Guess what arrived on my desk today!

A NeoGAF user by the name of a Master Ninja has come up with an interesting discovery. He found out that the file size of several post-release downloads is only 108 KB, an impossible size for additional content...unless the content is stored in the game's disc. In which case, users would actually be buying a mere unlocking key for that content.

I couldn't find a topic about this exactly, so I decided to make one. I made this list myself by just looking at the Marketplace, so if there is anything I missed please let me know. If you only take away one thing from this topic, let it be the fact that if the game content you bought from the marketplace was exactly 108.00 KB, you just got suckered into buying a "key" to unlock content that is already sitting on your DVD!

The following is the list that "a Master Ninja" has compiled so far:


Downloadable Keys that unlock content ON THE DISC that you can ONLY get by PAYING MORE MONEY

Alaskan Adventures
Alaskan Bonus Pack 1 (100 points)
108.00 KB

Cabela's Safari
Safari Bonus Animal (150 points)
108.00 KB

Chromehounds
Total price of all downloadable parts keys (1800 points)
The keys are 108.00 KB each

College Hoops 2K7
2K ReelMaker for College Hoops 2K7 (400 points)
108.00 KB

LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
LEGO Star Wars Characters (200 points)
108.00 KB

Rapala Tournament Fishing!
California Delta Bonus Level (150 points)
108.00 KB

Samurai Warriors 2
Total price to buy horses and hire people not otherwise available (580 points)
The keys are 108.00 KB each

The Godfather
Favor Pack - 3 Favor Missions (250 points)
108.00 KB

Viva Pinata
Accessory Pack 1 (80 points)
Accessory Pack 2 (80 points)
Accessory Pack 3 (80 points)
Accessory Pack 4 (80 points)
The keys are 108.00 KB each


TOTAL COST for content on the disc that is ONLY accessible by PAYING MORE MONEY 3950 MS points ($49.38)


Downloadable keys that COST MONEY to unlock content you could unlock by ACTUALLY PLAYING THE GAME

Need for Speed: Carbon
Total price for all the available content keys (7320 points)
The keys are 108.00 KB each

The Godfather
The Don Collection (800 points)
or if you buy each thing separately 1265 points
The keys are 108.00 KB each

Test Drive Unlimited
Test Drive Racers Guild Download Set (350 points)
108.00 KB

TOTAL COST for content on the disc that you could actually play to get 8470 MS points ($105.88)


FREE Downloadable Keys that unlock content ON THE DISC

Ridge Racer 6
36 different cars
The keys are 108.00 KB each

Chromehounds
Color Pattern02, Assist parts01, Heavy arms01, Light arms02
The keys are 108.00 KB each

Dead Rising
9 different outfits
The keys are 108.00 KB each

Is he absolutely sure that some of the contents cant be at 108KB each?

Some things like accessories and outfits sounds possible. Could be compressed when it is made for download.

now doax2 u can use MS points to buy all the swimsuits for each girls but each girls swimsuits set cost 400MS

anyone still playing doax2? i need some help ahhhh!!

the godfather don collection bundle or nfs:carbon content are already inside and can be unlock if you play it, so it really is unlock key.

for "Downloadable keys that COST MONEY to unlock content you could unlock by ACTUALLY PLAYING THE GAME" everything is already in the disc, it just a way for lazy rich kid to get thing without working for it.

but the godfather "Favor Pack - 3 Favor Missions (250 points)" is very suspicious, 3 mission codes can be packed at 108KB? doesn't sound logic no matter how many times i re-read it again.

if the content highly desirable & hard to unlock- cough cough doax2 swimsuits, sure if they sell as DLC, sure laku

but i think those oblivion add-ons all no cheating one ler (dunno their filesize), the developers made new content & sell them as DLC 

LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
LEGO Star Wars Characters (200 points)
108.00 KB

Chromehounds
Total price of all downloadable parts keys (1800 points)
The keys are 108.00 KB each

thats why server and home user connection can't be compared. server usually have alot bandwidth to cater for everyone, but home user....

Well, if you are willing to pay to unlock content that you ALREADY know you can unlock by playing the game, you can't exactly fault the companies right? Its your choice, not as if they masked it by saying you can't get it unless you download it.

As for mission codecs, it does sound a bit suspicious but it could be jst a couple of lines to add objectives to a particular area of the map and change behaviour of some existing dude in the game.

108KB is a lot of progamming code lines

keyword here is ping, not much on bandwidth since GOW multiplayer is only 4 vs 4 which hardly use up that much bandwidth. 

bro zio,
you use free shipping? when was your item shipped out from PA? my order still not here yet lah...

actually is they sell ori discs for USD20~25 (with locked content) and make up the revenue via secure MS points activation on xboxlive, this is a better deal for gamers & game publishers to cut off the middleman profit margins. "pay to play" rather than "buy to play"

too bad, the majority of worldwide gamers is not fully wired on cheap broadband yet 
i think box parcels abit more delay than airbubble packets during the holiday shipping season. hopefully u get ur parcel soon 

bro zio,
you use free shipping? when was your item shipped out from PA? my order still not here yet lah...

even talk of ping can't be compared, the server and home connection are not using the same IP.

edit: mistaken ping for IP.

uh IP has very little to do with it. But yeah, the s'poreans had super download speed but pathetic uploads.  That's why it's better if we host instead of them. Played BF2 with more than 8 players on private lan with the s'porean seems ok je..