The DLC Report - Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 - The Black Order DLC #1 Curse of the Vampire

 More tricks than treats.

 Well, it's out, the first paid DLC content is here and.... it's more of the same. It also came alongside a few bits of free dlc, namely costumes, a new in-game store, a new difficulty and a new level cap of 50. Guess there was a method to the madness of the last rift they added, as now you can match the suggested levels.

 I'm sure I'm not the only one that was expecting more story content, or at least new levels, but alas, it's not meant to be, as the paid DLC is made up of four new characters: Moon Knight, The Punisher, Morbius and Blade. I found everyone but Morbius pretty fun play as, but then again, I've never been too fond of Morbius, so that might have biased me against him. The new mode is called Gauntlet and it's basically a series of challenges. Basically, a series of rift challenges with no healing in-between, unless healing is the reward of your current challenge. Gauntlet Mode is how you unlock the four new characters and their alternate colors, and beating each Gauntlet unlocks an endless version so that you can aim for better rewards.

 I'm gonna go straight to the point: This is turning into another Devil May Cry 4: Too many characters for too little content. Well, there's no shortage of content, it's just that Gauntlet Mode has you playing on the same stages and fighting the same bosses from the Story Mode, which were recycled for the Rifts, which are now recycled again for the Gauntlets. I've played all this content before, and I'm playing it AGAIN to unlock the new stuff, and there are only so many times I can battle Nebula on the first level before it grows old. At least the gauntlets and the unlocks are infinitely more manageable than the last Rifts they added. That said, there's a lengthy loading screen in-between Gauntlet stages, so it can get quite tiring.

 As for the free updates, we get four new costumes: Steve Rogers(Cap), Extremis(Iron-man), Ultimate(Thor) and an armored look for Black Panther. I like them! And earning them is much easier thanks to the new in-game store that uses a new form of currency earned in the new Nightmare mode or through Gauntlets. You can also purchase new voice lines or use normal currency to buy Experience Cubes. With the new level cap also came an expansion to the hexagonal upgrades, so you can make your team even stronger. As for Nightmare Mode... it's a new difficulty setting for the Story Mode that adds enemies with auras(Fire aura, which burns you, a slow aura, that slows you down) and even bosses get auras. It's... more of the same, you are still playing the same darn story mode, fighting the same bosses on the same arenas that you already faced on the other difficulty settings, on the rifts and on the new Gauntlet mode.

 I liked the new characters, I've always been a lowkey fan of Moon Knight, the new in-game store is great, and the increased level cap is fantastic. But I'm tired of playing through the same things I've already played countless times before. Hopefully the new story content DLC comes sooner rather than later. As of now, most of the DLC, both paid and free, has been welcome but unexciting.
 5.5 out of 10