Site Staff

Editor-in-Chief:
Jason Venter
Contact: Twitter | E-mail

Editor:
Pat Floyd
Contact: Twitter | E-mail

Editor:
Rob Hamilton
Contact: Twitter | E-mail

Guest Contributors

Louis Bedigian
Phill Cameron
Andy Chalk
Tom Chick
Andrew Cretella
Lewis Denby
Joseph Gieske
Jason Grant
Kyle Orland
Jonathan Stark
Mike Suskie
Rhody Tobin
Brittany Vincent
Rob Zacny

Do you like what we do here? Show us some love and help us keep doing it!

R Mass Effect 2: Lair of the Shadow Broker (Xbox 360)

Mike Suskie Profile _ Twitter _ E-mail _ Homepage

One of the few complaints I had about Mass Effect 2 was the episodic treatment of its plot, in which the thrilling central narrative took a backseat to character relationships and personal side-stories for a good portion of the game. That’s also been my biggest issue with the recent influx of downloadable missions. Mass Effect 2 is easily my favorite game of the year so far, and I’ve enjoyed periodically having excuses to revisit it, but is more episodic content really what this game needs? BioWare was obviously seeking to correct that issue with Lair of the Shadow Broker, the latest DLC and the first to have a truly relevant place in the Mass Effect trilogy, firstly because it explores a subplot that’s been lurking in the background for two whole games now (as well as a spin-off comic series called Redemption), and secondly because it reinforces the series’ insistence on establishing player-specific continuity between all three games. It also puts Liara T’Soni back into the spotlight after her disappointingly brief cameo on Illium. Unbeknownst to those who didn’t read the comic, Liara is the one responsible for recovering Shepard’s body after the Normandy crash. The Shadow Broker wanted to sell him to the Collectors, and Liara has been tracking him down ever since, hoping to save (or avenge) a partner of hers who was lost during the mission. Liara holds a special place in the Mass Effect universe, as she’s the only original squad mate who’s guaranteed to have survived the first game and didn’t return to your party in the sequel. A good portion of this latest DLC sees Shepard and Liara joining forces in a long-overdue combat reunion, as they storm the Shadow Broker’s base of operations. BioWare did all they could to re-establish a strong relationship between the two characters, and their friendly banter – much of which occurs during actual gameplay – is believable and often pretty funny. And if you romanced Liara in the first game, you can expect to revisit that subplot as well. Of course, the whole thing is home to dozens more of those cover-based shootouts that you associate with this series, and they continue to never get old. While Lair of the Shadow Broker isn’t as impressively varied as Overlord was, the attempts to mix up the action are welcome, including two surprisingly intense boss battles. And while the Hammerhead is nowhere to be found, there’s fun to be had in a brief sequence that has you piloting a skycar through the airways of Nos Astra. The second half of this DLC also impresses from a purely visual standpoint, offering what may be the series’ most spectacular-looking set piece to date. What really matters, however, is the direction the story goes in its last fifteen minutes. After years of buildup concerning the identity of the mysterious Shadow Broker, I’m delighted to say that BioWare didn’t hold back. No more dancing around the subject here – this is a conclusive denouement to the Shadow Broker subplot, and the possibilities presented by the ending are absolutely tantalizing. BioWare has already confirmed that your actions in this DLC will carry over into Mass Effect 3, and you’ll understand why this fact makes my mouth water as soon as you see how this all plays out. Trust me, it’s big. Lair of the Shadow Broker is so momentous, in fact, that it almost feels too good to be a mere downloadable expansion, available only to those who seek it out and pay a hefty price of admission. But then again, maybe that’s the whole point. The Mass Effect games more than deliver your money’s worth right out of the box, and there’s nothing wrong with BioWare giving its most loyal fans a few extraordinarily juicy goodies. The point is that if you consider yourself a Mass Effect fan, you need this DLC, even if the ten-dollar entrance fee dissuades you. You’ll hate BioWare while you’re making the transaction, but a couple of hours later, all will be forgiven. I didn’t think anything would make me more excited for Mass Effect 3, but they’ve proven me wrong. Lair of the Shadow Broker can be purchased for 800 Microsoft points and requires 1.5 GB of free hard drive space. It adds five new achievements, totaling 200 achievement points. It will last roughly 2-3 hours and can be initiated by talking to Liara on Illium, during which a new conversation branch will pop up. Rating: A

Tweet

comment view comments (0)

Reader Comments

No one has commented on this post yet. You can be the first!

You are not signed into your account. You will need to sign into a user account in order to leave a comment.

Comments posted on this page will appear at the end of the article and also on the site forums.