10 DLCs That Totally Missed The Point Of The Game
How to completely misread an audience.
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00Ever since the age of DLC began, not with a bang, but with a gold-plated pffft, video
00:07game fans have long been wary of the practice.
00:11You see, for every genuinely great Season Pass, there have been many more examples of
00:17publishers using DLC as a low-effort cash-grab to siphon more money from their most profilegic
00:24customers.
00:25I'm Ewan, this is Wild Culture Gaming, and here are 10 DLCs that totally missed the point
00:30of the game.
00:3110.
00:32The Final Horizon – Sonic Frontiers
00:35If you're wondering why Super Sonic looks so pissed off here, it's because the requirements
00:40to actually unlock his new super form in Sonic Frontiers are about as pleasant as a Sriracha
00:46sauce enema.
00:47While Sonic Frontiers was largely appreciated by the wacky, wonderful, and slightly terrifying
00:53Sonic fandom – look, I can only give my insight from the outside looking in, okay?
00:57– its DLC, called Final Horizon, didn't fare so well.
01:01Simply put, Final Horizon brings all of the base game's issues to the forefront and
01:06makes them worse.
01:07Frontiers' loose controls and graphical pop-ins were more forgivable in the main game,
01:13as the challenges were simple enough that you could work around those issues.
01:17Final Horizon, however, demands a level of precision platforming simply not present in
01:22the base game's challenges, resulting in howlingly frustrating deaths and restarts
01:28to the same damn sections over and over again.
01:32Oh my god, I'm being driven mad.
01:33I mean, look at poor Scott Tailford, he's goddamn traumatized by this thing.
01:38Final Horizon ensured that Frontiers' final blow saw the game split its trousers open
01:43and let one gigantic Eggman rip over its unsuspecting fanbase.
01:489.
01:49The Ultimate Shortcut Bundle – Battlefield 4
01:53The joy of multiplayer first-person shooters comes from mastering their unique systems,
01:58or if you're a sicko like me, it comes from being blown up repeatedly by artillery and
02:03hell let loose.
02:04Either way, multiplayer shooters thrive on the sense of achievement that comes from hard-earned
02:09proficiency.
02:10Or, you know, you could just chuck another $50 at the publisher and unlock enough weaponry
02:14to level a small town.
02:16Such was the case with Battlefield 4's Ultimate Shortcut Bundle, a precedent grands worth
02:22of DLC that gave an undeniable advantage to those with the means and lack of scruples
02:28to pay for it.
02:29Those who purchased the bundle gained immediate access to the game's best weapons, giving
02:33them a massive headstart over us mere unfortunate sons who had to slum it in the normal ranking
02:39system.
02:40However, I would say that anyone paying $50 to unlock every gun in the game probably is
02:45just losing at life anyway, but I digress.
02:50So happy anniversary, Battlefield 4.
02:53We'd like to say that DICE learned its lesson from this, but then it made Battlefield 2042.
02:58Man, you'd think they'd have figured things out 2,038 games later.
03:048.
03:05Get to Work – The Sims 4
03:07Ever since The Sims launched way back in 1998 – yes, it really has been 25 years – its
03:14raison d'etre has remained the same.
03:17Players can either live vicariously through their sims, or torture the poor sods by making
03:22them go for a swim, then removing the ladder so they can't get out.
03:26Like some kind of sims jigsaw, crafting tests for an ungrateful sim populace.
03:32Oh, sorry, I literally don't know where that came from.
03:35Anyway, let's talk about the excruciatingly dull Get to Work DLC pack, which unfortunately
03:41interrupts the fantasy with the drudgery of daily labour.
03:45I am definitely not the jigsaw killer.
03:47Now, to be clear, jobs have always been a part of the sims' lives.
03:51They just occurred off-screen, out of view of the player.
03:54The Get to Work pack pushes the sims' bread-earning activities front and centre, though, and in
03:59the process makes their lives – and ours – a heck of a lot duller.
04:04Not all the jobs offered in the pack are remotely fun to engage with, and watching your sims
04:09slog their way through their tedious workday completely wrecks the idea that they're
04:13living their best lives.
04:15Basically, if you want your sims to suffer, just stick with the swimming pool, yeah?
04:217.
04:22The Season Pass – Marvel's Midnight Suns
04:24Marvel's Midnight Suns was a beautifully bizarre mash-up that, against all odds, successfully
04:30combined a wonderfully deep card battler with a Persona-style social system that encouraged
04:36you to hang out with the Avengers between missions.
04:39I do have to ask what the Avengers were doing in a Midnight Suns game, but nerd tantrum
04:45aside, this was a good title.
04:47Sadly, horrendously poor sales means we will never see its like again, which is what makes
04:52the small slices of additional content we did get so goddamn disappointing.
04:58Midnight Suns' Season Pass was, frankly, terrible.
05:02The original game sang because of its intricate turn-based battles, which pitted the game
05:06game's expertly designed cast of heroes against a thoughtfully crafted selection of
05:10enemy combatants.
05:12The Season Pass, unfortunately, failed on both of these fronts.
05:16The DLC featured a bevy of heavy hitters – Deadpool, Storm, Venom, and Morbius?
05:22Wait, what are you doing here, you wee rascal?
05:27Regardless of Morbius, Morbin, everywhere, none of these characters were given the care
05:32they deserve, with many of them reusing abilities and animations in the game's original group
05:37of heroes.
05:38On top of this, the new vampire enemy faction were a chore to fight, especially with their
05:43irritating ability to resurrect fallen troops.
05:47All in all, Midnight Suns' DLC was a wasted opportunity that saw one of 2022's best
05:52games fizzle out of existence, rather than going out in a Johnny Blaze of glory.
05:576.
05:58The Verizon Costumes – Marvel's Avengers
06:01Urgh, Matt, why is that a thing I've had to say aloud with my mouth?
06:06Marvel's Avengers Verizon Costumes?
06:09Stop it gaming, you're drunk!
06:11Marvel's Avengers is arguably the most potent argument yet against the game industry's
06:15obsession with live service.
06:17What started off as a promising-looking single-player action RPG, soon devolved into an MMO-like
06:23mess of repetitive missions, boring loot, and the bizarre image of Hulk choosing which
06:29ribcage to equip to increase his DPS.
06:32Hulk confused by gear system, huh?
06:36Gaming and Marvel fans turned their noses up accordingly, resulting in the game's
06:40eventual delisting, which is a shame given that some of the combat in here and the graphical
06:45fidelity on display was pretty impressive.
06:48It was just stuck in a terrible shell of a live service.
06:52As warnings against corporate greed and short-sightedness go, they'll come much clearer, which is
06:57why the ability to deck the Avengers in Verizon-emblazoned apparel is at once completely outrageous and
07:06wholly appropriate.
07:08As Verizon is currently under investigation for using toxic lead in their cables, yeah,
07:14seeing the Avengers advertise their brand is grotesquely fascinating.
07:19The World's Most Famous Champions for Justice, sponsored by a company seemingly epitomizing
07:24the worst aspects of corporate America.
07:275.
07:28The True Ending – Beautiful Katamari
07:30Speaking of poorly-thorn-out cash grabs, the original Katamari Damacy became a cult classic
07:36soon after its 2004 release.
07:39Creator Keita Takahashi's game about amassing random objects into a bigger and bigger ball
07:45was a weirdly attractive delight, helped by the game's charming visuals and catchy soundtrack.
07:50It was also a cutting commentary on the dangers of consumerism.
07:55The act of ceaselessly collecting items to make a bigger and bigger ball until there
07:59was nothing left to collect was Takahashi's method of rolling against the destructive
08:03nature of consumer culture.
08:06Unfortunately, its publisher did not get the message.
08:09In 2007, Bandai Namco released Beautiful Katamari on the Xbox 360.
08:14Excited by the prospects of charging customers even more money for a game they'd already
08:19paid for, Bandai Namco made the contentious decision to hide the game's true ending
08:24behind a paywall.
08:27Although Beautiful Katamari's final levels were included on the disc, to actually play
08:31them, you had to purchase an additional DLC pack.
08:354.
08:36Dragon's Keep – Dragon Age Origins
08:39OC booted up Dragon Age upon its release in 2009, soon came across an NPC called Levi
08:45Dryden.
08:46Mr. Dryden could be found loitering around the player's camp, hoping that the hero
08:50would help him explore a haunted castle to help clear his family name.
08:54Agree to help him, though, and you'd be whisked away to a checkout screen, asking
09:00you to pay £5 for the privilege of helping Levi out of his mess.
09:04Because nothing says grimdark medieval fantasy more than a random NPC joining your camp and
09:10demanding you pay actual real-world money to go on a quest.
09:15It's kinda fun to imagine the conversation the player would have had with Levi off-screen.
09:20What the hell is a pound?
09:21Why do I need to give you five of them to solve your problem?
09:24You should be paying me!
09:25Now, Dragon Age was a real labour of love for Bioware.
09:29They spent over a year solely focusing on worldbuilding.
09:33Given that, you can't imagine the writers were too happy to see corporate-mandated DLC
09:38being shoehorned into their baby, with all the subtlety of an action figure screaming
09:42buy me, buy me, from a Toys R Us aisle.
09:453.
09:46Pinnacle Station Mass Effect
09:48The first Mass Effect game is beloved for many reasons.
09:52It introduced us to one of the most evocative sci-fi galaxies ever created, and gave life
09:57to some of the most beloved party members in RPG history.
10:00Oh, Garrus.
10:01My Garrus.
10:03But for all its undoubted virtues, the original Mass Effect's combat has always felt like
10:08a bit of a first draft.
10:10Mass Effect wasn't Bioware's first attempt at real-time RPG combat, but it often feels
10:16like it is.
10:17Floaty physics, imprecise aiming, and a near-total lack of impact from your weapons means the
10:23game's many fights are occasions to be endured, rather than enjoyed.
10:27Which is like amplified by double when you throw in the Mako.
10:31However, the Pinnacle Station DLC was a total misfire.
10:35Its USP was that it provided more than a dozen unique combat scenarios for buyers to indulge
10:40in.
10:41Unfortunately, due to the aforementioned issues, actually playing the DLC is an experience
10:45akin to wearing B.O.
10:47Scented Deodorant.
10:48It doesn't solve your problems, it just gives you more of it.
10:522.
10:53Lonesome Road
10:54Fallout New Vegas
10:55Fallout New Vegas was a great RPG, but a pretty terrible FPS.
11:01Guess which part of the equation Lonesome Road focused on.
11:05Prior to the DLC's release, New Vegas developers Obsidian had crafted a trio of excellent DLC
11:11packs to support the main game, and the hope was that Lonesome Road would see their work
11:15on the franchise end on a high note.
11:17Sadly, it wasn't a B.
11:18Lonesome Road ignored what made New Vegas so great to begin with, its stellar writing
11:23and quest design in favour of precision VATS highlighting the game's shonky combat.
11:28The DLC was a tiresome trudge through a detritus-lined canyon that bombarded the player with high-level
11:34enemies and mini-bosses galore, in what felt like a bad pastiche of the Borderlands games.
11:40Frustratingly, the final conversation with Lonesome Road's villain is classic Fallout
11:45fare.
11:46Weighty, thought-provoking, and excellently written and acted.
11:49Yet it stands in such blatant contrast with the tedious, three-hour-long gauntlet that
11:54precedes it, you can't help but wonder what might have been if Obsidian hadn't spent
11:58so much of the DLC's runtime playing against their strengths.
12:02And number one.
12:03The Oscorp Search and Destroy Pack.
12:06Amazing Spider-Man.
12:07As the stratospheric sales of the recently released Marvel's Spider-Man 2 show, people
12:12love nothing more than the chance to slip into the shoes of the webbed wonder.
12:16What is it that makes Spider-Man so much fun to play as?
12:19Is it the exhilaration of web-swinging across New York?
12:22The thrill of battling his iconic rogues gallery?
12:24The relentless dad-joke level quipping?
12:27Well, according to Activision, it's none of that.
12:30The real answer is the chance to play crappy knock-off games on Peter Parker's fictional
12:35cell phone, which they did in 2012's The Amazing Spider-Man tie-in game.
12:40For a mere price of $2.99, true believers could purchase the Oscorp Search and Destroy
12:46Pack, allowing them to experience the giddy, giddy highs of playing two poorly-made rip-offs
12:51of classic video games on Peter's Oz phone.
12:55Whether fighting waves of robots in Space Invaders clone Gwen's Hunter, or rampaging
13:00through Manhattan as a giant snake-like creature in Destroy the City, the only thing you'll
13:05be amazed by is the fact that someone from Activision genuinely believed that someone
13:11would pay for this.
13:12The Amazing Spider-Man's delisting means it's no longer possible to sample the dubious
13:17delights of the Oscorp Search and Destroy Pack, but maybe that's for the best.
13:21This DLC is one blip that should stay in the dust.
13:25Like forever.