I recently expressed my distaste with the new Prince of Persia’s lack of an ending. Well now I know why it was neglected. Ubisoft has seen fit to make you pay money for the ending. That’s right. ‘Epilogue’, the actual conclusion to the game, with new levels and regions to explore is to be released for the PS3 and 360 versions (sorry PC gamers, you’re apparently on the outs again). I haven’t heard what the pricing is going to be set at, but that’s irrelevant.

People, this is it. This is the doorway to an age where developers don’t have to deliver a finished product with your expensive purchase. In recent years we have seen downloable content do everything from add maps to extra stages. Now we’re seeing it for things like extra costumes in the new Street Fighter. It’s not going to be better. The average gamer accepts this steady flow of paying cash for extra content, but my standard is this – When you charge someone over sixty damn bucks for a game, you deliver a finished product. Stringing gamers along and using them as a cash-flow is not acceptible.

I will be trading my copy of Prince of Persia in for credit value. As of now, I have no use for a title that all but gave me the middle finger when I devoted the time/money it required only to find no ending proper. But that won’t change the future of gaming and where it’s heading.

This is it folks. This is where you better start resolving your feelings on World of Warcraft style pricing, because this is a loud and clear indication that the industry is heading towards downloadble everything. I’m sure I will be accused of ‘freaking out’ or ‘not really getting it’, but I’ve been a gamer since the damn conception of the medium. I know the warning signs, I know the indications, and I know when it’s time to step out. For me, that time has come. I will not support downloadable content in any way.

Give me a finished product, or nothing.