Mass Effect 2 is the sequel to Mass Effect. Set in the future, a diverse group band together to defeat an enemy that seeks to conquer and destroy the entire galaxy.
Mass Effect 2 combines great visual effects, a strong story and a myriad of unique characters with great effect. The decisions you made in Mass Effect can carry over with your character to Mass Effect 2. Part of a trilogy, Mass Effect 2 amplifies what was great in the original game and shows much promise to the third and final game in the Mass Effect trilogy.
The campaign in Mass Effect 2 is breathtaking in scope. The average game can take you between 20-30 hours to complete while stopping to take in the sights and do many of the optional side quests in the game.
In June, Bioware released the Project Overlord Downloadable Content (DLC) after releasing the Firewalker pack earlier this year. The Firewalker pack is a necessity for Overlord as you’ll need the new hovertank to traverse the large areas in Project Overlord.
Overlord is a fine addition to Mass Effect 2 and will take the average player between 2-3 hours to complete the mission arc. The Normandy has been asked by Cerberus to check on a research station that has been doing heavy Virtual Intelligence research and has gone radio silent.
The voice acting in the DLC is what you’d expect from a Bioware game; real, authentic and well-written. There isn’t a lot of off-the-cuff dialogue between your crewmates, but your interaction with the mission NPCs is great.
Keeping with Bioware tradition, the DLC story is dark. You’ll get the opportunity to gain some Paragon and Renegade points as you progress the arc and search for the reasons behind the silence of the research facility. By the end you’ll have to decide what action to take and if Cerberus will be happy with your results.
The DLC takes place in four separate areas across the planet’s surface. You’ll use the hover-tank (which is now viewable in the Normandy cargo hold) to travel from point to point in the game.
I’ve never been a huge fan of DLC and micro-transactions but I find the Project Overlord DLC to be worth the $9.99 it cost for Bioware points, usable “currency” you can buy on their website. The Firewalker DLC is cheaper but the missions are much shorter and not as fulfilling as Overlord.
If you enjoy Mass Effect 2 I heavily recommend picking up the Firewalker and Overlord DLCs. They’ll add a few hours to your game and you’ll even acquire a new object for your captains cabin displays. I completed all of the game missions before the Final Suicide Mission (*cough*) and was left with nothing to do after I survived. Check the DLCs out, humanity needs your help!
