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DLC Reviews

  • By JusticeCovert, GameSpot
  • Posted Aug 6, 2009 6:15 pm PT

As you may have already noticed, we posted a review of Fallout 3's Mothership Zeta downloadable content today. This is the first of many DLC reviews that you can expect to see on GameSpot going forward, but that doesn't mean that all (or even most) DLC will get reviewed. We'd love to...

As you may have already noticed, we posted a review of Fallout 3's Mothership Zeta downloadable content today. This is the first of many DLC reviews that you can expect to see on GameSpot going forward, but that doesn't mean that all (or even most) DLC will get reviewed. We'd love to give you a list of hard, fast criteria that we can use to determine which games we review, but that list doesn't exist. Given the countless different shapes and sizes that DLC comes in, deciding which ones to review is something that we'll be doing on a case-by-case basis. Horse armor? No. New costumes for street fighters? No. Multiplayer map pack for a long-forgotten shooter? Unlikely. Single-player, story-driven episode for a still-popular action game? Definitely. You get the idea.

109 Comments

  • george999819

    Posted Oct 6, 2009 4:29 pm GMT

    The Lost and Damned review please? GameSpot was practically the only known gaming website to not review TLAD. You better review The Ballad of Gay Tony as well!

  • Barighm

    Posted Aug 12, 2009 12:45 pm GMT

    Good idea. Some DLC is so not worth the money. Mothership Zeta is truly a stinker and I wish I didn't spend the money (actually, I don't really care because $7 is nothing, but it was bad enough to make me wish I didn't). At least Operation Anchorage gives you some good gear at the end of it. But some form of review for other kinds of DLC should find its way here. The extra heroes in Marvel Ultimate Alliance may not sound like it is worth reviewing, but that many new heroes does add a lot to the game and it's well worth mentioning in SOME way if it is worth the price (heroes pack is worth it; villains pack is crap).

  • ward_keith

    Posted Aug 12, 2009 8:36 am GMT

    This is great to hear, thanks Gamespot!

  • Spider-Jim

    Posted Aug 12, 2009 1:57 am GMT

    Can't gamespot just rate the horsearmor? Well you know what I mean.

  • LordAndrew

    Posted Aug 11, 2009 1:18 pm GMT

    But I need to know which horse armor downloads are worth my money!

  • Richkat

    Posted Aug 11, 2009 11:50 am GMT

    It's definitely good to review DLC but i think you guys should use letters to rate it and a star if it adds to the original like the third fallout DLC 10 extra character levels plus perks. Which is more difficult for your readers to understand at the beginning but better in the long run and also possible xboxlive and psn titles too. I think causal gamers may not realizes on some games, for instance with sub titles like "Sacred 2 Fallen Angel" if it's DLC or not. And if you do you could list then on the main review which give a better over all value of the game.
    ie. "Fallout 3 9.0/C/B/B*/A/C"

  • victormgs777

    Posted Aug 11, 2009 11:42 am GMT

    Review the 3pack of the mgo expansions. The meme, gene scene triple pack. for 18$ lease review it.

  • Wings_008

    Posted Aug 11, 2009 9:35 am GMT

    about time to start reviewing DLC's they're getting quite popular

  • orb_03_2006

    Posted Aug 11, 2009 8:16 am GMT

    @andy_lyall
    but the new campaign releasing soon will cost 560 MS points. and at that rate, I'll gladly welcome a review of it.

  • Huskers25

    Posted Aug 11, 2009 7:49 am GMT

    please do dlc reviews for Call of Jaurez Bound in Blood Old West Map pack (cant find info or video about it anywhere) and Burnout Paradise Big Surf Island

  • bnazty23

    Posted Aug 11, 2009 5:24 am GMT

    @ andy_lyall

    No I haven't as of yet purchased the dlc for FO3 but you say The Pitt is better. Hmmm, I was thinking that originally but I saw that The Pitt had a lot less missions then Op. Anch. I think I will go with The Pitt. Thanks man for the tip.

  • andy_lyall

    Posted Aug 11, 2009 1:50 am GMT

    @orb_03_2006
    But won't it be free? I had assumed you were talking about the PC version which will be. 360 owners weren't charged for the survival mode and valve don't tend to charge for their content. Reviewing free content seems like madness to me?!
    @bnazty23
    I hope you haven't gone for Anchorage yet. That's one of the less impressive bits of DLC for Fallout 3. The pitt was significantly better.

  • FeltNormal

    Posted Aug 10, 2009 10:44 pm GMT

    ssswwweeett

  • bnazty23

    Posted Aug 10, 2009 6:38 pm GMT

    Well first off I'd like to give a hearty thanks to GS for this review and their future reviews of other dlc's. Honestly, this really helps me because if most of you gamers out there are anything like me then you don't have an abundance of disposable income to throw at video games all the time and have to be fairly selective in the games and dlc that you purchase. So for me making the decision to purchase this dlc or Operation Anchorage or The Pitt has just become substantially easier (I think I'm going to go with Anchorage). One last point: you gentlemen and/or ladies proposing that "my opinion only matters to me" just seems a little narrow minded. Think about it for a second: If we as people only cared about our opinion than how would we ever grow as an individual. If we only cared about our opinion than how could we ever truly understand and accept diversity. In pertinence to this situation, if we only cared about our own opinion then game reviews would be completely useless! At the center of a review is simply one person or a small group of people's opinions, granted professional opinions but opinions all the same. I don't mean to insult anyone I'm just proposing to think outside the box a little.

  • kate_jones

    Posted Aug 10, 2009 6:13 pm GMT

    Good job, the way gaming is headed, this needed to be done.

  • FightnEmu

    Posted Aug 10, 2009 6:13 pm GMT

    If it cost money it should get a review, even horse armor. The whole point of a review (for me) is to know if something sucks before I buy it even if it's only 5 bucks.

  • GuyXjustice

    Posted Aug 10, 2009 2:05 pm GMT

    awesome more fallout 3 dlc but i want some good dynasty warriors gundam 2 dlc like more gundams

  • -ColinR-

    Posted Aug 10, 2009 1:59 pm GMT

    Cool I was looking for reviews on the Fallout 3 DLC. Thanks GS Staff.

  • orb_03_2006

    Posted Aug 10, 2009 1:38 pm GMT

    @andy_lyall
    I wanna see the reviews. I wanna learn about exploits and other stuff before I just blow away several MS points for something that might be terrible. I know MY opinion is the only one that matters to me, but I still wanna learn a little about it before playing it.

  • Lordx67

    Posted Aug 10, 2009 1:11 pm GMT

    It's pretty obvious to figure out which DLC deserves to be reviewed...

  • robertcain

    Posted Aug 10, 2009 1:00 pm GMT

    Good Job Gamespot Next up is Demons of the Badlands for Red Faction

  • rebound2

    Posted Aug 10, 2009 9:57 am GMT

    You really only need to give us a quick run-down of DLC unless it's something truly substantial like FURY of Mothership Zeta. Map Packs deserve a paragraph at best.

  • SpiKeX-Crom

    Posted Aug 10, 2009 9:14 am GMT

    Did Pakhair say "More Good." Grammer, man, grammer.

  • supersonikk

    Posted Aug 10, 2009 9:10 am GMT

    WipEout Fury deserves a review

  • andy_lyall

    Posted Aug 10, 2009 9:10 am GMT

    @orb_03_2006
    Really? That important? Your Steam client is going to download that free update anyway, why do you care about a review for it? You'll be able to play it at the same time as the reviewing staff so you'll instantly get your own point of view before it's biased by reading a review. Whether it's good or bad, you personal opinion is always going to be the best for you.

  • imaidiot

    Posted Aug 10, 2009 9:02 am GMT

    I think map packs, songs, and other crap dlc shouldn't be reviewed because there is nothing to review. You either like the maps or you don't, or you like the costumes or don't.

    When there is new single player content, like Lost and the Damned, it should be reviewed. It has as much content as a 60 dollar game, yet GS refused to review it. Will they go back and review it, probably not, but who cares now anyway. But, like any other game or anything else, if someone really wants it they will buy it anyway. People say that DLC nickles and dimes you, but it wouldn't if people wouldn't buy it. There is a demand for it, and that is how our economy works. If there was no demand for it, then it would go away, but developers don't work for free.

  • Blabadon

    Posted Aug 10, 2009 8:56 am GMT

    now there catching up
    ign has been doing this already for a long time

  • orb_03_2006

    Posted Aug 10, 2009 8:49 am GMT

    reviewing the new L4D campaign would be pretty important to me...

  • mdboomer

    Posted Aug 10, 2009 8:39 am GMT

    Is it really worth reviewing map packs like some users have pointed out. The casual user isn't the target market for map packs and lets face it how many hardcore gamers aren't going the download the newest maps the moment they come out?

    My opinion at least, maybe I'm way off base here

  • andy_lyall

    Posted Aug 10, 2009 7:54 am GMT

    @SweetMusic I'm not sure I see the need for a review of free content. It makes providing a review score a little redundant don't you think?
    Commercial DLC on the other hand, definitely.

    Come a point, some kind of feature on DLC would be valuable. A retrospective on where it began and how it's changed the way we expect to receive content perhaps. I remember being furious when horse armour was released at cost but now it's simply the way it goes.
    The single biggest thing I pay attention to with DLC is value for money and the SF4 costume packs are a prime example of the DLC I categorically ignore but really, how different is it from new gear for your LBP sackboy?
    The cynic in me abhors the idea of DLC as it seems to provide money pinching studios with yet new ways to clear our pockets of our hard-earned but in hindsight, perhaps we should simple consider ourselves lucky to have received so much free stuff for so long in the past. Even dev's have to eat.....

  • samissleman17

    Posted Aug 10, 2009 7:43 am GMT

    halo 3 and gears 2 map packs, COD WAW map packs, L4D add-on are important to me...

  • zombiechief

    Posted Aug 10, 2009 6:45 am GMT

    The Halo 3 and gears of war 2 map packs

  • 1995_1996_1997

    Posted Aug 10, 2009 4:41 am GMT

    Finally,some dlcs deserve to be reviewed, the rest of fallout 3 dlc's reviews please.

  • SweetMusic

    Posted Aug 10, 2009 4:19 am GMT

    I want to see the review of the Midnight Club: Los Angeles South Central Free Map Expansion and the South Central Premium Upgrade. A whole new part of the map of Los Angeles, South Central LA (the size of 1 Midnight Club 3 city) for FREE! Even Burnout Paradise can't do that.

    And then there was the South Central Premium Upgrade. 8 New Vehicles (plus for the 1st time in the game, SUV's), new achievements/trophies, 100's of new races, new career races, new rims, new body parts, new vinyl, and new music (one even exclusivly done by Kid Cudi). And all for only $10.

  • zaibutzu

    Posted Aug 10, 2009 2:22 am GMT

    Hey didn't you guys start long ago with comet crash

  • Kaldo

    Posted Aug 10, 2009 1:10 am GMT

    good to see guys, keep up the good work DLC is the same as Expansion Packs, which you guys have always reviewed in the past (see Oblivion or Diablo), so it only makes sense you go in this direction.

  • zaprct

    Posted Aug 10, 2009 12:22 am GMT

    I've always wondered why GS haven't reviewed DLC. I think your argument that it's essentially difficult to decide what criteria DLC must meet in order to be eligible for review is a poor excuse - Gamespot generally review less titles than say IGN, for example. This isn't a comment about the quality of the content here, it's just sometimes disappointing that I can't read a review for all of the games I plan on purchasing since GS decide that the title is not worth the time or may not be popular enough to bother with - or in this case can be shrugged aside as not being a legitimate game.

    Glad to see someone has realised this attitude toward DLC is unacceptable; I hope to see many more reviews for all substantial download content and ALL English language game titles across all platforms, rather than the select few.

  • Beastcake

    Posted Aug 9, 2009 10:00 pm GMT

    Awesome.

  • DeathStar17

    Posted Aug 9, 2009 9:21 pm GMT

    Well I guess they will all automatically lose a point or two because there is no such thing as value when it comes to DLC.

  • grover41389

    Posted Aug 9, 2009 7:15 pm GMT

    good. . .forget all these trash talkers

  • nomorepain4u

    Posted Aug 9, 2009 6:23 pm GMT

    dlc's are a waste of money that is why i am waiting for the fallout 3 game of the year edition which includes all 5 dlc's.

  • kkevguy47k

    Posted Aug 9, 2009 5:53 pm GMT

    i hope to see a joker review for arkham asylumn. if its good ill get the game. but if not, maybe.

  • newb16

    Posted Aug 9, 2009 4:20 pm GMT

    Burnout paradise dlc's reviews please.

  • newb16

    Posted Aug 9, 2009 4:15 pm GMT

    Bring on the dlc!!!

  • GamerBaboo

    Posted Aug 9, 2009 3:14 pm GMT

    mann, can't wait for the review of Killzone2 DLCs

  • Ehggsz

    Posted Aug 9, 2009 2:09 pm GMT

    Where is the review for Wipeout HD Fury?

  • hibikino

    Posted Aug 9, 2009 1:36 pm GMT

    yeah, I agree some DLCs deserve to be reviewed.

  • gamedragonshi

    Posted Aug 9, 2009 11:41 am GMT

    neat.

  • Ronin893

    Posted Aug 9, 2009 11:20 am GMT

    That's great to know. The more info and official opinions we get the better we can make a decision we can make before purchasing.

  • Buffalodude

    Posted Aug 9, 2009 7:24 am GMT

    Most of the time I don't even go for a review on DLC but it would be interesting to see Gamespots opinion on it.

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