While we might all agree that paid DLC is the worst thing that has happened to games in a while, an aspect that killed the potential for a recent IP, we can probably also agree that story DLC is the best way to do it. If developers are going to charge for extra content that wasn’t available at launch, it better have taken more work post-launch, it better be more than a few skins or maps and it better be fairly priced.
Related: Wolfenstein: The Old Blood Standalone Prequel Arriving May 5
Luckily for us, several developers have added on to their games in a way that meets this criteria. With Wolfenstein taking to the format with Woflenstein: The Old Blood, we can only hope that the concept is catching on. Here’s a look at the top 5 story DLC packs.
Top 5 Story DLC Packs
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5. Dark Souls II: The Lost Crowns
A three-part monstrosity, Dark Souls II: The Lost Crowns was an improvement on everything the base game did well. The Lost Crowns was expansive, challenging and compelling in all the best ways. From Software made the right move by releasing this in three parts, because each kingdom was too unique to be played through in one experience.
There is an alternate-reality version of this DLC that is one of the most boring add-ons in recent memory. With three kingdoms, each with a boss fight, The Lost Crowns could have simply been "go here, kill him, repeat." But the conceit in Dark Souls has always been uniqueness. With one kingdom underground, one kingdom engulfed in flames and the third shrouded by a blizzard, added with an interconnected story that Dark Souls fans can spend plenty of time dissecting, The Lost Crowns is a perfect example of the type of DLC we don't mind paying for.
Price at launch: $9.99 for each of three parts, $24.99 when bought together.
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4. Batman: Akrham City - Harley Quinn's Revenge
Sure, it was a little shot, and, I know, Rocksteady's retconning the whole Harley Quinn Pregnancy Easter egg was a total cop out, but that doesn't change the fact that this was a solid addition over all.
Playing as Robin in more than just challenge maps required you to use his unique skill set to figure out how to progress each level, and Harley Quinn's portrayal as the heartbroken widow, who was even more of a loose cannon than usual, was a never-before-seen side of her.
Then Harley Quinn's Revenge brought it home with Batman, himself. After The Joker died in Batman: Arkham City, Batman was a changed man. It was straight out of his post-Death in the Family storyline: Batman was way more reckless, angry and detached than usual. It was almost as if The Joker dying affected him just as much as Jason Todd dying, which was a scary realization that Batman had trouble coming to terms with.
All told, Harley Quinn's Revenge had it all, and it certainly was a hell of a lot better than the Cold Cold Heart DLC from Batman: Akrham Origins.
Price at launch: $9.99
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3. Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare
Red Dead Redemption certainly had a serious tone. It's expansion Undead Nightmare decided it would be better off not doing that. Sure, it blatantly capitalized on the popularity of zombies at the time, but it did so with style. "Why stop at zombies?" Undead Nightmare asked, and that was a very worthwhile question. While other add-ons on this list got points for doing the same thing as the base game, but better, Undead Nightmare gets credit for doing something different.
It was much more than "add zombies, churn out profit," and Undead Nightmare managed to be harder and more fun than Red Dead Redemption by using interesting source material and making enemies you can only kill with head shots. That last part was especially hard if you disabled auto-aim (and you were a filthy casual if you didn't).
Price at launch: $9.99
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2. The Last of Us: Left Behind
When The Last of Us released to universal acclaim, with critics and gamers praising the morally conflicting and emotionally charged campaign, little did we know, Naughty Dog wasn't done yet. The Sony developer delivered once again with The Last of Us: Left Behind.
Telling a story from Ellie's perspective (alluded to in the main story), Left Behind takes us to events before Joel met Ellie via flashbacks from the current time of Ellie fighting to save Joel's life.
What puts Left Behind on the list is how it, like The Last of Us, managed to make a game with monsters about people, and interesting people at that. Ellie is such a fleshed out character and becomes even more so in this add-on.
Price at launch: $9.99
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1. Outlast: Whistleblower
Outlast was another tale in the survival-horror genre with a silent, defenseless protagonist whose only instinct in the face of danger was to run like the wind and whimper a little bit. Red Barrels' first title was scary, exhilarating and not without its flaws.
Outlast: Whistleblower did everything Outlast did but better. While some consider it basically like a sequel, I consider it a completion of the game. If one word described Outlast, it would be incomplete. The ending especially was unsatisfying, both in terms of plot and the gameplay it took to get there. Whistleblower made a new ending without changing anything that happened before, introduced newer and scarier enemies that have to be included on any "Top 5 Scariest Enemies" list, and it did so with smart direction that amped up the stakes of every playthrough.
If Whistleblower was a complete game, it would have been right near the top of my 2014 Game of the Year list, so how can it not be the top of this one?
Price at launch: $8.99
