Throwback Thursday Review – DLC Remix – Mass Effect 3 – Omega

When going into a game, you never really know what kind of DLC the developer has in store for you, but with Mass Effect 3 everyone knew there was going to be an Omega DLC. Why? Maybe because before the release of Mass Effect 3 there was a comic book, that actually came with the game if you had the deluxe edition, that showed how Aria, ruler or Omega, had lost Omega to Cerberus and the Illusive Man. Hmm…kinda obvious right? Anyway, keep reading to see if the DLC lived up to the expectations created for it.

Even though there’s the Reaper threat that Shepard needs to stop, it’s vitally important that she also takes back Omega for Aria. Why? Who knows. Anyway, you’ll travel from the Citadel where Aria has been forced to stay since Omega was taken over back to Omega and help Aria rally her people and take it back. During this DLC you’ll be introduced to Nireen, the first female Turian in a Mass Effect game, who has been trying to take down Cerberus as well. You’ll also learn that Aria and Nireen have some history with each other. Most of the time it’ll be you and Aria with Nireen helping you out every now and again as you try to figure out a plan to get Aria back on her throne.

Bonus for Renegade Shepard If you play strictly as Renegade Shepard, take all of the Renegade options, do all of the Renegade interrupts, Aria will reward both male and female Shepard with a kiss at the end of the DLC. It seems that she kind of enjoys the kiss a little bit more with female Shepard, but that’s just me.

Like I said before, everyone knew this DLC was coming. Not because of the little end message that was removed from Mass Effect 3 that basically said “buy our DLC”, but because it’s all Aria talked about when you visited her in the Citadel. She talked about it so much that I was surprised there wasn’t an option for you to enter your credit card number for it to unlock right then and there as one of the chat options. None of that matters though if the DLC is actually good right? Well, when it comes to this DLC we can call it the “Arrival” of Mass Effect 3 because it had to be the worst piece of DLC released for this game. It’ll take you about 90 minutes to complete, separate you from the rest of your crew, not even be acknowledge by your crew, and really has no point because after it ends because Aria is still on the Citadel. Of course she has some excuse for still being on the Citadel, but it was a huge waste of time to even play this DLC. This DLC is what I like to call a “lore” DLC. The only purpose of this DLC was to basically learn more about Omega and Aria. Other than that it was pointless. All that hype for basically nothing.

This DLC, like most current DLC, fits right into the story without a problem. This DLC is no different and feels like it should have been part of the game to begin with. It was fun playing in a group with Aria because you’ll learn that she is an extremely powerful biotic that comes with new biotic moves that will really help you out in combat. Overall the DLC played nicely and there were no bugs or glitches.

The graphics are the same as the rest of the game, but Omega was fleshed out a little nicer than it was in Mass Effect 2. Although you didn’t get to do a lot of exploring, since it was strictly a battle type DLC where you had a mission and you did it, the graphics were still nice and really brought Omega to life. It would have been nicer if Omega became a hub area after this DLC, but that didn’t happen.

Play this DLC and do everything it has to offer in order to get yourself another three trophies to add to the list of Mass Effect 3 trophies. While two of them are story related and you’ll get them no matter what, there is a missable one where you’ll have to complete all the side missions. These have to be done before the final main mission. If not you’ll be locked out of it until another playthrough.

While multiplayer was a big part of this game, it wasn’t for the DLC. This is a solo DLC that you’ll play in game as your Shepard and has nothing to do with the multiplayer that was added into Mass Effect 3.

Overall I give this DLC a 1 out of 5.

What’s Great:
+ You’ll get to go back to Omega one last time.
+ A nice graphical representation of Omega.

What’s Not So Great:
– Medicore story at best that has no replay value and only lasts 90 minutes.
– One DLC that should have been included with the original game to begin with instead of sold off separately.
– Super pricey and it’s not even worth it.

I guess every game has to have bad DLC and this is it for Mass Effect 3. For something that was so heavily hyped throughout the actual game, it just didn’t deliver. This DLC could have had a lot of promise to it and it could have been so much more, but it just wasn’t. This had to be the saddest DLC for this game as it really had nothing to do with the actual game. The only thing you got out of it was some extra resources to add to your RBG ending. If you ask me, this was a total waste of $14.99. Yes that’s correct, $15 for DLC, and not even a good DLC. If it was up to me, I would say skip this DLC because you could spend your money on something else that would be worth it.

Unfortunately this is the last Throwback Thursday Review – DLC Remix. I had a really great time going back and reviewing these pieces of DLC that I had played before and never reviewed. It showed me that while I think I buy a lot of DLC, that I really don’t. This is a good thing because here I thought I was spending a lot of money on DLC and I’m actually not. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading this series as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Throwback Thursday Review – DLC Remix – Mass Effect 3 – Leviathan

After the whole Mass Effect 3 ending debacle, was it real, was it not real, and if it was real could it really be this bad? I was still looking forward to what was in store DLC wise. I mean it said it right in the ending credits, before it was patched out. It was a big notice that basically said “BUY OUR DLC.” I thought there were huge things to come and was actually pretty excited about Leviathan. Keep reading to find out if that excitement lasted or if it was just a fading reality.

Lurking in the corner of deep dark space, that no one really knows about, is something that is so powerful that it could actually kill a Reaper. The Leviathan’s are so ancient that they have made sure to keep themselves hidden for so long, but with the Reaper threat knocking right on the galaxy’s door, Shepard knows that she has to find them in order to find a way to be able to take down the Reapers herself. Will she be able to find these creatures and if she does will they be willing to help her?

This DLC has an interesting premise if it actually follows through with it. Does Shepard find the Leviathan’s? Yes. Are they willing to help her take down the Reapers and save humanity…not in enough context that it actually helps or changes the ending. After everything you go through in order to find the Leviathan’s in the end it really doesn’t pay off though as you just get a few extra conversation lines with the famous star child at the end of the game. Still featured are your RBG endings so basically this DLC does nothing but give you lore about the Leviathan’s and some more lore about the Reapers. It in no way alters the outcome of the game. That being said, it’s an interesting DLC that will have you going to new unexplored places, have some aspect of the multiplayer objectives thrown in, and offer a well thought out story.

Meh… Needless to say, I was a little disappointed that this really didn’t help alter the endings in anyway. The extra conversation options with the Star Child could easily be passed up and you’ll still have to make the same decisions you did before the DLC. All you really get out of it is some more war assets that when it comes down to it, if I you played the multiplayer really makes no difference at all.

While this DLC plays exactly the same as the game, there are a bunch of bugs and glitches that never seem to get fixed and when I recently finished this DLC, I came across the same exact problems. For example, there’s a section where you’re looking for Ann Bryson and no matter what you do the game will crash at least once. Happens every single time that I play to the point of that I know exactly where to save and basically just wait for the crash. This is unacceptable. Other than that, everything else works just like the rest of the game.

The graphics for this DLC are really good and the new areas on the Citadel are fleshed out as well as the new areas that you’ll be able to explore. I really enjoyed the whole underwater thing and loved putting my Shepard in the mech suit and dropping her down into the ocean. This was one of the most awesome scenes in the game and it makes me wish there were more scenes like this since underwater areas were never explored within the trilogy.

Finish this DLC and do everything it has to offer in order to get yourself another 4 trophies. Each trophy just requires you to play and make sure you meet all of the objectives in the DLC. This is a pretty easy thing to do and if not, I’m sure everyone who plays Mass Effect 3 had multiple Shepards so if you missed one it shouldn’t be a problem to go back and get the trophy you missed in another playthrough.

While the game itself has multiplayer, none of the DLC released for the Single player has a multiplayer part to it. That being said, I was completely fine with this especially since the multiplayer DLC was not only free but released quite often enough to make up for it. I do wish that some of the areas in Leviathan were included in the multiplayer map, but I was just happy that some of the weapons were.

Overall I give this DLC a 3 out of 5.

What’s Great:
+ New and interesting story to expand on your Mass Effect 3 playtime.
+ An introduction of a new race that actually took down the Reapers.
+ Nice new areas to explore including a really neat underwater area.

What’s Not So Great:
– Nothing really major happens in the story itself that in anyway alters the ending. You’ll get some additional conversation options with Star Child, but that’s it.
– The DLC will crash on you at least once in the same spot each and every time.

This wasn’t the worst Mass Effect 3 DLC, but it was just ok. If you’re looking for something that will change the ending, this isn’t it. If you are interested in the whole lore aspect of the game and want to learn more about these new alien creatures, the Leviathans, and actually learn more about the Reapers then this is the DLC for you. Depending on how big of a Mass Effect fan you are, this DLC is basically a toss up. Love Mass Effect? You’ll want this DLC. Think that Mass Effect is meh? Then you’ll want to skip it.

Now for next week, the last Throwback Thursday Review – DLC Remix! Not only does this mean that this series is coming to an end but it also means I have to find something to replace it with. Anyway, a DLC for Mass Effect 3 that was so highly anticipated that it was hinted throughout the whole game, in comic books, and basically anything else that revolved around Mass Effect 3. Did it live up to hype? You’ll have to find out as my last Throwback Thursday Review – DLC Remix will be for Mass Effect 3: Omega.

Throwback Thursday Review – DLC Remix – Mass Effect 3 – From Ashes

From Ashes was one of those DLC’s that introduced a new character into the game and for a long time that was BioWare’s MO. They would release a game and if you wanted you could buy the “deluxe edition” that came with this extra character, or you could buy it later on for as much as they wanted to charge. The last time this was done was in Mass Effect 3, so let’s hope this was a thing of the past. Anyway, it was Mass Effect 3 so clearly I went out and bought the deluxe edition meaning I had this DLC from day one. Keep reading to see what I thought about this character DLC.

From Ashes adds in an extra mission into Mass Effect 3. It’s not like you’re trying to save the world or anything so you have time to go on these little missions here and there. Anyway, Shepard is supposedly looking for something Prothean that’s going to hopefully help the crucible build and stop the Reapers all together. Turns out it’s not so much of a Prothean device or anything, but an actual Prothean. The last of his kind, Javik, will take up arms with Shepard and try to help stop the Reapers once and for all.

While the mission for Javik is standard and not really all that interesting, the addition of Javik in your squad is really what makes this DLC. Unlike the scientist that Liara would have liked, Javik was a Prothean warrior and was basically trained to fight wars. He doesn’t take finding out that he’s the last of his kind very easily. Throughout the game, unlike in Mass Effect 2 with Kasumi and Zaeed, Javik has very strong opinions of what’s going on and what’s happening on the ship. If you go to talk to him in the middle of the game after certain missions or if certain people are on your ship he’ll have something to say about it. Most it is hilarious and some of it is just shocking. The best performance that is given by him though is if you take him on the mission with you to Thessia along with Liara. As Liara gives Shepard a Asari history lesson, Javik will debunk everything she is telling you and tell you how it really is.

KUDOS: If there’s one thing and one thing alone that BioWare does right, it’s make characters. Javik is a fully fleshed out characters who has problems of his own as he struggles to come to the realization that he is the only Prothean and that everyone else is dead. The voice acting for him as well is spot on and it makes the character come to life. Even though he’s only in the final game and you’ll never get to see him again he makes a lasting impression.

The addition of this character fits so well into the game itself that it makes you think it was like he was meant to be there all along but unless you entered in that special code, you were blocked off from him completely. That being said, everything with Javik runs smoothly and I’ve never played without Javik to know if the game runs differently without him. From what I’ve heard with or without him you’ll experience the same bugs and glitches throughout the game but I think that has to do with the game itself, and not the addition of Javik.

Having Javik only unlocks one area and it’s pretty standard in the Mass Effect universe and wasn’t anything special. Javik on the other hand was an extremely detailed character, like the rest of the characters in the Mass Effect universe. His detail graphic wise ranges from his movements to his facial expressions and they’re all done extremely well.

There are only two extra trophies to get when you install this DLC and they’re both pretty easy to get as long as you explore enough during the main mission to get Javik. I got these two trophies back to back so it really wasn’t a problem and there isn’t really a reason why they should be missed.

While Mass Effect 3 does have multiplayer, this DLC is not included in the multiplayer area so no worries there.

Overall I give this DLC a 3 out of 5.

What’s Great:
+ Unlock some new Prothean history and an actual Prothean with this DLC.
+ Javik responds to things that are currently happening on the ship and loves giving you his opinion.
+ Mass Effect 3 has an overall serious tone to it, but having Javik around kind of lightens things up at times and the things that he says are hilarious.

What’s Not So Great:
– This DLC is nothing but an overly obvious money grab. This character was meant to be in the game but was taken out as DLC just to gain more money and because of that, this DLC loses a lot of credit.

I would say that while Javik or this DLC isn’t needed for you to have the full Mass Effect 3 ending. You’ll still get the standard RBG ending no matter what, he does add something into the game. Is it worth the $9.99 it costs to add him in? Not really. I’m sorry, but as much as I enjoyed having this character around and as much as I used him, I would say that it’s really not worth spending the money on it. As always though, the choice is yours and if you want an extra character you’ll pay for him.

With only two more weeks of Throwback Thursday Review – DLC Remix to go, I’m happy to say that while we started this blog with a BioWare game we’ll also be ending it with a BioWare game. Totally not planned, just how it happened. Anyway, come back next week and I’ll let you know what I thought of the second DLC that came out for Mass Effect 3, Leviathan.

Mass Effect 3 – Citadel DLC Review (PS3)

I’m at a point where I can’t believe how much DLC I actually own and paid for. It’s really crazy when you think about it because if you purchase every single piece of DLC that comes out for every single game that you own then you’re spending an astronomical amount of money for extra content. While most of the times the DLC isn’t really worth it, this was not one of those times.

This DLC came out well over three years ago and came out amid a whole scandal that involved the ending of Mass Effect 3, what the fans thought they deserved, something called “artistic integrity”, and a whole bunch of other stuff that was the craziness involved with the Mass Effect series. After the eh of DLC that was Levithan, the ugh of DLC that was Omega, no one was sure how this one piece of DLC was going to be. While this DLC is mostly about saying that final goodbye and spending some extra time with your beloved squad mates, if they so happened to live throughout each game, there was a super silly, fun, and vastly different story from the main story as a whole that was told. Apparently, back when Cerberus was recreating Shepard they made a backup clone in case the real Shepard every needed any extra body parts. Poor Shepard clone wasn’t really needed after that and has now made it his/her goal to take over the real Shepard’s life. It’s a crazy story that will get all of your current and some of your past squad mates involved in what is some of the funniest settings and the craziest scenes that have ever been done for this series. Not to mention at the end Shepard can throw an epic party.

If I had to pick one DLC, one single DLC out of the ton that I’ve played, and say that this is my favorite DLC hands down then this would be it. Compared to the rest of the game which is filled with doom and despair and the star child that ruins a trilogy of games, this DLC is what most people, including myself wanted from Mass Effect 3. It was that mission of everyone working together to bring down something, sure it wasn’t the reapers, it was Shepard’s evil clone, but still. It also gave that extra time to meet with each of your squad mates and have that final moment with them after playing over 100’s of hours with them at your side. Did I mention that there was a party? This was everything that the Mass Effect 3 ending should have been and more. It was that final goodbye that people wanted instead of the “Thanks for playing, buy more DLC” message that was first released with the game.

The playability of this DLC was on par with the rest of Mass Effect. It all takes place on different areas of the Citadel that haven’t been explored by the players. While there are a few hiccups with the voice cutting in and out like the rest of the game, it runs a hell of a lot better than the other three DLC’s for this game.

The graphics are on par with the rest of Mass Effect and the new areas of the Citadel look amazing. I really wish the players were given a chance to explore these areas a little more throughout the rest of the games, but this DLC will have to do. Everything was vibrant and full of detail making the rest of the Citadel look dingy and dinky.

Trophies, the one thing that kept me from completing this DLC years ago. There are a total of 9 trophies for this DLC and while they’re mostly story related and easy to get, the ones that involve the combat simulator will have you tearing your hair out and tossing your controller through the window as they are not easy and you’ll have an easier time playing the multiplayer set on platinum with a bunch of random people than you will trying to get all of the trophies that have to do with the combat simulator. Needless to say, these trophies are achievable they just require some work.

While there’s multiplayer for the game as a whole, there isn’t for this DLC and it’s a truly single player experience so that you can have one last moment or two with your squad mates.

Overall I give this DLC a 5 out of 5.

What’s Great:
+ A proper and final goodbye to Commander Shepard and his/her crew.
+ Some of the best writing for the series…the series.
+ A funnier and lighter DLC compared to all the doom and despair that was the rest of the game.
+ EPIC PARTY at the end. EPIC.

What’s Not So Great:
– While you can now use this as your new ending to the Mass Effect trilogy, if you want to say you completed the game fully you still have to play the original ending and go through all that crap again.

If you didn’t get any of the other Mass Effect 3 DLC’s, and I can completely understand why, do not pass this one up. It’s like a love letter to the fans giving them just about everything they wanted, aside from a new ending all together, and is a nice way to say goodbye to a game that you can spend 100’s of hours getting lost on. If there is one single DLC that you’re ever going to purchase let it be this one because you won’t regret it.

This Week in Trophies 07-31-2016 – 08-06-2016

Another crazy week in general, but I’ve learned that this is now my life in general so I might as well just deal with it as it comes. Anyway, between a crazy work schedule (again) and a not so crazy tattoo appointment (I’ll tell you more about that later this week) I was still able to get a somewhat decent amount of trophies this week. Take a look at what games I played and what trophies I got below.

Mass Effect 3 – 100%

Another milestone for me as I completely finished another Mass Effect game to 100%. I’m really happy about this latest one and it came right before my tattoo which had some significance for me. Playing the whole story through this time from the first game to the last gave me a bit of a different perspective on the game as a whole. Was I still a fan of the ending? No, but I do have a new sort of respect for it as well as a few more new theories.

Batman – 20%

Yes I know, another Telltale game. This one is different though and while I never like giving anything away here, I’ll have my review up for this game within the next couple of weeks. I will say though that after a string of really horrible Telltale games, I enjoyed this one a lot.

Ghostbusters – 14%

I started this game this week on a whim. It was another purchase due to the Black Friday in July sale that I told you about last week. So far I’ve had a ton of problems with this game ranging from the disc not working to loading times taking well over 10 minutes. Not to mention that this is a really crappy game to begin with.

Prison Architect: PlayStation 4 Edition

I continued playing this game this week and was able to get through all of the prison stories. Now I’m working on the Warden mode along with the sandbox mode. I have to say I’m having a hell of a time with the sandbox mode for some reason because the stupid thing will at first work fine and then stop working all together. Like the construction on my shower. One minute it’s fine, the next my workmen are running around like chickens without heads while the shower is not done being built! What the hell?!

That was it for this week. For the upcoming week…drum roll please…my schedule is going to be crazy. Who knew right? I’m going to try to get in as much gaming time as possible as I try to finish up both Prison Architect: PlayStation 4 Edition and Ghostbusters. I’ll probably get back into Saints Row IV: Re-elected while trying to figure out what Playstation 3 game to start on next. I’ll let you know how everything went next week.

This Week in Trophies 07-03-2016 – 07-09-2016

Another interesting week in trophy hunting as I pretty much just stuck to two games. I was tempted to buy a bunch of games and start them thanks to the sale that Playstation was having, but decided that it probably wasn’t best to have a bunch more games on my system when I have a bunch of games piled up on the floor just waiting to be played. I did have a surprise trophy pop up this week when I played a random game from my catalogue because I was absolutely bored to tears. Anyway, here’s how my week went.

Mass Effect 3 – 93%

I finally got that last trophy that I needed from the Omega DLC. The only reason why I missed it the first time around was because I forgot to hand in one extra mission that comes with this DLC. Playing this DLC for only the second time, I got a little bit more of an understanding about it but I still thought it should have been included in the original game, not an add on DLC, and it’s still one of the worst Mass Effect DLC’s ever. As I also continued playing this game this week, I hit a few milestones in the game that I really wasn’t looking forward to as I continued my journey. For the first time in any playthrough, SPOILER ALERT, I killed Mordin. Shot him right in the back and felt like absolute crap for doing it. Playing a renegade in Mass Effect 3 does not make you feel good. I also got through the battle on the Citadel in which another beloved character bites the dust. My last three trophies for this game are in the Citadel DLC and I look forward to continuing to play and hopefully unlocking them this time around.

Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell – 73%

I’m so close to getting the final trophies that I need for the platinum, but like the other Saint’s Row’s game before this one, I’m seriously tired of this game. Don’t get me wrong, the Saint’s Row franchise is pretty damn great and I enjoy playing but after a while enough is enough. The game is over and now I’m stuck doing 101 different challenges. Yes most of them are complete, but they’re just annoying as hell. Not to mention that the Fly You Fools trophy totally glitched on me and did not pop even though it was completed as a challenge. Unless it randomly pops as I finish getting the rest of the trophies, I guess I’ll have to start a new game and just fly around.

Angry Birds Trilogy – 32%

This was the surprise game this week as I was extremely bored and I didn’t wat to get sucked into another 3-4 hour session of Mass Effect 3 multiplayer. I’ve been trying to be good and stick to the main game but it’s really hard especially since this is really the only multiplayer that I’ve ever liked. Anyway, as I scrolled through the games on my PS3, I found this one and figured why the hell not. I played through one whole seasons level, which was a hell of a lot more frustrating than the Mass Effect 3 multiplayer I was avoiding, and was able to get one trophy.

That was it for this week. It’s a decent amount of trophies for the amount of games that I’ve been playing. Lucky me, my schedule is all messed up again this upcoming week and I really have no idea when I’ll be able to game. When I do get a chance though, I plan on continuing through Mass Effect 3, although I’m not sure If I’m actually going to play through the ending or not yet, hopefully finish up Saint’s Row: Gat out of Hell, and maybe play some other random game that’s just sitting around. I’ll let you know how things went next week.

Frequently Asked Video Game Questions – Was the Illusive Man a Bad Guy?

Submitted by Anonymous – Was the Illusive Man a Bad Guy?

I have to say, that I adore questions like this.  Mostly because it allows me to express my opinions, but also because it opens up a ton of discussion.

So right down to it.  Was The Illusive Man a bad guy?  At the end of Mass Effect 3, I’m going to say hell yes he was a bad guy.  Just like Saren in Mass Effect he was indoctrinated.  The Reapers had totally messed with his mind and everything that he had set out to do was corrupted and he became power hungry.  But the real question is, was he always a bad guy?

I’m going to say outright that The Illusive Man was not always a bad guy.  In a time where aliens ruled and had little interest in human welfare, The Illusive Man founded Cerberus.  Yes they came off as xenophobic, but who else cared about human interests?  Let’s not forget the man spent major money to bring back Shepard.  He was the only one who believed the threat of the Reapers when no one else did!

This is why I count The Illusive Man among one of my favorite villains, which you can read about here.  He started off as wanting to do something good, but like so many got corrupted along the way and eventually turned into a bad guy.

SPOLIERS, but Kudos At least at the end of Mass Effect 3, The Illusive Man got the chance to redeem himself and realize what he had become, so good on BioWare for at least doing that.

Have a video game question that you want answered? Go ahead and leave your question in the comment section below and I’ll make sure to add your name into the blog that features your question. If you prefer to be anonymous, then go ahead and type your question into the search box. I’ll be able to see it and maybe one day you’ll be able to see it on this blog.

Throwback Thursday Review – Mass Effect 3

After getting my first platinum, I felt exhilarated. I wanted to keep going and earn another platinum, and it was just just luck that Mass Effect 3 had been out for a little bit of time and I had already done multiple playthroughs. So I figured what the hell, I might as well get the Mass Effect platinum’s back to back. With all the controversy surrounding the ending, the addition of multiplayer, and some DLC issues, here’s what I thought of the game:

Once again you take on the role of Commander Shepard for one last battle to save the galaxy from the Reapers. Finally, the rest of the galaxy now sees the threat of the Reapers because of their attack on Earth.

It’s your job this time around to gather another crew of familiar faces, with some new faces, and unite the entire galaxy to end the Reapers once and for all. Well, maybe you’ll end them, but you’ll have to see for yourself. Time is not on your site this time around as you rush around from place to place deciding the fate of different alien species from the Krogan, the Geth, and yes, the Rachni are back. All of this leads up to what should have been an epic battle, especially if you were able to unite everyone, but fails miserably in every way possible.

Don’t get me wrong though, just because the final battle is underwhelming and accompanied with an ending that just doesn’t fit the tone of the overall series, the rest of the game is epic. The battles throughout the game are some of the best that I’ve played. It’s hard to even choose which is my favorite because they’re all amazing which is why the ending is so unfitting. Now, I could go on and rant about why the ending was just so horrible and why I thought it was the worst ending ever, but I’m not. It’s been well over 2 years since this game came out and while I was upset then about the ending, I’m over it now. Like some people, I have moved on and accepted the ending for what it is.

I remember when this game first came out, I played for 10 hours straight. This game will have you playing so that you forget about time as the story of Commander Shepard is told in only a way that BioWare can do. You’ll see characters that you’ve grown to love die, some as heroes and some just because, you’ll rekindle relationships from previous games or even end them, and you’ll make some pretty heavy choices

All of this greatness boils down to nothing really which is sad especially considering the amount of time that you’ll put into this game. After spending three whole games with not only Commander Shepard but also with this crew of diverse individuals, you never really see how it ends for them. Sure with the extended cut you’ll see a slideshow of some of the characters and what they’re doing, but it isn’t a proper send off and not a proper way to end a story. Luckily this doesn’t effect the rest of the game, even though I know how badly it ends, and to this day I really despise the ending, I’ll still play it from time to time just because. I just make it a point not to replay the ending.

Kudos: A huge kudos to BioWare for the introduction of Steve and Samantha, the only fully gay and lesbian characters throughout the whole series. After having my renegade Shepard romance Thane in 2 just for a trophy, it was nice that she wasn’t forced to form any old romance again in 3 for a trophy. I truly liked the development that was put not only into the Samantha romance and character, but the bond that she was able to easily form with Steve. I just could have done without that awkward shower scene.

The playability of this game is a huge improvement from 2, and if you’re playing 3 right after 2 you’ll see why. Not only does the cover system work a little better (it’s not perfect) but the melee is also improved. Each of these improvements made the game easier to play and had a more natural feel to them. Unfortunately bugs and glitches were once again a problem with this game. Hard freezes had me pressing the quick save button every couple of minutes and there were some weird things going on with Liara and Shepard’s head and eyes while talking in Liara’s quarters with Glyph hanging around. With the amount of patches released for this game, none of these bugs and glitches were really fixed.

An improvement in graphics for this game payed off as the whole game was absolutely beautiful. There was so much detail put into just about everything and it showed. Faces were more detailed then ever as well as surrounding scenery that really showed off the beauty that is Mass Effect.

There are a total of 69 trophies for this game including all of the DLC. All of them are extremely easy to get and really just require you to play the game as well as the multiplayer. The once extremely hard to get Insane trophy is now super easy as this mode of play was dumbed down and now feels like you’re playing casual. There is really no reason why this platinum shouldn’t be obtained.

This is the first Mass Effect game that includes multiplayer. You and three other people will face off against different factions in different areas for an overall goal of completing some objectives and then extracting. There are four different difficulties so you can play however you feel comfortable playing. I personally loved this multiplayer. I put just about 900 total hours into it and to this day still play from time to time. The addition of challenges made me play even more and challenge myself to complete goals for the different badges.

Kudos: All of the DLC for the multiplayer was completely free! More maps, characters, and weapons were of no cost to the player. Awesome!

Now I normally don’t comment on DLC since it’s really not part of the game and is totally optional whether or not you want to spend the extra money to buy it or not, but I have to say that this game had some of the best and the worst DLC that I’ve ever played.

Let’s start off with the bad first. One word. Omega. Yes, the DLC that everyone was waiting for since it was so heavily hinted at throughout the game, turned out to be the biggest waste of time and money that I’ve ever encountered. For $15 you’ll get an extra 90 minutes of gameplay that feels like it should have come with the game to begin with. Not well developed, the story is basically just Shepard and Aria taking back Omega from Cerberus so that Aria could sit on her ass and rule in the bar like she had done before. Complete and utter waste of money.

Now for the best DLC, the Citadel. It’s BioWare’s thank you and love letter to the fans as it gives the fans just about everything they could want except for a better ending. Have one last adventure with your crew facing off against Shepard’s evil clone before throwing one last epic party. You also get the chance to interact with your crew a hell of a lot more giving each of them a send off that they deserve.

Overall I give this game a 4 out of 5.

What’s Great:
+ Great overall story.
+ Improved playability and graphics.
+ Addictive multiplayer.
+ Epic battles.

What’s Not So Great:
– Underwhelming final battle.
– Unfitting ending.
– Unfixed bugs and glitches.

Not the best way to end the story of Commander Shepard, but not the worst either. Even though this isn’t my favorite Mass Effect game, it is one of the better games when you compare it to the original. Definitely a game that should be added to anyone’s collection.

Join me next week when I review my third platinum Assassin’s Creed 2.

Did They Have To Die?

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WARNING – If you have not played Mass Effect 3 or The Walking Dead: Season 2 then please do not continue to read on. There will be some pretty major spoilers. Consider yourself warned.

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While playing The Walking Dead Season 2 Episode 5 a couple of weeks ago, I had a really tough and just about heart breaking decision to make. That decision was whether or not to kill Kenny. In the end I did, and I’ll get to why I did it later, but it made me wonder, when given the choice should some video game characters die?

The first instance of this occurred to me while playing Mass Effect 3. As Commander Shepard you have to make some pretty tough choices, but none were as tough as deciding the fate of one of my all time favorite characters Mordin. You meet Mordin in Mass Effect 2 and learn that he is one of the scientists that created the genophage. He did something pretty horrible, creating this disease that is causing the Krogan to not reproduce properly making their numbers go down. He did what he thought was right at the time, but as Shepard you can bring out a human side of Mordin. Help him work through his flaws and even show him what he did was wrong. Out of all the characters in the Mass Effect Universe, Mordin is the one who grows the most. The one who learns and the one who wants to redeem himself.

In Mass Effect 3 when you get the chance to actually cure the genophage I was all for it. I wanted to right this wrong and restore life to the Korgan. Everything was going well too, until it came down to the fact that if the genophage was cured it would mean that Mordin had to die. I struggled with this decision. I had no idea what to do. On one hand I wanted to cure the genophage, but on the other I didn’t want Mordin to die.

In the end, I let Mordin go up the tower and cure the genophage. Mordin died doing this, but it was the right choice. It was also the perfect ending for his character. He created the genophage and then he died curing it. I could have kept him alive and not cure the genophage, or I could have even shot him myself, but none of them felt right. Mordin going out the hero was the right thing to do. He had to die in order for his character to come full circle. It was one of the toughest decisions I ever had to make in a video game and when Mordin died, I cried. I cried for the character that I lost and I cried because it was the perfect ending for him and he came out the hero.

“R.I.P Mordin”
Mass Effect 2 – Mass Effect 3

The most recent example of this was while playing the final episode of The Walking Dead Season 2. I once again had to make the decision of whether or not a character had to die. Playing as Clem I had the heart breaking decision to make. Should I shoot and kill Kenny or should I look away and let him kill Jane? Kenny and Clem had been through so much and I was so excited when I seen Kenny make a reappearance in season 2 after thinking that he had died in season 1.

The first thing I did when I seen Kenny was hug him and then that night I sat with him at dinner. I defended his actions to just about everyone, but when it came down to it at the end I shot him. It took me a while to come to this decision. I even paused the game and actually thought about what I was doing. I realized that this wasn’t the same Kenny that I had once known. This was a broken man who had everything taken away from him. Everything. Unlike Clem, his losses didn’t make him stronger. Each death was a reminder of what he didn’t do right and how he couldn’t protect the people that he loved.

Yes, it was extremely shitty what Jane did, but it proved a point. Kenny was no longer the strong leader that he once was. He was unstable, a ticking time bomb. Shooting him was the right thing to do. It was an extremely sad thing to do, but seeing the road he was going down and seeing what his character was becoming was even sadder. I want to make it clear though that I didn’t shoot him because he was sad and broken. This wasn’t Kenny and I wanted him to die with whatever dignity that he had left. This decision hurt and after pressing the square button, I cried. I absolutely hated doing this, but it was the right choice.

“R.I.P Kenny”
The Walking Dead Season 1 – Season 2

Final verdict? When given the choice, should video game characters die? Yes, if it makes sense for the story and if it’s the right thing to do for the character. These two character deaths weren’t taken lightly and I didn’t kill them for the hell of it. The deaths of these two characters happened at the right time and were the proper way to end their stories. Not all characters are meant to survive and not all endings can be happy ones.