Real Talk By: Vex

It seems as if every game that comes out nowadays is supported by some form of DLC, but is it always worth it? In this case I would say yes depending on which way you pay for it. Available for 800 Microsoft Points or for download automatically to consumers who have purchased the “Gears of War 3” Season Pass, which entitles you to the game’s first four game add-ons at a 33 percent discount, the Horde Command Pack includes:

————————————Three new maps———————————-

Blood Drive – The Jacinto Medical Plaza was overwhelmed by evacuated citizens after the government-sanctioned Hammer Strikes, and the ensuing riots quickly turned this safe haven into a dangerous inferno. An abundance of high ground and funneled choke points make this map a returning favorite to Horde.

Rustlung – Once the pride of the Royal Tyran Navy, the decks of this decommissioned battleship is now riddled with bullet holes. Any team with the fortitude to hold the exposed central torpedo bay will find that the ship’s Loader has been replaced with a battle-ready Silverback Mech Suit.

Azura – This island resort was once the exclusive domain of Sera’s educated elite, but the tranquil water gardens and lush foliage have become a hotly contested combat zone. Dual snipers overlook a powerful explosive weapon, while the defensive central platform may be your last resort of retreat.

New fortification upgrades:

Command Center – A brand new type of fortification that allows you to call in fire support from sniper teams, mortar strikes and even multiple Hammers of Dawn.

Decoy Upgrade – A new fortification level that turns your decoy into an Onyx Guard bot that will fight in your defense.

Sentry Upgrade – This upgrade adds a fire bolt sentry that deals much more damage and is very effective against Berserkers.

Silverback Upgrade – This advancement allows you to upgrade your Silverback Exo-suit with devastating rockets and extra levels of repair cost reduction.

New characters:

Onyx Guard
Big Rig Dizzy
Bernie

New Weapon Skins:

Team Plasma
Jungle Camo

These maps are also playable in Beast mode and privately hosted Versus matches, where buddies who haven’t bought the DLC can enjoy it with you. Why? Because the content is already on the disc. Epic issued a statement explaining the reason why the content is on the disc, which to me sounded like the usual don’t piss off the fans explanation. But to their credit Epic is giving away two maps Swamp and Clocktower. In my opinion they should have just released them with the rest of the launch maps considering the small amount of maps that came with the game, but who am I to say. The free DLC Epic is calling a goodwill gesture to fans, will be released on November 24. The ‘Raam’s Shadow’ DLC will be available to download a few weeks later on December 13 for 1200 Microsoft Points ($15).

So what is the verdict?

If you want to get the most bang for your buck, I suggest getting the season pass. It sounds steep at first but truly it’s better than breaking down and purchasing everything individually. Truly this content can wait if you have the patience. In the mean time you can play the current pack with buddies until the free maps are released, while you save up the $30 bucks for the season pass. Now don’t get me wrong, this is quality DLC. Each of the maps are stunningly detailed and fun to play, whether it’s Horde or good old versus. It’s just lame that as of now I can only do versus if I’m in a private match, something Epic said will change in the coming weeks via update, when the two free maps along with current DLC will be placed into the versus rotation.