Cold Cold Heart is a masterpiece.
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00:00When it's done right and not horrifically overpriced,
00:03video game DLC can be an absolute treat.
00:05It's a really good reason to revisit a beloved game
00:08from a new lens or with different mechanics.
00:10I used to be somebody who would put a game down
00:12once the credits rolled and moved on,
00:14not really considering dipping back in for DLC.
00:17Then I played add-ons like Mass Effect's Lair of the Shadow Broker
00:20and The Witcher 3's Hearts of Stone
00:22and realised how wrong I was.
00:24Those aren't the DLCs we're setting the spotlight on today, though.
00:27Instead, we'll be looking at the DLCs
00:29that you probably overlooked for one reason or another.
00:32Maybe because of when they released,
00:34maybe the game they spawned from was unpopular,
00:36or perhaps there was a different DLC for the same game
00:39that most people gravitated to instead.
00:41Whatever the reason, we're exacting some justice today
00:44and giving these DLCs the attention they sorely deserve.
00:47I'm Jess from WhatCulture
00:49and here are the 10 most overlooked pieces of video game DLC.
00:53Number 10, Cold Cold Heart, Batman Arkham Origins.
00:57Now, if you haven't played these ones for yourself,
00:59you do not have to dig far into the internet
01:01to find out that the Batman Arkham games
01:03are very popular and for a very good reason.
01:06Batman Arkham Origins might not have been
01:08the most universally beloved entry,
01:10but it was solid.
01:11That said, its perception as one of the less impressive
01:14Batman Arkham games may have contributed
01:16to players missing out on some of its excellent DLC,
01:19namely the Cold Cold Heart DLC,
01:22featuring none other than Mr Freeze.
01:24The story DLC came six months
01:26after the release of the base game
01:28and called on players to aid the Dark Knight
01:30in his efforts to thwart Mr Freeze's assault
01:33on Gotham City.
01:34The story, which is set a week after the events
01:36of the main game, is genuinely engrossing.
01:39Mr Freeze's intro and backstory is cool,
01:42you'll add new equipment to Batman's arsenal,
01:44which freshens up the gameplay,
01:46and plenty of players found it was actually
01:48even more enjoyable than the main game.
01:50And yet, when the game arrived on Wii U,
01:52the planned port of the expansion was cancelled
01:55due to what they said was a lack of interest.
01:57So it's safe to say not enough people played this one.
02:00Number nine, Bad Blood, Watch Dogs.
02:03Watch Dogs had a shaky launch back in 2014
02:06as one of the first victims of what we'll call
02:09the over-hype train.
02:11People were way too excited for this,
02:13and while it delivered in a bunch of different areas,
02:15server issues and indications of graphical downgrading
02:18undermined the experience for some players.
02:21While that meant a bunch of players dropped off
02:23the game at various points, many more would have
02:25completely missed the Bad Blood DLC.
02:28The DLC released four months after the base game
02:30and put you into the shoes of the eccentric
02:32hacker T-Bone instead of the original protagonist
02:35Aiden Pierce.
02:37Turns out this was a pretty good move,
02:39as it let the 10-mission long DLC take on
02:41a refreshingly lighter tone with an entertaining
02:43new protagonist.
02:45Ubi also added in a remote-controlled car,
02:47which is a blast to use, and it's a wonder
02:49it didn't make it into the game proper.
02:51There are new weapons to use, plus additional
02:53perks and side missions, making this more of
02:55a good thing for those who liked Watch Dogs.
02:58Of course, given there was so much controversy
03:00over this game's launch, it's safe to say
03:02a ton of people would have missed out on this one.
03:05Number 8, Trespasser, Dragon Age Inquisition.
03:08Should Trespasser have been included in Inquisition
03:11since it's basically the super important ending
03:13that Inquisition is meant to have,
03:15but only arrived as paid DLC?
03:17Sure, but it's also a pack a lot of players
03:20missed out on since it was the last to be released
03:22and you'd be forgiven for having moved on by then.
03:25Inquisition had a lot of great DLC packs,
03:28from the smaller additions like the Black Emporium
03:30that let you pick up powerful items and alter
03:32their appearance, to the Jaws of Hakkon
03:34that took place on a whole new map.
03:36Trespasser takes place several years after
03:38the events of the main game, and it basically
03:40explains why Solus disappeared at the end.
03:42Without spoiling anything, it covers some
03:45really important plot points.
03:47Apart from being imperative to the future
03:49of Dragon Age, this DLC also lets you dip back
03:52into hanging out with your buds and whoever
03:54you chose to romance, so that's pretty awesome
03:56given this game is riddled with great companions.
03:59It did come out almost a full year after
04:01the base game though, so if you, like me,
04:04had moved on by then, there's a good chance
04:06you missed this one.
04:07It really does sound like we have a while
04:09to wait until Dragon Age 4 arrives though,
04:11so if you haven't dug into this one and you want to,
04:14you've got time.
04:15Number seven, Ashes of Ariandel, Dark Souls 3.
04:19We're pretty spoiled for choice when it comes
04:21to excellent Souls DLCs, but as a result,
04:24that means they can't all get the equal
04:26recognition and spotlight that they deserve.
04:28For this entry, we're highlighting Dark Souls 3's
04:31Ashes of Ariandel.
04:33It might not be as big as some of the other
04:35Souls DLC packs, but it's a meaty little add-on
04:37with some sublime encounters, which gets
04:39unfortunately overshadowed by its hot younger
04:42sister, the Ringed City DLC.
04:44Don't let that put you off though, as it's more
04:46than worth it to pick up both DLCs, especially
04:49to see some of the gorgeous boss designs
04:51and meet new story-rich characters like
04:53Sister Freed and Father Ariandel.
04:55Ashes is also the beginning of the overarching
04:58DLC story, so you'd be doing yourself a
05:00disservice to skip it in favor of tucking
05:02right into the far lengthier Ringed City.
05:04Some Souls fans are also adamant that Ashes
05:07has the best boss in Dark Souls 3,
05:09so you might not want to skip this one.
05:11Number 6, Freedom Cry, Assassin's Creed Black Flag
05:15There are a huge handful of Assassin's Creed
05:18DLCs that could be right at home on this list,
05:20from Syndicate's Jack the Ripper DLC to the
05:23Tyranny of King Washington from AC3,
05:25and both the Hidden Ones and Curse of the Pharaohs
05:28additions for Origins.
05:30While these are all criminally underplayed,
05:32we're going to be highlighting the Freedom Cry
05:34DLC from one of the best AC games ever made,
05:37Black Flag.
05:38Releasing only a couple of months after the
05:40base game, Freedom Cry casts you as Adewale,
05:43a former slave-turned-pirate who was Black Flag
05:46protagonist Edward Kenway's right-hand man.
05:49The DLC is set 15 years after the events of
05:52the base game, and was celebrated for swapping
05:54a side character into the protagonist slot,
05:56its strong narrative, exciting new weaponry,
05:59and stunning soundtrack.
06:01The top-tier AC immersion you'd expect is
06:03well and truly here, and you feel like an
06:05absolute freakin' hero because, well, you are.
06:09Weirdly, not enough people seem to be talking
06:11about this DLC, so we're doing our best here
06:13to change that.
06:15Number five, Minerva's Den, Bioshock 2.
06:18I put this one a little further up because
06:20if you like DLC, I'm betting you've already
06:22heard of Minerva's Den, but there's still
06:24loads of people who didn't play this one
06:26because it's attached to the least popular
06:28Bioshock game.
06:29Adding to the inevitable sea of players who
06:31missed this one was the fact that it was the
06:33final piece of DLC that followed some
06:35significantly less interesting offerings,
06:38and it didn't arrive until over six months
06:40after Bioshock 2 released.
06:42That said, if you did miss it then,
06:44then you really missed out because Minerva's
06:46Den is arguably one of the best DLC offerings
06:49ever made, like in video game history.
06:52It improves the combat system in really
06:54interesting ways, perfectly extends the main
06:56themes of the series in a surprising new
06:58direction, and delivers a wildly immersive
07:01narrative that you can't help but lose yourself
07:03in.
07:04The environments are as enchanting and horrifying
07:06as they've ever been, and if you're a Bioshock
07:08fan who missed this one, you absolutely must
07:11check it out.
07:12This might be one of the few DLCs so powerful
07:15that it caused players to pick it up even if
07:17they didn't really want to play Bioshock 2,
07:19but because of the fact that it's a very good
07:21DLC buried inside a less good game, we're
07:24still going to call it overlooked.
07:26Number four, Survival.
07:28Tom Clancy's The Division.
07:30If The Division's jaw-dropping hype train
07:32moment where we watch the protagonist close
07:34a car door as they shift it across it while
07:36in cover changed your life, then you've probably
07:39played all the DLCs.
07:41If you just thought it was pretty cool, then
07:43maybe you missed out on The Division's second
07:45DLC called Survival.
07:47Survival threw you right into the frying pan
07:49with no gear and a nasty snowstorm to battle.
07:52It's a PvPvE mode where you'll basically be
07:55scrounging for clothes and equipment so you
07:57can hold your own against the environment,
07:59other agents, and hunters patrolling the game world.
08:02If that sounds pretty fun, that's because
08:04it really is.
08:05Needing to survive with limited time on the
08:07clock is a hell of a great vibe.
08:09It sort of takes everything that's good about
08:11battle royale modes and injects it with the
08:13tonally appropriate Division atmosphere to
08:15great effect.
08:16You can squad up with four players, it's
08:18wonderfully intense, and while the $15 price
08:21tag is arguably a little steep, the mechanics
08:24and challenge are so enjoyable you might
08:26find it all super worth it.
08:28It's as if The Division's full experience
08:30was poured into this little DLC pack and
08:33really distilled into its purest essence,
08:35and it works really well.
08:37If you haven't tried it or even heard of it,
08:39you might want to.
08:40Number three, Overlord, Mass Effect 2.
08:43I wouldn't insult you by insisting you really
08:45check out the lair of the Shadow Broker DLC
08:48because that's sufficiently rated as an
08:50excellent DLC offering.
08:52But Mass Effect does have overlooked DLC,
08:54and one such example is Overlord.
08:57Perhaps because of the distraction of how good
08:59the Shadow Broker DLC was, Overlord may have
09:01received less attention than it deserved,
09:03but boy is it a good add-on.
09:05It explores a Cerberus research project that
09:07seems to control the geth, and to put it lightly,
09:11this DLC goes places.
09:13The tone is legitimately creepy, you'll do a lot
09:16of planet exploring, and the dark narrative
09:18really grabs you.
09:20Not only that, but your choice at the end of
09:22the DLC will carry over into the next game,
09:24so that's pretty cool.
09:26There's also some visuals here that I really
09:28wish I could get out of my brain, but that is
09:30what it is.
09:32Number two, The Season of Infamy,
09:34Batman Arkham Knight.
09:36We're back on Batman again, but it's for a very
09:38good reason, and that reason is,
09:40how cool are the Batman villains?
09:42Look, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
09:44This one suffers from the trespasser DLC
09:46controversy, in that some players really feel
09:48like it should have been included in the main
09:50game from the jump, but given it didn't
09:52release until six months later, it's possible
09:54it just wasn't ready yet.
09:56The Season of Infamy DLC for Arkham Knight
09:58includes four missions with iconic
10:00villains, Wonderland featuring
10:02Mad Hatter, Beneath the Surface featuring
10:04Killer Croc, Shadow War featuring
10:06Ra's Al Ghul, and In From
10:08the Cold featuring our old pal
10:10Mr. Freeze. Casting the
10:12spotlight on these iconic baddies is
10:14such a no-brainer, and fans love
10:16digging deeper into the villain's stories
10:18and getting the opportunity to free-roam the city.
10:20Each of them are so deep
10:22and engaging, they almost put the main
10:24game to shame, which does seem to be a trend
10:26on this list.
10:281. Mooncrash Prey
10:30I think it's fair to say that Arkane's
10:322017 FPS Prey is underrated
10:34and overlooked, so its fascinating
10:36Mooncrash DLC definitely qualifies.
10:38This separate game mode is
10:40a roguelike that randomizes the placement
10:42of enemies and weapons with each playthrough.
10:44You take on the role of Peter,
10:46a hacker tasked with learning how five
10:48people survived an attack on their moon
10:50base. He does this by taking the
10:52place of one of the survivors in a simulation.
10:54If it sounds a little
10:56confusing, it's Deathloop.
10:58This is just Deathloop before Deathloop was Deathloop.
11:00The goal is to help all
11:02five survivors escape within a single run,
11:04and you'll unlock them as you succeed
11:06with each escape. This DLC
11:08is brutally difficult, but in the
11:10most satisfying way. The
11:12challenge is absolutely addictive.
11:14It's gorgeously immersive, infinitely
11:16replayable, and a joy to take on.
11:18To sum it up, the gameplay takes everything
11:20that Arkane already nailed with
11:22the base game and makes it even better.
11:24There's progression to help you become more
11:26powerful from one run to the next,
11:28and classes that play quite differently.
11:30Weirdly, Bethesda barely promoted
11:32this one, and if it wasn't for a cult following
11:34that spawned from massive YouTubers shouting
11:36about just how good this game is,
11:38even fewer people would have tried their hand
11:40at it. If you still haven't checked this
11:42one out and you do enjoy Prey, it's an
11:44absolute must-play. That's it
11:46for this list, but do let me know down in that comment
11:48section if you can think of any other overlooked
11:50pieces of video game DLC.
11:52As always, I've been Jess from
11:54WhatCulture. Thank you so much for hanging out
11:56with me. If you like it, you can come say hi to me
11:58on my Twitter account, where I'm at
12:00JessMcDonald, but make sure you stay tuned to us
12:02here, because we've got plenty more
12:04video game goodness for you.