Mass Effect 3: Leviathan DLC Reviews

Category: News Archive

Hits: 2418

Written by WorstUsernameEver on September 2nd, 2012

Tweet

While BioWare has delivered great Mass Effect 3 DLC in the past, Leviathan falters a bit with a lack of motivation, and subsequently homogenized combat. It does however impress by adding new elements to the storyverse that didn't previously exist. You're going to feel creeped out, pick up some cool weapons and mods before you reach the stunning conclusion . It doesn't reach the near perfect balance between character-driven story and tense gameplay that past pieces of DLC have, but it does tell a story that changes the Mass Effect universe forever.

So, is it worth the full ticket price? Not exactly. Two hours of content is a hard sell. The three new environments maintain Mass Effect's peerless visual standards, but the lack of new enemies, attractions or recruitable squad-mates, and the fact you already know the wider ending, makes Leviathan a mystery best left uncovered.

It's hard not to look at Leviathan in light of previous add-ons' stories. Mass Effect 2: Overlord's electronic jolts and disturbing conclusion punctuated a story that you experienced firsthand, rather than heard from the lips of others. Lair of the Shadow Broker then raised the bar with a memorable lightning-laced shoot-out in what might be the series' best combat environment. Leviathan's standout sequence could have been remarkable, had developer BioWare directed the tempo as carefully as it had done before. Yet for all its meandering, the adventure occasionally stumbles onto something special, and the sparks of brilliance that make this series so beloved are ignited once more. If only they'd shone brighter and remained longer.

• Prev
• Next