The Season Pass debate: was it worth it?

Just to point out as we're looking at these retrospectively, the "mystery warrior" in the Mortal Kombat DLC turned out to be Freddy Kruger.

Personally, I think there's definitely something to be said about being told what's in the Season Pass before buying it. I think the "worst" offenders are those that don't give you much in the way of specifics other than "future DLC" and then it turns out to be stuff you probably wouldn't have bothered getting were you given the option.

Thanks mate - updated.

Personally don't think any season pass is worth it. Only takes 1 of the bits of content to be rubbish to negate the savings. I like to see what it is before I buy it.

is there a reason why the MW3 dlc season pass (or elite as it was) is not up there because that was definately NOT worth it

Elite isn't a bundle deal - it's a full-blown digital service, which we've broken down for consideration here: http://www.oxm.co.uk/33533/features/cal ... u-pay-for/

The only season passes worth buying are the ones that offer every piece of DLC from pre-order bonuses to planned dlc. It's why I have only ever bought rockstar's games & COD: Elite season passes because they do it right, not some pick 'n' mix like THQ for example. Then you need to be aware of the quality of content released as part of those packages.

I actually see the season pass working best with Capcom or Rockband, I'm sick to the back teeth of seeing their dlc spammed across the new add-ons table. (Why hasn't rockband not gotten it's own section yet?) If rockband had a season pass it could release 3/6 months worth of songs with a 20% discount, you may not like all the songs but you'd have another 6 hours worth of music to play with. Capcom need to learn holding back anything beyond the basics is a d*** move but a season pass would mean anyone who bought the next street fighter doesn't have to bother downloading 40 pieces of individual dlc, and can just have it auto queued for download when they play the game.

Rockstar pioneered the season pass with L.A. Noire for me and told you everything that is coming and what it's called with a rough release estimate, did it again with max payne 3 and hopefully again with GTA V in May 2013 (see every rockstar release for the past 4 years) an While I was skeptical about Elite the content for the game and the additional extras you got where worth every penny thanks to xbox's exclusive map-pack deal. (and that's from a halo fanboy and someone not buying black ops 2 because I literally started to fall asleep when watching the E3 2012 demo, take it or leave it, its true.)

I've sucumbed to a couple of season passes - mainly for games that I really, really like and would have bought the DLC anyway. I do think content should be stated up front, in advance so you can make an educated decision on the value of the pack. Part of me does cringe though when I wonder how much is now kept out of the game to justify the DLC additional items. Case in point - the 'missing' missions in the middle of Assassins Creed 2 (sequence 12 and 13). How they justified this I'll never know.

....and DONT get me started on DLC achievements that show up in the game even when you haven't got the DLC! GRR!

So far nobody has deemed any of the Season Passes discussed worth the money. And yet, a majority of respondents to the final poll are signing up for round two. I hope they're not the same people.

So far nobody has deemed any of the Season Passes discussed worth the money. And yet, a majority of respondents to the final poll are signing up for round two. I hope they're not the same people.

I still believe The Battlefield Premium Pass is worth it, much more so than any of the others.

But then i suppose it also depends how much you play the game and whether you get your monies worth.

I play Battlefield a lot so its worth it for me, especially getting the DLC two weeks before everyone else.

Also unlike COD, at least you get assignments, camo's, new guns, videos, double XP weekends instead of just new maps all the time.

However, in general i don't like these extra paid passes and i don't like the way things are going with them either.

So far nobody has deemed any of the Season Passes discussed worth the money. And yet, a majority of respondents to the final poll are signing up for round two. I hope they're not the same people.

I still believe The Battlefield Premium Pass is worth it, much more so than any of the others.

But then i suppose it also depends how much you play the game and whether you get your monies worth.

I play Battlefield a lot so its worth it for me, especially getting the DLC two weeks before everyone else.

Also unlike COD, at least you get assignments, camo's, new guns, videos, double XP weekends instead of just new maps all the time.

However, in general i don't like these extra paid passes and i don't like the way things are going with them either.

I play Battlefield a lot and I also think that premium is a good buy but now you can buy a premium edition of battlefield where you get the game and premium for £39.99 so it begs the question why buy premium online when you could save yourself up to £40, I traded my Battlefield in and then got the Premium edition for £30

For that price, Saints Row: The Third's season pass should have included all of the other DLC packs too. I trusted that the three mission packs would be substantial but they were crap, took me about half an hour to finish each one.

I haven't bought one ever as of yet, but I voted all these as good value, because they are! Whether the quality of the DLC is high or low is a different matter. Considering all of them saved you money over the total cost if bought separately, so I don't see how anyone can deem them as being not good value.

For that price, Saints Row: The Third's season pass should have included all of the other DLC packs too. I trusted that the three mission packs would be substantial but they were crap, took me about half an hour to finish each one.

I was late to the Saints Row The Third party, so I got the three main Season Pass DLCs for 280MSP each in Deal of the Week. Most of the other DLC is worthless skins or unlocks.

I bought the Darksiders 2 Season Pass and so far have got an armour set which lasted all of two hours before I found something better and a half-hour DLC pack, so unless the third DLC is a massive twelve hour expansion, the Season Pass was absolutely not worth 1600MSP.

Other Season Passes I have bought and were worth it are: LA Noire, Mortal Kombat and presumably Borderlands 2 (the first game's DLC was good apart from Moxxi's Grindydome S***e, so BL2's DLC should hopefully be better).

I haven't bought one ever as of yet, but I voted all these as good value, because they are! Whether the quality of the DLC is high or low is a different matter. Considering all of them saved you money over the total cost if bought separately, so I don't see how anyone can deem them as being not good value.

Well, I think the point is more about the passes being given with little detail about the available packs, so you buy the pass but one of the dlcs might have been something you would never have bought anyway, but you didn't know this until the dlc released so you're not really saving money. Technically good value, but as the question says - was it worth it?

BF3 has karkand and close quarters, I bought it but don't like close quarters and had karkand anyway, for me, it's not really worth it. GoW3 pass I bought on sale when 3/4 items were already released - I found that worth it alone for RAAMs shadow, would more so if other people had the dlc, I don't like playing on my own.

i bought forza 4's season pass, was worth it for some of the cars but alot were turd.
the battlefield premium is well worth it, the new game modes and guns/vehicles and related assignments are excellent, as well as getting more mahoosive maps. far better than the same games in different locations IMO. even though i got b2k free with the pre-order it still holds value with the rest of the dlc, each bit tops the last for its "oh my f***ing God"-ness

The only one of these I have is BF premium and I only got it because I never have any money when I need it so better to get the purchase out of the way when I have enough money (I was going to get all the DLC anyway) then have to wait to get it when I have run out of money when it's released.

Put simply:
My copy of Battlefield 3 cost me £38.99. This one up fee included multiplayer and the single player campaign + Co-op.
The collection of Small scale Battlefield 3 DLC would cost me £40.
In fact for one bit of DLC for Battlefield “Armoured Kill” I have to pay over 8.99 I think its round about, what £11-£12 for (ONE MAP.) You are being taken for a ride, If you had told any games company or consumer 4 or so years ago you could get away with selling one map for over £10 you would be laughed out the room.
The DLC culture is a joke, pathetic. And is arguably killing gaming. Some DLC prices and packs are good value for money… Borderlands secret armoury comes to mind. 800 Microsoft points for 15 hours + of gameplay. You are being taken for mugs, being ripped off and most of you don’t even know it.

I have only bought 2 Season passes - BF3's Premium and I bought the Hardened edition of MW3 - which gave me an Elite Subscription and the DLC.

BF3's Premium was expensive but it will add 20 new maps, new weapons, game modes, vehicles plus the added Premium Assignments, Camos and other cosmetic benefits. My biggest criticism with Premium was the time it was released. It was released AFTER the release 0of B2K (the first DLC which BF3 Limited Edition owners got free and I already purchased). Premium cost 4000 ms points and each DLC is 1200 so you actually could save up to 2000 ms points AND get the benefit of Premium too.

MW3's Elite service is (in my opinion) over priced. Elite itself really didn't live up to expectations and the DLC was very disappointing too. Elite was said to improve the MP experience and as the DLC was released with an Elite Subscription I expected all of the DLC to be MP based. In January it was also mentioned that the DLC could add an extension to the SP campaign however we didn't get any of that type of DLC either. Originally we were due to get 20 but this rose to 24 individual pieces of DLC. However only 12 full MP maps were released (in my opinion these 12 are better than the disc based maps). THe Face Off Game mode was a missed opportunity - they really should have made these available in 4v4, 6v6, FFA and Gun Game - but now never get played. They are ALL bigger than Rust and Shipment and they turned out to be amongst the most played maps because of their fast paced, frantic gun on gun action. The co-op missions also greatly disappointed me. The Missions take approx 5mins to complete and have very limited play time - especially compared to MP maps - How many play the missions AFTER they have got the 3 stars and/or any achievements associated with them? Chaos Mode (In co-op) is limited to just 4 maps (and personally I prefer the normal 'survival' mode) So only half of the DLC actually appealed to me. This is the major problem with Season Passes - you don't know what you are getting!

Black Ops 2 may be worth getting as I expect it to add New MP and Zombie Maps ONLY. However as there are no benefits (other than a discount) and they are not releasing them early to season pass holders I may just buy them separately.

I haven't bought one ever as of yet, but I voted all these as good value, because they are! Whether the quality of the DLC is high or low is a different matter. Considering all of them saved you money over the total cost if bought separately, so I don't see how anyone can deem them as being not good value.

I could deem them as not good value. The battlefield one for example I already had karkand and didn't want close quarters so on price alone there's little to no saving made. On top of that if there is a further add on I wouldn't want then it's not value at all. Value is completely dependant on the buyer, if I saw a victorian history book at 50% off it still wouldn't be valuable to me as I wouldn't use it but the good lady would love it so it would be to her.

I didn't vote as I don't have any of them but not knowing the quality/desirability, which makes up the value to me along with price, before hand makes them not good value.

I haven't bought one ever as of yet, but I voted all these as good value, because they are! Whether the quality of the DLC is high or low is a different matter. Considering all of them saved you money over the total cost if bought separately, so I don't see how anyone can deem them as being not good value.

I could deem them as not good value. The battlefield one for example I already had karkand and didn't want close quarters so on price alone there's little to no saving made. On top of that if there is a further add on I wouldn't want then it's not value at all. Value is completely dependant on the buyer, if I saw a victorian history book at 50% off it still wouldn't be valuable to me as I wouldn't use it but the good lady would love it so it would be to her.

I didn't vote as I don't have any of them but not knowing the quality/desirability, which makes up the value to me along with price, before hand makes them not good value.

Indeed value for money can only be assessed at the end of the schedule and each will be individual to the purchaser. BF3's Premium will be of more value to me had I not already purchased B2K but at least I had a rough idea of what I was buying. Even if CQ is not your 'cup of tea' it still added a few new game modes, new weapons - which I really enjoy using - so not a complete waste. However I quite enjoy some CQ now and again and feel that I haven't wasted my money yet but there is still 2 more DLC packs to come so cannot completely say it is value either.

Its the 'not knowing' that puts me off generally - also not many games keep my attention for the duration of the Season. After my experience of the DLC of MW3 I think I may well just get these individually after I see what is in them. Also it means that I don't have to buy a big lump sum of ms points now.

Both 'Season Pass' systems I have purchased (Elite for MW3 and Premium for BF3) promised much more than just the DLC packs. Not only did I get the DLC early, I 'enjoyed' the benefits of having a subscription to each. Elite offered me the Clan options, extra titles/emblems/camo's and an enhanced Elite experience (It failed to deliver overall though in my opinion) and Premium has given me a few extras in BF3 too like Dog Tags/camos, premium assignments, double xp events etc....

Both of these systems supposedly enhance the MP game and keep me playing - Clan Ops in MW3, new Assignments and double XP in BF3 which are updated regularly.

I have never bought (and probably never will buy) a Season Pass on a game I cannot guarantee I will still be playing by the time the last piece of DLC is released, does not give me any 'extra' benefits (other than early access as that is not important) and does not at least give me some idea of what that DLC will consist of!

Fifa 13 is the only season pass i have brought, and u got the game on the sunday and it wasnt out till the friday so it was nearly a week early not 3 days. If u play ultimate team alot like i do then its worth it as u get 20 percent off
gold packs which is a good saving when u spend alot of money buying packs

I haven't bought one ever as of yet, but I voted all these as good value, because they are! Whether the quality of the DLC is high or low is a different matter. Considering all of them saved you money over the total cost if bought separately, so I don't see how anyone can deem them as being not good value.

I could deem them as not good value. The battlefield one for example I already had karkand and didn't want close quarters so on price alone there's little to no saving made. On top of that if there is a further add on I wouldn't want then it's not value at all. Value is completely dependant on the buyer, if I saw a victorian history book at 50% off it still wouldn't be valuable to me as I wouldn't use it but the good lady would love it so it would be to her.

I didn't vote as I don't have any of them but not knowing the quality/desirability, which makes up the value to me along with price, before hand makes them not good value.

No, I get what you're saying, but I don't believe personal value counts here, nor does its value if you already bought some of the DLC individually. This poll simply asks if the season passes for each game represent good value for money, and they do, without question, because for each and every one you are getting a discount over the total price you would pay individually. Comparative cost being the only consideration that matters makes them good value. If you already have some of the DLC, then the season pass is irrelevant, but it doesn't stop it being good value. Similarly, whilst I am in full agreement that the true worth of a thing is purely down to the individual, that is a judgement of the content itself not the comparative prices. Bottom line is, season pass is good value for money because you get all the DLC for cheaper. I really don't see how anyone can say any different, its a purely financial consideration. The relative quality and value of each DLC is a different matter entirely.

Put simply:
My copy of Battlefield 3 cost me £38.99. This one up fee included multiplayer and the single player campaign + Co-op.
The collection of Small scale Battlefield 3 DLC would cost me £40.
In fact for one bit of DLC for Battlefield “Armoured Kill” I have to pay over 8.99 I think its round about, what £11-£12 for (ONE MAP.) You are being taken for a ride, If you had told any games company or consumer 4 or so years ago you could get away with selling one map for over £10 you would be laughed out the room.
The DLC culture is a joke, pathetic. And is arguably killing gaming. Some DLC prices and packs are good value for money… Borderlands secret armoury comes to mind. 800 Microsoft points for 15 hours + of gameplay. You are being taken for mugs, being ripped off and most of you don’t even know it.

Its not one map thought is it!, you are getting 4 massive maps, new guns, assignments, camo's, achievements, and also new tanks.

Yes its expensive if you buy each pack on its own, but if you buy premium then its a little cheaper.

I know what you're saying Grummy, even if all the dlcs just led to blank screens you're getting the same amount with a season pass for less cost than getting separately. In that case though the poll would be fairly pointless as having a season pass that was the same price or more expensive than buying separately would be absolutely mental....actually I wouldn't put that past some publishers...

Anyway, that's why I put in individuals value for each bit of dlc.

I bought the Gears pass, and thought it was pretty reasonable. The DLC itself was good (at least I thought it was), the 33% saving was fair and a few weapon skins a nice bonus. Yes, you need to have faith that the DLC will be of sufficient quality, but that's the trade off - a discount for the risk element.

I'll probably buy the Halo 4 pass when DLC#1 comes out; the AC3 pass... not sure yet. Will maybe wait until DLC#2 then D/L both at the same time if it grabs me.

The Forza pass was, IMHO, not good enough. The entitlement to buy, if you had the in-game credits, a few cars? Not even one track pack? Feeble. If it had encompassed ALL the car packs there might have been an argument for it, but it was bad enough that the Porsche DLC wasn't included - to go on with further car packs in addition to the pass was unforgivable, I feel.

Can't comment on BF or CoD or any of the others. Except to query as to whether EA will turn off the FIFA 13 servers before or after the last piece of DLC for it comes out...

theres a point a few made which is you never know what you are getting with the season passes. not true with some - battlefield had said from the start they are releasing 5 bits of mp dlc, but the surprises were the small things in between like assignments, community challenges, updates that show they listen to their community (no map hardcore).
forza stated it was to get monthly car packs (although i didn't read the small print to see it was only 6 packs, bit disappointed with that)

But you still don't know the quality of the map packs until they're released. A pack could be one or two awful maps, or six great maps. There's always a risk element, and you weigh that up against the dev behind the game to see whether they care about their community or not.
As a side note, Gears 3 became the first game to have four pieces of DLC with achivements - does anyone see the issue with the Halo 4 pass being for the first three pieces of DLC? Anyone think MS will stop at three for Halo 4? I can foresee a backlash when DLC#4 comes out and everyone has to pay for it...