The Bad, The Ugly and The Worst: A Look at Evolve’s DLC and Pre-Order Plans

evolve-bannerI don’t know how many times that people have to be told not to pre-order games for it to sink in but I’m not sure that it will matter. For all the convincing pitches that game companies themselves make with games that are broken on launch or otherwise in need of a lot of work to be considered of triple-A quality, publishers are coming up with ever more convincing pitches to get you to pre-order games or upgrade to more expensive editions of the game and it all comes down to money.

It used to be that pre-order perks were limited to things like skins or weapons or other little bonuses that didn’t really make that big of an impact on the overall game. Those traditional pre-order bonuses should not be confused with the setup that Turtle Rock Studios and 2K Games have come up with their latest hoped triple-A money printer Evolve.

In order to move pre-order copies of Evolve and to sell the various deluxe editions of Evolve, Turtle Rock and 2K have come up with one of the most complicated and ridiculous DLC schemes in recent memory. People have actually come up with charts in order to keep track of what is included with which version via pre-order, purchase, season pass and a la carte. Evolve might be one of the better games this year but its DLC will make it one of the most controversial at the same time.

Continue reading

Advertisement

BioShock Infinite: Burial At Sea – Episode One Review: Beyond the Sea

bioshock-infinite-burial-at-sea-episode-one-bannerAs someone who has BioShock on their personal top ten games of all-time list and top three of 2013, I had to go back to play the DLC that marries the two worlds of Rapture and Columbia together. But is Burial at Sea capable of properly combining two memorable stories and two memorable settings into one cohesive whole or does Burial at Sea come off as nothing but BioShock fan service for the sake of nostalgia?

Continue reading

Mass Effect 3: Citadel DLC Review (or An End, Once and For All)

mass-effect-3-citadel-dlc-bannerThis is it, isn’t it? One last ride with Commander Shepard as we take on a group of well-armed and ill-intentioned bad guys in order to save the galaxy with our friends in tow. BioWare made us well aware that this was going to be the final piece of DLC released for Mass Effect 3. In effect, Citadel would be a send-off for the series that people had invested so much time and energy into over the last six years.

So how was our ride into the sunset with Commander Shepard and crew?

Continue reading

This Is It, Isn’t It? Mass Effect 3: Citadel DLC Drops Today

The final piece of Mass Effect 3 DLC is out today. Mass Effect 3: Citadel brings Shepard and his crew back to the Citadel for one final reunion and adventure. Well, I say one final adventure but this is pre-ending DLC so technically, from a plot standpoint, it’s not actually Shepard’s final adventure. Continue reading

The Detailed Breakdown of Mass Effect 3: Reckoning Multiplayer DLC

mass-effect-3-reckoning-02-geth-juggernautThe final Mass Effect 3 multiplayer add-on pack is being released today. BioWare says that today’s Reckoning DLC will be the fifth and last free piece of downloadable content for ME3’s multiplayer mode.

As usual, BioWare is being tight-lipped about the details of Reckoning. If you do enough digging, you might be able to piece together what you’ll get when you download the DLC. But why do that when we’ve already compiled all the info and rumours about Reckoning for you. Continue reading

Mass Effect 3 Signs Off with Its Final Two DLCs

mass-effect-3-citadel-screenshot-01As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Whether you loved it or hated it, Mass Effect 3’s journey is finally coming to an end. Yesterday, BioWare announced that they would release the final two pieces of ME3 DLC, one each of single-player and multiplayer, over the next two weeks.

Both of the DLCs announced confirmed the rumours that had been circulating the interwebs for months. The single-player DLC is the Citadel DLC. Multiplayer will see the addition of the Reckoning DLC.

Continue reading

What to Expect from Mass Effect 3 Reckoning Multiplayer DLC

mass-effect-3-promo-05-koa-reckoning-armorBetween description leaks and datamining the 1.05 patch, we have some idea of what to expect when BioWare eventually launches their upcoming Reckoning DLC for Mass Effect 3’s multiplayer. Unfortunately, BioWare has gotten better at not tipping their hand in their patches. Continue reading

BioWare Bosses Tease ME3 DLC on Twitter

mass-effect-3-citadel-dlc-unofficial-bannerAs much crap as BioWare has taken over Mass Effect 3 (and Dragon Age 2 and Star Wars: The Old Republic), we sure as hell pay attention to every little thing they do. Yesterday, producer Mike Gamble and director/producer Casey Hudson tweeted a couple of promotional images from the upcoming Mass Effect 3 DLCs. Continue reading

BioWare is Going “All Hands on Deck” for Next ME3 DLC

mass-effect-3-citadel-dlc-unofficial-bannerI may have been underwhelmed by Mass Effect 3’s Leviathan DLC but I was more underwhelmed by the follow-up Omega DLC. What was expected to be ME3’s equivalent to Lair of the Shadow Broker turned out more like its Overlord. For the third post-launch DLC, BioWare has gone all hands on deck. Most of the production team’s major players from the full game are back to work on this DLC. That includes the writers, composer Sam Hulick and even voice actors from the main cast. Continue reading

Mass Effect 3: Omega DLC Review (or Mama, I’m Coming Home)

mass-effect-3-omega-bannerThe Mass Effect 3 Omega DLC has been an interesting topic of discussion. While most Mass Effect fans loved Aria T’Loak, the overlord of the Omega space station, would doing a mission with her be worth the extra $5 that BioWare was charging? When it was released Lair of the Shadow Broker was the most expensive piece of Mass Effect 2 DLC. Could Omega live up to the legacy of LotSB? Continue reading