mass effect

A while back, Bioware stated that the story between ME2 and ME3 would be told through ME2 DLC. The apparent first installment of that DLC has just been announced as "Lair of the Shadow Broker." Featuring a reunion with Liara, things might get awkward for anyone who dumped her for one of the new romance options!

This looks pretty exciting! I'd be ineterested to see if Liara's affection has any impact on dialog, though. These DLC packs tend to minimize the amount of voice work that needs to be done.

Some older news, as well - remember those Mass Effect: Redemption comics from Dark Horse? There's a new line of comics coming that will be telling the story of the Illusive Man. More information on that can be found here.

E3 has everyone's attention elsewhere, but Bioware's just released new Mass Effect 2 DLC, named "Overlord." The pack costs 560 Microsoft points and features a new mission, heavier on action than previous DLC.

I'll be checking it out later tonight to see if this is the first step in telling the story between ME2 and ME3.

This is going to be quick, because I want to save my comments for after I play it, but new DLC for Mass Effect 2 is on its way in the very near future. Tuesday, March 23, the free Cerberus Network DLC for the Hammerhead (vehicle) missions will be released. Then, on April 6, the first paid DLC mission content will be released - Kasumi's Stolen Memory. This is a new character, so it's a recruitment mission, loyalty mission, and a barrel of fun dialog. It's not clear yet if she'll be terrible like Zaeed, though.

There's also a clothing pack with new clothes for Jack, Garrus, and Thane coming out on March 23. I can't imagine having to pay for this outside of Cerberus Network, but it's unclear right now. Garrus's thing fixes his armor finally.

3 weeks ago or so, my attempts at completing all achievements for Dragon Age: Origins were halted when the Return to Ostagar DLC was first made available, as the accompanying patch rendered my game temporarily unplayable. At first, I was obviously annoyed, but then I decided to reward Bioware for this only recently fixed bug by buying Mass Effect off XBLM. In the weeks that followed, I have discovered a new favorite franchise, having now completed the original game in full twice, only putting off my third play-through in order to pick up Mass Effect 2.

The first Mass Effect was pretty awesome. I don’t often whore myself out to achievements, especially when it comes to difficulty-based things. Yet, somehow the game demands it from me. It remains rewarding on multiple iterations through the story, while posing an increasing challenge with each unlockable difficulty. The story is communicated through strong characters, really strong emotional choices, and a general drive for the hero’s success, as I find is the case with many Bioware games. Yet, unlike games such as Dragon Age and Baldur’s Gate, Mass Effect allows you to step into the shoes of a pre-existing character, our noble Commander Shepard. You guide his actions and speech without defining them, which allows him to surprise you fairly often with his intelligence and wit. Without writing a full review, suffice it to say I’m quite fond of the game. It is definitely one of the best I’ve played. (More after the break)