Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon

The words "downloadable content", or DLC for short, usually cause gamers to dry heave.  The idea of having to pay more money to add onto a game you already own can feel cheap and insulting.  However, on occasion DLC can be original and satisfying.  Such is the case with Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon.

Changing the game without actually changing the game
If you couldn't tell from the title Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon is actually Far Cry 3.  The game engine, the controls, the graphics, are all exact replicas of Far Cry 3 - a wonderful game in its own right.  However, Blood Dragon has completely changed the look of the game and turned it into a homage to all the great 80's action movies.  The game stars Rex Power Colt, a cyber commando who spews out one-liners just as quickly as he dishes out kills.  His weaponry includes laser rifles, explosive sniper rounds, inferno shotgun shells and an old school bow and arrow complete with neon lights.  References are made in the game from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles all the way to Terminator.  There are even dragons that shoot frickin' lasers out of their eyes! The wonderful thing about Blood Dragon is the fact that even though the game plays exactly the same way as Far Cry 3 it still feels like a game that could stand on its own as an original IP (intellectual property).  If this is the new way that DLC is going to be done then gamers are going to be very happy.

Dragons that shoot frickin' lasers out of their eyes!

Hope for the Future
Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon hopefully has set a standard for what DLC should be.  Instead of feeling cheap and tacked on, Blood Dragon feels refreshing and well crafted.  Often times DLC is frowned upon because it is just tacked on and adds no real value to a game you already own.  However, Blood Dragon is a game I am willing to pay for because it is original and well produced.  It's obvious from the very moment you boot up the game that the developers put a great amount of time and effort into the game and were not simply doing it to increase the company's revenue.  Let's hope that more companies follow Ubisoft's example, instead of simply casting it off as an aberration.  Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon is exactly what DLC should be and hopefully, what future DLC will be.