724 said:

@AxleFGK said:

lol, serves everyone right for not getting it on pc, master race.

Yeah, serves me right for wanting to support them sooner. I sure did a horrible thing.

I could easily acquire it on PC as well if I was interested in the DLC, so what's your point?

it was a joke. no need to get butthurt buddy.

Go back to /v/.