#7: The Talos Principle

Ok, I just "completed" The Talos Principle, and I have a MAJOR gripe with it. Something that just sets me off, which also as it happens is a problem that I have with plenty of current games out there. Firstly, I would like to say that I loved The Talos Principle, as I do other puzzle games, because they make me feel smart without me actually having to be intelligent. That is why I enjoy puzzle games like The Witness and this game. I only had to play through twice and still got all four endings by using the Revert Backup feature. I collected all pieces of written information, audio logs, stars, sigils, and even all three Messenger icons without using any of them (Naturally, anyways. I did have to use one to get an achievement, but did it and immediately restored my previous save). Overall, it was a joyous experience and I would definitely recommend the game to others. Now comes the part where I complain about something frivolous that may seem small to some but never fails to utterly piss me off.

I was not able to collect all of the achievements for this game, even though I did. And that's all because of the DLC for the game, Road to Gehenna, which in itself has 4 achievements of its own. Why does this bother me? Well, I'm not upset by the existence of the DLC, that in and of itself is common for most every game, and even though I'm deterred from buying it right now because of its $15.00 price tag, I will eventually get it, because it means more The Talos Principle, and therefore more puzzles. However, I always hate it when the achievements lock up because you can't afford or don't feel like purchasing the DLC. What would be the solution to this? Not having DLC achievements at all? Having the DLC achievements under a separate name or tag? Neither of those ideas appeal to me, I don't find them viable, but I would still rather either of those ideas than this garbage that keeps my total games completed stats from updating on Steam, or worse yet (though not extremely common in my experience) when they keep you from getting a platinum trophy or the final achievement for collecting all of the other trophies/achievements. It seems dishonest, almost as if you aren't paying to have the full story necessarily, or at least in my case, but you are buying the DLC to say that you have had the full experience. Sort of like purchasing DLC to get the TRUE ending of a game (cough Asura's Wrath cough). Easier done is a game like Batman: Arkham City on PS3 specifically, because it is the first example that came into my head, because when you go through your trophies, the B:AC bar is not at 100% if you haven't completed the game AND all of its DLC. BUT, when you click on it, various tabs pop up showing a bar for the full game and each DLC, showing what you have fully completed and what you haven't. That, I like. I understand that doesn't really work like that on Steam, or at least the way it is currently set up, but dammit if I'm not still angry about this for every day, month, or even year that I don't throw down $15.00 for what is essentially 4 more achievements and a slight boost to my completion stats.

However, the main game. The Talos Principle... I still love you. I'm sorry baby.