Lost Planet – Map Pack 1 DLC Review

Well this is Lost Planet’s first DLC and it’s a little expensive for what you get. You get two new maps and the novelty about them is that they are not covered in snow and get to show off the graphics engine a little more than the core game themes allow, especially the map with the broken bridges and islands. However if you’re saying WTF 400 pts only for 2 maps? you’d be right. I definitely feel 4 would have been better value, maybe even 6. The gameplay isn’t fundamentally different enough on either of these maps that you’d be missing out if you didn’t buy this pack. Radar Station is probably the biggest laugh as you spawn on these tiny ledges with rocket launchers and sometimes you can have an enemy spawn on the ledge next to you so it becomes a race to blow each other up first. I like how each of Lost Planet’s maps have a different feel and almost different gametype associated with each one but ultimately this one’s for hardcore fans only. If you play Lost Planet casually or spend more time in Gears or R6 then it’s worth skipping this one.

Test Drive Unlimited – Hardcore Mode DLC review

This one’s pretty hit or miss. Some people love it and some people hate it and arguably you get far more benefit from this if you own a MS Wireless Racing Wheel since that’s what it was designed around. The reaction on the forums is pretty mixed, some people swear it is far more realistic even on a pad but in my experience they basically killed the turn rate, decreased friction and gravity even more. If you originally had issues wtih the game physics then this mode makes it worse, not better. The price is only 160 pts so it’s not too expensive to try. The bottom line is, if you dislike the game’s physics – skip it. If you like the game’s physics, already drive around with no driving aids on even in Class A’s and are looking for a bigger challenge pick this up.

Test Drive Unlimited – Racer’s Guild 2 DLC review

This is the second pack in the Racer’s Guild series and like the first one is more than passable. In fact moreso. Most people will buy this to get the Ferrari F40 (I would have preferred the Testa Rossa ) and they will feel cheated because the F40 is untunable which is a crime. There’s nothing else really notable, yet another RUF and this time an unremarkable one.  All the rest of the cars are similarly unremarkable, there is a 71 Corvette Stingray convertible if you are a classic collector but you can skip this one. The Merc Benz CLK GTR is probably the best in this pack, it’s not got the best stats but it is highly driftable in hardcore mode. More of a novelty car than anything though.

 Where is the Bugatti Veyron already?

Test Drive Unlimited – Racer’s Guild DLC review

Well I’d say the biggest reason to get this one is for the Mclaren F1 GT if you’re a Mclaren fan. However the Mclaren’s are only the best cars stock. They don’t tune up nearly as well as the cliched Saleen S7’s and the Enzo. The Alfa Brera and the Edonis are also not anywhere near best of breed in Class A so your mileage may vary depending on how much of a supercar collector you are. There is a Viper SRT-10 coupe in here for Viper fans but the best car in here is the RUF RT-12 which is the new best of class B. Personally I only intended to own one RUF and for my class B collection I went with the more exotic Ford GT’s, Jaguar XJ220’s and Lambos. This pack comes down to a matter of taste.

Test Drive Unlimited – Pure Power 2 DLC review

This pack is definitely worth the points.  The Lambo Countach is the fastest class D car in a straight line with average handling, the Noble M400 is the best handling car in the game (this will make Tantalus a lot easier in the endgame), the Corvette C6 is the best braking class C car and possibly in the game, and the RUF RGT is the best overall class D car (if you have this one, class D challenges becomes a joke). With several best of breed cars in this pack, it’s easy to justify the purchase. All the cars mentioned are a small edge over the existing cars the game shipped with, they do not provide an overwhelming edge but an advantage nonetheless that is a bargain for the price.

Outpost Kaloki X – Challenge of the Gods DLC review

For 100 pts this is a little disappointing. It’s a one mission scenario about the same length as any free one i.e. survival and that’s the problem. The concept revolves around building your space station to the whims of the Olympus gods, only theres quite a few of them and they don’t exactly know what they want. It’s a similar premise to Love Story only not as developed. This one should have been developed into a full campaign as you barely see any interaction with the gods other than the beginning and at the end and it feels just like any 20-40 minute mission in the regular campaign. It’s only 100 pts, but that will subtract from say 400 pts you could have spent on a brand new game. Give this one a miss unless you are a die hard Kaloki fan or if you have 100 pts sitting around and have nothing better to spend it on.

Outpost Kaloki X – Love Story DLC review

Welcome to our first DLC review! Love Story is a great addition to an already great game and is frankly a bargain at 200pts. It’s got almost as much play value as one of the original campaigns and extremely deep multiple branching paths and multiple endings. The gist of Love Story is basically, you have all kinds of girls after you as you go about your space station building. They all want you to do different things to make them happy, but making one girl happy may make another one become jealous and hate you. In other words, business as usual for most guys.  It’s the perfect length for replay value too as you try and get all the different endings and storylines for each of the girls. They could have easily sold this one for 300 pts and I’m hoping to see more downloadable campaigns like this in the future.