Review: Mass Effect 3 Citadel DLC
written by Justin Prince (@prince_justin)
The road was long and arduous, whether you followed the exploits of Commander Shepard from the humble yet eye candy filled beginnings of Mass Effect, or Mass Effect 3 was your first foray into this series. Either way, it's been a long road wrought with controversy from media outlets like FOX NEWS (pure garbage mind you) calling the first entry a "sex-simulator-game" all the way to the fan outrage of the clearly controversial ending of Mass Effect 3 . My view leans more on the positive end of the spectrum, having fully enjoyed my foray into the Mass Effect universe.
The Citadel DLC pack serves as the final hurrah for Commander Shepard and the crew of the Normandy. Marking the last, and in my opinion the best, single player DLC package across all three games. This particular DLC pack sees the Commander receiving orders to return the Normandy to the Citadel for regular maintenance and a mandatory shore leave for the ship's crew. It is here that Shep just can't get a break, the Commander is being hunted by a mysterious merc group under orders from a mysterious figure, I won't spoil anything for you but the identity of the merc leader was so far out of left in (in a good way) that I literally did not see it coming. This is the biggest DLC pack yet (the XBOX 360 version had to be downloaded in two separate packs):
- 17 new missions
- 8 temporary squadmates (provided they survived previous games)
- 6 new enemies
- 5 new locations
- 2 new weapons
- 3 new armors sets (though only one can be selected per playthrough)
- 2 War assets
- 1 Cabin item
This DLC pack packs quite a punch. There is just so much to do! Those familiar with Mass Effect get a chance to play more Quasar, along with other casino games in the Silver Coast Casino. Captain Anderson gives you his swanky Silversun Strip Apartment unit. Brush up your combat training in the Armax Arsenal Arena or play a few games at the Castle Arcade. It's a huge DLC pack with loads of content. Very reminiscent of the Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC from Mass Effect 2 . The Citadel DLC serves as an example for what a DLC pack should be and how it should be integrated into a game. Knowing the ultimate outcome of Mass Effect 3 made all the interactions (some of which final) with current and previous squad mates that much more meaningful. The entire merc filled bullets go flying adventure is bookended with a party at Shepard's apartment. A fitting way for us as gamers to say goodbye one last time to these characters we've gotten to know through the past 5 1/2 years.
I'm still not TOTALLY satisfied with the way Shep's tale came full circle, but I do look forward to more adventures in this universe. All the white knuckle thrills, the humor, and all the pretty Quarian feels this DLC pack brought, play out like a love letter for the series and the fans. Thanks for this Bioware. It was fun.
