A Tale of DLC, Told In Three Parts

Here are my feelings about downloadable content (DLC) served via three stories about three games I played recently that have DLC.

1. Final Fantasy XV (FF15) - Although the story had some pacing issues, I really enjoyed FF15. But that enjoyment has not translated into enough of a push to power through the DLC. Even though I hype-purchased the Season Pass at launch, the only DLC I’ve completed is the Alternative Chapter 13. I also watched a YouTube video of the additional changes made to the final chapter in the game which we can call DLC engagement. But I haven’t diven into any of the Chocobros episodes or the multiplayer Comrades mode. And the DLC train is still going strong: there are another four character-focused episodes slated for 2019.

2. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (BotW) - I played BotW on the Wii U when it released and loved everything about it especially the storytelling. But having powered through the game in about a month when the two expansion passes - The Master Trials and The Champions’ Ballad - released in the months after, I didn’t even bother picking them up. I had moved on. A few months later I would end up playing this DLC but that’s only because I got a Switch and bought BotW to play it yet again (because it’s that damn good) and rode straight from the main story into both expansion passes. For the record, I wasn’t able to complete The Master Trials.

3. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (XC2) - XC2 delivered a great, classic JRPG experience that capped off the amazing gaming year of 2018. DLC for XC2 ranges from new Blades, extra sidequests, New Game Plus, challenge modes, and an upcoming new story arc covering events before the main story of XC2. Of all the Xenoblade entries, XC2 is the first where I have pushed myself to get deep into the endgame: maxing out levels, filling out skill trees left and right, and taking on post-endgame bosses. DLC content has been plowed through in my path to JRPG completionist nirvana.

So what’s the conclusion here? I’m an interia-driven gamer: once I put a game down, I have trouble picking it back up. DLC isn’t evil to me; it can enhance an already great game or fill in holes from the original release. But even given all this goodness, sometimes your heart just isn’t open to launching that “I completed it” game again…