Ah, downloadable content, better known as DLC. It’s such a modern expectation in today’s gaming landscape that it’s an active surprise when a studio says it won’t release add-ons (no matter how badly we want it). Across games big and small, indie and giant, live service and single-player, DLC is everywhere.
But what’s the history of DLC, and how has it shaped current trends? What makes a piece of DLC worth it? When (and why) does it work, and when does it really not? Four writers from The Punished Backlog joined me to discuss these questions and much more. Join us for a DLC power-hour discussion!
The Punished Podcast Episode 9
Check out the latest episode below. A reminder that you can listen here, download the MP3 file, or catch us wherever you get your podcasts. Happy listening!
Download MP3 | Spotify | Apple Podcasts
Amanda Tien | Zack Gulinello | Allison McDaniel | Anthony Franklin II | Joe Chivers
Timestamps
- 0:00 – Episode Intro and the History of DLC
- 3:10 – Our Favorite DLC and Why They Work
- Amanda: Fallout 4: New Harbor
- Zack: Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course
- Allison: Animal Crossing: New Horizons: Happy Home Paradise
- Anthony: God of War Ragnarök: Valhalla
- Joe: Fallout New Vegas: Dead Money
- 20:56 – Skins, Cosmetic Content, and Microtransactions
- 27:00 – The Trend of Only One Big DLC
- 35:24 – How Digital Storefronts Shape Games, Expectations, Endings
- 46:52 – Games We Wish Had DLC
- 56:23 – Looking Ahead: Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
- 1:02:39 – Open Mic: Shovelware, Life = DLC, Balatro, Sports Games, ToTK
- 1:08:04 – Outro: What’re You Playing?
More Games We Discussed
Alan Wake 2, Apex Legends, Baldur’s Gate 3*, Battle Chef Brigade, Brink, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, Control, Cult of the Lamb, Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course, Deadpool, Deathloop, Eastwards, Fallout 4: Far Harbor, Fallout New Vegas: Dead Money, Horizon Zero Dawn: Frozen Wilds, Hades, Halo, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Madden, MarioKart 8, Marvel Snap, Mass Effect 3: Citadel**, MLB: The Show 24, NBA 2K Series, Splatoon, The Sims 1 through 4, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Stardew Valley***, The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine, Yakuza 0, Zoo Tycoon
* We have an entire podcast episode about Baldur’s Gate 3!
** If you want to hear Amanda talk more about Mass Effect 3: Citadel, check out Episode 7 of our podcast and skip to 02:43:50.
*** Check out our recent conversation on everybody’s favorite farming sim as we aimed to answer the question, “Why is Stardew Valley so good?!”
Song Credits
- “It’s The Sims” (Ilan Eshkeri) from The Sims 4
- “Bootlegger Boogie” (Kristofer Maddigan) from Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course
- “New York’s Only Spider-Man” (John Paesano) from Spider-Man: Miles Morales
- “Fanfares and Flowers” (Mikolai Stroinski) from The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Blood & Wine
What Are Your Favorite Pieces of DLC?
Let us know in the comments!
A video game outlet that blends quality words with inclusive voices. For business inquiries and review requests, reach us at press [at] punishedbacklog [dot] com.
Joe is a games critic and English literature graduate who knows far too much about video games and critical theory. He once wrote a Derridean reading of the animal masks in Hotline Miami. You can find him on Twitter @jchiverswriter.
Anthony is a huge Zelda fan, and a bigger Eagles and AEW fan. He's been gaming for 28 years and has no intention of stopping. Ocarina of Time is his personal GOAT. When he's not playing games, you can catch him talking about sports and wrestling.
Zack has been hooked on games ever since his older brother taught him where to find the secret warp whistles in Mario Bros. 3. He has never felt more joy than when Yoshi congratulated him on getting 120 stars in Mario 64 or more sadness than when he played Kingdom Hearts 3 after waiting 14 years for it. Zack mails a letter to Nintendo every day asking them to bring back Chibi Robo and will gladly tell you all about why it’s one of the greatest games of all time. He was hoping that writing for the site would help him get through his backlog, but it actually just made it worse now that he’s hearing about so many more great hidden gems. Oops…
Allison has been playing all sorts of games since the late ‘90s. She particularly enjoys life sims, casual games, tactical RPGs, and anything Mario. Her dream jobs are to be a Stardew Valley speed runner and a Mary Tyler Moore historian. As a recent MBA graduate, Allison hopes to use her extra time tackling her backlog and the never-ending list of 2023 releases.
Amanda Tien (she/her or they) loves video games where she can pet dogs, punch bad guys, make friends, and have a good cry. She started writing for the site in 2020, and became an editor in 2022. She enjoys writing about mystery games, indies, and strong femme protagonists. Her work has also been published in Unwinnable Monthly (click here to read her cover feature on Nancy Drew games), Salt Hill Journal, Poets.org, Litro Magazine, Public Books, and more. She was the Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Columbia University's Culinarian Magazine, and served for two years as the Managing Editor of Aster(ix) Literary Journal. She recently graduated with a MFA (Master of Fine Arts) in Creative Writing from the University of Pittsburgh. Her writing, art, graphic design, and marketing work can be viewed at www.amandatien.com. She does not post a lot on social, but you can find her on X and on Instagram.
