A few weeks back I posted up an article on how I think the Fantastic Four could play out. Go read it, the rest of this won't really make sense without it. It was originally longer, but it slowed the pacing of an already long story so I cut it. Below you'll find my idea for how DLC would be handled on the project.


The baddies keep coming

Part 4: Options

Now for some reason developers can't seem to finish games these days and Bioware is no exception. Fortunately, we have downloadable content to rectify that. For the DLC, I want it to play like Bring Down the Sky or it could even add a character like Zaeed. Well more like Liara. Something that has consequence and could be part of the story, or just bonus content for you to tackle at any time. A middle ground in the adventure.

First place I'd start on is with the Circus of Crime. I know it's an odd choice, but when researching this I came across that old Human Torch and Thing game and I just thought about bringing true classic, kooky villains in. There is hardly anything more classic than the Circus of Crime. For those that don't know the Circus of Crime premiered in 1941 with Captain America as a covert Nazi circus attempting to kill high ranked government officials. The original Ringmaster was killed as a spy and his son resumed the role to get revenge on Americans. Not exactly translatable to today, but you don't really need a backstory for creepy Carnies.

Give the Four a story where Sue forces them all to get out of the place and relax as a group and they wind up at a Carnival. Little mini-games are spread throughout, you can run across Johnny "Ghost Rider" Blaze attending the show. Talk to him and then get caught in the insidious Circus of Crime's tent of horror. In a bid to steal some new talent for their show, they attack Ghost Rider and string him up by his chain. Then focus on the Fantastic Four. I'd like to think of this as a Pinnacle Station style affair with boss after boss coming in and proving their strengths against the newest heroes in the game. Something about Carnies wanting to showcase how crafty they are makes sense to me.


The Fantasticar. Only at your local Dodge dealer

Mass Effect had the Mako. Mass Effect 2 had the Land Speeder. The Fantastic Four have the Fantasticar. I want this thing to upgrade just like the ship in Mass Effect 2 did. Start it off looking like a bath tub and upgrade it until it is ready to take on the Skrull empire. Since this is used to go to every location in the game, I hope that it would upgrade with the team.

We also have to make clear that Reed is smitten with the car while Johnny and Ben hate it until it gets upgraded to fit them. The car will pull mini-levels in to the game. For the basic game, the car needs to be upgraded to meet the new requirements of the team in the same way the ship in Mass Effect 2 needed to be fitted for battle. Traveling to different destinations will be a cutscene similar to Mass Effect's warp drives.

In the DLC, it will act like a mix of Land Speeder style action and the Mako's exploration. I would push this as an in between level system instead of seperate locations to visit. Think of it as adding the Gummy Ship for the travel to each location. You have the option to skip it, but it could be a nice little diversion between the worlds. For traveling to Atlantis, you can have them fight off the rebel army. Traveling to space will have asteroids to manuever. It'll make getting to the destination more of a challenge.


Hmmm...green skin...super strength...SKRULL!!!

This is a game based on a comic book and no comic book is without it's weird crossover misunderstanding. With the Skrull threat revealed, the Four are unsettled by a rumor of a giant green monster tearing up the countryside. It is decided that something must be done and the team runs out to face the threat. Entering the town, they see military all around. They then come across a plain woman asking around town about the monster and they question her. They find out she's looking for her cousin and they resolve to help her after the threat is solved.

Johnny being the punk that he is, pokes fun at her mild appearance. His painful remarks cause her to transform in to the She-Hulk. Which impresses Johnny, though they then realize she could be dangerous. It's then time to strike as they believe they've found their foe. A short battle ensues and then they find out she is all human, much to Johnny's delight (though he's not above chasing a Skrull).

Realizing that she isn't the threat they are looking for, they leave her and set out to find the monster. Still trying to find her cousin, She-Hulk chases the team. Seeing the fight take place, a troop informs his heads about the transforming girl, and the Army follows behind them. Running in to the mountains, they stumble across the Hulk and a classic fight ensues. This is the Hulk, so we're talking everything the Thing does and more. After they reach a climax the Hulk flees and Jennifer Walters stops the Four from chasing him. She informs them of his tragic condition and Reed is intrigued. The team then chases him and finds him swarmed upon by the Military.

Once the team is noticed, the Military fires upon Reed Richards and the six are forced to split up and protect themselves. After enough tanks and choppers are smashed, a tired Hulk finally powers down to a defenseless Bruce Banner. Depending on how its played out, Reed and Bruce can strike up a conversation and a new friendship between geniuses could rise. Either way Ben finds both a rival and someone to sympathize with while Johnny just finds someone new to flirt with that's too much for even him to handle.



As you can see these are the run off ideas I had from the game I planned before. Which, in all honesty is what DLC is in the first place. This is all geared towards the Mass Effect 2 style where DLC has little effect on the endgame, and is used to expand the worlds that they live in. These are just a few from the top of my head.