MASS EFFECT FRANCHISE - 05-29-2021.
When it comes to one of the most memorable franchises & influential series, the Mass Effect Trilogy (ME1+2+3) has to be on that list. In terms of taking your character and importing from game-to-game-to-game and having a lot of your journey throughout turn out in all kinds of different ways, this series does this fantastically, paving the way for other franchises & game series to attempt this. In terms of combat also & with being very cinematic, ME Trilogy also paved the way and still does, influencing many games in numerous ways.
In terms of combat, ME1 leaned towards RPG/shooter hybrid and leaned too much into the RPG-stats stuff & dice-rolls, which left the combat janky, clunky & at times frustrating. ME2 totally flipped the series on its head, focusing more so on making the combat great; less on RPG-stats influencing the combat; and fantastic characters, stories & missions - making it one of the best games ever made.
ME3 continued down the influential road ME2 carved & still found ways to improve the combat & gun-play - which many RPG/shooter and shooter/RPG hybrids have been influenced by, still to this very day and likely beyond that - delivering a great & epic send-off, but still never fully living-up to this finale b/c of how most of the ending(s) here didn't deliver the conclusion many wanted from the series...even though, one could also make a point that the entire game feels like an ending & epilogue of sort.
Regardless, ME3 was still great - yes, even despite its flaws - and so was this franchise...even despite Andromeda never living up to any of the hype. But, one thing always left me wondering, since I didn't grab the DLC's until a few years back: do the DLC's help or solve any of the problems of ME3's story, lore, and/or ending(s)? Finally, after all of these years, I've decided to tackle the DLC's for Mass Effect 3.
FROM ASHES DLC - 05-29-2021.
Taking about an hour or so to finish, this DLC is about finding a Prothean artifact on Eden Prime. The combat, mission, and action here is good & absolutely solid. What makes this DLC important & really worthwhile is finding The Prothean Artifact and an actual Prothean being, in which this Prothean can become a party member that can join your crew, once you find him. Throughout this mission, you'll find out more info about the Protheans and their past, as a species and some important history of their race. If you follow the Mass Effect series' Lore, you'll know the Protheans are very important to the series. Once finishing the mission, Javik (The Prothean) will tell you some important info about the Protheans, which is also very important.
Granted, I haven't replayed the entire game and haven't took Javik everywhere - but supposedly, also throughout the ME3 game, if you bring Javik along, he can tell you more about Prothean artifacts and things, when necessary - which sounds a lot similar to Shale from Dragon Age: Origins, that this all should've not been cut from the game and not been DLC.
Regardless, the DLC mission is good and the action's good, despite its 1 hour brevity; and Javik's really important as a character and what he says about Protheans also is very important too. I do wish the mission itself was longer, but...it's all killer and no filler.
OMEGA DLC - 05-29-2021.
This 4-hour long campaign or so is an action-packed romp, where you and Aria T'Loak are trying to retake the Omega Station. Omega is now in Cerberus' control and Aria is having none of that. There's more to it than just Cerberus taking it over, as there's more than meets the eye as to why they're there. Not only just all of that, but you also meet an interesting Turian named Nyreen, too (who will join your party during this DLC). Nyreen is from Aria's past - and yeah, she definitely has history with Aria. Also, they have some great and interesting banter b/t each other; and teaming with Aria is nothing short of awesome & fun.
While this DLC isn't tied entirely to the game's story, plot, and whatnot - this does stand-alone as its own story here and is just an action-packed combat-fest, which is also loaded with a new enemy type to battle too. Revisiting the Omega hub (which was is ME2) and seeing how it's evolved since then here in ME3 - yes, for better and/or worse - and seeing its often turned into mostly combat-zones, is nothing short of a blast and feels like a taking a trip back home...well, once you take it back for Aria, it'll feel more like home.
Regardless, the Omega DLC was pretty good, to say the very least and is definitely worth playing. It's worth taking back Omega Station; enjoy the ride, banter & shootout(s).
LEVIATHAN DLC - 05-30-2021.
After a little over 4 hours or so, the Leviathan DLC is in the books. This DLC takes place at a few areas all over the Galaxy, as you'll need to investigate a Doctor's Home (on more than on occasion) to find & look into what this Doctor was looking into, which are some interesting & gun investigation sequences.
With also a lot of story & Lore here, this helps re-write some of ME's history & deliver some really interesting revelations, all about the Reapers...and then some about another really important being & species, without going into spoiler turf here.
If all of this wasn't enough already...well, there's more: the area scanning; galaxy hopping; planet scanning; a mech-combat sequence; and a mech-exploration sequence while underwater (yes, you read that correctly!) are all great here.
This DLC's great and is so important to ME3 and the entire ME Trilogy as a whole, so...this is easy to give a recommendation. This is "must play" and "must experience" stuff right here, making the Leviathan DLC a "must have" DLC here for ME3.
CITADEL DLC - 05-31-2021.
Clocking it at a little over 7 hours or so, Citadel is the final and best DLC for ME3. Shepard is trying to get some time away to relax & spend time with his crew & friends, before the final battle with The Reapers here.
Well...of course, things don't go well and Shepard and his crew is being attacked, as he's going out on leave before the final battle. So, Shepard gets his crew together, to take on this new threat.
And what a new threat this is! A crew of, what seems to be, mercenaries is coming after Shepard & his crew. They are to take these battles head-on, throughout different areas of The Citadel and whatnot, and figure out what's going on & who is coming after that. With a few twists & turns in this DLC and lots of actions, this DLC is nothing short of awesome.
If the above isn't enough, there are times when there are side-quests & mini-games to take on and plenty of interactions with your party all over the place & throughout this DLC - yes, even more so, especially in the last few hours or so - that makes this DLC feel like a great Epilogue...which all happens before the Final Battle.
At times, this DLC is light-hearted, serious, dramatic, fun, off-the-wall, hilarious, crazy, heart-warming, epic, and who knows what-else - and regardless of where it all goes, it's just all great. This DLC does it all, in the decent amount of time it goes on here. Not only that, but the final boss fight here is absolutely epic and might be on par even w/ the excellent ME1 boss fight w/ Saren. This DLC also actually feels like the best & real conclusion to ME3 here, as its satisfying as can be, giving many fans some closure & fan service here, unlike the base-game for many fans. Many fans were disappointed w/ the ME3 base-game and what it offered-up, namely b/c the base-game's ending(s) & the direction those took, didn't really offer up much closure and much choices...and many of those choices not have felt that worthwhile either.
Regardless, Citadel DLC is by far the best DLC here and is even more so a "must have" and "must experience," surpassing even the greatness that Leviathan DLC delivered.
OUTRO - 05-31-2021.
When it's all said & done, ME3 was a great game, even despite its flawed ending(s) & some storylines and plots not feeling properly wrapped-up or not executed that great. This ME3: DLC Bundle Pack here does wonders for ME3, in so many ways.
Whether it's adding more important Lore in its short-time of its mission & short aftermath in From Ashes; adding another awesome mission & quest in Omega DLC; adding more important Lore and gameplay in Leviathan DLC; and/or the awesome & final Citadel DLC that does so many things greatly & feels like it could be the better Epilogue and/or conclusion to ME3 (than what the base-game provided) - these DLC's, when packaged altogether, they definitely deliver all the goods...and then some.
After spending about approximately 16 hours w/ all these DLC's altogether, this one's an easy one & a no-brainer: this Bundle Pack of DLC's for ME3 adds more great & often very important content to ME3, making this ME3: DLC Bundle Pack absolutely essential to enjoy the ME3 experience.
Simply put: get this DLC Bundle Pack for ME3.
