BioWare launched its Mass Effect 2 some three weeks ago, and while the developer is hard at work with the Expansion for Dragon Age: Origins, that doesn't mean that it forgot its plans for ME2 downloadable content. Aside from all the preorder and retailer-exclusive bonuses, like the extra companion Zaeed Massani and several weapons and armors, BioWare has decided that it's time to add a few items to Shepard's arsenal that don't require anything else aside from having purchased the game.

An active Cerberus Network account is all you need in order to receive the free DLC, so, if you got your hands on the game through a second-hand buy, this one's not for you. The DLC will become available today, February 9, for both the Xbox 360 and the PC, and it features two new items. The first one is a new suit of armor, while the other one is a shotgun with a surprising characteristic.

Cerberus Assault Armor
Cerberus assault armor is designed for shock troops, [to] turn the tide of battle against creatures or forces that would decimate normal soldiers.
Increases heavy weapon ammo capacity by +10%.
Increases shields by +10%.
Increases health by +10%.

M-22a Eviscerator Shotgun
The M-22a Eviscerator Shotgun is a longer-range shotgun with armor-piercing loads. This design also violates several intergalactic weapons treaties, so the M-22a is not distributed to militaries.

A long-range shotgun is a bit of an oddity, to say the least, but it should be really fun to use in actual combat. As for the rest of the DLCs BioWare added to the game, they've been an odd bunch as well, and few, if any at all, fit into the ME2 art style. While all of them have a detailed codex that makes their presence somewhat believable, all items seem so alien to the story and the rest of your equipment, that they break the entire immersive feeling the rest of the title put together. Showing up on Freedom's Progress in a Collector armor would definitely make an enemy out of the Alliance.