One of the worries involved with downloadable content is that developers simply hide the content on the disc and charge you for an unlock code.

Namco Bandai has been a prime offender. All of the "Beautiful Katamari" downloadable content on Xbox Live, for example, is 364 KB each. When you buy it, it just "unlocks" on the disc.

I wondered if the publisher would take the same approach with the Darth Vader and Yoda downloadable characters for "Soul Calibur IV." They never outlined a good reason why the characters were restricted to a single platform -- Yoda on Xbox 360, Darth Vader on PlayStation 3 -- it seemed marketing-driven.

The characters were added to Xbox Live and PlayStation Network this morning. I checked, and it looks like the download size for Darth Vader is almost 8 MB on XBL. That suggests it wasn't on the disc. I can't check the file size for Yoda on PSN, but one would assume it's in the same ballpark.

That doesn't explain why the characters needed to be split up in the first place, but at least you're not paying $4.99 for little more than a glorified cheat code.

Related Posts
PS3 vs 360: Charting The Exclusive Content
Why ‘AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack’ Is Wal-Mart Only And Not DLC (For Now)
Only Some ‘Guitar Hero: World Tour’ Downloadable Content Will Be Xbox 360-Exclusive At Launch
What 360-Exclusive ‘Tomb Raider’ DLC Means For PS3, PC Owners

I haven't seriously played a fighting game since "Street Fighter II." I did love "Soul Calibur" on Dreamcast. It was fun, fast, easy to pick up and beautiful. But I haven't played much of any "Soul Calibur" game since then.

Then, earlier this year, Namco Bandai revealed Vader and Yoda in "Soul Calibur IV." My nerd radar started going off. It's with this mindset I went into a short interview with "Soul Calibur IV" director Katsutoshi Sasaki at Namco Bandai's recent Editor's Day in San Francisco.

Sasaki says his latest creation, "Soul Calibur IV," was made with people like me (read: button-mashing novices) in mind. It's the largest reason the game has an online component, even though some of Sasaki's team was initially against it.

We even discussed the giant elephant in the room: "Street Fighter IV."

He's seen it, and and he respects it.

Read more...