Mass Effect 2 Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC Reviews

With the slight launch hiccup fixed, we can now see if the newest bit of DLC for Mass Effect 2 is worth the purchase. To help with any purchasing decision, here’s a few reviews. Eurogamer 9/10.

Mostly, it’s a tour de force for BioWare’s scripting team, who tie together dangling plot threads from the first game and the sequel, weaving them into a new narrative that seamlessly enhances your understanding and enjoyment of both games. There are beautiful character moments that benefit from the richly drawn cast and the organic, interlinked world they inhabit. There are fist-pump moments of classic Shepard bad-assery, and a memorable Paragon/Renegade moment with a hostage. There are fleeting references and clever in-jokes that will thrill those who have fully immersed themselves in this rapidly expanding universe.

Xbox360Achievements 9/10.

It’s clear BioWare has gone above and beyond with this piece of DLC, with regard to fan service in particular, and for any Mass Effect fan, there is plenty more Mass Effect lore to sink their teeth into. Not only can you purchase more goodies for your ship, plough money into investment opportunities, get more insight into many of the game’s characters, but you can even hook up and check out random pieces of CCTV footage on a certain terminal to get some more knowledge and real insight into said characters. Stuff a real Mass Effect fan will lap up.

The only hang up really is that it suffers from the same issue that the rest of the DLCs have suffered from, and that’s that you can’t shake this detached feeling from the rest of the squad when you take along various members of the dirty dozen. For the first half of the mission pack for instance, one of my squad mates said two words… and that was it. It’s a far cry from the vocal, chatty and argumentative members that we picked up along the way on our battle to fight the Collectors and the Reapers, and for me, it breaks the illusion a little. This pack is helped somewhat by the fact that Liara comes along for the ride, meaning you only have one mute blending into the scenery in cutscenes instead of two. It’s an issue that has plagued all of the Mass Effect 2 DLC to date if you ask me.

Run DLC 4/5.

In this respect, the DLC plays similar to the rest of the game, as you lead your small party into different conflicts, taking cover behind objects and fighting as a team. That said, BioWare threw in a sky car sequence where you navigate the cluttered skies to track down a turncoat. While decent, the car moves a bit too slowly and we didn’t like how some traffic passes right through the vehicle while other cars collide with it. Although we didn’t need more than a couple tries to get it right, the trial and error makes it feel like more of a chore, instead of a guilty pleasure.

The same goes for the two boss battles you’ll experience, which task you with hitting foes with a barrage of gunfire until they’re dead or let you sneak in a melee attack. Killing a tough character is still thoroughly entertaining, but the developers could have made the process more interesting.

Games On Smash 4/5.

As we all know, Bioware is trying to bridge a story between the ME2 and ME3. There has been no word on if this was the beginning of that bridge but, it sure seems like it. The Lair of the Shadow Broker is a straight forward and amazing piece of content that will make everything in the world of Mass Effect a little bit clearer and a whole lot more dramatic. The DLC is extremely straight to the point when you begin. You go straight into the search for the infamous Shadow Broker only to find that getting to this person, isn’t as easy it sounds.