Well, I thought that I’d talk about computer game expansions today, and why they can sometimes be cooler than the main game. At the time of writing in early September, I found myself in the weird situation of having two games “on the go” at the same time – and both were expansions.
One was a stand-alone expansion for the shooter game “Painkiller” (2004) called “Painkiller: Overdose” (2007) and the other was the 2022 “Developer’s Cut” update for the retro-style indie survival horror game “Alisa” (2021).
This will also be something of a “first impressions” review of both games too. Although I’ll probably post a full review of “Alisa: The Developer’s Cut” (2022) in a couple of days time, it’s very unlikely that I’ll write a full review of “Painkiller: Overdose” (2007).
Don’t get me wrong, the first third or so if it is amazing (and the middle parts certainly have some good moments too, even if the levels sometimes look a bit less dramatic) but I got distracted from it by other stuff on at least two separate occasions. Still, if you aren’t interested in the “first impressions” elements of this article, then just skip to the last 6-7 paragraphs or so of it.
This article may contain SPOILERS for both games.
Anyway, the one thing that both of these expansions have in common is that – despite some small annoyances – they are actually cooler than the original games.
“Painkiller: Overdose” (2007) not only features a new main character – an angst-ridden angel-demon hybrid called Belial – but he actually says badass one-liners during combat too (albeit a small repertoire, which is repeated slightly too often). Plus, this expansion’s weapon designs look at least twice as cool and – in the first third or so of the game at least- there are some really cool level designs too.
This is literally the first level of “Painkiller: Overdose” (2007). Not only is there a spectacular volcano in the background, but your starting weapon is literally a severed demon-head that shoots lasers out of its eyes. Even the first ten minutes of this game are cooler, edgier and more badass than pretty much all of the original “Painkiller” (2004).
Plus, the fourth level – “Asteroids” – is a masterpiece. Playing it for the very first time instantly transported me back to the 2000s. There were moments when I genuinely felt like I was back in that decade.
Whilst it is an original level with some really cool lighting design and visual design, the general atmosphere and style of it reminded me of so many sci-fi shooter games from that decade (eg: “Unreal 2”, “Red Faction 2“, “Quake 4” etc...) in the very best way. Again, there were moments when I genuinely felt like I was back in about 2005-2008 again whilst playing this level.
This is a screenshot of one of the coolest-looking parts of the “Asteroids” level in “Painkiller: Overdose” (2007). In terms of visuals and atmosphere, this one level is the perfect distillation of 2000s sci-fi shooter games (with strong hints of the late 1990s too). Plus, the floating platforms and slightly gothic background music in this level reminded me a little of “American McGee’s Alice” (2000) too 🙂
Likewise, although haven’t seen all of the new content yet, the 2022 “Developer’s Cut” update for “Alisa” (2021) keeps surprising me in all sorts of cool ways. Yes, it seems to be a replacement for the original 2021 version of the game – which doesn’t seem to be on sale any more – but it includes everything that the original version did… and more. It is an “expansion” in the sense that it just adds tons of stuff to the original game, rather than being a separate campaign.
I initially just loaded up an old late-game save, and even this quickly added a new cutscene (introducing a second “merchant” character) and some extra monsters who can be “farmed” for in-game currency. And, since this is a honest game with no micro-transactions, you’ll need to actually fight these monsters in order to get the extra stuff. Yes, a modern game that rewards you for actually playing it. What heresy is this?
This is a screenshot from “Alisa – Developer’s Cut” (2022), not only showing off a new “merchant” character – based on the game’s first boss – but also showing both the option for character modifications and the fact that defeating each boss now allows you to buy “reward” items (with currency earned via gameplay alone), which are themed around the boss in question.
There are apparently eight new costumes, and I’ve managed to find and/or unlock about four or five of them so far.
Some are “serious” ones – like a hidden “Victorian asylum”-style one with a built-in weapon, or a gloriously eerie-looking protective suit – but there are is also at least one wonderfully fun novelty costume too.
Namely this awesome Christmas costume, which is gloriously “90s” in the best possible way 🙂 It doesn’t have any stat-boosting effects and getting it is slightly convoluted (buy the “make up” modification and then find a mirror. Be aware that buying modifications will change the game’s ending though...), but I miss the days when games would include goofy Christmas-themed bonus content.
Not only that, it also adds new gameplay mechanics – like character modifications and auto-aim – too. Plus, I also started up a new game and was genuinely surprised to find that the game now includes a “Nemesis”-style stalker monster who will randomly chase you at various points.
From who she is and when she first appears, it was pretty clear that she was meant to be included in the original version but left out for time reasons (and it’s difficult to imagine the game without her now…). And I still get the sense that I haven’t seen everything this free expansion has to offer.
But why are both of these expansions cooler than the original game?
Simply put, all of the really hard work has already been done. Both expansions use the same game engine and basic game design as the original and – with all of this out of the way – the designers can focus much more heavily on adding cool new stuff.
For example, whilst “Painkiller: Overdose” (2007) seems to have been made by a different team to the original game, the developers still mostly just had to worry about things like level design and visual design. As such, they could put a bit more time and energy into making these things look cool.
Yes, it looks like a slightly “old” game by 2007 standards – it’s running on a game engine from 2004 – but the fact that the designers could dedicate almost all of their time to making the game look cool (rather than building the entire game from the ground up) means that it is still a bit more creative and cool-looking than some more graphically-advanced games from 2007 were.
Likewise, since “Alisa” (2021) was mostly made by a single person – Casper Croes – he obviously gained a lot of experience and knowledge whilst building the original version of the game.
Not only that, because the game was designed by just one person with a creative vision, all of the extra stuff actually feels like a natural and organic part of the game’s “world” too. As hinted earlier, I get the sense that at least some of the stuff in the “developer’s cut” update was originally meant to be included in the 2021 version of the game but left out for time reasons.
Most of all though, the common theme here is that the developers didn’t have to worry as much about the basic stuff – because it had already been done – and could therefore dedicate more time and effort to making the game as cool as possible.
In this cynical age of DLC and micro-transactions, it can be easy to think of expansions as being nothing more than cynical cash-grabs. But, in both the modern indie sphere and during gaming’s 1990s/2000s heyday, there are plenty of examples of what expansions could be. Something better than the original. Something which feels like the developers actually have time to do all of the cool stuff that they didn’t have time for whilst making the original game.
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Anyway, I hope that this was interesting 🙂
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