If there's one thing this generation of consoles will be remembered in the annexes of gaming history for, it's downloadable content. We've come to expect that the box we buy off the shelf (or the Xbox Marketplace) doesn't necessarily contain the entirety of what a game has to offer.
From over-priced map packs and costume changes to expansions that are tantamount to full-blown games, DLC is a fascinating and often controversial phenomenon. As compiled by Ben Borthwick, here are 20 of the finest examples we've encountered on Xbox 360.
1. Grand Theft Auto 4 - The Lost and The Damned/The Ballad of Gay Tony
OK, right off the bat we're being cheeky by covering both of Grand Theft Auto 4's add-ons. But they're both important in the history of DLC and, most importantly, really good fun. Rockstar's creations are perhaps most responsible for 'legitimising' DLC on consoles, making it more than just cosmetic additions or superfluous tat. TLATD & TBOGT were two substantial campaigns offering more of what we already enjoyed about GTA4 while introducing two new protagonists with their own stories that crossed over into the narrative of the Brothers Bellic.
2. Fallout 3 - Broken Steel
It's vaguely ironic that Bethesda - who famously made one of the earliest DLC mis-steps with Oblivion's Horse Armour - has no less than four entries on this list, but they've come a long way since the dark days of equine breastplates. Broken Steel, for example, fixed the frankly rubbish original ending of Fallout 3, tasking the player with bringing purified water to the Capital Wastelands while fighting alongside the Brotherhood of Steel. New perks (including one that replaced Dogmeat with a new puppy should the original "accidentally" die) made this add-on nigh-on essential for Fallout fans.
Zombies were all the rage in 2010. The Walking Dead TV show debuted this year, and the gaming world already had Resident Evil and Left 4 Dead to cuddle up with. We were at saturation point, frankly. Luckily, Rockstar didn't let that stop it from unleashing an undead plague upon the already Wild West in this "What if..?" style offering for Red Dead Redemption. A wonderfully off-kilter tangent, the pack still haunts us in the small hours of the morning, as our dreams of Red Dead Redemption 2 give way to flesh-eating zombie bears and fiery skeletal horses.
We've included this one because it was an interesting experiment - a DLC that's available for two games which somewhat addresses the fate of the original cast by bringing them into the sequel. Given the zombie apocalypse premise (and the title), The Sacrifice was never going to have a happy ending, but players are at least able to choose which survivor gives his or her life for the greater good during the finale. Of course, if you're playing the Infected you can always "help" the survivors decide while they squabble outside the Saferoom...
9 comments so far...
Clanger67 on 13 Jan '13 said:
Yeah would agree with most of them and have a few.While Broken Steel is mega for Lvl cap raise and changes the ending,i think point lookout is better.Also think that shivering isles is one of the best value dlc's ever.Not really got into Dragborn yet but am expecting good things and they are all by Bethesda.If you want good value in your dlc you can't go wrong with Bethesdas.Just playing Minerva's den now as i only had it on the Ps3 before,that is quite sizable and pretty good so far def worth 400 msp.
Also brilliant what they have added to Minecraft all for free and what is still yet to come.If they can keep it in line with the pc version the updates will be coming for ages.
Also TBOGT is great though damn base jumps,lol.LATD is great as well especially for the music for me and reminds me of a fave t.v show Sons of Anarchy.
Windowlicker79 on 13 Jan '13 said:
The Trials Evolution DLCs are brilliant. I've been playing it regularly since the day of release and the new worlds, editor items and bikes just make it all the better. Both Origin Of Pain and Riders Of Doom were excellent value for money at 400ms points each. True you can download near unlimited tracks from Track Central, but they are never quite up to the standard of Red Lynx tracks. Fingers crossed they'll release another one some time soon. Maybe with a quad bike!
Fionarei on 13 Jan '13 said:
Does Dragon Age Origin : Awakening not count as DLC?
PCG The_B on 13 Jan '13 said:
It did, but I tried to keep the list mainly to one entry per game (The Sacrifice and Cold Stream count for L4D1 and L4D2 respectively) and I just felt that Stone Prisoner pack and specifically Shale was overall more enjoyable & memorable than Awakening, as large as it was. There were also quite a few expansions on the list, so Stone Prisoner was worth a mention as one of the smaller pieces worth having.
That being said, feel free to mention any others you think have been missed or overlooked!
ChillieBonBon on 13 Jan '13 said:
If they Bethesda remade horse armour then i'm sure it must deserve a place in the top 20!
FishyGinger on 14 Jan '13 said:
Bad company 2 vietnam add on was quite good. Also enjoyed severed from dead space 2 but I have the feeling I am the only one.
ItchyRash on 14 Jan '13 said:
You aren't alone on either of those calls. The Vietnam add on was amazing. Probably ended up playing it more than the main multiplayer. And Severed was really good. Really enjoyed it. Not sure if there any DLC I've loved that wasn't on this list apart from them though
CunningSmile on 14 Jan '13 said:
Sorry to be pedantic but in the Stone Prisoner Shale is a she not a he.
Otherwise a really good list. Bethesda deserve to be mentioned so frequently as after the horse armour (it was the dawn of DLC, everyone was seeing what they could get away with, I'll forgive them) their DLC has been a virtual master class on how to release stuff without making people feel like they originally bought half a game (Bioware look on in envy). Not many people could get away with releasing stuff a year after initial release, but Dragonborn got more buzz than most of the retail releases this Christmas. Only R* come close in terms of value for money.
And yes, we do dare say Minerva's Den was better than Bioshock 2. Credit where it's due, it was a brilliant piece of story telling and basically Bioshock 2.5.
Sandbwoy on 15 Jan '13 said:
Bethesda is the king of DLC packs. Always get your money's worth.