The DLC Quest Duology - Earn that DLC!

DLC has become something nearly every game has available these days. Heck, some companies even have season passes available before the game releases! Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, for example, was boasting extra missions for Adewale, the Jackdaw's first mate, before the game itself came out, and I wanted it! DLC can not only add to the game, it can make the game easier, unlock things quicker, change the graphics around or simply give your avatar something cool to wear. The DLC quest games manage to not only mock all of this in a genius manner, they're a load of fun!

The duology consists of both DLC Quest and its sequel - Live Freemium or Die (It's hard not to type "or Die Hard", I'll admit). Both games involve collecting loads of coins and DLC packs, which then must be purchased with the coins you pick up. The games can also be played in any order - very little crosses over between the two, and I actually ended up playing Live Freemium or Die first since it's on 360 as well. Live Freemium or Die is also kind enough to grant you the abilities of "moving and jumping", "audio", "animation" and "pausing", none of which "come with" the original (although you can move right initially!). Both also include Achievements Awardments such as "Everyone gets this one", which is earned by progressing the story a bit.

Both games combined take a few hours to complete, usually spent hunting down coins and finding new areas. Live Freemium or Die is quite a bit longer and broken into Zones (think Sonic the Hedgehog, but without loading - if you buy the right DLC to remove the loading at least!). Both are quite Metroidvania-y, requiring traveling back and forth with new abilities or areas after purchasing new DLC.

ZING!

All in all, both are hilarious and worth the few bucks to play. You actually get both together if you purchase through Steam, but come separately on Xbox 360 XBLIG. It's slightly more on PC/Mac, but you can keep an eye out for a sale (as I write this, it's less than $1 on Steam for another 18 hours!).

Available for: PC/Mac ($2.99), Xbox 360 XBLIG ($1 each for DLC Quest and the sequel)
Developed by: Going Loud Studios