Bohica Gaming Community

by Pilgrim

Name: Mass Effect : Bring Down the Sky
Game type : RPG DLC
Context : DLC for Mass Effect
Similar Gameplay : The rest of Mass Effect
Platform : 360 for now, potentially packaged with the PC version, but more then likely available as a separate download.
Price: $5 (400 MS points)

Cliff notes version: You like Mass Effect then this is probably worth it, if you plan on replaying Mass Effect several times then it’s totally worth it.

Mass Effect: Bring Down the Sky Downloadable Content Screenshot

There’s plenty of reviews of the game Mass Effect, so feel free to read those to get an idea of the full game, this will focus on the first DLC for Mass Effect Bring Down the Sky.

The Basics: Bring Down the Sky is a stand alone mission, similar in scope to the Main Story missions of the main game, while having a feel of the Assignment missions. It’s a mix of the 2 really. The entire mission takes place on an asteroid that you will need to navigate in the Mako, with 4 bases, some mining sites, a few enhancements to base defenses not seen in the main game (Mine Fields, moving rocket turrets and Armored turrets that cannot be fired on till they are firing), a few pieces of equipment, and the introduction of the Batarians (For those who’ve read the book, the Batarians are well known.) The entire mission takes about an hour to an hour and a half to complete and has a single achievement worth 50 points (With cheevo rules being what they are we can assume that bioware has intentions of releasing a potential 5 DLC packs of similar scope to BDTS)

The Story: Some bad guy Batarians have taken over an asteroid mining colony, and using some Giant Thrusters are going to ram it into a populated planet to make a point… if you make us angry we’ll get antsy and drop an asteroid on you! I believe there are a total of 4 sub-assignments and several different resolutions to the story. It’s a pretty simple story, but just as fun as any of the other Story missions in the game.

The Graphics: As a DLC for Mass Effect this really doesn’t have any graphical improvements, however the scenery on the asteroid as it hurdles towards it’s point making impact are some of the best Mako roving in the game. From the “Armageddon” -esque smaller asteroids burning up on the front end of the asteroid, to the looming world in the distance, just waiting for it’s deep impact. Also the Armor you can receive as a reward at the end of the DLC is really nice looking, Shiny black with red highlights.

The value: I guess all DLC has to be rated on it’s value. To me, if you enjoyed Mass Effect as a game, and kinda want that little taste more, then Bring Down the Sky is worth the 5 clams. As the Main game comes down in price (Like 30-25 price point) then I think buying the main game and all 5 potential DLC packs will be worth it.