Summary
- Xbox 360 era marked excellence in DLC with Battlefield Bad Company 2 Vietnam, Halo 3 ODST, Skyrim Dragonborn.
- Half-Life 2 Episodes 1 & 2 continued the story after the main game, featuring nice setpieces and engine improvements.
- Red Dead Redemption Undead Nightmare turned the western game upside down with zombies, new content, and demands for sequel.
There have been some great DLC expansions over the years. There are many games that have come out now that are almost expected to have some sort of big post-launch content expansion, especially for narrative-based games. A great example of this is Starfield with its upcoming Shattered Space DLC, which is set to add a whole new storyline for players to experience.
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The Xbox 360 era can be argued as being precisely when these types of expansions became not just mainstream, but truly impressive in their own right. Many of these expansions have served as the template for modern game's DLC because they were so good, even. That said, here are some of the best expansion DLCs from the Xbox 360 era.
8 Battlefield Bad Company 2: Vietnam
Recreating a Classic in a Modern Game
- Released: December 18, 2010
- Metacritic Score: 88%
Battlefield Bad Company 2 had a pretty good campaign but the real reason to play it was the incredible multiplayer. It's no surprise then, that the game's only major expansion was to this multiplayer, rather than to the campaign. Battlefield Bad Company 2: Vietnam is a PvP expansion that aims to recreate the classic Battlefield: Vietnam game within BFBC2. It adds period correct weapons and several maps from the original game. The expansion offers a gritty twist on the base game that's a ton of fun to play, even today if you can manage to find a match.
7 Halo 3: ODST
A Moody and Character Driven Expansion
- Released: September 22, 2009
- Metacritic Score: 83%
Hot off the heels of the legendary Halo 3, Bungie had gained its independence from Microsoft, and with it was tasked to make two more Halo titles before moving on from the series. The first of these was Halo 3: ODST, a roughly 6 to 8 hour narrative experience that puts the player in the boots of an ODST grunt rather than a SPARTAN super soldier.
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ODST is a lonely and moody experience in which the player is forced to navigate the winding streets of occupied New Mombassa in the dead of night. It features a great story, excellent performances and some of the best music you'll hear in a video game.
6 Fallout New Vegas: Old World Blues
Hilarity, Twists and Endless Loot Awaits
- Released: July 18, 2011
- Metacritic Score: 83%
What makes this DLC expansion so great is that, normally, Fallout: New Vegas is far more narrative driven than loot driven. Old World Blues flips this by presenting the player with a region teaming with all sorts of interesting places to explore and rich rewards to uncover. It's similar to Fallout 3 in this regard, though a bit more focused to an extent, resulting in a refreshing experience. The expansion is also utterly hilarious from start to finish, though not at the expense of the story being told. Many have described Old World Blues as must play, and they are absolutely right.
5 Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Dragonborn
A Dense and Visually Rich Homage to Morrowind
- Released: December 4, 2012
- Metacritic Score: 82%
While this predeceasing expansion, Dawnguard ended up being somewhat underwhelming, Dragonborn offers a ton of new content for the player to discover in an all-new world space. The island of Solstheim serves as the setting for this DLC, just as it did for Morrowind's Bloodmoon DLC, resulting in an experience that pays homage to Morrowind rather heavily as far as visuals are concerned.
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Along with new and returning enemies, the DLC features a new story revolving around Miraak, the first Dragonborn, and his relationship with the Daedric Prince of Knowledge, Hermaeus Mora.
4 Half Life 2: Episode 1 & 2
A Pair of Quality Narrative Expansions
- Released: May 1, 2006 / October 10, 2007
- Metacritic Score: 87% / 90%
It's hard to overstate the impact Half-Life 2 had on people when it was first released in 2004, so it is no wonder it received multiple narrative-based DLC expansions. Both Half-Life 2 episodes would be released (of course to wide critical acclaim) after the Xbox 360 came out, and would even be included in The Orange Box alongside Portal, Team Fortress 2 and other goodies in 2007.
These episodes continue the story of the main game after its cliffhanger ending, seeing Gordon and Alyx through their escape from City 17 and the aftermath of its destruction. It features bold new setpieces, improvements to the Source engine and an increased focus on supporting characters compared to the main game.
3 Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon
80s Action Fun Meets Far Cry
- Released: May 1, 2013
- Metacritic Score: 80%
In some ways, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon is a better experience than the main game of Far Cry 3. This undoubtedly has to do with several key factors, such as the voice cast, 80s action movie framing and the character of Rex "Power" Colt himself. Compared to Jason Brody, Rex is absolutely the better protagonist to play as, no doubt due at least in part to him being voiced by Michael Biehn of Terminator and Aliens fame.
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The retro futuristic 80s satire also hits much more consistently than the base game's somewhat dodgy attempt at parody of things like toxic masculinity. It features a similarly open-ended island setting to explore, and features explosive level design that is sure to leave a lasting impression ina way many of Far Cry 3's levels fail to.
2 Fallout 3: Point Lookout
It's Like Fallout 3, Only Much Creepier
- Released: June 23, 2009
- Metacritic Score: 83%
Fallout 3 is great about playing with its tone to elicit many different feelings from the player, but Point Lookout is just as great for sticking to its guns in this regard. P oint Lookout is creepy, its horizons obscured by dense fog that hides the presence of mutant swamp folk and the occult. Fallout isn't known for being supernatural, but Point Lookout plays with it to just the right degree that it makes for a memorable experience, even enriching one of the base game's most interesting mysteries. Compared to Fallout 3's other DLC expansions, Point Lookout is a must play.
1 Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare
A Weird and Action-Packed Twist on an Iconic Game
- Released: October 26, 2010
- Metacritic Score: 87%
Undead Nightmare succeeds at transforming an almost melancholic western game into a funny and action-packed zombie-killing romp. This is to say, it flips the base game of Red Dead Redemption on its head completely, even re-purposing many of its elements to satisfy the change in direction. Aside from this, though, the expansion offers plenty of content to justify its price, including a new story, a horde mode, new weapons, enemies and more. It's no wonder players have been demanding a similar expansion to Red Dead 2, because Undead Nightmare was just that good to begin with.
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