I have a fine collection of Xbox LIVE Arcade titles, but I don't get much downloadable content for retail games unless it's free. The only DLC off the top of my head that I'll pay for is anything for Burnout Paradise and the upcoming Grand Theft Auto IV content. Even so, this fantastic option of downloading content for Microsoft Points is starting to dig deep.

All these transactions seem micro on their own, but lately the price has ramped up on a few new XBLA games and without a doubt there will be more of the same to come.

Braid, an XBLA title recently released. While I love it and all it's quite fanboyish of me to think it's really worth it's near AU$20 price tag.
Castle Crashers is also 1200 points, and so far there's nothing in my opinion that makes it worth more than the usual 800 points.
I was set to buy Penny Arcade Adventures: Episode One, but I refuse to pay over AU$26 for it.

I don't feel comfortable with the thought that 1200MSP may become the new 800, but there's nothing I can do about that. I'm too much of a sucker for the instant downloadable injection, and just like Braid and Castle Crashers, if I really want a game I'll pay anything for it. I mean, I actually paid for Fable II Pub Games. Yeah, you heard me.


While downloading games saves me making space for game cases, they now take up an even more expensive amount of area. This combination of great Xbox LIVE Arcade games, title updates, retail game DLC and the new functionality coming from "The New Xbox Experience" is going to hit me hard in particular.

Because I am my crazy completionist self, I will need to have all my retail games (and their DLC) installed permanently on my hard drive, which means that my (so-called) 20GB hard drive isn't gonna cut it.

This would be no big deal if we were talking about PC's or the PS3, but Xbox 360 owners are limited to the custom casing, custom hard drive space and worst of all, custom pricing of the 120GB hard drive. Currently the RRP is AU$199, and although it's easy to find it cheaper than that price, your wallet will still get raped at any retail outlet.

If you love your downloadable content and need to upgrade your Xbox 360 hard drive, that's when it really starts hitting hard. Microsoft never anticipated that Xbox LIVE Marketplace would have so much content at this point in the Xbox 360's life cycle, but we're the one's who have to pay for their mistake.


Right at the beginning, microtransactions and downloadable content feel right, but over time, they'll end up costing you one way or another.



Of course, the elektrixxx armour is totally worth it.

elektrixxx.