Average Gamer 1.20.12: DLC Edition

Posted by Dan Watson on 01.20.2012

From Gears of War 3's Phoenix Rising pack and the South Park tower defense game to Saints Row 3's new achievements and more, 411's Dan Watson takes a look at the latest DLC content and tells you if it's worth your money!

Welcome back to the Average Gamer. It's been a crazy week as I have just gotten home as I am posting this but none the less it has been a good week.

So, by the time most of you are reading this, my area should be being hit with some sort of micro blizzard. This weather is insanely strange lately. We are expecting six to eight inches of snow and then mid-forties on Monday.

In the gaming world, Batman: Arkham City has been played a bunch by me. I have gone through and beat the Riddler but have a bit left to do with the riddles and trophies still. I think I have like twenty five to go. Then I am going to start in on the New Game + and finish up the challenges. I also put in Saints Row the third again but we will cover that in a bit. COD:MW3 and Gears 3 have been played a bunch as well.

Downloadable Content… What is Worth It?

When this column was first started almost a year ago, the goal was simple; provide gamers that aren't focused on every bit of industry news with a few tips, tricks, and some ways to save money. We've gone through a few transformations still trying to find out what works best. In the end though, the basic idea has remained the same. So this week, I started thinking about downloadable content because I had burnt through about thirty-two hundred Microsoft points in the past two weeks and realized how much money I had wasted. So hopefully, I can save you guys a few dollars by going over some of the DLC I have been playing. Included will be a few arcade games as well because part of my points have gone into them as well.

Saints Row 3 DLC

So this past Tuesday, Saints Row released their first DLC. The content sells for 560 Microsoft Points and adds 100 points of achievements. I purchased it instantly and went through what I was expecting to be at least an hour or two of gameplay. I was wrong, about twenty five minutes into playing I was already the Genki Bowl champion. This was a major problem in my mind. I just wasted the equivalent of seven dollars on this and already beat it? All you are given is three new mini games (an escort minigame, yarngasm which is the same as the tank mayhem just as a ball of yarn, and panda sky jumping minigame which was the only new one of the three really) and you get two more Professor Genki activities. The activities are somewhat fun. My favorite was the Panda Sky jumping but the problem is for the minigames there are only two of each. So in total you are given ten extra activities. I would pass on this, they couldn't even give you 200 points of achievements, they had to go to 100.

Verdict: PASS



Gears of War 3: Phoenix Rising

Gears of War 3 has released a few sets of content in recent weeks. This is the most recent, dropping this week. It sells for about 800 Microsoft Points or ten dollars. It adds five multiplayer maps, a few characters or alternate skins for existing characters, and then a bunch of achievements with a prestige program as well. After playing this a bit, I would recommend picking this up if you enjoy the game, especially multiplayer. If you hate the game, or hate the multiplayer, skip this. I found it nice to have a new goal though to prestige in Gears.

Verdict: Buy this and RAAM'S Revenge



Apples to Apples

The game is great on the Xbox, let me start with that. If you haven't picked it up please go ahead and grab it. It is worth your money. On top of that, I recently picked up its first set of DLC. The new cards are nice but partially ruin the game. Previously, no two people ended up with the same cards in their hands and cards were very random. Since I have been playing this DLC, I have started with identical hands four times and have had multiple times where I and someone else have same cards. So on the DLC, I would say pass but on the game itself, pick it up.

Verdict: Buy the Game, Skip the Extra Content



South Park Tower Defense

This game is a pretty solid game if you are into tower defense type games. South Park is the backdrop as you play as an array of different characters. Grab a few friends and have tons of fun. Each character has a different "special" attack that helps fend off different groups of enemies. This is worth the points. I picked it up last week while it was on the weekly special but would tell anyone it is worth full price.

Verdict: Buy It

Pinball FX Tables

Pinball FX is a game that is free to download but provides you with zero tables. The tables range in costs as well as range in types of boards. Marvel has released quite a spread of superhero tables and there are plenty of other original concepts out there. The game will keep you busy for hours but I would encourage you to test the tables before you buy them. Some of them just aren't worth 560 Microsoft Points while others are well worth it. My favorite is Ms. Spolosion Man table. Feel free to post if you have any favorites down below.

Verdict: Use Caution and Download the Demos

Well everyone that is it for this week. Let's enjoy a weekend of Tim Tebow-less football shall we? Be safe this weekend and make sure to shovel with your legs not with your back.