Rockstar Gamesis one of the most celebrated development juggernauts in the industry. It seems like every game they release breaks records and wins over both fans and critics. Since 2013’sGrand Theft Auto V, the company has also added an extremely dedicated and successful multiplayer mode to its catalog that the studio consistently updates. Before this, however, they used to release DLC updates for their games that usually focused on single-player content.
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A few of these packs are considered all-time greats when it comes to add-on content, making some gamers lament that newer titles from Rockstar do not receive dedicated DLC. Certain DLC releases might have passed some players by, but the very best Rockstar games DLC is sure to be remembered fondly by a lot of people.
7Local Justice - Max Payne 3
Though many rememberMax Payne 3for its single-player campaign, it also came with an extensive competitive multiplayer suite. Rockstar supported it with DLC but it never took off like aCall of DutyorBattlefield.
The Local Justice pack is nothing out of the ordinary and just includes a few new maps. Many gamers would have preferred some story-based expansion with new levels, but that never came true forMax Payne 3.
6Hostage Negotiations - Max Payne 3
There is not a lot to distinguish Hostage Negotiations from Local Justice. It adds even more maps and a couple of new weapons to the multiplayer component ofMax Payne 3.
This was before the time when most new maps were completely free and multiplayer games made their money on battle passes and cosmetics. Because players had to fork over money for these expansions, it meant dividing the player base, which, in a lot of cases, often led to a game’s multiplayer mode’s popularity dwindling even faster.
5South Central Upgrade And Content Pack - Midnight Club: Los Angeles
Midnight Club: Los Angelesstands out for a couple of reasons. For one, it’s one of the few Rockstar games that doesn’t involve intense violence since it is anopen-world racing game. Secondly, part of it was completely free. It is not the only DLC that was released forMidnight Club: Los Angeles, but the other updates only added cars.
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The South Central Upgrade and Content Pack added a whole new landmass to explore, similar to the Surf Island DLC fromBurnout Paradise. This new area of the map did not cost gamers any money, though the new cars did. Regardless of the map’s enjoyability, it is difficult to argue with a free map extension.
4Painful Memories - Max Payne 3
The last content pack released forMax Payne 3still did not add any single-player content, but it stands out from the other packs by adding a cooperative mode and maps inspired by the other two games in the series. The Dead Man Walking game mode is basically a survival mode for two players where they face off against hordes of enemies.
WithMax Payne 3’ssmooth gunplay, it makes sense to include a mode like this. It is just a shame that it was so hard to find somebody to play with, as by the time the DLC was released, a lot of people had moved on to other titles
3The Lost And Damned - Grand Theft Auto IV
It was a huge deal whenGrand Theft Auto 4’sDLC plans were announced. It was an even bigger shock when it was revealed to be a timed exclusive for the Xbox 360. PlayStation fans did not have to wait too long to receive the two story DLCs released for the game though.
The Lost and Damned follows Johnny Klebitz as he attempts to piece together fractured relationships and eliminate the corruption within his motorcycle gang. The missions are fairly simple and few side activities are added to this mode, but it is refreshing to see Liberty City through a different set of eyes. Players also get to see whereJohnny’s story interacts with Niko Bellic.
Where The Lost and Damned focuses on the grit of a biker gang, the Ballad of Gay Tony deals withthe glamorous nightlife of Liberty City. At least it would be glamorous if the titular Gay Tony wasn’t up to his eyeballs in debt and didn’t have people out to cut him down. Players control Luis as they try to help their business partner Tony sort out all his troubles.
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Being the last of theGrand Theft Auto IVstory DLC, it ties up most of the loose ends and shows how the three main characters are connected. This update also adds more leisure activities than the prior story DLC. It is interesting to go back to the main campaign afterward and see Luis and Johnny’s cameo appearances.
It would have been difficult to make a story DLC forRed Dead Redemptionbecause of how definitive its ending is. A prequel story was saved forRed Dead Redemption 2. What was Rockstar’s answer for DLC, then?
They made a what-if scenario whereJohn Marston faces off against the undead. All of the core gameplay elements are intact here, only players are shooting down and running away from zombies. It’s fairly beefy for a DLC expansion too, taking an average of about ten hours to complete. As bizarre as this sounds, it made for one of the most legendary single-player DLC packs ever released.
