14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is, for once, keeping its word regarding games. Maybe DirectX 10 isn't all that it was supposed to be and maybe Vista ain't that "games friendly" operating system it was meant to be, but as sure as I am writing this Microsoft has released the first downloadable content pack for its RPG smash hit Mass Effect.
A short recap is in order. Bad guy and rogue agent Saren is bent on making everything go boom and ending the galaxy together with an army of robotic slaves. You're commander Shepard, humanity's last and best hope, and aboard the space ship Normady you must put a stop to all the world ending going on. There are lots of quests to go through and a few hundred NPCs to talk to. Fairly normal space opera stuff here. But the execution is brilliant. Every encounter is relevant, every fight seems necessary, every move has its clear consequences. The RPG element is perfectly implemented by BioWare.
Where BioWare did a great job creating the game, Microsoft is aiming to do a great job of supplying content. The first add-on chapter is called Bring Down the Sky and add about 90 - 120 minutes of adventuring to the game, surprisingly putting the destructive effect of a large mass (pun intended) at the center of the game. All players should note that the add-on section is only accessible if you have the option to move around the galaxy, which means that the player should not be too far advanced down the story path.
The plot of the add-on revolves around some four-eyed Batarians (this ain't a figure of speech, they really have four eyes) that aggressively assault and occupy an asteroid base, planning to plunge it into a town on a nearby colony. The intrepid Shepard must save the colony together with his valiant crew.
The Bring Down the Sky DLC is worth 400 points in the Xbox Marketplace, which is some 5 euro. It seems like good value for the new elements it brings and we're hoping Microsoft will soon release further DLC for Mass Effect.