Commander Shepard in: Bringing Down the Sky
June 7, 2008 11:24 pm Games for Fun, Gaming
I finally got around to playing the Mass Effect DLC, Bringing Down the Sky (BDtS). In BDtS, Shepard and the funky bunch land on an asteroid (named X57) in order to prevent it from obliterating a human-colonized world. This adventure turns out to be as epic as it sounds. Landing on X57 initially feels much like a regular side mission from the main game but that isn’t the case. A new race is introduced (the Batarians, a nod to people who have read the Mass Effect novel) along with a complete story line and new gameplay elements.
The thing that stood out to me the most was how much better the combat was in BDtS than in most of the main game. Some of the spaces Bioware used, especially for the final battle were laid out well and fun to fight in; long stretches for snipers, decent cover for close to mid-rage combat and lots of flank routes. Also, the Batarians seem to have more “classes” of enemies. I was fighting a range of soldiers, biotics, robotic drones and four legged creatures all at once.
As for new gameplay elements, Shepard encounters new types of turret guns on the surface of the asteroid that have physical shields which raise and lower depending on your distance from them. These turrets also move along tracks which surprised the shit out of me the first time I encountered them. Fighting armored, moving turrets was much more challenging than turret combat in the rest of Mass Effect. The thinking and strategy required to take out base defenses was a welcome addition.
Another “thinking” section requires players to navigate through a mine field surrounding an enemy stronghold. This style of gameplay wasn’t seen in the main game, but little gimmicks like this go a long way for me and keep the game fresh. Hopefully Bioware continues this trend in Mass Effect 2.
I don’t want to give anything away about the story, but rest assured that BDtS has new characters, new VO and new situations with new moral choices. As usual, Bioware goes an excellent job with the story and character interactions.
BDtS is only 400 MS points and worth 50 achievement points upon completion. The DLC ended up being short but action packed. However, with all the new additions it’s well worth the download, especially if you’re a Mass Effect fan.