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DLC Do Not Want!

Tali And Garrus
The two best characters in Mass Effect. Try to deny it, I dare you.

Spoiler alert, Tali’Zorah vas Normandy has died. She was mercilessly cut down whilst escorting crew members back to the Normandy. Despite her winning a place in her captain Boaby Shepard’s heart, there was nothing he could do for her but give her a traditional space send off the likes of which would give Scotty from Star Trek a run for his money.

But what’s that you say? Tali didn’t die in your playthrough of Mass Effect 2? Firstly I say, lucky you. Secondly, I ask in return how many attempts you made? Did you have multiple playthroughs of the game, did you attempt the final mission several times? If so, I feel you’ve missed the point. Perhaps I play story based games in an unusual manner, but I feel that a game that allows you to make choices that massively affect (no pun intended) the story should be played once. When I saw Tali lying on the deck dead I was a little heartbroken. I instantly considered turning the game off and retrying the mission to save her, so much did I want her with me in the final chapter. At that point, however, I realised that by killing one of my favourite characters, the game had made me feel more emotion than any game ever had, and the fact that she’d be dead in the last instalment made that cut deeper.

So, after learning this about me you won’t be shocked to hear me say that Mass Effect is a game that should NEVER have DLC missions. I understand going back to the game to play some extra stuff, but when it’s implemented in such a way that you have to play the game again from start to finish to experience it then it’s a waste. As mentioned previously, I want my Mass Effect experience to be singular, I want it to be my own. I want it based on the decisions I made naturally, not the ones I made to see the full content of the game on a second playthrough.

This feeling extends past Bioware’s masterpiece series too. I get that not everyone has the time or disposable income to pre-order and play games as soon as they come out, but I am loathe to return to a game months after completing it to play it again with an extra mission. This does not mean I don’t enjoy DLC packs, just not when they impact on the story I have already experienced.

Batarian from Mass Effect
This guy is so creepy, I wouldn't have bought his DLC pack anyway

Ultimately, I wouldn’t tell someone not to enjoy playing story driven games multiple times if that’s the way you play. I just feel that returning to a game like Mass Effect for multiple playthroughs might weaken the overall experience, and it certainly won’t have you weeping on the floor after losing your favourite Quarian. Which I totally didn’t do, honest.

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10 responses to “DLC Do Not Want!”

  1. Mark P avatar
    Mark P

    Have to disagree and say that Thane was by far the best companion character in that game. I found Tali about as interesting as a hanar mime.

  2. Leon avatar
    Leon

    I was quite lucky really, in that I didn’t lose anyone – and I also got the game late so that all of the DLC was available by the time I actually played it.

    It’s hard, because some of the DLC was really good for ME2 – so if the alternative was to be stuck with just the initial release minus all the DLC, I’d feel I was getting a worse deal. However, I too hate this situation where we can complete a game, then get a small bit of DLC a month or two later when you’re no longer immersed in that world. It’s a horrible trend really, as it means the best way to enjoy a game to the full now is to wait 6+ months and buy it once the DLC is out.
    Obviously it would be nice if the retail versions always came with all the DLC in-built as part of the final product, but I doubt that would happen now :/

  3. Walter avatar
    Walter

    I agree, Thane died in mines, which I thought was odd because I chose him for the sneaking about bit, who would have thought that a professional assassin would have been shit as sneaking about, as much as I wanted to re-do the whole thing I stuck to my guns and kept it as it. It wouldn’t have been my story if I didn’t

  4. DelTorroElSorrow avatar
    DelTorroElSorrow

    I saved everyone except that asshole mercenary in my first playthrough.

    Tali was your favourite character and yet you didn’t play her loyalty mission? What?

  5. Kami avatar
    Kami

    I did play her loyalty mission, she didn’t die going through the relay, she died right at the end of the mission unexpectedly. Dammit man, why you gotta make me think ’bout Tali? sadface

  6. Barry avatar
    Barry

    The only compatriot I lost was Thane because I didn’t research extra stuff for the Normandy That and a couple of loose screws that cerbuerus maintenance ‘overlooked,’ saw a giant steel girder squash Thane like a maggot. >:D

    I’ll eventually go back one day though to try and get my team through unscaved.

  7. Laura avatar
    Laura

    I liked all the DLC. I played all of it except the Zaeed DLC after completing the game. Shepard’s gotta do something in-between releases; a little workout to keep her/him in shape ready for whatever the Reapers next throw at us.

    I played ME2 through twice, and ME through however many times, and I’m going to do them both again before 3 comes out. I get what you’re saying about not playing the game again after completion, but it’s my Mass Effect universe, I can control what happens and I want it all to be just right for me.

  8. Jake avatar
    Jake

    I didn’t lose anyone in my play through and I played all the way through the DLC packs as well but I didn’t activate the Omega Relay until after all the DLC had come out – partly by choice and partly by neglecting the game for a while. I thought I’d lost Miranda and was genuinely gutted by that, as I couldn’t work out why Garus was on the radio when I clearly put the future Mrs Shepherd in charge. That said, I’m more than a little bit excited to play through the game again and will do all the DLC again, and want to take out a different favoured team – I was Miranda and Jacob all the way.

  9. Dean avatar
    Dean

    I’ve avoided downloading the DLC for Prince of Persia for similar reasons. That game had one of the most profoundly powerful and deep endings i’ve ever seen, yet a lot of people didn’t ‘get it’ so the developers buckled and made the DLC an alternative ending where everything goes right. Its like changing the ending for a classic film like Blade Runner because its too depressing. That said DLC that adds to the experience without trying to revise it in a George Lucas-esque manner is fine by me.

  10. DelTorroElSorrow avatar
    DelTorroElSorrow

    Even without the DLC the Prince is supposed to resurect Elika at the end of the game, Dean.

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