Where’s the DLC Love?
Sometimes you finish a game and heave a sigh of relief, but other games leave you wanting more. Maybe the characters are so good they deserve more time in the spotlight. Or perhaps the game’s plot ended without a resolution. Sometimes, small studios can’t afford to generate new content. We also know a lot of games that keep churning out DLC and make you wonder why when the base game wasn’t great to begin with.
We’re going to skip some obvious games–like Horizon: Forbidden West or Elden Ring–because extra chapters are almost guaranteed for them. With Elden Ring, clever data miners have even discovered many of its upcoming DLC locations. Instead, here are a few recent games that left fans disappointed that the experience was over too soon.
Red Dead Redemption 2
One of the best games ever made never received any proper DLC. Rockstar’s rationale was that RDR Online occupied the same niche. Sure–spoiler alert!–the main protagonist of Red Dead Redemption 2 dies at the end of the game. But the game’s world is so fantastic, and there are so many great supporting characters that DLC is a no-brainer. Rockstar did the same thing with GTA, another game that cries out for crafted DLC.
Demon’s Souls and Sekiro
FromSoftware has given fans DLC for all the numbered Dark Souls games and Bloodborne, but Demon’s Souls has tormented fans for a long time with its missing Archstone content. The amazing PS5 remake only made the desire stronger. It’s probably never coming, but damn, it would be sweet. Sekiro never received proper DLC, either, though updates added new mechanics and outfits. Still, fans would love more Sekiro. I suppose they’ll have to wait for the almost inevitable Sekiro 2.
Guardians of the Galaxy
2021’s Guardians of the Galaxy was incredibly entertaining, well-written, and perfectly acted. Eidos Montreal shut the door on DLC before the game was even released, which may show a lack of confidence in the base game. Or maybe they’re saving all their ideas for the sequel.
Steel Rising
I feel like Steel Rising, Spiders’ clockwork Soulslike set during the French revolution, just came and went. It got some buzz, especially in the action RPG community, then disappeared. I guess it was replaced by the next big thing, which is a shame. Steel Rising had great Soulsborne-esque combat and a unique setting and story. It’s a world that was fun to play in, and it deserves some additional content.
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands
Considering that Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is already essentially a spinoff of Borderlands 2 DLC, asking for Wonderlands DLC is kind of meta or something. Also, the game didn’t review particularly well. I guess I’m an outlier, but I thought the writing and acting were pretty good, and so was the combat. The loot system wasn’t so great, but that’s why you have DLC: to fix what’s broken. Gearbox, if you make it, I’ll happily play it.
What games do you think need DLC? Which games got DLC but maybe didn’t need or deserve it? Let us know!