DLC or should be free?

With online communities becoming more integrated in consoles these days, its inevitable that more downloadable content will be released for games. With more DLC comes more controversy though. DLC is something that is fairly new to this generation of consoles. It's existed before, but not in the same capacity as it is now. It seems any big budget game that is released nowadays has some DLC ready at or right after launch.

You can look at most of the DLC from one of two point of views. Either you can see the content as an added bonus to a game you enjoy, and you don't mind paying the couple extra bucks to further enjoy said game. From another point of view you can see it as content that should have been included in the game already, especially if the content is already on the disc and your just paying to unlock it.

I personally think if your going to have DLC it should add new areas to the game, maybe a new class or something that adds a new mechanic to the game. DLC should be more like a chunk of an expansion. DLC done wrong can build friction between that developer and their consumer. Even if you make money on it, it isn't always a good idea. The new Resident Evil 5 DLC comes to mind. The DLC adds a new multiplayer mode to the game. Having gamers buy one new multiplayer mode doesn't seem right to me, and from what I've seen around on other sites, I'm not the only one that shares those sentiments.

I think Rockstar is on the right track with the GTA4 DLC. It adds a whole new story to the game that is totally different from the original story. The Fallout 3 and Fable 2 DLC also do a good job in my opinion of giving gamers a decent amount of added content for a small fee. Hopefully we see more companies taking after them and see less horse armor.