This is discussion archived from a time before the current discussion method was installed.
Seven Seals: Removed this: "A ploy to leech more money out of the fans of the original game."
This just isn't fair. In what way is giving people more of the same (in other words, what they want) a "ploy"? Nobody's forcing you to buy it, after all. The only time you can call this a ploy is when the expansion really consists of material that rightfully should have been part of the original game (and some higher-up decided to split it for profit), but these are actually the minority.
Let's talk about not-even-trying sequels instead, if you want to talk about ploys to extract undeserved money...
Red Shoe: What they often are though, is a way to compensate for the need to be first-to-market. Expansion Packs largely started out as "stuff we wanted to put in the game originally, but we weren't finished writing them when the suits in marketing demanded we ship."
Kimiko Muffin: I wouldn't know about "often", in that case. Admittedly, the only "expansion packs" I've are for Half Life and SiN, and said expansion packs were full-fledged games in their own right made by different companies from the original, but how "often" are they really "stuff we couldn't put in at first because of deadlines"?
Seth: I would say that it is only the minority that rip people off with expansions and they usualy get lynched for it.
J Random User: Umm...Throne of Bhaal is not widely considered superior to Shadows of Amn by any stretch of the imagination. So A provided many engaging characters, not least the main antagonist, and many opportunities for roleplaying. To B was a slapdash collection of hack and slash with a thinly disguised villain executing a transparent Xanatos Gambit. Love the game to pieces, but let's not lie here, Throne of Bhaal is the lesser product.
Seven Seals: Whoa, who added that? I've talked to plenty of people who thought ToB was fun but lacking in execution, but I've never talked to anyone who thought ToB was better than SoA. I honestly don't see how anyone could: ToB just continues the story of SoA, and while you do get lots of new uber powers and abilities to have fun slaughtering people with, this is hardly what makes a game better. ToB had some great sound and visuals, but story-wise it was really a poor offering — and that's still what matters most in an RPG.
Nohbody: Pardon an idiot moment, but what exactly is the entry about Half Life's episodic release trying to say? I'm not entirely certain, offhand.
Eric DVH: Those are just 3rd-party mods. Very complete ones, but mods nonetheless. I was about to note that M∞ itself qualifies as an expansion pack when I remembered that it's standalone, and thus more of a Mission-Pack Sequel. Split the following into other articles:
- Marathon: Infinity has countless third-party expansions, including several "total conversions"(eg Erodrome, Excalibur: Morgana's Revenge, Marathon RED, Marathon Rubicon).
