Top 5 Best DLC That Nintendo Got So Right

5. Super Smash Bros. New Characters (3DS/Wii U)

Today, it may be a bit strange to think of a competitive game that goes without any changes. Most developers support games with new stages, characters, and balance tweaks well into a game’s lifespan and yet, Nintendo is rather new to it. Super Smash Bros represents some of Nintendo’s first steps into the world of ongoing support for their games.

In 2015, Nintendo released a survey asking players to vote for what characters they wanted to be added to the Super Smash Bros. roster. Players jumped at the opportunity to suggest some of the community’s wildest ideas and to ask for old favorites like Lucas, Mewtwo, and Roy. In the end, seven characters were added to the game, including some rather unexpected fighters like Bayonetta and Cloud. Sadly, paying $5+ for a single character is questionable as far as ethics are concerned. But Bayonetta.

This post was originally written by Nicole Hunter.

4. Fire Emblem: Awakening Xenologues (3DS)

I swear this isn’t about the Summer Scramble… it’s about the Hot Spring Scramble.

Okay, all waifus aside, the Fire Emblem Awakening Xenologues were a hit or miss affair. On one side you have a pay-to-grind scheme wherein you pay for two infinitely farmable maps with increased XP and gold ratios. On the flip, you have well thought out scenarios which gave you more time with the very likable cast of FE: Awakening. Sometimes these would be light-hearted and downright goofy, other times the scenarios would build on Awakening’s main story. Either way, they were good additions to an already great game. For the grumpy old school Fire Emblem fans, some of the later maps such as Apotheosis came closer to the old school Fire Emblem difficulty than anything in the main storyline. If not for the smarm factor, this would surely be farther up on the list.

3. Mario Kart 8 DLC Packs (Wii U)

Mario Kart 8’s DLC Packs are responsible for bringing sixteen tracks to the game. Some of the standouts include Excitebike Arena, Mute City, Ice Ice Outpost, Hyrule Circuit, Big Blue, Wild Woods, Animal Crossing, and Baby Circuit. In addition to adding maps which pushed the game’s mechanics, and utilized hovering better than any of the stock maps, this DLC brought us as close to an F-Zero sequel as anyone should expect (rest in peace.)

Maps with fewer frills like Excitebike Arena and Baby Circuit boil the game down to two of its finest principles. Excitebike Arena is all about glorious speed and pulling off as many jumps as possible and Baby Circuit is about maintaining speed and slowing your opponents with very few distractions. These tracks remind us why Mario Kart has been great in the past and tracks like Hyrule Circuit, Animal Crossing, and Super Bell Subway tell us why it will continue to be. Also, the first DLC pack introduced the Master Cycle, which set the groundwork for the Master Cycle Zero in Breath of the Wild, the greatest thing to happen to The Legend of Zelda since Epona. You can quote me on that.

2. Splatoon 2 Updates (Switch)

Splatoon 2 follows in the footsteps of its predecessor by offering players ongoing, free content updates. In a landscape where loot boxes and paid content updates have wormed their way into shooters, Splatoon 2 is a refreshing game to own.

Since the game’s release Nintendo has released multiple battle stages, more salmon run content, over 100 new pieces of gear, new music, weapons, hairstyles, and raised the level cap. There’s a steady flow of decent content that keeps Splatoon 2 relevant and easy to return to after a break. The handling of Splatoon 2 represents the culmination of Nintendo’s very slow transition into the era of supporting ongoing games. Though parts of Splatoon 2’s handling is archaic, the substantial content updates show Nintendo’s good faith effort of coming into the modern era of online games and that’s nothing to scoff at for the 128-year-old games juggernaut.

1. Zelda: the Breath of the Wild DLC Pack 2: The Champions’ Ballad (Switch, Wii U)

Breath of the Wild’s second DLC pack more than earns its place at number one. While it adds the standard piddling armor sets and trinkets like the first pack brought, it also threw the Champions’ Ballad questline on the table. The Champions’ Ballad is a multi-phase quest expanding on Breath of the Wild’s backstory. The quest spans throughout Hyrule, having players return to some of BotW’s most iconic areas for some of the most demanding challenges in the game such as going through a brutal gauntlet without getting hit once, and fighting all of the game’s bosses with next to nothing in your inventory, including everyone’s favorite boss, Thunderblight Ganon.

The Champions’ Ballad has some of Breath of the Wild’s most emotional moments, giving players an even closer look at the four champions, and further fleshing out Zelda. And at the end, after you’ve toiled, you get the Master Cycle Zero to reward your hard work. After 150 hours and a taking a few months break, the Champion’s Ballad felt like a fitting way to cap off one of the best games ever made.