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GrandMarshal

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Downloadable Effect

 Downloadable Effect (Mass Effect 2 Downloadable content Marathon)

I don’t like returning to a game for a single three hour or shorter add-on so I decided early on that for Mass Effect 2 I would wait for all the DLC to be out and then play them all back to back in one big sitting.

After a single 8 hour sitting and a lot of element zero I have finished all the downloadable content for mass effect 2. I was playing on my complete Adept save on Hardcore difficulty because of the high level and near maxed out weapons and equipment of my character any difficulty below hardcore presents no challenge. I started with the free Firewalker mission pack and went through all five DLC add-ons in order.

Firewalker

This downloadable add-on adds five missions centred on the Hammerhead hovercraft

Firewalker was not a good start to the downloadable content binge even though this DLC is free its nothing   more than a collection of short missions based on the new firewalker vehicle.  There’s no final complicit or boss fight at the end of the DLC its just four short missions. The description for the DLC says five but one is so short I don’t count it.

The New firewalker game play is fun, the vehicle can jump and hover really high and jumping plus boosting the vehicle around small open environments is fun. I enjoyed the vehicle sequences in the first mass effect (I’m probably the only one who did) and this vehicle reminded me of how fun that was.

Since I was playing on hardcore the firewalker dies quickly even from a single geth trooper with a assault gun and despite this difficulty there are no checkpoints during these short missions. There is one that has you fight five different groups of geth with platforming in between and there no checkpoints. So I kept getting to the last or second to last encounter and dying then having to do the whole mission again because there’s no checkpoints.

There are two other missions that aren’t combat based. There an ice planet that’s slowly freezing the vehicle and a lava planet that’s collapsing in on its self. These two missions are great but the combat missions ruin this add-on completely.

Overall score – 3/10

Kasumi's Stolen Memory

In this downloadable content on Shepard teams up with a new companion Kasumi for a heist.

Kasumi's Stolen Memory introduces a new and interesting character for Sheppard’s crew and has an interesting heist like story that adds a nice change of pace for Mass Effect 2. With some good conversations and a funny renegade choice mid way through.

This add-on is way too short and has a disappointing last boss (just another helicopter fight). Also you can’t interact properly with Kasumi once she’s on the Normandy just interact with objects in her room like the previous extra character Zaeed.  As a whole a slightly disappointing and overpriced add-on but with some interesting moments.

Overall score – 5/10

Overlord

In this DLC Commander Shepard combats a rogue AI.

With a new interesting looking open environment/planet that you can roam around in the firewalker (a good use of the firewalker).  It’s got an original final boss fight that looks and feels like it was taken out of Rez HD. At about three hours this add-on is a decent length for its original price and has plenty of great moments both in combat and in conversations. This is the perfect piece of downloadable content for Mass Effect 2. It’s got a number of interesting moments and a great overall story with a decent conclusion. This downloadable content made this whole marathon worthwhile.  I haven’t got much to say about it without going in to spoilers so on with the next add-on.

Overall score – 10/10

Lair of the Shadow Broker

In this add-on Liara T'Soni rejoins Commander Shepard and they try to take down the Shadow Broker.

Just like overlord this add-on is a near perfect piece of downloadable content for Mass Effect 2

There some detective work in the add-on with the investigating of a crime scene and the hunt for a missing person. Some crime drama style story makes a decent change from the rest of Mass Effect were you normally make the crime scenes. There is some great funny dialog between Liara T'Soni as Commander Shepard. Liara T'Soni is the core focus of this downloadable content and that’s good because she is a good character from the first Mass Effect and didn’t get a big enough role in Mass Effect 2.

The DLC has got some great dramatic moments both in cut scenes and in combat. There a dramatic Sky car sequence that helps breaks things up and there’s multiple boss fights that are all original and intense. There some great new environments to fight in for the most parts its just more of the space city from Mass Effect 2 but then later on there a spaceship you fight on in a electrical storm and a destroyed building with eh water sprinklers on.

It’s a decent length and has an interesting/significant ending. It’s worth its original price the only problem I have with this DLC is that the standard combat fights against mercenaries go on for way to long and the game spawns way too many mercenaries to kill. But apart from that it’s a decent notable add-on.

Overall score – 9/10

Arrival

In this add-on Commander Shepard is sent to the edge of the galaxy to rescue an undercover operative who may have evidence of an imminent Reaper invasion.

Arrival as the final DLC for Mass Effect 2 tries to build up drama for the reapers return that will happen in Mass Effect 3. For the most part it fails at this. This downloadable content is too short and mainly more mercenary combat against the same few types of enemy’s in Mass Effect 2. It feels like a short wave survival and challenge rooms DLC with a slight story.

There’s a stealth sequence that helps break up the combat but it’s mostly unoriginal and uninteresting compared the sky car or firewalker sequences of the previous add-ons. Half way through the mission there is a room Commander Shepard gets locked in and has to do a five wave survival in for no reason it’s just a stall for time because the add-on is too short. Your mainly solo through the mission so there no good partner conversations or squad based fighting.

The add-on takes place on two uninteresting locations, the first is yet another jungle prison and the second is yet anointer moon science base/facility.  These areas are boring to look at compared to the environments of Overlord or Lair of the Shadow Broker. There some interesting events during this downloadable add-on but for the most parts it’s a slightly below average add-on to Mass Effect 2 that is way too short. It’s no were near as bad for value as the Dead Space 2 Severed DLC but it’s still not worth the original price.

Overall score - 4/10

Downloadable Effect

Two recurring themes for these add-ons has been a lack of new enemy’s to fight and lack of new weapons. The standard Mass Effect 2 combat started to drag at moments. There some good new boss fights and sequences like the sky car and firewalker break things up but more types of enemy’s to fight would have been welcome.  Mid way through the DLC marathon (around mid shadow broker) I got kind of tired of the game play of mass effect 2. Especially because shadow broken spawns wave after wave of mercenaries. But there’s a lot of great dramatic and interesting story moments to keep interest.

I bought three of these downloadable contents on an Xbox Sale where they were only a quarter of the price. Which makes up for Arrival and Kasumi's Stolen Memory not being worth there original price.

Firewalker was a bad start to this DLCathon with its lack of checkpoints and absence of story. But Overlord and Lair of the Shadow Broker stole the show and remained me of how good mass effect 2 was. Kasumi's Stolen Memory and Arrival are both average and overpriced. With Arrival making a disappointing end to the collection of DLC for mass effect 2 especial when you look at the high quality of Overlord and Lair of the Shadow Broker.

My final opinion is that Overlord and Lair of the Shadow Broker are amazing pieces of downloadable content that both add an extra great story for Mass Effect 2 and reminded me of how good Mass Effect 2 was. None of the other downloadable add-ons were worth playing.

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