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Modern Warfare 3is suspected to have been DLC forModern Warfare 2.It has been one of the worst games of the year. One can even argue that it was the biggestAAA disappointment of the year, dethroning Redfall.
The game was released in just one year, which is one-third of the period betweenModern WarfareandModern Warfare 2. It is worth noting that there is no concrete proof that the game was intended to be a DLC.Bloomberg also reportedthat it was a rushed release. Activision, however, continues to maintain that these reports are untrue and the game was always meant to be a premium release
In ourcampaignandmultiplayerreviews, we mentioned the good, the bad, and the ugly regardingModern Warfare 3and also mentioned why it should have been delayed. WithModern Warfare 3, being the lowest-rated game in the franchise, one might think that all games with a similar life cycle turn out to be disasters. However, that is far from the truth.
There are a lot of successful games that were initially conceived as DLC for their predecessors. Some of the games mentioned here were also titles that turned out to be some of the most entries in the franchise. Also, it is uncertain if the titles would have had the same effect had they been released as DLC.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage (Was Originally DLC forAssassin’s Creed Valhalla)
Assassin’s Creed Miragewas initially planned to be aDLC to the game’s predecessor,Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. The game’s protagonist Basim Ibn Ishaq, was one of the assassins who made an appearance in the last game. InAssassin’s Creed Mirage, we see Basim’s prologue as an Assassin.
The series with the first game,Assassin’s Creed, followed Altaïr Ibn-LaʼAhad’s story. The first title established a game that belonged to the action-adventure genre. The game also prioritized being discreet and stealthy. There were mechanics in the game that also allowed wielding swords and engaging in melee combat which is a lot more overt than stealthier options. Elements like eavesdropping, tailing, blending in groups, and silently eliminating enemies were the heart and soul of the genre.
Ever since then, there was no looking back for the franchise, entries that followed innovated and built upon the core formula established by the first game. However, all of it changed ten years later whenAssassin’s Creed Originswas released. The game saw a shift in gameplay strategy for the series and the incorporation of RPG elements.
This continued with the next two titles in the series as well,Assassin’s Creed OdysseyandValhalla.Then cameMirage, which, as opposed to a reformist mindset opted for a revivalist one. The return of core gameplay elements that the fans used to associate with what the series stood for. The game saw a return to the series’ basic formula of prioritizing stealth. Regardless, if initial plans of releasingMirage asa DLC had succeeded, the level of freedom would have been drastically less.
All that being said,Assassin’s CreedMirage, while being much better than previous games, is by no means spectacular. The game was rated 8/10 by us and you can check out the review for yourselfhere.
Grand Theft Auto Vice City (Was Originally DLC for Grand Theft Auto III)
Vice City, was released back in 2002. The game was the successor toGrand Theft Auto III. The game, as revealed by Obbe Vermeij inhis blog, was initially supposed to be a mission pack / DLC forGrand Theft Auto III. Vermeij was the technical director of Rockstar North at the time of the game’s release and development.
In Obbe Vermeij’s own words from his blog, he stated that:
After the release [of Grand Theft Auto 3], we started on Vice City. It was Rockstar New York’s idea to set the game in the 80s in Miami. Originally it was supposed to be a mission pack to gta3.
Obbe Vermeij also stated that it was only afterGrand Theft Auto III’s tremendous success that the team decided to shift gears and convertGrand Theft Auto Vice Cityto a standalone game. His blog also states that the strategic detour taken by the company didn’t happen until 6 months had already passed since the project’s development began.Vice Cityis indubitably one of the franchise’s most iconic games. The game also saw Tommy Vercetti, the franchise’s first protagonist who had any dialogue in the game.
Ever since the game’s beginning, the narrative ofGrand Theft Auto Vice Cityfollows a drug deal going south. What follows is one of the best plots ever written in an open-world action adventure. The game had a charm about it that was reminiscent of Vintage Hollywood movies.
Everything from the game’s soundtrack, gameplay mechanics, and the characters seemed as polished as they could be at the time. The game initially planned as DLC forGrand Theft Auto 3surpassed the latter in terms of sales to clock 17.5 million sales. Rockstar included the gameGrand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Editionwhich includedIII,Vice City,andSan Andreas.
The trilogy was supposed to rebuild the games from the ground up in a newer engine but failed to deliver. The trilogy however failed to impress users and reviewers. If anything, the quality of the product somehow seemed less polished than the original games which were almost 20 years old.
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales (Was Originally DLC for Marvel’s Spider-Man)
AfterMarvel’s Spider-Manblew up in 2018, Insomniac found itself in a very convenient spot. The game’s post-credit sequences left numerous avenues for sequels and DLC. Then in 2020,Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Moraleswas released as a launch title for Sony PlayStation 5.
It was released as a standalone title, which was set one year after the events previous game. The game sawMiles Morales, another individual who was bitten by a similar radioactive spider that bit Peter Parker. The entire story of Miles being bitten by the Radioactive spider was also shown inMarvel’s Spider-Man. The game was set in Manhattan during the festive season. The snow-covered setting of the game looked exceptionally stunning as the game utilized the full firepower that was offered by PlayStation 5.
The game was called“an expansion and an enhancement to the previous game”by Simon Rutter, Former Executive Vice President at PlayStation. After that Insomniac confirmed that the game was a standalone game in aTwitter Post.
The game while having a smaller size and a smaller campaign was undoubtedly just as polished as Insomniac’s first attempt at making gamers feel like Spiderman in 2018. While some characters were shared betweenMarvel’s Spider-ManandMiles Morales, a lot of the gameplay elements were entirely different. This includes Miles’ superpowers which, while being similar to Peter’s also extend beyond his. Miles has special Venom powers which Peter does not possess.
The game’s narrative is also entirely different from the first game with the inclusion of new characters and villains. The game was very well received and while, wasn’t a full-fledged sequel tied into the original game very well.
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Sparsh Jaimini
Gaming Writer
Articles Published :518
Sparsh Jaimini Sharma is a video games enthusiast and a Games Writer. A true white-blooded Madridsta. He is often seen grinding away at EAFC 24’s Ultimate team and learning to code when he is not writing. A Batman fan and Arkham Games connoisseur. He is the quintessential DC aficionado.
