Words cannot describe my love for the Mass Effect series. Ive been playing the games since the first day it came out all those years ago. Mass Effect 1 was revolutionary. Mass Effect 2 is regarded as one of the best games of all time, and its personally my favorite. Mass Effect 3 let alot of people down, mostly due to problems with the endings. I was never bothered by them, and still found it to be an epic and emotional ending to Commander Shepards journey. But Mass Effect 3: Citadel is the true ending to the trilogy, and for Shepard. It is the final content to be released for the game, and the last time we will get to revisit Shepard and his team taking on a new enemy. I've played through the entire DLC, finishing it just hours ago. And I have to say, its an amazing end to an amazing story. It is a love letter to not only the characters, but to the fans that have followed the series. This is a spoiler free review, besides for the already released summary by Bioware included inside, so dont worry about anything.
The brief description of the DLC is that Shepard is called back to the Citadel and discovers a plot against him and his crew. Along the way, you reunite with some old faces and fight this final new enemy together. After the main story is complete, you can kick back and relax with the characters you love and just enjoy their company.
Bioware has delievered this and more with this download. They have brought us an emotional tale that really gives the characters a chance to shine. It will catch you off guard in places that you wouldnt expect. You may get to a part in the story where you think its going in a ridiculous direction, but if you stick with it, you'll see that it goes in a fantastic one. It plays out really well and has a satisfying conclusion that will leave you smiling. And thats only the story missions behind this downloadable content. After that, an entire new section of the Citadel is open and you get the chance to reunite and interact with the characters you have bled with and fell in love with over the course of the three games. This includes your own private apartment that is well worth the price alone. Its huge, its beautiful, and if I was rich I would make it in real life.
Something that I did not expect from this download is that it is hilarious, and in a good way. I found myself wiping tears away from my eyes because I was laughing so hard at the fun I was having with the characters. You can really tell Bioware held nothing back and had alot of fun throwing these characters together. Each character has there chance to shine, especially the older companions, to show that they can still fight the good fight. It does each character justice, and even those I orginally didnt care for, I found myself falling in love with by the end of the DLC. You will see Wrex smash stuff. You will see Liara use her awesome biotics. You will see Garrus sniping people while giving wisecracks. Every character is given there chance to shine, and its done perfectly.
Though what really sets this DlC apart from the rest is when you really realize how emotional this piece is. Apart from all of the comedic humor and throw backs to the first 2 games, you really see that this is the end for these characters. Sure you still have the end of the game to complete, but this is the last DLC for the game, which makes it your last chance to hang with the likes of Garrus, Tali, Miranda, etc. Especially the very end, when your back together with everyone in your new apartment. All of a sudden those tears of laughter turned into tears of bittersweet happiness. Its happy because you get a real chance to appreciate the loveable characters, but sad because you know that this is it.
The lasting appeal to this DLC is better than all of the others that have come before it. This is mostly due to the addition of an area that you can revisit at will. And this area is huge and endlessly interactive. It feels alive and you'll spend alot of time there, I promise you that. The graphics are beautiful as always, and the voice acting is top notch as usual. It would be hard to find a fault in this DLC in my opinion.
Mass Effect 3: Citadel is an amazing conclusion to Commander Shepards journey. It provides you with a final chance to hang with the characters you love in new and awesome areas of the Citadel. I recommend it to everyone who is a fan of the series. If you are one, take the game out and dust it off for this DLC, I promise you wont regret it.