Downloadable content, or “DLC,” has always been somewhat of a mixed bag. Sometimes expansion packs are apparent cash grabs, with publishers taking content that was clearly meant to be part of the base game and stashing it behind a paywall, forcing gamers to buy a “season pass” to access it. On the other hand, once in a blue moon, DLC becomes so transcendent that it is enjoyable and actually manages to surpass the game it is supposed to be an “add-on” for.
However, regardless of quality, for PlayStation trophy hunters like myself, DLC has always had one major downside: no platinum trophy! Don’t get me wrong, some of my favorite gaming moments have been found in expansion packs and bonus content.
The problem is that putting many hours into a lengthy DLC and receiving no platinum trophy can be somewhat disappointing for achievement hunters when one platinum (or multiple) could have been earned in the same amount of gaming time elsewhere. While not every DLC released is worthy of a platinum trophy, here are ten expansions that unquestionably should have been given their own plats.
Bloodborne: The Old Hunters
Time to 100%: 15+ hours
Difficulty: 7/10
The Old Hunters expansion provided some of Bloodborne’s most significant moments, introducing iconic characters like Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower, as well as the brutally challenging boss battle against The Orphan of Kos, and so much more. There’s no way around it: Bloodborne’s DLC is the ultimate test of skill for achievement hunters that the game has to offer. The Old Hunters is one of the greatest expansion packs ever released and deserves a shining platinum trophy to reward gamers for their hard-fought efforts through the Hunter’s Nightmare.
Call of Duty : Modern Warfare 3 (2023)
Time to 100%: 40-60 hours
Difficulty: 4-6/10
Wait, isn’t Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 supposed to be a standalone, triple-A game, not DLC? Even though you might be surprised to find the latest Call of Duty reboot on a list discussing expansion packs, it seems that Activision itself views Modern Warfare 3 as add-on content to 2022’s Modern Warfare 2, as the full list of 39 trophies in MW3 is part of the “DLC Trophy Pack 1” in MW2.
Even using time-saving exploits, Modern Warfare 3 will take gamers upwards of 40 hours to complete, making it one of the lengthiest “expansion packs” on this list. Although the latest COD entry has ginned up controversy and mixed reviews, regardless of the critical consensus, or whether or not the game should be classified as DLC, it is simply undeniable that Modern Warfare 3 deserved a PlayStation platinum of its own.
Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course
Time to 100%: 5-10 hours
Difficulty: 6-7/10
2017’s Cuphead rose to prominence as one of the most beloved yet notoriously tricky games of the previous generation and finally made its way to the PlayStation 4 in a surprise launch during Summer 2020. Two years later, in 2022, the brutal bullet hell with a 1930s animation style received an add-on in the form of the cleverly named Delicious Last Course expansion (get it? D.L.C.), which provided a new playable character and a host of challenging bosses to defeat, many of which are considered to be among Cuphead’s most challenging.
Even if the Delicious Last Course is not nearly as long as the main entree of Cuphead, there is no denying that PlayStation gamers who overcome the DLC’s challenge should be honored with a new platinum trophy for their valiant efforts.
CyberPunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
Time to 100%: 15-25 hours
Difficulty: 2/10
CyberPunk 2077 has come a long way since its disastrous launch in December 2020, and the game has finally lived up to its lofty expectations, thanks to the 2023 Phantom Liberty expansion, which currently rates as the 17th best PlayStation game of the year, per Metacritic.
Although the new DLC has a less challenging trophy list than some of the other games denoted in this article, Phantom Liberty is a hefty expansion, with multiple missable trophies and up to 30 hours of additional content outside of the main game. With so much shovelware and cash-grab platinums infesting the PlayStation Network nowadays, Phantom Liberty’s quality and size make it a perfect candidate to receive a platinum trophy of its own.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion – The Shivering Isles
Time to 100%: 10+ hours
Difficulty: 4/10
The Elder Scrolls IV was never even given a base game trophy list when it was released on PS3 in 2007. Oblivion’s achievements can still only be obtained via the Xbox 360 version. However, this does not change the fact that the game’s mind-bending Shivering Isles DLC is extensive and iconic enough to be worthy of a PlayStation platinum. However, due to Microsoft’s $7.5 billion acquisition of Bethesda Softworks finalized in 2021, it seems that an overdue Oblivion trophy list, or a Shivering Isles platinum will never come to pass on PlayStation (stranger things have happened, though).
Outer Wilds: Echoes of the Eye
Time to 100%: 10-15 hours
Difficulty: 3/10
In the short few years since its 2019 release, Outer Wilds has already established itself among the greatest games ever made, finding its way into all-time top 100 lists through its melding of multiple different genres to create a highly unique sci-fi, puzzle-solving experience. The well-received Echoes of the Eyes expansion further builds upon Outer Wilds’ formula with new locations to explore and unique puzzles to decipher.
This DLC should have been given a platinum of its own due to the fact that the Echoes of the Eye is a substantial experience that can take more than ten hours to 100% and has stirred debate within the Outer Wilds’ community over whether it might actually be more challenging than the base game.
Prey: Mooncrash
Time to 100%: 20+ hours
Difficulty: 4/10
2017’s Prey from Arkane Austin has become somewhat of a cult classic since its launch and is consistently rated among the previous generation’s most underrated games. The 2018 expansion, Mooncrash, introduced roguelike mechanics to Prey, creating a rare DLC that actually manages to surpass the base game. Both Prey and its roguelike expansion pack are rated the same 4/10 on the difficulty scale (according to Powerpyx and PSN Profiles), and Mooncrash takes approximately 20 hours to 100%, a similar length as most triple-A games, making it yet another title fitting of a platinum trophy.
Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare
Time to 100%: 15+ hours
Difficulty: 3/10
Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption became a gaming staple during the PS3 era in 2010 and introduced one of the most memorable, unique DLCs of all time in the form of the Undead Nightmare expansion. Undead Nightmare turned Red Dead’s grounded, open world Western into a multiversal horror game, reimagining John Marston’s story as a zombie apocalypse. While the PS3 version came with an expansion trophy list, and 2023’s PS4 remaster combined Undead Nightmare’s achievements into the base game, Red Dead Redemption’s alternate timeline DLC deserved an alternative platinum of its own.
Resident Evil 4: Separate Ways
Time to 100%: 10-15 hours
Difficulty: 4/10
As expected, upon release, Resident Evil 4 became one of the most acclaimed remakes of all time, garnering Game of the Year awards and nominations. The Separate Ways DLC continued this pattern, serving as the perfect companion piece to RE4, highlighting Ada Wong’s trials and tribulations against Los Illuminados during the main game’s events, and introduced some new spy-themed abilities for Resident Evil’s femme fatale.
Regarding its trophy list, Separate Ways isn’t very different than most mainline Resident Evil games’ platinums, clocking in at 10-15 hours, and requiring multiple playthroughs to 100%. The ultimate test of skill found in Separate Ways is achieving an S+ Rank on a Professional difficulty run for the “Ada the ‘S+’py'” trophy, which is just one example that highlights the DLC’s need for its own platinum.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Blood and Wine
Time to 100%: 25+ hours
Difficulty: 4/10
To save the best for last, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s Blood and Wine expansion is the highest-rated DLC ever. It is a massive expansion, providing over 40 hours of bonus content, which is far bigger than many other full-fledged triple-A titles. The achievement list is not anywhere near as challenging as The Witcher 3’s main game, but it takes upwards of 25 hours to 100% and requires witnessing multiple endings, completing miscellaneous feats, as well as being cognizant of half a dozen missable trophies.
As much as I would also like to see The Witcher 3’s Hearts of Stone expansion also receive a platinum, the Blood and Wine DLC is the most deserving of the two and arguably the most worthy of a plat compared to the other entries on this list.
Just as Blood and Wine capped off Geralt of Rivia’s adventures in The Witcher series, it also completes our list of DLC that should have awarded gamers with platinum trophies. For more achievement hunting from Prima Games, check out Tears of the Trophy Hunter: Nintendo’s Lack of an Achievement System is Still a Major Disappointment.
Published: Nov 29, 2023 11:21 am