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Mass Effect DLC out today(Mar 10) - Whos checking it out?

voltron

Member
So the first Mass Effect DLC pack is supposed to be out on March 10 for 400 points, although I havent heard anything about it for a while. Is there much interest in this from Mass Effect fans? I know Ill definitely be checking it out if it really is out tonight(AUS - 9pm, according to a friend).

masseffect_02_745x440.jpg
 

Narag

Member
voltron said:
So the first Mass Effect DLC pack is supposed to be out on March 10 for 400 points, although I havent heard anything about it for a while. Is there much interest in this from Mass Effect fans? I know Ill definitely be checking it out if it really is out tonight(AUS - 9pm, according to a friend).

I'm interested in how fans respond to this. If its substantial and doesn't feel out of place, I think I'd like to pick it before I finally get started on the game.
 

Pneuzy

Member
I'm not really interested anymore. I played the original game about four times through and I just have no more willpower to play it again. It's a great game, but I just wish it was more RPGish like Oblivion.
 

voltron

Member
Narag said:
I'm interested in how fans respond to this. If its substantial and doesn't feel out of place, I think I'd like to pick it before I finally get started on the game.

Well you need to play the introductory sequence before you can actually access the DLC content. As soon as you have access the main ship - The Normandy - you can then access the downloaded missions.
 

CorwinB

Member
I'm definitely getting it, but since I don't have any relevant save, I'll have to start a new playthrough. Not sure if I'm going to try to play on Hardcore and get to level 60 with an existing character, or just start from scratch and do the DLC after getting the Normandy.
 
it seems to be basically just 'side quest' content, and ME's side quest stuff was fucking awesome I can't wait to pay for more.


FUCK YEA!
 

Duderz

Banned
Mr. Bunnies said:
it seems to be basically just 'side quest' content, and ME's side quest stuff was fucking awesome I can't wait to pay for more.


FUCK YEA!

wat

(I'm still interested in this, but thanks to Brawl, I'll be putting it off for a long while.)
 
Oh yeah!

I've finished 8 playthroughs of Mass Effect now and will probably end up going through this with all of my different characters to see how the classes affect the gameplay choices.

I am mildly obsessed.
 

SpokkX

Member
Mr. Bunnies said:
it seems to be basically just 'side quest' content, and ME's side quest stuff was fucking awesome I can't wait to pay for more.


FUCK YEA!


what?!

ME:s sidequests were awful. In fact i would go as far as saying that they are some of the worst sidequests in any RPG, ever.

This pretty much sums them all up:

Travel to identical empty planet with different color -> drive buggy -> enter one of four different houses/caves -> kill everyting -> do some talking

Repeat
 

Kabouter

Member
SpokkX said:
what?!

ME:s sidequests were awful. In fact i would go as far as saying that they are some of the worst sidequests in any RPG, ever.

This pretty much sums them all up:

Travel to identical empty planet with different color -> drive buggy -> enter one of four different houses/caves -> kill everyting -> do some talking

Repeat
I think he was being sarcastic.
 

Esperado

Member
voltron said:
So the first Mass Effect DLC pack is supposed to be out on March 10 for 400 points, although I havent heard anything about it for a while. Is there much interest in this from Mass Effect fans? I know Ill definitely be checking it out if it really is out tonight(AUS - 9pm, according to a friend).

masseffect_02_745x440.jpg

Lol, what in the world could have made them evolve with 4 eyes? I'm guessing that their women must have 4 tits, butt cheeks, etc. The way their positioned makes them seem like they're worthless. What could the purpose be? 4th Dimensional vision? Sharper vision? More vertical peripheral vision?
 

Aaron

Member
Esperado said:
Lol, what in the world could have made them evolve with 4 eyes? I'm guessing that their women must have 4 tits, butt cheeks, etc. The way their positioned makes them seem like they're worthless. What could the purpose be? 4th Dimensional vision? Sharper vision? More vertical peripheral vision?
Either see into a different spectrum, one set for night and the other for day, or one for close vision and the other for far away. I think the bigger question is how does an animal evolve with that many nostrils, especially forward facing like that. They must love dust.

That's ignoring the fact that they're apparently human in every other way.
 

Danj

Member
Gigglepoo said:
I played through ME twice in a row but have no interest in this. I'd rather just read the book again.

Wait, there's a book? Is it any good, or is it the usual videogame novelization dreck?
 

MrKyle

Member
Esperado said:
Lol, what in the world could have made them evolve with 4 eyes? I'm guessing that their women must have 4 tits, butt cheeks, etc. The way their positioned makes them seem like they're worthless. What could the purpose be? 4th Dimensional vision? Sharper vision? More vertical peripheral vision?


Spiders would like to have a word with you. :D

jumping_spiderB.jpg
 

Gowans

Member
Been waiting for the DLC to start coming in for my second playthrough (which I dont often do).

Think I'll start get then make sure I dont pass the point of no return so I can pickup and run with the next DLC sets when they hit .
 
soultron said:
Need impressions, STAT!

Sorry buddy, I'm off to the gym. I won't be playing it until this afternoon.

Hopefully some over PAL 360 owner, or an American who stayed up until stupid o' clock to grab it will post some impressions soon enough
 
Esperado said:
Lol, what in the world could have made them evolve with 4 eyes? I'm guessing that their women must have 4 tits, butt cheeks, etc. The way their positioned makes them seem like they're worthless. What could the purpose be? 4th Dimensional vision? Sharper vision? More vertical peripheral vision?
Their natural predators were Larry, Curly, & Moe.

I unno if I'm interested in this. Pretty much done with Mass Effect, but I've got 400 points just sitting there and it's been ages since anything interesting has been released that cheap.
 

firehawk12

Subete no aware
So, I'm playing it now. The mission appears on the map highlighted like Noveria, Feros, Virmire, etc. No special message or anything, it's just there.

More as I play.

So, the sector has two systems. One is the main mission, one I haven't looked at. Cool looking cutscene to start.
 

Pterion

Member
The concept of DLC doesn't really interest me, at least from what's been released so far in most games (except Oblivion). I value my hard-earned money and don't think I'll get this for ME.
 
It looks like it'll be more than a generic sidequest but less than a main planet like Feros.

I'll wait for impressions from people here.
 

firehawk12

Subete no aware
RubberJohnny said:
It looks like it'll be more than a generic sidequest but less than a main planet like Feros.

I'll wait for impressions from people here.

Well, so far it looks like Shepard is voiced but maybe no one else.
You'll be visiting the same prefab buildings, it looks like.

I think they expect you to have read the book and know who the Batarians are.

Also, it's one 50 point achievement for those interested in that stuff.
 

Kafel

Banned
Mass Effect: Bring Down the Sky
The following in game content is now available for purchase from the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Mass Effect. This download includes an additional achievement worth 50 Gamerscore points.

Content: Bring Down the Sky
Price: 400 Microsoft Points
Availability: All Xbox LIVE regions
Dash Text: [ESRB: M (Mature) BLOOD,LANGUAGE,PARTIAL NUDITY,SEXUAL THEMES,VIOLENCE] (Select this for the English-language version of this module.) Batarian extremists have hijacked a mobile asteroid station in the Asgard system, setting it on a collision course with the nearby colony world of Terra Nova. Only you can save the human hostages on the asteroid and reroute it before it crashes into the world, killing millions of innocent civilians. There are no refunds for this item. For more information, see www.xbox.com/live/accounts.
Size: 253.40 MB
.
 

JeremyR

Member
Esperado said:
Lol, what in the world could have made them evolve with 4 eyes? I'm guessing that their women must have 4 tits, butt cheeks, etc. The way their positioned makes them seem like they're worthless. What could the purpose be? 4th Dimensional vision? Sharper vision? More vertical peripheral vision?

I wonder what their hats look like. Especially their baseball caps.
 

Naeblish

Member
Mass Effect was really good, but still my biggest disappointment of the year. Don't see myself buying any dlc until ME2.
 

ToddG15

Member
Danj said:
Wait, there's a book? Is it any good, or is it the usual videogame novelization dreck?
The book is titled Mass Effect: Revelation. It’s a prequel to the game that centers around Anderson and Saren. It gives a pretty good setup to the game with character background, additional ‘Mass Effect universe’ information and backstories. Personally, I really enjoyed the book but I don’t think it’s anything ground breaking. If you liked the game and the universe or Anderson/Saren, I’d check it out.
 
Mr. Bunnies said:
it seems to be basically just 'side quest' content, and ME's side quest stuff was fucking awesome I can't wait to pay for more.


FUCK YEA!
No its not.

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/854/854699p1.html

Casey Hudson: The Batarian pack includes 90 minutes of gameplay for any particular character which includes a main story plot (the mission to stop the Batarians from crashing an asteroid into an inhabited planet) and some additional side-quest content. This does include a mix of story and action. Players can choose to play this content as a paragon or a renegade, which will result in different outcomes. The two paths are not completely separate bundles of content, however.

And yes, the Batarian base looks DIFFERENT than the standard side quest stuff.

szyfl3.jpg


2w6uzk7.jpg
 
Well, so far it looks like Shepard is voiced but maybe no one else.
You'll be visiting the same prefab buildings, it looks like.

I think they expect you to have read the book and know who the Batarians are.

Also, it's one 50 point achievement for those interested in that stuff.

Thanks for the impressions, I might skip it then, save those points for an XBLA game.
 

ACE

Member
Downloaded it, finished it. All I can say is ... it's average. Maybe I was expecting too much. It was only 400 points though and i'll replay it another day as my paragon character.

It does little to advance the story as well, though it hints very briefly at might come in ME2
 

firehawk12

Subete no aware
Here's a quick review. I don't know how to do the code, so I'll just avoid spoilers all together.

First off, it is basically a short main quest mission. There is one new area along with corresponding cutscenes. There are sub areas that recycle the old prefab two story building that you are used to from every other side quest in the game. There is a side quest that involves driving around in the Mako and is typical of the other side quests in the game. Also, you may want to make use of the "save game" glitch to repair your Mako's health. It's faster than waiting for the repair meter to fill up.
One new game mechanic is introduced, although I think it's rather pointless and exists only to make one of the battles harder. That said, if you are going in with an uber build character (Soldier or Vanguard), it shouldn't be a problem anyway.
Graphically, the new areas look impressive. There are small touches on the asteroid that make the scene look beautiful... and the new main area, although remniscient of the Citadel, still looks pretty good.

Now on to the stuff I care about - the story. There is one moment in the mission that really impressed me - it was simply a cutscene and involved one of the NPCs, but I thought it was pretty awesome. It makes me wish that the engine was more powerful so that they could give the characters more emotions (as far as I know, UE3 characters can't cry), but with the tools they had, they did reasonably well. There is also a big "moral choice" in the mission as well, as with all the other main missions. I only did the "good" ending - I'll save the "bad" one for later, but I get the feeling that they are completely different... although, I could be wrong. I'll say this though, the good ending leaves room for a sequel.

I did experience frame rate issues in the final part of the mission, so no, there are no optimization patches. It looks like the PC version will be your only hope for the game if that's what you're concerned about.

Finally, only Shepard is voiced. I suppose they didn't want to write/record dialog for all your party members and all the different permutations of party members. I played it with my Female Shepard and, as always, Jennifer Hale does NOT dissapoint. Her voice is just so awesome... and I'm glad that ME will be a trilogy, if only because it means that she'll have work for at least two more games.

I'll give you one tip that is kind of spoilery but will save you Mako driving time later on if you're a completionist. When you first land on the Asteroid, you will want to go to the first "?" you see on the map. It won't make sense until later on, but it saves you a drive (and I hate the Mako, so... that's a good thing).

Finally, is it worth the 400 points? For me, I've got a few thousand that I bought specifically for Mass Effect and Rock Band content, so it was automatic.
If you are a hardcore Mass Effect fan and like their story telling, then it's definitely worth it. The actual story parts are really short, but I think they did a lot with the short amount of time they had and managed to tell a good, engaging story. Think of it as an excellent episode of Star Trek.
If you are a casual fan that played the game once and put it away... it's probably not for you. If the game wasn't engaging the first time around, then you probably won't get anything out of this DLC.

Personally, I'm looking forward to the next DLC pack.

Oh, and as I said earlier - the mission just shows up on your Galactic map and the 50 points are just for completing the mission.
 

firehawk12

Subete no aware
ACE said:
Downloaded it, finished it. All I can say is ... it's average. Maybe I was expecting too much. It was only 400 points though and i'll replay it another day as my paragon character.

It does little to advance the story as well, though it hints very briefly at might come in ME2

If you can do spoiler code, can you tell me how the Renegade ending works? I'll probably get to it later, but I would like to know now if possible...
 

mandiller

Member
Thank you for the review firehawk. I might pick this up when I've got a spare moment when I've finished my current games.
 

ACE

Member
firehawk12 said:
If you can do spoiler code, can you tell me how the Renegade ending works? I'll probably get to it later, but I would like to know now if possible...

Barak detonates the bomb and the hostages die. You fight him and then once you beat everyone there is a cut scene. He tells you of a Batarian rebellion and how much they hate the humans because of some war in the past that exiled them. Shepard asks who the leader is but he doesn't answer. Then I killed him :)
 

firehawk12

Subete no aware
Well, I'm probably going to be up for a few more minutes... so, if anyone wants any spoilery details I can provide them. :)
 

TomServo

Junior Member
Downloaded it and played through both renegade and paragon endings this morning before work.

Content-wise, it was pretty much what I expected - somewhere between the main quest planets and the sidequests. Lots of nice touches with a few new enemies / structures, and the view from the asteroid surface is pretty cool.

Took me a little under an hour and a half to go through each time, and that's with the one little mini quest in there. Can't really say anything about difficultly - I used a save very late in the game, with my class as soldier. Never was any real trouble.

I'm happy with the pack for 400 points. I'd continue to buy them if they kept up the same pricing / content ratio.
 

firehawk12

Subete no aware
ACE said:
Barak detonates the bomb and the hostages die. You fight him and then once you beat everyone there is a cut scene. He tells you of a Batarian rebellion and how much they hate the humans because of some war in the past that exiled them. Shepard asks who the leader is but he doesn't answer. Then I killed him :)


Ah, okay then... this makes me fairly confident that the remaining DLC packs, or at least the next DLC pack, will continue this storyline. Which probably means you'll want to keep a save after you finish this mission for easy access to the next mission.

Thanks. :)
 
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