Dragon’s Dogma 2’s surprise microtransactions are making people angry, but should they?

polygon.com:

Capcom’s fantasy role-playing game Dragon’s Dogma 2 has launched at last to critical acclaim — but reactions from some players are much harsher. At the center of these complaints is a suite of 21 downloadable items Capcom released without warning alongside Dragon’s Dogma 2 across PC, PlayStation, and Xbox. Most of them are single-use in-game items enabling features like new fast-travel locations, the ability to change characters’ appearance, and combat revives.

On Steam, where Dragon’s Dogma 2 was a much-hyped and wishlisted title, user reviews sit at “Mostly Negative” at time of writing. Alongside the microtransactions, critical players cite the game’s poor performance on PC, and the developer’s use of the unpopular anti-cheat and anti-piracy software Denuvo. (Polygon has contacted Capcom for comment and will update if we hear back.)

Capcom is often criticized for tagging a lot of microtransactions onto largely single-player games, like the Resident Evil 4 remake or Monster Hunter Rise. If Dragon’s Dogma 2 is drawing more ire than usual, it could be because of the way the items on sale interact with Dragon’s Dogma 2’s intentionally challenging and restrictive game design.

It’s important to note that all the items for sale can be obtained during normal gameplay, so in theory, Capcom is only offering an additional convenience to players. If you play the game for long enough, you’ll end up with most of these items in your inventory, such as the Rift Crystals that allow you to hire Pawn party members at a higher level than your character to help out with tough fights (500 Rift Crystals cost $0.99, while a pack of 2,500 costs $4.99).

But many of the items for sale are rare, expensive, or difficult to obtain in the game. Wakestones, for example, allow you to revive your character in the middle of combat, and are rare enough that players are advised to save them for use during only the most challenging encounters. But now the temptation is there to just buy your way out