GTAIV: The Lost and Damned

Expansion packs have been common ever since developers realized they can add some content, slap a twenty dollar price tag on it and watch the cash roll in. Suffice it to say gamers love their expansions as they gobble them up en masse for a few new maps and maybe a new wrinkle in the game mechanics.

Some companies (hello BLIZZARD) however feel that an expansion pack should build upon the original, not just add to it. I gushed about it earlier this week but The Lost and Damned is a modern expansion pack done right, offering a new and very different game experience than the original GTAIV while tweaking and improving some flaws of the game, in this case, motorcycle handling. All the efforts in TLAD have made the experience similar but satisfying in the long run.

Half Life: Opposing Forces

When Gearbox was handed the keys to Half Life for its first expansion pressure must’ve been on. This was one of the first “wow omg” games of all time, garnering 10 out of 10 reviews and praised for not just its amazing gameplay but excellent story telling. Gearbox stepped up to the plate offering an amazing parallel story with special ops Adrian Shepperd watching the happenings of Black Mesa from his perspective.

Starcraft: Broodwars and Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne

Most RTS expansions are extremely haphazard (looking right at you Command and Conqueror!) New units are added that are either too powerful or not strong enough, maps are thrown in for multiplayer taste or a haphazard campaign is cobbled together. With Broodwars Blizzard upped the ante when it came to an RTS expansion, mainly, introduce units that helped further diversify the abilities of their races, include great new maps designed for different types of gameplay and add a robust campaign that continues the strong story started in Starcraft.

Frozen Throne takes many of the same cues from Broodwars. In paticulare it’s great to see where the single player campaign takes you but also notable arre the enhancements not only to regular gameplay but also to custom maps which has allowed us to have some excellent diversion like new versions of tower defense and of course Defense of the Ancients.

Sonic and Knuckles

Without a hard drive it’s difficult to create an expansion pack for console games which is why up until now they’ve mostly been for the realm of PC games. Sonic and Knuckles however was one of the earliest attempts at creating an expansion pack for the console. With its “lock on” technology you could play Sonic 3 and even Sonic 2 as new hero Knuckles the echidna.

Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts

While the original Company of Heroes took RTS’s and flipped them on their heads with its deliberate but brisk pace and realistic but stll fun style Opposing Fronts started really building in the game design space, exploring heavy defense opportunities with the british while expanding on stealthy, sneaky and zippy fast play with the Panzer elite. With two large campaigns the stand alone expansion might be good enough to even call a sequel.

The Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King

Most MMORPG fans just want new enemies, some new dungeons and an increased level cap in their expansions. Blizzard scoffs at simply cashing in that way, offering two massive expansions with fully fleshed out new worlds to explore and new mechanics. In The Burning Crusade new races were added to the Alliance and Horde.

Wrath of the Lich King introduces the first “Hero” class the Death Knight. An effective tank and DPS dealer the Death Knight is unique in how it’s created and even has its own unique combat system. With more Hero classes certain to be on the way WOTLK changes up the WoW format further than it has been before.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles

The Shivering Isles sheer size for an expansion is one of its biggest advantages. The Shivering Isle is an expansive extra continent with varied locales and an amazing main quest that will greatly expand the life of Oblivion. For explorers there is nothing better than Shivering Isle as it offers many nooks and crannies to poke around in.

Wing Commander: The Secret Missions

Often considered one of the first expansion packs ever created Secret Missions builds upon the world of Wing Commander. A welcome increase in difficulty the expansion also adds new ships, allies and a new storyline that is more linear but also features extra “retreat” missions should you fail one.

Warhammer Dawn of War: Dark Crusade

RTS Expansions don’t get much bigger than Dark Crusade Dark Crusade already ups the ante by adding a new faction and improving on the graphics. The best part however is a lengthy and meaty campaign that could make this expansion a stand alone game all of in itself.

Diablo 2: Lords of Destruction

Lords of Destruction is everything done right about adding more. More item capacity, more classes, more weapons and items and more enemies is just what the doctor ordered for a game like Diablo 2. Once the exploration gets a little long in the tooth you should expect it from Blizzard to give you exactly what you want, the need to obsessively dungeon crawl some more.