Prior to the beginning of the Mass Effect 3 storyline, the human-first group Cerberus seized control of the strategic Eezo mining colony Omega from its iron-fisted ruler Aria. She escaped to the Citadel, where she plots her return, and her revenge.
Omega fills in a chapter missing from Mass Effect 3. In Mass Effect 2 we spent so much time in the frontier mining facility the fact we could not go there for at least a brief visit in 3 left a giant hole in the universe, the bare edges of which we could feel every time we spoke with Aria in the club, the name of which alludes to the real reason for the moniker, Purgatory, this is Aria’s exile.
In Omega, we learn more about Aria’s past, explore her old stomping grounds, are introduced to a former military Turian female named Nyreen, fight our way through hoards of Cerberus troops, encounter new enemies and defeat the calculating General Petrovsky, earning the Alliance and its allies important war assets in the fight against the Reapers.
Gameplay is similar to the previous DLC Leviathan in that it is informed by the extremely popular multi-player portion of Mass Effect 3. To survive, you have to employ the increased maneuverability and tactics of the Mass Effect 3 system, hit, run, roll and keep moving as the enemy AI tries to flank and kill you at every turn.
Since the controversy regarding the ending of Mass Effect 3, people have voiced their opposition to purchasing any additional DLC, condemning it without playing it merely because it will not change the ultimate ending of the game.
Let’s face it, no DLC will change the ending of any game, whatever the designers intend for the story’s finale will remain, that is, until a game company breaks that rule.
Omega does add hours more gameplay as Commander Shepard, more background for Aria and an expanded view of the universe we have all come to love.
While Lair of the Shadow Broker is still my favorite DLC, Omega comes in a close second. It is beautifully done and as for re-playability, I did so immediately after the first run through.
If this is the direction Mass Effect 4 will be heading, great storytelling, awesome graphics and gameplay, I look forward to further adventures in Commander Shepard’s universe.
The War for Survival has only just begun.
Hey, this is a great review, and a great notice for those who don´t want to download it just for a protest. The more story, in a game like this, the better. No matter the end of the game, I have to say. If someone really enjoyed the GAME, not the END of it, should be running this part of it.
I know the series by ways of my sister, never really played it all, but, as far as I am concerned, it is a great game, and a great saga. And now, I am curious to play it all, since it is getting deeper on the side characters and not only the main one. This is what makes a good storyline, for me!
And, if it is a good chapter to play, even better! To re-play it, better yet!
Good one, Kev! Keep it going!