What’s the most unique game expansion, and why?

[Teggy]

I recently booted up XCOM2: War of the Chosen after not playing the base game since release. I didn't really understand what I was in for. First of all, besides the obvious new character models and weapons you might expect with an expansion pack, it changes a lot of the game and storyline. There are new cutscenes, characters, plot lines, factions, unit types, you name it. All pretty much seamlessly added to the original game.

Along the same lines is the Gothic 2 Night of the Raven expansion. Not quite as impressive, but a new storyline is added, quests are changed, a new profession is added, along with a new map area. Some of the difficulty changes are not great for new players, but the overall package is pretty cool.

I think these are a lot more interesting than expansions that simply add a new chapter to the story, or a sidequest that takes you to a large area cut off from the rest of the game (Horizon Zero Dawn's DLC, while good, is like this).

what expansions are you aware of that actually did some thing unique or impressive?

 

[JazzmanZ]

Shovel knight practically added two new game modes for free with the cards and showdown

 

[Jason Frost]

Donkey Kong 64 Expansion Pack

Spoiler

Can't really play the game without it.

 

[Apathy]

If you consider Far Cry blood dragon an expansion, then that definitely is unique compared to the base game

 

[HussiZooT]

I think RDR 1's Undead Nightmare comes first to mind. Changed up the whole cowboy western experience to a cowboy zombie western experience.

And who can forget FarCry: Blood Dragon. I'm still hoping to maybe get a sequel to that. 80s themed dinosair infested open world with neon lights and a fucking awesome protagonist. It got everything right.

 

[Playboi Carti]

Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony

 

[Neoleo2143]

Something like Torna: The Golden Country almost never happens in the jrpg space, but it's not particularly unique in and of itself compared to the existence of other expansions like the Witcher 3 dlcs.

 

[Z-Beat]

Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon. I mean, look at it

 

[Cloud-Strife]

The winner here

PS: not that unique but is the best expansion

 

[Castor Archer]

Does Halo 3: ODST count? It's technically its own game but it's built off of Halo 3 and the multiplayer is the same.

The campaign however is a huge departure from normal Halo campaigns. It's in an open ended city where you take on missions in any order you choose, and you assume the role of different non-Spartan humans. The story is very character focused and personal, much more than Reach. And there's a lot of changes in the gunplay, you don't have shields, there's a return of health packs, jump height reduced, etc.

 

[PintSizedSlasher]

 

[fireflame]

Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony

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It can be considered a stand alone right?butyes good expansion.

I loved throne of baal for BG2.While being criticized for being more action centered, it brought a wonderful conclusion to a wonderful saga.

 

[KernelC]

• FF XIV Shadowbringers is simply and objectively the best expansion ever made, also critically the highest rated expansion to date.
• MHW Iceborne might be one of the most substantial expansions to date.
• Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon might be the most original
• Bloodborne The Old Hunters one of the best expansions ever released, doubles down on what made the game good in the first place and goes to town with it. Easily the best HP Lovecraft adaptation/interpretation ever

 

[Deleted member 49179]

Click to shrink...

It sure was unique at the time...

 

[Nessii013]

ESIV, Shivering Isles. So much more interesting and unique than the base game.

 

[Deleted member 17210]

Sonic & Knuckles, unique for being a cartridge expansion to Sonic 3 but also for letting you play as Knuckles in Sonic 2.

 

[Aegis Renfro]

Nothing is more unique than Sega's Lock-On Technology used to retroactively put Knuckles into Sonic 3... and 1992's Sonic 2... and create a new mode in 1991's Sonic 1... in 1994.

 

[DidactBRHU3]

Mask of the Betrayer. The original campaign for nwn 2 was good but had a very by the numbers plot and world. The expansion turned everything upside down, throwing a crazy Planescape Torment setting, new gameplay mechanics with the spirit powers , unique NPCs and one of the best stories in games period imo.

 

[FondsNL]

WoW Cataclysm: In terms of quantity

It overhauled the entire existing gameworld in addition to tons of extra new content.

Diablo III Reaper of Souls: In terms of Quality

This expansion saved the franchise.

 

[David Addison]

The Sims 2: IKEA Home Stuff, solely remembered for this review:

 

[BozPaggs]

Click to shrink...

This is the "mum telling you you're special" of expansions

 

[SolVanderlyn]

The Burning Crusade will never not be a completely left field, unexpected, nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition expansion.

-Blood Elves join the Horde
-Draenei are uncorrupted Eredar, not raisin people
-Entire expansion takes place in some sci-fi hellscape that blew up however many years ago
-Flying mounts
-The Fel Reaver walking around Hellfire Peninsula

So much of that expansion was WTF in all the best ways.

 

[xxracerxx]

Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare, just an unexpected gem of an expansion that came out of nowhere.

 

[Ayirek]

Sonic & Knuckles, unique for being a cartridge expansion to Sonic 3 but also for letting you play as Knuckles in Sonic 2.

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Oh dang, this is a good answer. It doesn't get much more unique than stacking cartridges to access expansion content!

 

[yurr]

Majora's Mask

 

[SMD]

.

 

[Milennia]

In terms of being unique it's probably red dead undead nightmare, something I didn't see coming at all

in terms of being unique for breaking a record that still stands, wrath of the lich king held WoW at over 10 million subs concurrent, more than any other mmo has even come halfway close to

 

[ThisIsBlitz21]

Elder Scrolls IV: The Shivering Isles is actually significantly better than the main game.

Same with Fallout 4: Far Harbor.

 

[Theorry]

 

[Rodney McKay]

Dragon Age Origins: Awakening
It's a huge expansion that basically a full sequel to DA:O. (and it's way better than the actual sequel DA2)

Takes place a few years after Origins (I think), it takes in all your choices from the main game, even if your character died, you play as a new one.
I think it had a full new group of companions, and the story was really great.


And I'm not sure if it counts as an expansion exactly, but Diablo 3 vanilla compared to what it is now is pretty insane.

I got it on PC at launch and there wasn't all that much too it. You best the (not super long) campaign, then do it again on a higher difficulty, then do it again, and again. Just getting loot (or buying it on the auction house), and trying to do higher difficulties.

Now it's this super packed live game with seasons, a whole new adventure mode, and even the game itself changed a lot too due to difficulty tweaks and good loot being a lot bit easier to get.

 

[Timppis]

Click to shrink...

This was awesome.

Also Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon. Kamp of the Kampions.

 

[DigSCCP]

The Evil Within DLCs.

 

[Deleted member 46948]

Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare, just an unexpected gem of an expansion that came out of nowhere.

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I came to say this.
Also, Far Cry Blood Dragon wasn't an expansion.

 

[SPRidley]

Its shovel knight's and the witcher's hearts of stone and blood and wine.
Funny that being the best expansions in the world they are also some the cheapest to get, and thats not even comparing them to its content.

 

[Starlatine]

I know some people didnt like it (these people are wrong, obviously) but Dead Money is a nice survival horror-ish take on Fallout. Theres a nice story behind everything too to boot, and fun characters. Shivering Isles in Oblivion was different from main game as well.

 

[dirtyjane]

The DLC for Enslaved changed the game from a frantic adventure with jumping and fighting to an slower paced tactical espionage alá batman or metal gear solid.

 

[Stantastic]

Homeworld: Cataclysm.

It took straight forward space fleet strategy and put in into the context of a survival horror game, constantly being hunted by an enemy that cant actually be killed, only delayed, using an extremely limited amount of resources to just contain the thing and not get wiped out yourself.

like think about that, they took an RTS game and decided to focus the expansion on the genres equivalent to Resident Evils 2's Mr X.

it was the fucking coolest, but wasn't able to be included in the re-master, so its really hard to find a way to play it today.

 

[flashman92]

Nothing can top Sonic and Knuckles lock on technology which let you access previously blocked off areas in 3, and play as Knuckles in 2 and 3. Also more blue spheres I guess.

 

[Mr.Deadshot]

Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen and Half-Life: Opposing Force are my favourite expansions.
The Frozen Throne expands on an already perfect base game with even more fantastic stuff and Opposing Force gives another look on the incident that happened at Black Mesa. Dragon's Dogma adds one of the best dungeons of all time to the game that also has high replayability and a fantastic atmosphere.

 

[Elodes]

Too little love for Prey Mooncrash in this thread. It's a roguelite immersive sim!

 

[vsMIC]

i really liked the abstract time attack dlc levels in mirror's edge on x360/x1bc

 

[Fjordson]

Red Dead Redemption's Undead Nightmare.

Turning what was a fairly serious Western filled with commentary on the genre and America as a whole into an over-the-top grindhouse zombie Western was an odd idea on paper, but they nailed it.

 

[softtack]

Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon. I mean, look at it

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I cane in here to say this.

 

[elenarie]

Too little love for Prey Mooncrash in this thread. It's a roguelite immersive sim!

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Was going to write this.

Prey: Mooncrash could easily have been a standalone Prey game. It is in a completely different genre compared to the base game. :)

 

[cowbanana]

Mask of the Betrayer for Neverwinter Nights 2. It was like attaching a fantastic stand alone game to a mediocre base game.

 

[BozPaggs]

Borderlands 2: Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep

 

[medyej]

Guild Wars: Nightfall was one of the only games that approached an African-themed fantasy setting instead of the usual Medieval Europe based stuff we generally get. It was awesome.

 

[CaptainK]

Sonic & Knuckles being a standalone game as well as an expansion for Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 ... was certainly unique

 

[Deleted member 49179]

I loved Sonic & Knuckles + Sonic 3 so much when I was a kid. The cartridge expansion made the game so huge! To me it was the perfect Sonic experience.

 

[SirNinja]

RDR: Undead Nightmare.

It came right out of nowhere, completely changed the tone of the original game, and was a pretty fantastic campaign in its own right. I keep wishing RDR2 would get an off-the-wall expansion like this, but unfortunately the age of Rockstar singleplayer DLC is long gone ever since GTA Online launched...