By Jim Rossignol on March 20th, 2010 at 8:43 am.
The Mass Effect 2 commercial extension modules are nearly here. Firstly there’s some free DLC, in the form of the “Firewalker” pack which is out on the 23rd. This features five new vehicular missions, and a new vehicle: “The Hammerhead is a heavy assault vehicle that hovers over the battlefield at up to 120 kilometers per hour and features a guided missile system ensuring accuracy even during aggressive maneuvering.” Then on April 6th there’s Kasumi’s Stolen Memory, which will cost, but has yet to be priced. Bioware say: “Players can get in touch with Kasumi on the Citadel, either in the middle of an ongoing Mass Effect 2 game or after the completion of the main story (lesson learned from Mass Effect 1 DLC!). Once recruited, Shepard aids Kasumi on a secretive mission of recovery, which requires a suave disguise and a run-in with an influential and predictably corrupt art collector.”
Hands up who’s going to collect the free DLC… And now hands up for paid DLC? Hmm.
20/03/2010 at 08:47 Heliocentric says:
I actually fully intend to buy the dlc, but only after buying the game itself at a massively discounted price. ^_^ i know, i say that alot.
20/03/2010 at 08:48 Lack_26 says:
I’m going to collect the free stuff, but I don’t think I care enough to bother with the paid for DLC (same with all DLC really).
20/03/2010 at 08:50 Lack_26 says:
On the otherhand, this is ME2. Perhaps when I realise that ME3 isn’t just about to come out and I want to play more ME2, I too attached to miss out on the chance to see my character in new situations. I’ll just wait before I get around to buying it.
20/03/2010 at 08:56 Azhrarn says:
I’ll pay for the DLC too, but mainly because it’s ME2, to get some more replay value out of it. :)
20/03/2010 at 09:08 Freudian Trip says:
Tried a second playthrough and could see right through the mechanics which was a shame as pretty much all the douchebags survived 1st time round. Not sure I can go back. I’ll probably skip the lot of it.
20/03/2010 at 09:13 Andrew Wills says:
Definitely getting both, Mass Effect 2 blew me away, and I’m so attached to my bad ass space bitch of a commander that there’s no way she’s going to miss out on new missions!
20/03/2010 at 09:14 jsdn says:
Vehicular missions? So, finally a use for those vehicle keybinds.
23/03/2010 at 00:57 DSX says:
My first thought too; when I started ME2 I was excited to find vehicle controls then very very disappointed to realize wandering around with the MAKO had been replaced by wandering your mouse around a globe. This reeks of “oh hey, maybe we should just remove this part and make it a free DLC later” marketing dept B.S.
20/03/2010 at 09:16 Sagan says:
I’d pay instantly for the Kasumi DLC if that also means that I get that character in Mass Effect 3.
Otherwise I’ll wait for reviews. I have heard somewhere (I think on Joystiq) that the DLC is less than 90 minutes long and that you can’t talk to her properly, as has been the case with Zaeed. If that is true then it better be really cheap, like 2-3€. Or Kasumi’s mission should be absolutely brilliant, then I would pay 5€.
20/03/2010 at 09:21 hydra9 says:
Aw bollocks, it happened again. In my mind, when I see ‘ME2′ it means ‘Mirror’s Edge 2′ and my heart leaps a little bit. Must get out of that habit!
20/03/2010 at 10:55 V. Tchitcherine. says:
Try as I may, I cannot twist the acronym enough into a mention of more Metro 2033… my word that game was surprisingly stunning.
20/03/2010 at 11:01 Will says:
Me too…
21/03/2010 at 06:01 Bret says:
You think that’s hard?
Try to imagine a way it could be read as “Republic Commando 2″.
Try.
20/03/2010 at 09:23 KingCathcart says:
Defo on the freebie but will hold off on the DLC until there has been some feedback.
And just as long as I don’t have to wave my mouse over planet after planet just to find the bloody things.
20/03/2010 at 09:41 DeepSleeper says:
On the same day as the Hovertank pack, they’re releasing some paid DLC that gives everyone awesome sunglasses.
I am so excited.
20/03/2010 at 10:17 abhishek says:
Indeed. Information on the skins pack can be found here -
http://masseffect.bioware.com/info/dlc/
2$ for 3 skins. This is officially Horse Armor v2.0.
I’ll be getting the Hammerhead pack obviously, but it doesn’t represent a lot of content. Each of the 5 missions is said to be about 3-4 minutes long. So it can all be completed in less than half an hour. Still, free is free, so can’t complain.
I have no issues in paying for the Kasumi DLC as long as the price is reasonable to me. They say it’s 90 minutes long, so perhaps 5-7$. More than that and I’ll probably pass.
20/03/2010 at 10:28 Feste says:
On the other hand, £2-3 to get Garrus to fix his damned armour! That might be worth it. Not really, but it really, really bugs me that he goes round looking like a hobo dinosaur.
20/03/2010 at 14:26 OptionalJoystick says:
Apparently Jack’s in Witness Protection now.
20/03/2010 at 21:06 Spoon says:
Wow, I thought you were joking when I first read that. Sigh.
20/03/2010 at 23:58 Hmm-Hmm. says:
@Deepsleeper
Man, those things look so.. bad. As in crappy. Except maybe Garrus’s. What on earth were they thinking?
21/03/2010 at 10:01 robrob says:
Their vision is augmented.
20/03/2010 at 09:47 Feste says:
I’m a strange, sick individual who liked the Mako sections of the last game, so I’m looking forward to the Hammerhead. The Kasumi stuff? Well, it’s boring but it depends on pricing.
Hopefully for ME2 they’ll put together some DLC of the calibre of Awakening, that I would get.
22/03/2010 at 03:42 Stromko says:
It probably depends how well Awakening sells, perhaps compared to how this sells.
20/03/2010 at 10:12 Schmung says:
Depends entirely on price vs length of expansion. A new character is always spiffy, but I can’t see it being that much gametime, so it better be pretty cheap.
20/03/2010 at 10:16 neolith says:
Hell no, there’s no way I’ll pay for this kind of DLC! By the looks of it the vehicle stuff is only marginally better than horse armour. I have no interest at all in any minimal stuff being added to the game. The day that Bioware decides to make a full blown addon (aka complete extension of story, chars and locations) is the day I’ll invest my money into DLC – even if that mens paying 30 bucks or more.
20/03/2010 at 10:20 Tei says:
I don’t “get” the dlc idea yet.
I already finished the game.
I could install enhancements and ampliations to Morrowind or Oblivium, because these are long games, and I don’t have finished, and I can appreciate enhancements. But games like ME2 or Dragon Age? I already finished then. What I am supposed to do? wen you have already saved the world, and the galaxy, why come back?
This things are nice, I suppose, but are a bit out of context or something. I suppose will be great for the people that buy the game in the future.
20/03/2010 at 10:57 archonsod says:
Or people who like to play through their games more than once …
21/03/2010 at 18:50 jackflash says:
I agree totally, Tei. It is an absurd concept. Whatever happened to good old expansion packs? Like B-Wing and Imperial Pursuit, for X-Wing back in the old days? I have zero interest in going back in time to a world I have already explored thoroughly. Onward, ho!
20/03/2010 at 10:26 TheSombreroKid says:
isn’t the obvious answer “depends on the price” i ain’t paying any more than £3 for a loyaty mission, unless it’s a decent length, if it’s the same calibre as the human mercenary i’ll give it a mis no matter what prolly, that wasn’t worth the bandwidth lol.
20/03/2010 at 10:28 bleeters says:
“The Hammerhead is a heavy assault vehicle that hovers over the battlefield at up to 120 kilometers per hour and features a guided missile system ensuring accuracy even during aggressive maneuvering.”
Yes, but can it survive re-entry and a crash landing on a planet after the ship carrying it disintegrates in orbit? How about being flung across the span of the galaxy by a mass relay? Waddyamean ‘no’? Fah, they just don’t make ‘em like they used to.
I’m still re-re-re-replaying ME2 for the forseeable future until such time as I can work off my man-crush for Garrus, so I’ll pickup the free stuff obviously. Not too sure about the paid one. Zaeed’s loyalty mission was short but perfectly enjoyable, so more of that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. My dilema is that it adds yet another party member I’ll never sodding use, whose involvement consists of hanging around my ship taking up space until the very, very end.
And, well. To be perfectly honest, Return to Ostagar has still left a bad taste in my mouth.
20/03/2010 at 10:30 TheSombreroKid says:
if anyone buy’s that filthy appearance pack thy need shot, preferably in the face.
20/03/2010 at 12:05 Frankie The Patrician[PF] says:
despite the popular believe, the chest gunshot wound is better – you die more slowly and painfully…
20/03/2010 at 13:05 Chris D says:
Is buying DLC really worthy of a slow and painful death? A clean kill would suffice surely. Or possibly just parting with some money in exchange for a disappointing experience. Yeah, I’m a liberal, I know.
20/03/2010 at 13:25 TheSombreroKid says:
i loled, but seriously if a costume pack sells a tonne for an afternoons work, then bioware would be royaly idiotic not to pursue that type of dlc further and that would take away from the only type of expansions people actually want (GTA Stories/Dragon Age Awakening/Fallout Point Lookout etc.)
20/03/2010 at 10:34 paul newman says:
disappointed :(
20/03/2010 at 10:38 Aemony says:
I’m probably going to get the free DLC, but the way BioWare integrates DLCs withing ME2 is just annoying. I’m still dissappointed in how the DLCs included with the Deluxe Edition was interated. The whole presentation was just lame and every DLC has a big label “NOT INTEGRATED IN NORMAL GAMEPLAY!” on them that’s noticable directly when you get them in-game.
But no, I won’t even bother paying for a lousy integrated DLC.
20/03/2010 at 10:41 Wulf says:
There’s a free Arc Welder-ish gun coming up in a free download, too.
I’m going to grab the free DLC, of course, and whether or not I’ll get the paid DLC will depend on its content to price ratio.
20/03/2010 at 11:27 cqdemal says:
That gun is already out.
20/03/2010 at 11:47 Wulf says:
Oh, whoops. I’ll have to snag that and try it!
20/03/2010 at 10:50 TheBlackBandit says:
I’ll probably pay the dosh for the free DLC. I’m not against paid DLC, just against poorly made and priced paid DLC. This looks quite good.
20/03/2010 at 11:01 deluX3 says:
I’ll probably get Kasumi’s DLC, unless it costs some stupid amout money, i.e. more than 5 quid.
20/03/2010 at 11:36 Paul says:
this stupid DLC concept needs to die, or change into the GTA4 style DLC. I hate these miniadditions that add 1/30th of content while costing 1/5th of the price of full game. Bring on the good old expansions, also called datadiscs in the days of old!
20/03/2010 at 11:45 Wulf says:
We can dream, though it’s unlikely to happen.
This is why my DLC purchases are so rare, though, because the cost to content ratio is usually way off.
20/03/2010 at 11:43 Freytag says:
I’m getting whatever DLC Bioware puts out for ME2, free and paid.
20/03/2010 at 12:52 TheSombreroKid says:
that makes you an automaton.
20/03/2010 at 16:29 Rich says:
You sir, are a publisher’s wet dream.
20/03/2010 at 12:02 largejaroalmonds says:
The thing that really irritates me is that DLC never seems to come down in price (unless I’ve been missing it). So even when you get the game cheap, you still have to pay full DLC price.
20/03/2010 at 12:23 westyfield says:
I’ll definitely be getting the Firewalker pack and probably be getting the Stolen Memory pack as well, providing it’s no more than £5. Any excuse to play through the ME series is good for me!
About the appearances DLC; no. No way. The only time I want to see Thane wearing sunglasses is when he’s interrogating that guy in his personal mission, which you must complete before you can change his outfit. *facepalm*
20/03/2010 at 12:32 Mashakosha says:
Same as most everyone I guess. Will get the free for definite. Paid for will depend on what I hear about it.
20/03/2010 at 12:39 James G says:
Already been grabbing most the free DLC, ready for my second playthrough. Will likely wait until the vehicular stuff is out before I do that though, partly so I’ve got something a bit more substantial, and partly so I don’t OD on Bioware. (Having recieved Awakenings in the post this morning.)
As to the paid for stuff, it depends on the cost. Certainly wouldn’t go higher than £5, and £3 or lower is a probably yes. (Not on the supposed texture packs though, that’s not something I’d be willing to pay for.) It would be nice if collectors edition owners got some of the paid for DLC for free. When I initially pre-ordered the collectors edition I was under the impression that the Cerberus network stuff was for the CE only. I realised before release, so didn’t feel too hard done by, especially given the sexy sexy box, but frankly the in game collectors stuff was terrible. Despite the collectors armour being superior to anything you could pick up in game, it was also bloody hideous, and I decided to ditch it the moment when Tali appeared to develop X-ray vision and recognise me through the mask.
20/03/2010 at 12:39 Hunam says:
It’s funny that Bioware say they know alot more about DLC now than they did before, yet the DLC they released from NWN was both fantastic and excellent value, where the DLC for DAO has been vastly overpriced and far too brief (awakening excepted… except the price thing for console users :P)
20/03/2010 at 12:59 Tom OBedlam says:
yup yup yup free, paid for, any of it. I really want bioware to make the DLC system work, its got teething problems but I actually rather liked Ostagar, though I’d have preferred Warden’s keep to become an actual stronghold, or at least let me FIND THE SODDING CODEX ENTRIES AFTER THE QUEST.
But I’ve got high hopes for bioware here, if they can continue to improve DLC then I’m really happy to buy episodic content for games I love.
20/03/2010 at 13:04 suibhne says:
I’ve put off getting that Reaper IFF for the Hammerhead DLC, so I look forward to finishing the game once that pack is out. As for that pertikler paid DLC – hell no. Zaeed isn’t a bad character in actual gameplay, but the incredible lack of dialogue is really disappointing relative to every other character in the game; despite being superficially similar (in terms of economics), he’s far less developed than Shale for DA. I’m not giving Bioware a cent for any phoned-in character like that.
20/03/2010 at 13:28 TheSombreroKid says:
you wont be punished for finishing the game, you can still play the DLC, you should go ahead and keep playing ;)
20/03/2010 at 13:57 Timespike says:
New character? Cool. Works for me.
Putting another layer of clothes on Jack? Cool works for me.
20/03/2010 at 15:09 Mr_Day says:
I see I wasn’t the only one who appreciated the alternative costume for Jack.
20/03/2010 at 16:11 westyfield says:
Agreed. Anything that gets more clothes on Jack is ok by me. It is really hard to get a SFW (at a glance) screenshot of her.
20/03/2010 at 19:29 The Pink Ninja says:
Yeah, I found her effectively naked torso a little embarrassing. Too brazenly fanserivcy…
But the top in the alt outfit was just so ugly I had to change back. Only character where I used the original costume.
I think she’d look good with a big long coat
20/03/2010 at 14:01 skalpadda says:
Bah, posted the wrong thing in the wrong thread. But anyway, I’ll get the free DLC and I’ll probably buy the other one if people I trust in these matters tell me it’s worth the price.
20/03/2010 at 14:24 Buemba says:
I really liked Bringing Down the Sky (Granted, I didn’t pay for it since I played the PC version of ME1), so as long as the Kasumi mission is of similar quality to that or the Zaeed loyalty mission and costs less than 10 bucks I’m all for it.
20/03/2010 at 16:34 malkav11 says:
I snaffled the DLC that was available when I was playing the game. I’ve beaten it now and have no intention of going back for an hour or two’s worth of trivial side content, even with the ability to go do it post-victory. If I ever get around to a second playthrough (unlikely), I will certainly add any further free DLC they choose to introduce, but it should be quite clear whether any subsequent paid DLC is a value proposition (my guess is not).
20/03/2010 at 17:22 Navagon says:
I’ll definitely get the free DLC but they failed so hard with the ME premium DLC that I don’t trust them to get it right this time. If reviews say it’s fantastic and it’s cheap then I’ll reconsider.
20/03/2010 at 17:45 Tyshalle says:
To be honest, Bioware makes great RPG’s, but shitty DLC’s. After the putrid ass that was the Dragon Age expansion I don’t know that I’m going to pay Bioware for anything other than full games at this point.
20/03/2010 at 19:30 The Pink Ninja says:
I’m enjoying Awakening
And what about Shale?
20/03/2010 at 18:50 Samuel Bass says:
I’ll be getting both; as long as a game has the narrative / gameplay depth to support it, I’m all for DLC. I could easily spend another 10-12 hours playing Mass Effect 2, just as I ran up 120 hours in Fallout 3.
As a dev, it’s a much better option for your interesting but non-schedule friendly ideas than (i) dumping them or (ii) implementing them anyway, usually in a half-assed manner. I’m certainly guilty of both.
20/03/2010 at 19:17 invisiblejesus says:
Same as most folks; definitely grabbing the freebie, will consider the paid stuff based on the price and the length. I suppose reviews too, but I really thought Zaeed’s loyalty mission was fantastic so as far as I’m concerned Bioware’s got a pretty good track record for this sort of thing. I’m pretty confident the quality’ll be there.
20/03/2010 at 19:27 The Pink Ninja says:
Never bought any DLC in my life but unless it’s very expensive or very dissed I will probably buy this. ME2 is worth it.
I would have bought that Dragon Age one about the Warden’s Keep but they advertised it not just in game BUT IN MY CAMP WHERE I CAN’T AVOID HIS PERMANENT GOLDEN GLOW!
So it was a point of principle
20/03/2010 at 19:40 Lilliput King says:
I’m some kind of disgusting corporate dog, but ME2 was so good I’ll buy every mission-based DLC that is generally reviewed above mediocre for a super-playthrough before ME3.
20/03/2010 at 22:45 Wulf says:
There’s nothing wrong with wanting the complete experience, not at all, but wouldn’t it be better to wait for a GOTY edition which would probably include all that content, anyway?
20/03/2010 at 23:19 invisiblejesus says:
Depends on whether the publisher and developer are known for that kind of thing. If this was Bethesda, maybe. I don’t think Bioware has any particular track record for releasing FO3-style GOTY packages.
20/03/2010 at 19:49 Serenegoose says:
well, I’ll obviously snag the free stuff. The paid DLC is exactly what I expected for Mass Effect, though. The entirety of the main plot arc is fairly tight, so any DLC that comes out for it is by necessity going to feel a little tertiary. If it’s cheap enough though, I’ll grab it.
20/03/2010 at 21:11 CTA says:
Free stuff is always awesome. I’ve been eyeing up the Kasumi DLC and may well buy it. I’ve been planning ahead for when I finally buy ME2 and I’d like a techy sort of person alongside my soldier Shepard and Jack. Kasumi would fit right in.
20/03/2010 at 21:59 latterman says:
“a secretive mission of recovery, which requires a suave disguise”
i can only picture my male shepard in a fancy dinner dress looking like a futuristic Frank N. Furter.
I’d so love to see that.
21/03/2010 at 15:21 Nick says:
A giant false mustache sprung to mind, male or female.
20/03/2010 at 22:04 Matt W says:
I’ve just decided that I’m going to get the hammerhead, Kasumi AND the costumes, just to spite everyone who’s bitching. Oh no, $2 – that’s, like, fifteen minutes’ work on minimum wage.
20/03/2010 at 22:11 TheSombreroKid says:
by that logic you should go out and buy everything that’s $2 or under. “Who cares if i don’t need or want it? it only cost me 15 minutes!” buy buying texture packs you’re telling bioware that you want texture packs instead of meaningful dlc.
20/03/2010 at 22:22 Matt W says:
Most things that are $2 or under don’t come with an internet recommendation that someone shoot me in the face for buying it – the perceived angst generation adds significant value to me.
20/03/2010 at 22:30 TheSombreroKid says:
if i’m the one providing the value adding service you should really give me the money :P
20/03/2010 at 22:43 Wulf says:
@Matt W
So… you’re going to buy every bit of DLC — wasting your own money in the process — just so you can look like a douche to anonymous Internet people who will most likely have forgotten your name within an hour of seeing your post?
Uhm… good luck with that! I hope your fifteen minutes of time is worth your fifteen seconds of perceived infamy.
21/03/2010 at 03:10 Corporate Dog says:
@Matt W: It’s already working!
21/03/2010 at 04:23 DeepSleeper says:
@Matt
I salute you, and wish only to follow in your footsteps.
21/03/2010 at 00:05 Hmm-Hmm. says:
Let me just say that it’s odd that the freebie looks like it’s worth more than the paid DLC. Maybe there’s far more to it, but I doubt it, considering Warden’s Keep (didn’t buy Return to Ostagar. Because, really.. superfluous money-out-of-pocket-shaking).
21/03/2010 at 00:30 Alastayr says:
I’ll probably end up with all the Mass Effect 2 DLC that I can get my hands on, and I don’t care what people on the internet think about me. Three new costumes for 2€, why the hell not? I couldn’t do a halfway decent skin + TexMod integration if my life depended on it, so I’ll gladly take what I can get. Jack and Garrus look really nice in their new colours, I don’t get the outrage. It’s OPTIONAL, people.
If BioWare had done this DLC stuff back then with Baldur’s Gate II, I would’ve been all over it, too. I’d have sold my soul to spend another hour of new content with Edwin, Jaheira, Minsc and Imoen.
21/03/2010 at 00:44 steveballmer says:
Looks exciting, especially on Win 7!
21/03/2010 at 01:11 Mr_Day says:
Hi, I’m Barry Archangel, and i am here for Bang bang bang. Do you have a probllem with foul xenos? Not anymore!
Bang bang bang! And the Xenos is gone!
21/03/2010 at 03:08 Corporate Dog says:
I have to replay the ending to save Mordin anyway, so, sure. I’ll spring for the premium DLC.
Of course, I’m also a big, fat, Bioware whore. They could release DLC that features Ray Muzyka gyrating to a Rick Astley standard, while wearing naught but a Speedo, and I’d wonder whether or not it would provide my Shepard with enough XP to hit level 30.
21/03/2010 at 03:52 Vinraith says:
ME2′s free launch DLC didn’t do much for me. With DA and Shale, it felt like a well integrated addition to the game. The new ME2 character, lacking any real conversation options, didn’t. The Normandy Crash site was interesting, but largely pointless. It seems silly to complain about free DLC, so I’ll just say that in the future I won’t bother to install those additions for ME2, as they aren’t worth the required internet connection IMO.
Now, the tank sounds interesting. I can’t imagine replaying the game any time soon, but down the road (probably around when ME3 comes out) I’m sure I’ll go back to it and make a survey of any interesting DLC, both free and not. I can’t say as I’m in any hurry, though.
21/03/2010 at 06:19 Mad Doc MacRae says:
Same with me on picking and choosing DLC a lot later, though I liked Zaeed’s Crocodile Dundee/Boba Fett ramblings. :P
21/03/2010 at 07:48 Vinraith says:
@Mad Doc MacRae
Sure, what little he said was cool, which just made it all the more annoying that he had no interactive dialogue whatsoever. Whenever I was making the conversational rounds around the Normandy, it was always a reminder that Zaeed was a tacked-on extra.
21/03/2010 at 15:28 invisiblejesus says:
Zaeed’s conversation options were limited, sure, but I thought his loyalty mission was one of the best in the game. Not on a level with Mordin’s, but still fucking brilliant writing.
21/03/2010 at 20:53 Vinraith says:
@invisiblejesus
You think? It didn’t leave much of an impression, in part because I had no relationship with the character (being as it was impossible to talk to him) and in part because it just seemed like any other action mission. Maybe it’s a bigger deal if you actually bother to save the colonists.
21/03/2010 at 04:16 meh says:
2-3 £/$ for some new looks on the characters isn’t exactly the end of the world.
Most people here probably would spend that kind of money without thinking on snacks/smokes/soda/whatever that has no real lasting value.
But as soon as it comes to DLC people start to count their pennies…
21/03/2010 at 08:53 Optimaximal says:
Erm, can I direct you towards something called ‘Dragon Age: Origins – Awakenings?
21/03/2010 at 08:56 Optimaximal says:
Ok, that’s a broken reply…
21/03/2010 at 15:15 Sir-Lucius says:
@Paul:
Especially when you consider that a good amount of DLC content recycles assets from the main game, and those development costs were already subsidized into what we initially paid. Even worse is when content is recycled from a previous game (MW2′s joke of a map pack comes to mind). So we pay 1/5th the cost for 1/30th the content that is primarily composed of assets we’ve already paid money for.
21/03/2010 at 16:15 Roberto says:
I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that I will download for free/buy basically anything bioware puts out for Mass Effect 2. I love the game, and I am sooo excited for more stuff to do.
21/03/2010 at 16:58 Lambchops says:
i’ll take the free downloads obviously. Anything else depends on price.
I’m more inclined towards the Dragon Age Awakening type of DLC though. For this type of game I want considerable new content, not a dditesize chunk.
21/03/2010 at 17:59 Zoolooman says:
I’ll be buying Kasumi’s DLC. ME2 has given me several excellent playthroughs, and I eagerly anticipate another with her in my party.
DLC serves two important roles for Bioware:
1. It reduces the perceived value of resold copies.
2. It encourages hardcore players to spend more on the product.
For the regular player, DLC is enticing because it “completes” the experience, but it is by no means necessary. Thus, Bioware has actually developed two kinds of DLC in order to meet both goals.
1. Cerberus Network is free with a new copy and gives you Zaeed, the tank, a two heavy weapons, a great shotgun, and good armor. This makes a new copy worth far more than a resold copy.
2. Kasumi (and the silly costume pack) provides hardcore fans a way to support the game further and receive more content for doing so.
In short, I think Bioware’s DLC strategy is working out well for them, even if it seems like they’re attempting to nickel and dime the average player.
21/03/2010 at 20:43 V says:
I’m not keen on Hammerhead, since I hated the Mako, but I’m down with Kasumi and the appearance packs. Poor Garrus needs to get out of that shot-up armor.
22/03/2010 at 13:31 Andy says:
The ME1 DLC was 50/50 down the line with the paid for stuff turning out to be totally rubbish. I’m nurturing some serious love for ME2 though and somehow I think I’ll feel I’ll be missing out without something as substantial as a whole new character. That said, if the reviews really are bad I’ll force myself to resist but I expect it to be quite hard.
22/03/2010 at 13:52 Irish Al says:
“hovers over the battlefield at up to 120 kilometers per hour”
It’s either hovering at 0 km/h or flying at 120 km/h. One does not hover at 120 km/h.
That is all. I read you every day.
22/03/2010 at 19:38 Evernight says:
4 weeks ago I would have said yes, but now that I finished my second playthrough I just don’t think I will be playing through the game again anytime soon for a couple pieces of DLC. Bioware RPG’s just don’t have the replayability of most other Western RPGs… most notably Bethesda ones.
So the DLC to me is kinda meh. Maybe in 6 months when I decide to play through again…. but we’ll see.