In celebration of Bioshock Infinite’s first narrative driven DLC, Burial at Sea, we thought it would be fun to look back at what we thought were the best story-driven DLC expansions of the last generation (360, PS3, Wii). Neither of Mike or I have played the Burial at Sea DLC as of yet, but with Bioshock Infinite being one of MY favourite games of the year, I can honestly say I can’t wait to go back to the Bioshock universe in any of its infinite incarnations.

Here are my picks for the best DLC expansions of this generation.

***Spoilers*** IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO HAVE ANY OF THE CONTENT OF THESE EXPANSIONS SPOILED FOR YOU, I SUGGEST YOU TURN AWAY NOW

1)Undead Nightmare (Red Dead Redemption)

Red Dead Redemption was without a doubt one of my favourite games of the entire generation. Because it stood as a stand-alone experience, Rockstar games were able to make a narrative campaign free of the cannon from the main campaign.  Zombies may feel rather passé now a days, but back in 2010, we were happy to clamber around the Old West in the midst of a zombie infestation. The best thing about this approach was that we got to play as Red Dead’s main protagonist John Marston once again. With an incredibly fun story, tons of new challenges, and lest we forget zombie horses, Undead Nightmare was a stand-alone DLC done right.

2) The Ballad of Gay Tony (Grand Theft Auto IV)

Man does Rockstar ever know how to do DLC right. While the first story-driven DLC for GTA IV (The Lost and the Damned) was good, playing as Luis Lopez in the glam-infused underworld of nightclub owner Tony Prince is a somewhat chaotic, yet blissful trip. The off-the-wall side characters, including Yusif Amir, a play on Saudi-like decadence, and Mori Kibbuts, the brother of Brucie from the main GTA IV story, injected Gay Tony’s story with the levity that seemed to be missing from the more serious GTA IV main story campaign. It was the audaciousness, the colour and the excitement that made Gay Tony such a great experience, and quite possibly the best story line to come out of Liberty City this generation.

3) Lair of the Shadow Broker (Mass Effect 2)

While somewhat short, Lair of the Shadow Broker took little time to prove that it was by far measure the best piece of DLC released for the critically acclaimed Mass Effect 2. Bioware’s intention with the DLC was to create a bridge that would connect to moments in their upcoming third installment. The design in this DLC is stunning. Working your way along the Shadow Broker’s ship was reminiscent of the beautiful carnage you unleash on Sovereign in the first Mass Effect. But what made this DLC work the best was the relationship between Shephard and fan-favourite Liara T’Soni. Liara had been on a painful journey post-the initial events of the beginning of Mass Effect 2. The interactions that follow between these two characters are a great example of what made the Mass Effect series one of the most well-written franchises in video game history.

Well those are my thoughts, but what about you? Was I right? Was I wrong? Why was I wrong? Please feel free to leave your thoughts on the best DLC expansions in the comments below.