The Add-on “DLC” Trend Needs to Die as Age of Mythology Wants $6 for 22-Year-Old jpegs

I know this kind of publisher panhandling isn’t anything new, but it’s becoming so downright pathetic that I can’t help but be furious at all of it. It’s hard enough that games are so expensive, but aside from the “base” cost of a game, by the time you factor in season passes, multiple editions, separate cosmetic items and other purchasable content, the true cost of most games is borderline insane these days.

While Age of Mythology: Retold is actually a pretty decent game, gaining largely favourable reviews from players and media alike. It is upgrading the classic franchise for a modern audience, or even just a nostalgic one. However, its DLC Steam review score paints a different picture, and it largely seems to be down to silly “DLC” practices.

There’s only one DLC for this game, at least, so far there’s one, I’m sure more will appear over time. It’s called Legacy Deity Portrait Pack, and it costs $6/£5. It simply lets you use the portraits from the original 2002 release. So yeah, that’s it, images that were made 22 years ago, that simply replace the new modern pictures in the game, and they want money for this? Not that long ago people would have seen this as a mere toggle in the options menu and gone “oh that’s neat” and felt like, yeah this is a cool feature and a nod to the game’s past.

Cosmetic DLCs can largely get in the sea as far as I’m concerned. Bring back the days where time, skill or achievements or something, anything related to just playing the game I’ve already purchased unlocks new things. On the plus side, I would not be surprised if a modder simply came along with a jpeg replacement pack within a day or two of this stupid DLC being released.

However, the premium version of this game does come with the jpegs in question, as well as some early access, two upcoming expansions and a new god, which doesn’t seem like too bad a deal, but still, £5 for some jpegs… good luck with that!

I guess the more things change, the more they stay the same.