Review: Crimson Alliance - Vengeance Map Pack (XBLA)

Crimson Alliance released early last month and many people got the game—technically, the complete class pack—for free as part of the Summer of Arcade '11 promotion, and now Certain Affinity has released some lovely new content: the Vengeance Map Pack. I could go into the intricacies of how the game plays and all that jazz, but seeing as this is additional content, I am going to assume anyone interested has already played the game. Also, the DLC is most definitely endgame content.

Endgame content you say? I do say, and the reason is due to the fact that playing any of the levels included in this DLC as a new character will end in death like making a wrong turn in Dark Souls—which makes no sense if you don't know that game; translation: a lot. Don't let this scare you off; the new content is not too difficult, it's just meant for seasoned characters. As far as the actual content, this particular DLC pack includes two somewhat meaty levels and a wonderfully thought-out challenge map.

The two bonus levels are more of the same, but do feature the occasional exciting moment and are just fun additions. The real joy of the Vengeance Map Pack is the new challenge map—Fistful of Coins—which is similar to all other challenge maps with a key difference: gambling and addiction. Vagueness be damned, what I mean to say is, 'Fistful of Coins' is a wave-based challenge map in which you earn more money with every new wave as the challenge increases concurrently. But that's not all, the gambling aspect sprouts from  the ability to choose whether you continue with hopes of even greater winnings, or cash out, forcing yourself to start chasing the lottery from wave one, but knowing you can't lose the money just banked. The existence of a horde-like mode is already a welcome addition, but the added risk/reward aspect makes it so much more enjoyable.

While I really enjoyed the Vengeance Map Pack, the two campaign-esque levels came in at about fifteen to twenty minutes each, and the new challenge map only lasts as long as you make it last. 240MS points is a good price, but most of my enjoyment came from the challenge map and there's no guarantee you'll enjoy it anywhere near as much as this guy—me. If nothing else, the new challenge map will help raise piles of coin real fast, a welcome assistance in purchasing that illustrious item.

Crimson Alliance - Vengeance Map Pack [DLC] (240MS Points)