The Five Greatest Pieces of Downloadable Content. (That I've ever played)

Every gaming generation seems to create a new elephant in the room. Emerging technology; coupled with a voracious need to profit from it, creates palpable tension between those who want to embrace the new and those who fear for the industry's integrity.  Two acronyms loom largest over the twilight of this one: DRM and DLC. I'm not wading into digital rights management today, thank god, but rather trying to see the silver lining in the newest form of content delivery. It ain't perfect, it can do damage, and can easily be taken advantage of. But every once in a while it makes magic.

5. Portal 2 : Perpetual Testing Initiative 

 

Poor Little Octopus...

Maybe this doesn't count as DLC and maybe I just really wanted one more Cave Johnson video. Either way, opening up Portal 2 to crowd sourcing has fixed the single biggest problem of all puzzle games i.e. running out of puzzles. Modding communities are one of the greatest thing to ever happen to PC gaming and Valve found a way for console gamers to get in on the action too. Also tacitly admitting its a way to steal ideas is both hilarious and accurate. So there, more reasons to love valve and their free range, wavy gravy, beatnik, multi-billion dollar corporation. They continue to be one of the most delightful of all private companies. I mean we haven't heard of Google using your search history as blackmail...YET! But that day's a'comin' folks.

4. Mass Effect 3: Citadel

I'd love to explain why I disliked sitting through ten minutes of grandiose exposition from a literal god machine at the end of Mass Effect 3, but I'd rather gouge my eyes out then dreg that crap up again. So I'm gonna talk about the things about the game I love, like Citadel. Whatever side of the ending kerfuffle you fall on, I think we can all agree that a giant house party with all your old crew mates (on paper) sounds like a grand old time. And as hard as I was on the Starchild (sigh), Citadel felt like the writers took me out for an apology dinner full of war stories, hard drinking, and backslapping. 

The shooting part of the story was a fine yarn and more than a little hilarious. In fact Bioware is now definitely the best candidate for the "48 Hours" game...yes, yes I think I would like that very much.

 We just want you to be funny again, you can do it Eddie!

Believe in yourself.

But when the dust finally settles in the Normandy's docking bay, around your comrades and space hamster, the real fun begins. The ritzy Vegas strip area of the Citadel opens up and you're free to mill around while you gather all the stuff you need to throw the greatest party the milky way has ever seen! The amount of detail that went into this mother is absolutely incredible. Even a downloadable character like Zaeed, who I felt was pretty underrated, has a great little scene all his own trying to win at a claw machine. That sums up what was truly great about the whole trilogy, there are meaningful and fully realized things you can experience that hundreds of other players will never ever see. A feature shared by video games...and the Louver. So, pour one out for the Citadel, its wonderful.

3. Fallout New Vegas: (all of it)

mmm, fan art!

Isn't this shocking? My favorite game of all time makes the list somehow, but hear me out. Every piece was planned out from the start and they all tie in with both each other and the main game. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don't believe that’s ever happened before and if it has, I sincerely doubt they were this good. They serve as mini vacations from the Mojave Wasteland and make what was already a forty hour adventure exponentially even longer. Hey, I never said these things were good for you.

From the Dead Money's spectacular setting and villain, to Lonesome Road's ball busting combat, to Old World Blue's  awesome talking apartment, each of the four installments stand on their own as solid efforts. But at the very least they all bumped the level cap up by five and they weren’t separate experiences from the campaign, I hate that. Plus they simply gave me more New Vegas and I can't thank them enough for that.

2. Bioshock 2: Minerva's Den

Bioshock 2 is one of the most universally ignored sequels of all time. Some people even go as far to say that Minerva's den was the only worthwhile part of the whole game and while I disagree with the hypocrisy of their agenda...they are on to something. 

Minerva's Den is Bioshock boiled down to its bare bones and its amazing how much of the original's magic they manage to recapture in just under three hours of game play. The story is fascinating, the twist interesting, and it fleshes out parts of the little sister R&D I never thought I wanted to know. More than that, it also explains Dr. Tannenbaum's jarring departure from Delta's side in the beginning of the main game and introduces a few very well written and acted characters of its own. Like the rest of the trilogy it manages to be both thought provoking and tragic. The single fact that it completely stands on its own is worth my critical stamp of approval. Even if I hate standalone campaigns, I can still respect the hell out of Minerva’s Den.

1. Borderlands: The Secret Armory of General Knoxx

You know you want it.

This is, without a shadow of a doubt, the DLC that changed my mind on DLC in general. Its not that's its good, its that its so good it made me hopeful for the entire concept of downloaded content. Simply put, Knoxx is better than what came in the box. Not only that, but it set a grand precedent for Gearbox Software ( a company I love to bits) and their subsequent efforts in Borderlands 2. Each of which were pretty good at worst and literally game changing at best, their season pass with 2 is one hell of a deal if you're interested.

 Even if Borderlands isn't your bag, Gearbox still drew a line in the sand three years ago. They forced everyone in the industry to pick up their ears and pay attention to the right way to do DLC. If you can't hear me, I'm slow clapping.