As you know by now, Capcom caused a stir when they admitted to certain portions of downloadable content already being on the disc. Their claim is that it frees up hard drive space and allows for smoother transition for when they officially release it in the marketplace. But gamers argue that this is just another industry tactic to bleed them of their hard-earned money, paying full price for a full-fledged product and being forced to pay extra to use what they essentially refer to as the other DLC --- "disc-locked" content.
I'm the kind of guy that remembers a time when you didn't pay to download extra content, but rather, you unlocked it through gaming effort, the Konami code or finding easter eggs and treasures. Particularly with fighting games, extra characters were the result of hard-earned gameplay, skill and vigorous effort. In Capcom's case, Street Fighter X Tekken had the 12 extra characters available, but all the gaming skills in the world will never let you see them. (At least, for free, anyway.) The only way you'll get to use the extra characters is by waiting until Capcom puts them out in the marketplace for purchase. Knowing them, each character will likely be $3 or so a pop, along with the pricer bundles. Yet, apparently, a couple of hackers grew impatient and figured out a way to unlock the 12 characters to use in online matches for the 360 port. In response, Capcom issued a stringent ban on anyone caught using the extra characters, and is working with Microsoft to enforce the ban by any means necessary.
While I'll never condone the practice of hacking, Capcom is paying the price for their decisions. It was intended to be their dirty little secret, and when the cat was let out, they were forced to give an explanation. It also lead EA to openly admit that Mass Effect 3 included some pre-release DLC programmed on the disc. I want to believe that this was all done with good intentions, but as a consumer, it is difficult for me to grasp their excuses. When DLC is released, it is content that was developed AFTER the release of a finished product, and their transitions are relatively smooth (downplaying Capcom's claims) If DLC is already branded in the product, then it is regarded as finished DLC that should have been shipped alongside the game on release day. Entitlement affords the right of the consumer to have legitimate access to every fiber of the product they buy---no strings attached. The consumer feels as if they're being denied some of their rights of ownership by being limited to the content available and, adding insult to injury, being forced to spend additional money to unlock the stuff originally entitled to them in the first place.
By this admittance, disc-locked content will give rise to unscrupulous efforts on behalf of impatient hackers to reveal buried easter eggs earlier than expected, as was evidenced just recently with Street Fighter X Tekken. Consumer faith and confidence is compromised, and the industry suffers as a result.
DLC is a fairly lucrative business in and of itself, and it isn't likely to waver anytime soon. But after learning of this latest DLC controversy, I found myself harkening back to the old days when the stuff already included in a cartridge or a disc could be unlocked through the merits of gaming skill. Hardcore or casual, the gamer truly felt rewarded. Soul Calibur is a great example of having enormous unlockable content that you got through your inherent gaming efforts. In Chrono Cross, you could earn party members through the decisions you made playing the game, not thumbing through a marketplace.
It remains to be seen if other companies will admit to this industry practice.
......just my two cents for today. 
