DLC Review: Mass Effect 2 – Overlord

Keeping with the trend of being the best problem solver of the universe, The Illusive Man asks Shepard to travel to Aite. There he must shutdown an unruly virtual intelligence occupying a Cerberus research facility. The main contact is Dr. Gavin Archer who briefs you on the situation.

Unlike other Mass Effect 2 DLC, Overlord takes place on a planet with a navigable overworld. So instead of being dropped off a for a single mission, there are multiple tasks to make the trip worthwhile. The M-44 Hammerhead tank is the primary mode of transportation even if players don’t own the Firewalker DLC (which you should). There isn’t much to do between objectives except kill the wildlife and collect Cerberus data packets (there’s an achievement for that).  At least Aite is pretty when compared to other worlds Shepard visits.

The meat of Overlord involves infiltrating the multiple VI controlled stations which are crawling with Geth.  So expect a firefight. I made short work of them despite the presence of Geth Primes and Troopers on my way to Atlas Station. The coolest part of this pack comes when Shepard interfaces with the VI (who you soon find out is Archers’ brother David, or what’s left of him).  At this point, the game takes on a different look.  Imagine if the designers of Tron got a shot at one short segment in Mass Effect 2.  There is a boss battle at the end that is comparable to the Thorian encounter in the original Mass Effect except its more or less synthetic.  The final choice comes down to deciding between taking David or leaving him to possibly prevent a war with the Geth. I decided to remove him because I doubted his suffering would end this way.

When comparing the extra content for Mass Effect 2, Overlord presents the player with more content that Kasumi-Stolen Memory but not as much as Lair of the Shadow Broker.  It is priced at $7 which is more than generous.  It could have easily been $10.  I think it could have been bundled better with something like the Firewalker pack or Zaeed, but it is completely worth having.  Plus, I figure it will have an impact when it comes to Mass Effect 3.  Happy hunting.

Short & Sweet Review: Mass Effect 2

More than a year passed from when I completed Mass Effect to when I started playing Mass Effect 2. Regardless, I was able to dive right in as if I never left it.  Mass Effect 2 to is similar to it’s predecessor: a third-person action RPG set in space around 2183. Commander Shepard is the main character though his characteristics are what you make them including appearance and backstory. During the opening he (or she if you choose) is fresh from saving the bacon of the entire galaxy. Suddenly, Shepard and crew are ambushed by a Collector ship and through a series of events becomes aligned with Cerberus. This group outfits him with a ship, some crew, and a mission: save the Galaxy again. The shady Illusive Man helps Shepard to shape his goals and grow a team that can blast into the Omega 4 Relay to destroy Collector homeworld. The suicide mission. Is it the end? Your actions will decide.

Mass Effect 2 has loads of missions, planets, and people to investigate. There are only a few major plot quests, with a lot of optional sights to see. I can’t stress enough how much these add to the fun and make the game easier. So skipping them would be like throwing money away. Resources are needed to make upgrades and are nearly as valuable as credits. Scanning planets for minerals is the only way to power your squad and ship to their highest potential. Extremely addictive and useful. Finally, a major aspect is crew management. Picking up new members of the team runs the gamut. Some come easy, while others require more skill to acquire. Each character also has a loyalty mission that usually means helping them on some unfinished business somewhere in the galaxy.

The visuals are some of the best on Xbox 360. Mass Effect 2 runs at a solid clip with minimal slowdown. Character models are phenomenal and textures look wonderful. The only rough patches I noticed are in the ship and shuttle cutscenes. Those areas don’t have the same sheen that exist in the worlds or ship interiors. No impact on the gameplay, but just something I noticed. The music and voice acting are superb. I wouldn’t accept any less. My favorites are Martin Sheen as the Illusive Man and Yvonne Strahovski as Miranda Lawson. Amazing all around. I feel like no other game rivals ME2 in this category.

I highly suggest players check out the downloadable content available for Mass Effect 2. I have worked through everything except Arrival as of this writing. For completists, buying the game new is important since you get Cerberus Network free. All the other content packs are worth the money for all the nice stuff you get.  Look for reviews of Overlord, Lair of the Shadow Broker, and the rest of the free stuff soon. I also hope to buy Arrival soon and play through that.

I had a ton of fun with this game. I recruited all the crew. Then, I gained their loyalty. I like making decisions and feeling that they matter. My Shepard ran into many characters I remembered from the original game. Since I fought the good fight most were glad to see me. I am interested to see how my choices will shape the experience in Mass Effect 3.

I imported my Shepard from a level 56 playthrough in Mass Effect. I romanced Miranda. My entire crew survived the suicide mission, so I’m happy about that. I chose to destroy the last boss, which the Illusive Man hated. It took about 32 hours to complete the game. That time includes all the DLC minus Arrival. I was moving at a brisk pace, so your experience may take more or less.

Some players won’t be interested in playing the second chapter without slaying Mass Effect. Even with that, the sequel ensures players are familiar with the story. This also makes the game accessible for people new to the franchise. With tons of refinements and a massive story to tackle, this is easily one of the best games of 2010. I highly recommend Mass Effect 2 to anyone looking for an adventure that spans the galaxy, but still manages to put story and experience first.  Thank you BioWare.

DLC Review: Mass Effect 2 – Kasumi’s Stolen Memory

Before I launch into my review, I should talk a little about the downloadable content for Mass Effect 2.  The strategy for add-ons in this game is considerably different than for other games.  Rather than expand the story after completing the main game, Mass Effect 2 enriches its story through DLC.  For example, the Cerberus Network adds worthwhile cool free stuff like a few extra weapons, armor, some missions, and the recruitable Zaeed.  As a part of Project Ten Dollar, this token is free to people who buy a new copy of Mass Effect 2 (or purchase it for $10 on Xbox Live Marketplace).

There is also paid content available that is worth having from the start of the game.  These DLC packs add depth to the story along with all the extra goodies like equipment. Granted a player could work through them on a second playthrough, but that means less time for other games.  Personally, I grabbed most of the packs when they were on sale around Christmas.  And since there isn’t much to deviate them from regular content, I’ve been playing them. So on to the fun!

Kasumi’s Stolen Memory adds the mysterious thief as a recruitable character with her own loyalty mission.  I had been playing Mass Effect 2 for under 10 hours when I recruited Kasumi Goto.  She is a fairly interesting character you meet on Ilium.  Her powers are fairly good for almost any enemy types.  Kasumi doesn’t pack much firepower, but her well rounded skills make her a valuable part of the team.

The best part of the DLC is Kasumi’s loyalty mission.  Players find out more about her history including a relationship for her deceased partner Keiji Okuda.  The plan is to recover his graybox from the man who killed him: playboy arms dealer Donovan Hock.  The heist requires cracking his vault when he’s entertaining party guests.  There are several steps that lead Shepherd to bypass security and enter the vault.  Shortly after, you are caught and forced to fight a path out.  The last thing standing in your way is Donovan Hock who fights from an armored gunship.  In the end, Shepherd and Kasumi destroy Hock and escape.

The mission isn’t lengthy (around an hour total), but the resources and loyalty more than make up for that.  I think the price is appropriate though it would have been nice to have even more content.  I look forward to seeing more as I adventure through the galaxy.  I recommend anyone purchase this if you’re looking for the full Mass Effect 2 experience.

DLC Review: Halo: Reach – Defiant Map Pack

I haven’t been playing much Halo: Reach since the Noble Map Pack.  Before that, it was during the Extra Life marathon. So to prepare for the Defiant Map pack I decided to get back online. As usual, downloadable content has brought me back to a game that I forgot how much I enjoyed.

On Tuesday March 15th, the new maps from 343 Industries and Certain Affinity hit the Xbox Live Marketplace.   The pack of three maps cost $10 and the battlegrounds include: Unearthed, Condemned, and Highlands. Unearthed is geared for Firefight with lots open space around a central base. Condemned is set in a space station above Reach whose most noticeable feature is a low gravity central room. Highlands is made for Big Team Slayer with a variety of vehicles and cover.  Both of the creative teams have Halo and cartography experience, which shows in this release.

On paper these are a nice selection of maps, but I was surprised how little I liked them at first. My biggest initial problem was just learning the maps. Which was made tougher while trying to find the best combination of weapons and armor abilities to take enemies down. Starting off, I considered Highlands the best. Though its size makes it a paradise for snipers which I hate. I also found Condemned a confusing maze of corridors that turned into a kill-box whenever I wandered through them. Now, I’m over all that. A few days of playing helped to ease me into the Defiant Map Pack. I find it much better than it was on day one.

Something I found interesting were the teleporters. From memory, I don’t remember seeing any other instances so far in Halo: Reach.  Highlands has them along with a variant of Condemned. When something like that returns, it changes the way players think about the game. I found them best for crossing the map quickly or escaping enemy bullets.  People tend to camp the exits occasionally, which sucks.

My only real complaint is with the way Unearthed is accessed. You must pick Firefight Matchmaking and have it be voted by people who own the DLC. Silly since that isn’t where the rest of the maps reside. Meaning that only the other two maps are found under the Defiant Matchmaking playlist. I understand how logistics may hold it back from being together, but that wasn’t explained. It isn’t fair because Unearthed is a great map for Firefight. I think it could have even been used for some Slayer gametypes just to expand it’s reach.

When it comes down to making a decision about purchasing the Defiant Map Pack players should use their best judgement. If you don’t play Halo: Reach online much, this isn’t worth the money for you. Still, it doesn’t take a hardcore player to realize the value of added maps to keep the game fresh. This goes double for those who love to play Firefight since it’s the first DLC for the mode has seen. Three maps for $10 isn’t outrageous, though I’d like to see developers raise the bar even more.

DLC Review: Borderlands – The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned

Recently I had the opportunity to play more Borderlands with my friend Chris. We started two new characters and a fresh game. I did this because I love the game and we agreed to tackle all the downloadable content. At first we attempted Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot after finishing the game around level 36. After sinking almost 3 hours into the first small challenge we decided to take our business elsewhere.

This landed our soldier and siren in Jakobs Cove to greet the legions of undead in The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned. The main story of the DLC asks players to track down Dr. Ned, who “is totally not Dr. Zed from the main game.” Talk about a shady guy. The problem is that Ned has turned evil and transformed the workers that once populated the area into zombies. The chapter can be accessed from any “New-U” station and features several large outdoor areas to explore. My favorite scenario involves returning to New Haven now Dead Haven.

There are also new enemies including a few plain zombie variations and more specialized ones like the torso that crawls along the ground to maul your feet. Other new creatures include WereSkags, Corspe Eaters, and some larger zombies who are worth taking down for the loot they carry The most annoying addition is the Defiler who vomits on players to slow then down only to be mobbed by shamblers. For the most part the zombies are weak, especially to fire weapons. But, if you get sloppy, prepare to be surrounded and have to fight your way out.

The 25 new missions are like many of the others players encounter across Pandora. There are a few fetch or collecting quests, while others require less legwork. You’ll run into several familiar characters along the way including a certain fellow who disappeared early in the game. Now he’s sorta back from the dead and demanding brains. And lots of them! This prompts the most time consuming quest of the DLC. Here’s a hint: go for critical shots to pop the zombie brains out with ease. Rinse and repeat.

Recommendation:

Overall, I found The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned to be loads of fun and a nice expansion of the story. This chapter maintains the humor and style that has become synonymous with Borderlands. We conquered the content in five hours without much struggle. The DLC may be over a year old, but it still packs a punch. It normally retails for $10, though it has been discounted to $5 a few times. Either way, I’d suggest any seasoned vault-hunter bite the bullet and pick it up.