New DLC or expansions are often overlooked by many and don't get the attention they deserve much of the time. In some cases, a new expansion can be the best piece of content tied to a game. In others, they might as well be a whole new game altogether. In any case, we always like to shed light on those that do it right. 2020 has some great ones, too.
Here's all the nominees for our Best Expansion/DLC Award (and check this link for all of our awards):
- Ghost of Tsushima: Legends
- Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind
- No Man's Sky: Origins
- The Outer Worlds: Peril on Gorgon (Our Review)
- Stardew Valley 1.5
So here's the winner of TechRaptor's Best Expansion/DLC Award 2020 for the best piece of additional content to an existing game.
Readers' Choice - No Man's Sky Origins
Developer: Hello Games | Release Date: September 23rd, 2020
As long as Hello Games continues to support No Man's Sky, it will probably continue to be nominated in this category. Origins was another huge update that has continued to slowly transform the game into what everyone originally envisioned it to be.
Third Place - Ghost of Tsushima: Legends
Developer: Sucker Punch Productions | Release Date: October 16th, 2020
By Dan Rockwood
Ghost of Tsushima: Legends takes everything we love about the combat and gameplay from the single-player campaign and adapts it into an incredibly fun and wild co-op multiplayer experience. The ability to play with up to four people makes this the perfect online game for friends as you work together to defeat wave after wave of enemies, battling everything from skilled swordsmen to terrifying Onis with supernatural abilities. The four classes, Samurai, Hunter, Ronin and Assassin, give you the chance to enjoy a bit of gameplay variety that was missing from the story mode. If you prefer long-range combat, wish to perfect your ghostly assassin skills, or prefer to play a support role, Legends has a class that’s suited to you.
When it comes to free expansions for games, Legends was definitely one of the highlights of 2020. Legends offers two distinct but very rewarding modes -- Story, which brings you through multiple arcs alongside a friend, and Survival, which pits you against multiple waves of punishing enemies with up to four players. Unlockables like new weapons and gear make this a great option to return to over and over, and if you wish to conquer the 25-round Nightmare difficulty in Survival, you’ll need all the practice you can get. Legends adds countless hours of additional value to an already incredible game, and gives PlayStation 4 players another digital setting in which to fight alongside their friends.
Second Place - Stardew Valley 1.5
Developer: ConcernedApe | Release Date: December 21st, 2020
By Kate Mitchell Jewett
In 2020, the Stardew Valley Version 1.5 update added new quests, new characters, new crops, and an entire new area to explore. It was the most significant content expansion Stardew Valley has received since its release.
The new location, Ginger Island, brings a unique element of puzzle-filled exploration to the relaxing farming simulator. There are 130 Golden Walnuts, a new type of currency, to find on the island, and locating them all will require solving riddles, finding the entrances to hidden caves, fulfilling island residents' bizarre requests, and fighting your way through a tough new dungeon. Even players who already have several hundred hours invested in Stardew Valley can easily add another few hundred discovering all the fun new additions.
Plus, this content-rich update was released several weeks or even months earlier than planned as a holiday present to fans. Creator Eric Barone insisted that Stardew players wouldn't see Version 1.5 until Spring 2021 at the earliest—and then proceeded to drop it the week of Christmas without even hinting previously that it was complete and ready to go!
Winner - No Man's Sky Origins
Developer: Hello Games | Release Date: September 23rd, 2020
By Nick Maillet
No Man's Sky is one of the greatest success stories in gaming. Form its overhyped but ultimately boring and controversial launch, to the story surrounding the game's development and its outspoken studio head Sean Murray, to its rebound with the Foundation Update, and eventually its critical success with No Man's Sky: NEXT. It's safe to say that No Man's Sky has been around the solar system a few times, and things are only looking up for the endless space exploration simulator.
No Man's Sky: Origins continues that trend of pushing the envelope further for the once hated indie space sim. With No Mans' Sky: Origins, developer Hello Games delivers on the promise of a bigger and better game for veterans and new players alike. From its new additions to weather and graphics, sand worms, and an overall richer and alive feeling universe (it's finally starting to feel like the game everyone wanted back in 2016).
No Mans Sky: Origins is another masterful addition to the once doomed game that's absolutely worth diving back into and deserving of our award. The sky's the limit here, and from the looks of it, we’ve only just scratched the surface.
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Andrew is the Editor in Chief at TechRaptor. Conned into a love of gaming by Nintendo at a young age, Andrew has been chasing the dragon spawned by … More about Andrew