The difference between Nintendo and everyone else who makes games is that Nintendo can do whatever they want without consequence. They own most of their fans. A Nintendo system can go virtually abandoned for an entire year, yet most Nintendo fans would never think about jumping ship. A Mario game will come and all will be forgiven.
Now, full disclosure here, I don't like Mario games. Never have. I've owned two Nintendo systems and three Mario games, but I haven't completed a single one. I'm not criticizing them, they just aren't my cup of tea. That's one reason why I don't understand the fanaticism around Mario titles.
As far as DLC goes, there is nothing inherently wrong with it, and when done well, it can be awesome. Old World Blues for Fallout NV, for example, was a superb addition to a great game, and let me stay in that world for many more hours while exploring new things. The Knoxx Armory DLC for Borderlands is another example of DLC done right. However, it's up to the consumer to NOT buy lame DLC. Developers should only be rewarded for high quality efforts.
