Mass Effect 3: Citadel

It’s been 6 years since the events of Eden Prime and now the final portion of Commander Shepard’s journey has arrived. Mass Effect 3: Citadel leaves dedicated fans with a proper goodbye: stories will be told; tears will be shed. Bioware doesn't attempts to appeal to anyone with this downloadable add-on, this is dedicated to those who’ve been with the franchise since the beginning and wants to send these legendary warriors in style.

If anyone deserves a break it’s Commander Shepard. Admiral Hackett has ordered you to take a short leave while maintenance is done on the Normandy. Admiral Anderson has given his Citadel apartment to Shepard to use. After listening to all the biographical notes conveniently placed throughout his apartment, Shepard is invited by Joker to an exclusive Sushi restaurant. But before receiving the appetizers Shepard and Joker are warned by an Alliance intelligence officer, Maya Brooks, of a threat to the Commander’s life and then attacked by that same group that host a large amount of poorly trained but highly equipped mercenaries.

Things begin to escalate as the story progresses as you fall through a fish-tank, enter The Citadel’s historical achieves and take the fight to the Normandy. But when you finally meet the villain of this story I couldn’t prevent myself for feeling sorry him at the end of this two hour mission. Other than for a couple of moving moments the story isn’t anything spectacular, instead it’s the dialogue and camaraderie between your allies that truly shine throughout this adventure.

This private military group seeks to kill Shepard and now the Commander must find out why and how to stop them. While these military rejects carry some interesting weapons, such as a kamikaze drone that disable’s shields, cluster grenades, and the M-29 Incisor sniper rifle, they rarely provide a challenge. Your teammates mock them for their lack of skill, especially when your entire team decides to come along for a single-mission. Insults will be thrown back and you’ll be asking yourself, why don’t they just surrender?

The combat isn’t the highlight of the DLC, but merely a magnet to get all your allies together and connect for one last time. The tone of the story takes a dramatic turn when the combat portion ends and when Shepard begins to plan one massive party for your team. It’s best that you access the DLC during the final portion of the game to ensure that nothing is left out.

It’s in the final section of the DLC that provides the most entertainment, when Shepard throws a party for all his friends. You can start things quietly but regardless this will escalate. Everything from the Mass Effect universe that the writers could incorporate is in here, whether it’s Liara constantly saying “by the goddess”, the elevators from the first Mass Effect or Shepard’s dancing that will delight fans. Unfortunately, those unfamiliar with the Mass Effect universe as a whole will be unaware some of the comments. It’s clear that Bioware wanted to appeal to those who’ve played through Shepard’s journey from the beginning; this is a DLC for specifically targeted towards long-term fans as you spend time attempting to listen to every conversation.

All good things have to come to an end eventually. Mass Effect: Citadel is a tribute, from the developers from Bioware, to Commander Shepard and everyone who joined him on this difficult journey. While the gameplay won’t have you stunned or wanting more the dialogue from each character will. Whether you hated or loved the ending this last celebration with the Mass Effect cast is definitely worth it, so grab a drink and toast it to your favorite character.

Adam Siddiqui, NoobFeed
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