The old downloadable content racket has come a long, long way since Bethesda whacked 200 MP on a suit of gilt-edged tinfoil horse pyjamas. Nowadays, DLC packs extend from bitty, just-for-giggles fare like Gears of War 3's weapon skins, to the ponderous immensity of Skyrim's Dragonborn.
We've already regaled you with our 20 favourite Xbox 360 DLC packs, as of the time of writing - now, read about the most promising add-ons of the year to come.
1. Battlefield 3 - Endgame
Battlefield 3 might not have impressed us quite as much as Modern Warfare 3, but when it comes to post-release expansion, DICE's game is streets ahead - possibly because it's riding one of the excitable new m0t0rbik3s due for inclusion in March's Endgame pack, the fifth and final add-on.
Endgame is chock-a-block with new vehicles - besides the bikes, which can be ridden by two players at once, the pack introduces a semi-automated dropship that's awarded to whoever holds the central flag in Conquest, and a couple of new troop transports that are kitted out for both anti-air and ground combat. Potentially the most exciting addition, however, is old Battlefield 1943 mode Air Superiority - probably the nearest we're going to get to a new air combat game for a while. I'm going to suck at that one. Ah well, at least there are no helicopters. Can't stand helicopters.
Last but not least, there are four new maps, including the watercourse-heavy Operation Riverside and the snowy Sabalan Pipeline. These are said to be seasonally themed, which is a nice change from the usual "rocks with dust on them" stylings, and in EA's words, "serve as a beautiful reminder of the broad range of vistas we can deliver with the Frostbite 2 engine, and how the environment influences gameplay in subtle ways."
8 comments so far...
PCG The_B on 11 Feb '13 said:
Is it cheating to use one from the original article? Because future Minecraft content is still pretty exciting. I'd put good money on Red Lynx not being finished yet with Trials DLC either personally...
Also if the rumoured Far Cry 3 Dinosaur DLC happens I'll be a very happy man.
Metalrodent on 11 Feb '13 said:
As much as i loved BF3s multiplayer it pisses me off how much memory we need to dedicate it just for compatatibility checks and updates, CoD doesn't require 4gb+ updates.
would love to play Endgame, but would also like my memory to not die.
Droidsbane on 11 Feb '13 said:
oh dear god no, theres a kid in the background of that Mass effect 3 DLC... please dont be anything more to do with Star Jar Binks!
fracturedrich on 11 Feb '13 said:
Iv'e just traded dishonoured for Dead space 3 after a couple of playthroughs,ive had the bf3 premium from day 1 but havn't got enough time in the day to get on it,what with halo 4 and blops2.Ime nearly given up on dmc bloody palace,i was expecting that sooner,but its that good a game,i will wait,ime on lvl 17 on sos so ime looking forward to it.
Jabraham on 11 Feb '13 said:
I'm looking forward to the dishonored DLC yet i still need to complete it
Drainwater on 12 Feb '13 said:
Haven't tried the first Dishonored DLC but I think I might have to look in to that second one...
ChocoROID on 12 Feb '13 said:
IMO, Redguard being set on that island doesn't sit well with continuity, how would dragonborn get there? Boat? I prefer the theory that its set in the most north-eastern towns on the Skyrim border and I damn well hope so!
Ed, you've got me all looking forward to future DLCs now! I didn't even know about the Dishonored one! ^_^
Also, tiny tiny typo...
Captain_Chao5 on 12 Feb '13 said:
Hmm...may have to dust off Dishonored for the DLC. Completed it ages ago and considered trading a couple of times.