Mass Effect 3 - The Citadel DLC

Endings can be a bittersweet ordeal; especially if it belongs to a series you’re particularly passionate and enthusiastic about. For me, Mass Effect has been one of these, having fallen in love with the game almost instantly after playing the first one way back when. It’s a game I have spent the most amount of time playing, carefully and lovingly creating different stories for Commander Shepard and his/her crew. Now that I’ve come to terms with the actual ending for Mass Effect 3 (only after the extended content, may I add), I would easily place the series as my favourite trilogy ever released (waiting on you, Dragon Age 3....) So, as you can guess, I was incredibly excited (and a tiny bit sad) when Bioware announced their final piece of DLC titled ‘The Citadel’. I’ll admit, part of me was a little dubious though – their last instalment ‘Omega’ was a little lacklustre – but I scraped some points together and got downloading.
 

As the title suggests, the content takes place on the heart of all galactic civilisation – the Citadel. Shepard takes the Normandy for some much needed TLC, agreeing to meet Joker for some sushi in a restaurant and from there, all hell breaks loose. I don’t want to give too many spoilers away regarding the plot for obvious reasons, but let’s just say that it wasn’t what I was actually expecting to happen. It has some good twists and turns, as well as leaving you a little bit frustrated at one point (not in a bad way though.) It adds a couple of interesting and well written characters to the mix, as well as bringing back some of the old faces. You can’t help but feel nostalgic.

The first part of the DLC brings a great mix of different scenarios to the table. You’ve got a great stealth based section, involving a silence pistol (particularly fun if you’re playing Infiltrator, like me). There’s a fun undercover mission regarding a casino and then your usual all out firefights in some interesting locations (my favourite being a used car shop – very classy.) Each section is equally as enjoyable for different reasons, although I was a little bit disappointed by one of the locations, as I would have liked to have had more time to explore it (don’t wanna give any spoilers, but it had some great potential for some nice additions to the lore of the game.)

The enemies in the game are a new ‘faction’ as it were. They blatantly take design concepts from Cerberus and fight more or less the same, but there a few changes. Their version of Guardians are particularly nasty, carrying weird shields and a machine gun that really hurts. I got forced into some really nasty corners at times, especially after being pinned down by their snipers (who take off a lot more damage than Cerberus’ Nemesis...and can go invisible.) So yes, the combat keeps you on your toes but it’s not uncomfortably difficult, allowing the content flow nicely. The casino section is well placed and also helps to break up the endless gunfire and killing things (a trait that Omega suffered from, I think.) 

The greatest thing about this DLC though, isn’t the story per say. Nor is it the action and set pieces you have to fight through. It’s the pure fan service that this content oozes. I absolutely loved it! Every single second is fun, hilarious and just simply enjoyable – I mean, I sat up till stupid o’clock playing it because I couldn’t put it down. And I’ve never laughed so much out loud either whilst gaming (well, Portal aside). The dialogue is witty and the banter between the teams is just fantastic, showcasing the great sense of comradeship between the characters that have been through thick and thin since the beginning. It also has its ‘heart-warming moments, where I felt genuinely touched by what was going on around me.

The second part of the DLC couldn’t be any more different. After Anderson leaves you his apartment so you can get some well earned R&R, you can casually interact with the other members of your team. Despite all the fun I had shooting up the place, this part of the ‘Citadel’ DLC was actually my favourite. As you may have guess from my previous reviews of things, I’m a big fan of characters and their development throughout the story. This section of the DLC is a chance to spend time with the characters again, and it brings some truly quality moments to the game. One of the missions you have to complete is to throw a party and you can invite whoever you like over to have a good time and get drunk with you. Sounds a little weird/petty, but honestly, seeing all the Normandy crew together in the same room, having fun is actually rather tear jerking. They stand around, having playful banter and fun despite their differences in beliefs/backgrounds – it makes for a truly moving scene. Plus the party itself is actually hilarious. Just wandering round rewards you with some fantastic conversations, although I think Zaeed and Garrus kinda steal the show, surprisingly.

Now the Normandy team are a strong cast of individuals, this DLC makes sure that every character gets their time to shine. Again, I don’t want to spoil anything, but let’s just say that I ended up crying with laughter whenever Traynor showed up. Bioware favourite Liara also gets some fantastic moments, and the light-hearted mockery between Ashley and Tali also raised a few chuckles with me. More importantly, it also brings some much needed depth and face time to some of the characters that were kinda sidelined throughout the story. If you’re a fan of the ME2 team, like myself, then this DLC brings some much needed catch up time with your good ol’ ‘suicide squad’. For example, it was great to have more interaction Miranda (my personal favourite character) and seeing her with Shep again was incredibly cute (...sorry, girly mode over.) It’s also great for fans of Jack and Jacob, who got their characters sidelined rather lamely. So yes, pure fanservice but I don’t care – it was brilliant.

All in all I was pleasantly surprised by the Citadel DLC. Not because it has a fantastic story, because even though it’s good, it does have some glaring plot holes and parts that make you arch an eyebrow. And if you’re looking for something with lots of shooting and action, then yes the first part of the DLC may satisfy you but I wouldn’t pay 1200 MS Points just for that. If you’re the generic gamer of this day and age who likes things to die and doesn’t give a damn about story or in depth dialogue because you need constant shooting to satisfy your short attention span then avoid this like the plague! This DLC is for the hardcore fans of the series – people who have loved it since the beginning and have an attachment to the characters. People like myself, who wanted more character interaction and a fun, satisfying conclusion to an emotional rollercoaster of a game that can take itself a little too seriously sometimes. In my opinion this DLC is exactly what Mass Effect 3 needed. An ending to a game that left me feeling all warm and fuzzy inside, despite how sad I am to walk away from it all. This is the best ending I could have asked for. It's a great send off. Kudos Bioware – I shall miss the fun we had together during this series.

As Miranda says to Shepard: "We had a hell of a ride, didn't we?"

"The best."

Catherine

Love's a tricky thing, isn't it? Well Vincent, the unfortunate main character of Atlus' puzzle/platformer 'Catherine,' finds that out the hard way. Now, I'm a big fan of games that are just a little bit different from the norm, and this is one of the most refreshing games I've played this past year. Catherine boasts both an impressive and thought provoking story line and fun (as well as annoyingly addictive) gameplay. Considering these are, personally, my two most important features in a game, it's no surprise that I found Catherine to be a really engaging and enjoyable experience (and I realise how that might be interpreted in the wrong way...I mean the game, for all you dirty minded people out there. Honestly....)

Catherine is the first game developed by Atlus to be on the current gen consoles. As the makers of my favourite all time games (Persona 3 and Persona 4 - I honestly couldn't choose which one I like better), I was rather excited to see how the game would play out. As well having character artwork by Shigenori Soejima, the soundtrack is written by my one of my favourite composers - Shoji Meguro. Throw that in with a weird, yet compelling storyline and interesting characters - this game sounded like heaven on a bluray disc to me. And I wasn't disappointed, although...heaven was probably not the right way to describe it. It's more like hell...but for all the right reasons.

So, what's it all about? Well, Catherine takes you through a week in the life of Vincent Brooks - a 32 year old guy whose comfortably pathetic life gets thrown into turmoil when his long term girlfriend, Katherine, wants to settle down and get married. Things go from bad to worse when he then wakes up the next morning with stunning blonde beside him, conveniently also named Catherine. Confused and incredibly stressed out, Vincent's dreams turn to nightmares as he is haunted by the important decisions he now must make in his life. Not only that, but there’s a strange rumour going round that people who fall in their dreams and don’t wake up before they hit the ground, die in real life. Are these situations connected? Well, that’s what Vincent’s trying to work out. I know - it doesn't really sound like a conventional story concept for a video game, which is one of the reasons why I found Catherine to be such an appealing game.

The story is interesting in a sense that there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ options. Usually, in game where we pick choices, there are blatant evil and good options, that can see main characters being jerks who punch people in the face for no reason or saints who save kittens and puppies. In Catherine, there’s no such thing. Vincent can’t really be evil, nor can he be some goody-two-shoes. The options are more neutral. It’s kinda refreshing in a way and feels more...human? Whatever you’d call it, it’s a nice change. At times, Vincent might drive you insane as you wonder if someone could really be that stupid, but he’s actually quite an endearing character. You genuinely feel sorry for him and the situation he’s found himself in. I found myself actually rooting for him and wanted him to figure out what the hell was going on. It’s the same with the other characters too. The two ladies are also great characters. On paper, Catherine looks to be definite winner, what with her cuteness, laid back attitude to relationships and all. Yet, there was something about Katherine that made me warm to her and I genuinely felt sorry for what was happening behind her back. Vincent’s friends are also quite an interesting bunch too, but then again, I’d expect nothing less from a game developed by the same people as Persona!

The game itself is split into two playable 'sections' if you will. The first being at Vincent's local bar called 'The Stray Sheep'. It's here where the main chunks of the story play out. This is usually done through the use of very pretty anime style cut scenes that depict Vincent's day and the dilemmas he faces. At the end of each day, Vincent meets his friends at the bar and this is where you control him. Here you can interact with the bar's other patrons, choosing your actions and dialogue, all of which affects the outcome of the story. You also receive text messages from both of the K/Catherines. It's an interesting mechanic - you pick how you want to respond in quite a detailed manner and this all affects your relationship and interactions with the two ladies in Vincent's recently troubled life. I actually really enjoyed the 'Stray Sheep' sections of the game. You got to know the characters that frequent the bar, getting involved with their problems and struggles and there's a really nice sense that your choices do affect the way they progress through the story. Once you're done drinking and chatting, you can then decide when you want Vincent to head back home, leading up to the next playable section of the game.

Each night in his nightmares, Vincent is forced to climb up a tower, stage by stage (in his boxers, may I add) until he reaches what is only referred to as 'perfect freedom'. These stages make up the main playable parts of the game and involve pushing and pulling out blocks in order to make steps to progress up the tower. Sounds simple when said like that, but there's more to it. As you climb, the stage slowly falls away below you, meaning that there's always that constant pressure to climb up faster. Not only that, but each stage implements new mechanics, getting trickier as you go. To begin with, it's simply just about climbing upwards as fast as you can, but then it begins to add in different types of blocks. Spike blocks, for instance, kill you if you stand on them. Then there's ice blocks, which makes you slide off at a rapid pace, often making you loose your footing. In a nutshell, the idea behind these sections is actually relatively basic, but Atlus have made the game freakin hard! It's very punishing and can often be frustrating. There were many occasions where I sat, staring at the obstacles in front of me thinking "bloody hell, how the hell am I supposed to do that?!" Trial and error are an important aspect of this game - you make mistakes and you will die...usually quite horribly, might I add. I mean, how often do you get stabbed by a chainsaw wielding baby...? (Yeah, it's that Japanese...) You have to progress up the tower learning from what you've done previously, so having a certain degree of patience is a definite necessity. Now I'm not the greatest platform gamer, and I'm not the most patient person either, but I actually found myself really wanting to progress through these levels, just to see what's going on in the story. There was a strange sense of determination, as I vowed I would not be defeated by some giant wall. Luckily, each stage isn't really that long (although it took me half an hour to do some small segments of it), so it's broken up quite nicely, meaning you get suitable breaks from your frustration. There's a real sense of achievement when you reach the top of each level though - I was usually pretty dam pleased with myself when I finally conquered each stage.

At the end of each level is a ‘boss stage’. These consist of being chased upwards by some horrible demon thing, manifested from Vincent’s fears and worries. Each one of these bosses tries to kill you, or affect you in some way that makes climbing the tower incredibly difficult. I found these sections both challenging and fun, as they make you utilise the techniques you learned during that stage, only in a more deadly environment. Try having to figure out which blocks to move whilst having a giant hand trying to impale you into the wall with a fork. It’s fun...trust me.

I could sing this game’s praises for this entire review, but I guess it's important to cover the negatives as well. Truth be told, there wasn't really much that annoyed me about the game. One of it's biggest problems was the fixed camera. I found the camera angles during the climbing stages to be a little irritating, as sometimes I couldn't quite see where I was supposed to be going, or where I actually was in parts. The control system, whilst simple and mostly effective, requires a lot of precision. I was playing this on Playstation and I found myself using the D-pad to control my climbing (in fact, I never even touched the analogue sticks during most of the gameplay.) This leads me to wonder how I'd ever manage to play it on Xbox (not doing a controller comparison, or rating one over the other) because the D-pad isn't the...greatest. Analogue sticks would make it tricky and maybe even more frustrating...at least, in my opinion. And, as I said before, the game is very, very hard. Some people might be put off by that, so I guess it’s worth mentioning again.

Overall, Catherine is definitely one of the most interesting games I've played this year. I know it's been out for a little while now, but this is actually probably the best time to buy it. It's not a very long game by today’s standards (I racked up about 13-14 hours finishing time.), so some people probably wouldn't wanna pay £40 for it, but it's definitely worth getting preowned. It's a real gem of a game - I can honestly think of nothing else like it that I've ever played. And, to say I'm not the greatest fan of platform games, this is definitely on my recommendation list (should you care to listen to my opinion of course). It's got great replay value too and a variety of different endings and cutscenes depending on the choices you pick. I found the ending I got was actually really awesome, so I'm a little begrudged to do anything differently, but my curiosity will probably get the better of me eventually. It also might be worth looking into if you fancy trying something incredibly challenging. I'll swallow my pride and admit that I only played it on the easiest setting (I wanted to know the story, ok?) but the harder difficulties are renowned for being rather challenging. In fact, they had to include a patch with the North American release that actually made the game easier. So if getting your ass kicked repeatedly is something you like in a game, then maybe you should check this out.

Anyways, I digress a little (as usual). In short - Catherine is a game you should definitely play, at least at some point in your gaming life. I suppose that the important question is, which one will you choose - Katherine or Catherine? I picked the one who voiced my favourite Bleach character...(yeah, I know right.)