I suppose before I begin this review I should clarify a few things, first and most importantly this review will be as spoiler free as possible. You should also know that I am a huge Mass Effect fan, having played through both Mass Effect 1 & 2 multiple times and own all the DLC for both games, including armor packs and Pinnacle Station. While playing this DLC I used a level 30 Paragon soldier who had already completed the main story. I should also note that my character is imported from Mass Effect 1, where I never romanced Liara, but from my understanding the romance is at least addressed and potentially continued.

Now to get to my opinions, this DLC is absolutely the best and longest of any Mass Effect DLC. Without saying to much about the plot of the DLC it takes you through various locations, and even has a car chase! Though the majority of the 2-3 hours of playtime will be spent dispatching various enemies, there is also a fair bit of exploration and dialogue to go through. There are several twists on the gameplay, but saying them could be considered spoiler territory so I’ll leave that alone. After completing the DLC there are plenty of interesting things to do, but describing them may ruin the story for you so I won’t. Despite the serious tone of this DLC there is a good amount of humor, though some may only be amusing to Mass Effect 1 players.

Overall this DLC though perhaps a bit short, is easily worth the price of admission. If you, like me, still sink far too many hours into Mass Effect 2 it is a must buy. If you only play occasionally I would still pick this DLC up, as it will add several hours of new content that is some of the best the game has to offer.

Final Score: 9.5/10
+
Gameplay Twists
Interesting new story
Car chases

-
A bit short

It is not Saturday, but with PAX this weekend there has been so much news, that I figured why wait. If any of you went to PAX, and have some Halo related pictures you would like shared email them to me. So without further adieu, here is your Halo PAX Update. Continue Reading…

It’s Saturday, so you know what that means, another Halo Weekly Update! Once again this is more of a prototype than the final product, so as always feedback is welcomed and appreciated. This week has a fair share of news, and I’ve even decided to add a new section in the Update. Continue Reading…

Here is a quick rundown on the original post.

Michael Pachter is predicting a $100 plan as the next evolutionary step in subscription options soon to be available to Xbox Live consumers, he told IndustryGamers reports that while the initial extra $10 “translates to around $100 to 150 million per year in additional revenue for Microsoft,” the company will “reinvest at least this much in developing other new applications, and will roll out a premium service with $100 to 200 million worth of enhancements. If they can get 2 million users to switch from the $60 plan to the $100 plan, they’ll make an extra $80 million a year, and can keep investing to try to grow that business.” Continue Reading…

This holiday, Xbox Live Gold Members are getting ESPN and Video Kinect. In 2011, Gold Members get Hulu Plus. What’s the catch???

Xbox Live Gold Memberships will be going UP. A 1-Month will go from $7.99 to $9.99. A 3-Month will go from $19.99 to $24.99. A 12-Month will go from $49.99 to $59.99. These prices will take affect on November 1, 2010.

So get out there and stock up on the current priced memberships. What do you think of this???

-DarkIDefender

If your one of the people that got a invitation for the Kinect beta program and you have been accepted. Microsoft hopes you don’t like people! Because since they are using a new codec for the chat you will only be able to talk to other people that have the beta.

According to kotaku you will also lose stuff from your avatar because of the new avatars Kinect will be using, you’ll lose any avatar marketplace purchases, as the old cloths don’t fit the new characters. Presumably, these would all come back in November once they’d been re-tooled.

Here is the official word from the beta agreement:

While we strive to provide full compatibility with others outside of the pre-release program, there is one audio change planned that will prevent you from performing party or individual chat with people not included in the pre-release program. Note – this will be addressed when we officially release Kinect to the world. Game chat is expected to function as usual and should not be impacted by this change.

Seems like some people already got the accepted so if you haven’t been there is not much hope left that you will be

So are you unhappy about the sound quality? Probably not, but if you are its going to be a problem of the past soon, here is what the interview of eurogamer said about it:

“The refresh, designed to coincide with the launch of Kinect, will upgrade the codec and audio infrastructure that underpins the quality of voice communication from Xbox 360 to Xbox 360, and should make for clear chat between gamers when they play online, Xbox Live Studios boss Jerry Johnson said at the Edinburgh Interactive Festival this afternoon.

The codec we used when we first launched was a low bit rate codec and we stuck with that,” Johnson explained.

“We launched and we said we required broadband. We required a 64k connection, which not many people think of as broadband any longer. But that was the minimum requirement to run the service at the time.

“It’s time for us to move on. Especially if we want to think about broadening – a crackly headset on the top of your head – not what people think of when they talk about popular entertainment.”

Some time ago, Microsoft released Halo: Reach on games on demand for review purposes. Only people with a code could download it. The problem being that there are people that want Halo: Reach more them Microsoft wants them not to have it. So servers got compromised  and Halo: Reach was stolen.

Only a fool would download the game and play it online but for those who did the banhammer did not take long to find them.

Aside from console bans, Microsoft is also suspending gamertags who are seen playing it:

“Xbox LIVE
Notification of Permanent Suspension: Prerelease title play

This email is to notify you that your Xbox LIVE account privileges have been permanently suspended due to illegitimate prerelease title play.

Your conduct was brought to the attention of the LIVE Enforcement Team through the course of our operation of the service. The LIVE Enforcement Team has reviewed the evidence regarding this conduct and determined it violates the Xbox LIVE Terms of Use and/or Code of Conduct. Because your conduct is in violation, the Xbox LIVE Enforcement Team has issued a permanent suspension.

During your suspension, you will not be able to log into Xbox LIVE. Your Xbox LIVE privileges will not be reinstated.

Customer Support is not able to modify or provide any further details about your suspension.

Microsoft expects that all customers abide by the Code of Conduct. The Code of Conduct provides guidelines for appropriate behavior while using the service.

You can view the Xbox LIVE Code of Conduct from the Xbox LIVE Dashboard under Xbox LIVE Policies in Account Management, or by visiting http://www.xbox.com/live/codeofconduct.htm.You can view the Xbox LIVE Terms of Use by visiting http://www.xbox.com/live/termsofuse.htm.

Note: if you are not a user of Xbox LIVE, this suspension may have been enacted due to your activity in the Zune Social. You can view the Zune Social Code of Conduct by visiting http://www.zune.net/legal/codeOfConduct.htm. You can view the Zune Social Terms of Service by visiting http://www.zune.net/legal/termsofservice.htm.

Thank you,
LIVE Enforcement Team”

Microsoft kind of released some info on possible new features in the new Kinect Dashboard. Looking at the features of Kinect Adventures is clearly says: “Show off and share. Adventures are best when shared with friends and family members. Express yourself and pose for the camera as it captures Photo Moments of you and your friends tackling adventures together. Use your body and voice to create live videos called “Living Statues” as the reward for a job well done. Share the fun with friends on the Internet through Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, e-mail and anywhere you choose.”

So what do you think? Are we going to get a YouTube and E-mail app? Or a web browser all together?

Are you in the market for a new cellphone?  Do you wish you could get achievement points when you play games on your cellphone?  Do you wish you could stay connected to Xbox Live even on the go?  You will be able to do all that in the very near future with the release of Windows Mobile 7.  The idea of Live Anywhere is getting closer to reality.

Check out the following video for some marketing tease.

-Wingman709

Interested in H.A.W.X 2, but just don’t know if its a buy? As much as Wingman709 goes crazy over this game, I don’t blame you for checking it out first. Instead of renting it, you will be able to play the demo come Monday (tomorrow… August 16th). So why don’t you give the game a try? Even though the achievements were totally glitched in the first one.

Ready for some Red Dead DLC? Have you finished the first one? Well, you got only 7 days to make it happen, as Rockstar will be releasing their new DLC next week (Wednesday August 11th). Its $10 (800 MS Points). Who’s going to get it?

Plants vs. Zombies will be available on your Xbox September 8th for 1200 MS Points $15. Pretty hefty price, but its worth it. See you online then!

In case you needed yet another game to run your wallet dry, here we are with RB3 getting the go ahead for October 26th.  That is all, refer here. I know what I will be doing on October 26th.

PopCap Games, the worldwide leader in casual video games, today announced plans to release Plants vs. Zombies™ for Xbox LIVE® Arcade (XBLA) this fall.  With an anticipated launch in early September, Plants vs. Zombies on XBLA will deliver more game content than any previous iteration of the franchise, boasting seven game modes, including two all-new multiplayer modes, 12 unique achievements and 21 mini-games. Upon its release, Plants vs. Zombies for XBLA will be available for 1200 Microsoft Points (US$15.00). Continue Reading…

So most of us knew that Gearbox set up a twitter account for General KnoXX. After his death on twitter (dated: 7:17 PM Mar 14th) There has been no word of him. Untill now, 18hours ago from now this appeared: tap. tap. is this on? had to turn my tweetergramming machine back on. just got some new orders. (sent from the future.)

So what could this mean? More DLC? Or a Borderlands 2 announcement soon? Only time will tell!

Title says it all, in case you were already bored of NCAA 11 (which you will be by then). I personally can not wait for Madden. For other reasons than just to play it.

1 vs. 100 is the first Primetime show on Xbox Live, and the first one to be canceled according to Microsoft. If you want proof, you can find it on the official Xbox.com page. Microsoft will be using the freed up server space to bring more projects that have yet to be revealed.

Of course everyone can not wait to pay 10 bucks a month for a service that is free on the PC (for now), but you will have to wait until the end of 2010 to even have a chance to populate your Xbox 360 with Huluness. Seems as though Sony wants to tout the exclusivity as Hulu Plus launches only on the PS3 for the remainder of the year. Enjoy your exclusive Sony, I really could not care. Do you?

For those of you waiting patiently for the release of Kane and Lynch 2, your patience has been rewarded because the game has been moved up one week! I think it is because the fans wanted the game so bad they did everyone a favor, but maybe it was not to compete with Mafia 2… Take your pick, they are both a wash.