Mass Effect 2 DLC and the Blur Demo

I downloaded the "Kasumi - Stolen Memory" DLC for Mass Effect 2 last night, and less than an hour later, I had finished it. The question is: was it worth the $7? Uh, maybe. It was certainly entertaining, and I'd say it was probably the most entertaining of what I call the "loyalty missions," but it sure was short. For those of you who've played Mass Effect 2 (and all the cool kids have by now), Kasumi functions exactly like Zaeed. You barely have to step off the ship to recruit her, and you can't romanticize her or even have conversations with her. She's just an extra party member that gets you a new loyalty mission, a new weapon (you find a bitchin' SMG during her mission), a new advanced training ability (flash bangs), and a new tech upgrade. So, you really don't get all that much for your $7, at least not quantitatively.

Qualitatively, however, Kasumi's Stolen Memory is excellent. The mission contains a mix of puzzle-solving and action, and Kasumi is both an intriguing character and useful in a fight. She has this bitchin' tech ability where she goes invisible, sneaks up behind a guy, and whacks 'em in the head. It's just cool. Plus, since she gets behind the enemies without dying, she's really good at drawing attention away from you. Plus, when shit gets real, she can cloak herself and get out of there, so she doesn't die too often. It also helps that the character is nice on the eyes and the ears. I haven't looked up who does her voice acting, but bravo. I just really wish you could have full-fledged conversations with her. The "press to tell story" thing feels so...hollow. I don't know why the DLC characters can't be fully-integrated with the rest of them. I want a recruitment mission, I want to earn her personal quest/loyalty mission, and I want to be able to really talk to her. Holy crap, talking about RPGs makes me sound like a loser. Look, Bioware is uncannily talented at character development, and we'll leave it at that.

Would I recommend it to a friend? That depends. If you're just going to use a save where you've completed the game and you're going back just for this, I'd skip it. If you're looking to play through the entire game again (or for the first time), then I'd pick it up (it's the same price as a meal at Chick-fil-A). Kasumi's an interesting character, and her loyalty mission is quite possibly the best in the game. She's also a useful fighter, but not so much so that I'd her in the final suicide mission over Legion, Miranda, or Grunt. Plus, if you're using a class that's low on firepower, the new SMG could be quite useful.

The other bit of DLC I got for Mass Effect 2 is the Firewalker DLC that's available over the Cerberus Network (i.e., free for those who bought new). Nobody liked the Mako in the first Mass Effect, so they completely cut vehicles from the retail game. Now they have a hovercraft as downloadable content. I guess it controls better, but I'm not trying to take it over mountainous terrain. Half the reason the Mako sucked was because of where they made me drive it. Anyway, I've played 2 of the 5 missions, and they've been a bore so far. The Firewalker has mounted guns, so I assume there'll be enemies at some point, but definitely not yet. The first two missions have basically consisted of traveling between check points. I certainly hope there's more to offer than that...and why doesn't this one come with a 'cheevo? Is that so much to ask?

Someone got Call of Duty 4 in my racing game. I played the Blur demo, and I've come away unimpressed. Combine Project Gotham Racing (it's made by the same guys) with Mario Kart power-ups and Call of Duty 4's online incentive program (including ranks, perks, and unlockables) , throw in a bunch of neon shit, and you've got Blur. This game is definitely less than the sum of its parts, though. The power-ups are largely uninspired, and the whole racing at night with everything having a neon glow style is off-putting. Plus, you see what power-up you're going to get, so the randomness of Mario Kart is removed, and that's not a good thing. Every power-up is designed so that the player in first or last could get it, so they're all boring. Blur is essentially a kart racer with boring power-ups and real cars. I had high hopes for this game, but it looks like it'll come nowhere close to Double Dash!! or Burnout: Revenge. I sure hope Slit/Second isn't this disappointing. The demo's free on XBL for all Gold subscribers, so feel free to give it a shot.

--Chilly P