Overall it's pretty good, the level design and story follow Bioware's usual highly competent standard; there are, however, a few niggling little problems that I have, which (for better or worse) I'm going to focus on (naturally there are spoilers ahead, so be warned):
- Firstly, conversing with Liara, now I expected that this was going to be a core factor of the game, especially for certain players who romanced her in the first game, and then hooked up with another character in the second game. Now I had thought that there could have been some interesting tension that could develop during the missions if you brought along your new partner while on a mission with your ex; Bioware, however, seems to have disagreed with this idea, never really mentioning it apart from one small mention if you follow a very particular conversation path, in my case it was Liara telling me that "her sources have told her [I] have been trying to get into Tali's helmet", um Liara update your sources! I've been inside that helmet!
- Secondly, the fight with the Spectre working for the Shadow Broker. Now it wasn't a case of this fight being difficult, or easy, it was simply this: right at the start of the fight she tells me "You've never faced anything like me before", overconfidence in her abilities I can expect, but she knows who I am, I'm Shepard! I've beaten a Spectre before, I've beaten a Geth Colossus pretty much single handed, I killed a frakking Thresher Maw on foot! hell, I got spaced and it just slowed me down, you would think that she would know this already.
- Thirdly, Bioware has made a big point of having your actions in the Universe have consequences down the road. So why exactly does the Shadow Broker and Liara seem to be six months behind with their information? I know they had to have dialogue available for people who want to beat the Shadow Broker, before destroying the Collector Base, but would it have been too much trouble (given that they know that most people playing will have already done so) to have some dialogue for people who do this afterwards? Hell they do make a tiny reference what with the Broker saying that he'll be able to use the Normandy to pick over the remains of the Collector Base after he kills me, but that's it, apparently despite finding out that I did that, no one found out that I severed all connections with Cerberus and told the Illusive Man where to stick it, even Shepard seems to forget this, he also seems to forget that the Council reinstated his Spectre status!
- Fourthly, where exactly where the Renegade interrupts? didn't see a single one, saw plenty of Paragon interrupts, which seem to have been redefined as "Make strange overtures towards my creepy and Psychotic ex, while my shotgun armed current girlfriend stands nearby, ultimately forcing you to reload the game to ensure you haven't frakked things up" interrupts, but I suppose that doesn't role of the tongue as easily
- Finally, why exactly did they have to take out my other team member for the start of the final confrontation? I know it must happen no matter who you take in there with you, but it's a bit disconcerting to see Tali get mocked by the Shadow Broker (without Shepard coming to her defence), followed by her being crushed under a beam (meanwhile Shepard is pushing the Asari with the Biotic powers that could block such a beam from crushing her! out of the way, as opposed to the Quarian in the fragile environmental suit).
So, that's some thoughts on Lair of the Shadow Broker, some of you might be thinking that I didn't like it, given that I've focused on the negatives, but that's not true, I enjoyed it, I'd like to see more expansions like this, and it was good to be back in the Mass Effect 'verse again.
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