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Jun 5, 2018
3,218
Basically ever MMO that shuts down is the obvious answer, some games have dlc that's no longer available but the biggest examples I have are Pokémon ones.


In fire red/leaf green and emerald there's islands with Pokemon normally extremely rare that people had very limited time to unlock, emerald has one for mew with a little lore attached that never made its way to the west despite being fully translated, I recently found a way to unlock these since it felt wrong that part of the game was locked away despite at some point being intended to be seen (the mew one most of all since they decided to give a way a mew instead of the old sea map.

Gen 4 has loads of these events, famously arceus was never catchable because game freak was concerned it was too hard to find, and of course now the ones that were are lost to time, hgss has the celebi time travel event that requires a special celebi event and is the only way to fight the OG team rocket boss in the game and learn about his connection to the rival of gen 2 in game.

Gen 5 has a couple of things but mostly nothing too large, and that's basically it until recently with the gen 4 remakes, their Evers are almost impossible to get now too despite being less than a year old.

If anyone has any other examples of these or wishes to discuss any I'm most interested, personally I find it quite a sad concept, losing a part of a game to time, I'd rather stuff like the events above just be password restricted so that they never expire.
 

Ashes of Dreams

Unshakable Resolve
Member
May 22, 2020
14,522
I like Final Fantasy XV but it's decision to have timed events in a single player RPG was awful. There were a few that only existed for a limited time that came out after I finished the game the first time but before I went back for a replay so I just never saw them.
 
Aug 9, 2021
413
My answer is the Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith bonus level. Here are the OFFICIAL instructions for installing the level in 1998:

Please do not contact the Technical Support department with questions/comments related to this level, as they will be unable to offer assistance.

1. If there isn't one already, create a new directory in your MotS directory
called "Episode".
2. Inside the "Episode" directory, create another directory called
"MotS Secret Level".
3. Unzip the UNSUPPORTED.ZIP file, which can be found in the
"GameData/Resource/Video" directory of your Mysteries of the Sith CD.
4. Copy the "jkl" and "cog" directories from UNSUPPORTED.ZIP into the
"MotS Secret Level" directory.
5. Download this file:
http://web.archive.org/web/20010210175215/http://www.lucasarts.com
/products/sith/episode.jk
6. Copy the file episode.jk to the "MotS Secret Level" directory.
7. Run Mysteries of the Sith.
8. Select "Single Player".
9. Select "New Game".
10. Choose "MotS Secret Level" from the episode list."
And the file/instructions are hosted here: https://web.archive.org/web/20010210175215/http://www.lucasarts.com/products/sith/hiddenlevel.htm
 

Deleted member 34949

Account closed at user request
Banned
Nov 30, 2017
19,101
The vast majority of Monster Hunter Tri is gone with Nintendo WFC not being a thing anymore. You're stuck with the single player village missions, which may as well just be the game's prologue.
 

LewieP

Member
Oct 26, 2017
18,109
Some unlockables for Metroid Prime Trilogy relied on online functionality, which is long gone, but you can find save files online that start with a fresh save with just the otherwise inaccessible unlockables already unlocked.
 

Seraphis Cain

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,456
The original Japanese release of Dirge of Cerberus had a whole online multiplayer element that isn't playable anymore (and was only ever playable for less than a year if I remember correctly).
 

RingoGaSuki

Member
Apr 22, 2019
2,446
The Japanese version of Advance Wars: Days of Ruin jumps to mind for me. It was only made available as a Club Nintendo platinum reward, and never got an actual release (physical or digital) there. I downloaded it on a whim back when FreeShop was a thing for 3DS and it was actually pretty great, no idea why it was made so obscure.
 
OP
OP
Multievolution
Jun 5, 2018
3,218
The Japanese version of Advance Wars: Days of Ruin jumps to mind for me. It was only made available as a Club Nintendo platinum reward, and never got an actual release (physical or digital) there. I downloaded it on a whim back when FreeShop was a thing for 3DS and it was actually pretty great, no idea why it was made so obscure.
This reminds me, the four swords game had something similar, a slightly larger distribution but it was limited and time gated, intense is definitely one of the bigger offenders of these I'd say.
 

Izanagi89

Member
Oct 27, 2017
14,637
I like Final Fantasy XV but it's decision to have timed events in a single player RPG was awful. There were a few that only existed for a limited time that came out after I finished the game the first time but before I went back for a replay so I just never saw them.

I think it was just AC event but they did make the outfits available with a later patch. The Terra Wars and FFXIV collab missions are still in the game.
 

Pennybags

Prophet of Truth
Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,623
You are unable to play as the Demogorgon and several human characters from Stranger Things in Dead by Daylight now unless you've already bought them. Netflix declined to renew/revoked the license, leading to the characters becoming unattainable for future players. Demo is probably one of the rarer killers in the game for that reason.

Leaks that are pretty credible by now say that Stranger Things is coming back to the game eventually though.
 

Crushed

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,720
The vast majority of Monster Hunter Tri is gone with Nintendo WFC not being a thing anymore. You're stuck with the single player village missions, which may as well just be the game's prologue.
This applies to most of old Monster Hunter where the single player quests and online quests were segregated.

The only way to actually fight Fatalis in MH1 on PS2 today is to own a Japanese copy and access fan made servers.
 

Deleted member 34949

Account closed at user request
Banned
Nov 30, 2017
19,101
This applies to most of old Monster Hunter where the single player quests and online quests were segregated.

The only way to actually fight Fatalis in MH1 on PS2 today is to own a Japanese copy and access fan made servers.
Yeah, that's true, though I went with Tri as my example specifically because Loc Lac City never came back in any capacity at all, even in 3U. I think even MH1's online content eventually got integrated into MH Freedom.
 

Crushed

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,720
Yeah, that's true, though I went with Tri as my example specifically because Loc Lac City never came back in any capacity at all, even in 3U. I think even MH1's online content eventually got integrated into MH Freedom.
That is true; I remember being surprised that they just completely replaced Loc Lac in 3U and just never did anything with it at all.
 

De Amigo

Member
Dec 19, 2017
480
Remember the Xbox Live version of 1 vs 100 always being cool, what with you being able to win real Microsoft points if you were part of the people playing the main game. Surprised Microsoft never brought that back.
 

Leafshield

Member
Nov 22, 2019
2,934
The vast majority of Monster Hunter Tri is gone with Nintendo WFC not being a thing anymore. You're stuck with the single player village missions, which may as well just be the game's prologue.
I'm glad that MH games these days let you tackle all the online content in single player, offline and scaled for a single player (plus your NPC assistants).
 

Ashes of Dreams

Unshakable Resolve
Member
May 22, 2020
14,522
I think it was just AC event but they did make the outfits available with a later patch. The Terra Wars and FFXIV collab missions are still in the game.
There was also one for FF's anniversary, some kind of moogle/chocobo event.
And yeah they may have been small and simple but that's not the point. Don't make content for an offline single player game that has an expiration date for no good reason.
 

AlexBasch

Member
Oct 27, 2017
7,313
Metallica Pack 01 from Rock Band.

I was really poor back then and decided I could only afford And Justice for All. Wish I had Ride the Lightning.
 

Deleted member 81119

User-requested account closure
Banned
Sep 19, 2020
8,308
Final Fantasy XV's Assassin's Festival and the Chocobo Carnival we're both legitimately amazing. So sad that you can't play them any more.
 

Izanagi89

Member
Oct 27, 2017
14,637
There was also one for FF's anniversary, some kind of moogle/chocobo event.
And yeah they may have been small and simple but that's not the point. Don't make content for an offline single player game that has an expiration date for no good reason.

Oh, I know. I'm not saying it's a good thing though. Even though the rewards were all added, the events are lost forever and regardless of what people thought of the actual events, they're a part of the game's history.

Also I totally forgot about the carnival event. That would've been an amazing golden saucer-like addition to the game.
 

Kapryov

Member
Oct 27, 2017
10,149
Australia
I believe anybody trying to jump into Gravity Rush 2 these days cannot unlock costumes or play the fun/frustrating treasure hunting missions. They linked a bunch of unlockables to an online server which Sony pulled the plug on only a couple of years later.

Also, this kinda stuff counts for any mobile or online service games, but Genshin Impact has fully voiced storylines with its time limited quests, and these get deleted in future patches to save space! Sometimes these include unique minigames or mechanics that are otherwise rarely - if ever - seen again.
I really hope people are finding ways to save the content somehow.
 

DoktorAkcel

Member
Aug 30, 2019
209
Scarface Pack for Payday 2

It was supposed to be a promotion for a movie that never got made in the end, and developers lost a license for a character after a few years. Shame, as it adds one of the overpowered perks and a somewhat fun weapon arsenal to play with. And a dollar store Tony Montana, too

EDIT: oh, and Lootbag DLC. At least on PC you have zero ways to obtain it in a legitimate way, outside of somehow getting a code. At least it's just a mask and a pattern, but still.
 

KeRaSh

I left my heart on Atropos
Member
Oct 26, 2017
10,274
Driveclub gets my vote.
My friend and I had to buy a digital code from GameStop Italy to redeem in the PSN after the game has been delisted to access some DLC.
Unfortunately some of the DLC was locked behind specific cars that we couldn't download anymore... They were part of the DLC but had to be downloaded separately I think, which is is super dumb and locked us out of the content...
 

Mung

Member
Nov 2, 2017
3,435
Destiny 2 immediately springs to mind.

Bought game at launch, played a bit. Decided to try again a few years later but no! All content I bought deleted. Lol.
 

Dukie85

Chicken Chaser
Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,540
Pretty much every Forza game that isn't the newest. Whether it be the game itself that's taken off the store, or certain car packs/bundles.
 

Opposable

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,367
It's weird playing the DS Pokémon games and getting all these items to do with online/NPCs promoting every aspect of the online, yet it's unavailable
 

Symphony

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,361
Gravity Rush 2 on PS4, only 1 year after launch Sony decided to kill off the servers for the game. What that took with it was sharing challenges and photos and particularly the treasure hunt mode, where every day you'd get a few photos of hidden treasure somewhere in the world and you had to try and find it. When you did you'd then be asked to take a photo of it that is sent on to someone else, with a key point being to try and be creative with your photo such that it was possible for people to discern the location of the treasure as you'd also get some bonus coins for it being found.

Aside from being a really fun little mode, there were unique rewards tied to this that you cannot get any other way - furniture for your house, alternate costumes for Kat and a special item that gives you unlimited flight power being the ultimate reward.

So yeah, thanks for that Sony. Really glad that my PS+ money goes into paying server costs. Oh and bringing up another Sony game featuring Kat - Destiny of Spirits, their gacha game on Vita that was actually seriously good fun, shortly after a huge new relaunch style update Sony decided to kill that game off too. Servers gone forever, content unplayable, everything you have spent money on inaccessible (the usual).
 

Sargerus

▲ Legend ▲
The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
20,872
Destiny 2 is the most obvious answer so instead i go with the Berserk armor sets from Dragons Dogma which were removed in the PC/PS4/X1 re-releases.
500
 

Deleted member 49482

User requested account closure
Banned
Nov 8, 2018
3,302
Metal Gear Solid 4 has some camo patterns, in-game iPod songs, and podcasts that are no longer available to download from the game's official DLC server. I had to download them from a private server (I think maybe the same one that still hosts MG:O?).
 

GlitchyDegree

Prophet of Truth
The Fallen
Dec 4, 2017
5,496
A ton of Rock Band DLC. My biggest gaming regret is not buying System of a Down's B.Y.O.B and Red Hot Chili Peppers Blood Sex Sugar Magik album before they got delisted.

Ghost Recon Wildlands had a Predator crossover that you can no longer play, even if you bought the game before it was removed. This one really annoys me, because it got removed not long after ai bought the game.
 

Farlander

Game Designer
Verified
Sep 29, 2021
332
Assassin's Creed is chock-full of these, especially on PC where Uplay connection makes even more stuff inaccessible.

In Assassin's Creed II on PC you can't access Auditore Crypr level (Uplay connection was deprecated)
Assassin's Creed Brotherhood is losing its MP soon, but also DLC will become inaccessible on PC (cause Uplay), and some rewards you would get from connecting with the already dead Project Legacy are also gone. Technically you can still get all these in the Ezio Collection, but... well, it's also connected to Uplay, now known as Ubisoft Connect.
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag had a bunch of rewards you could get through community events (no longer running), Initiates (no longer available) and codes from different products (no longer redeemable).

And I'm not even close to done listing everything.