139 replies to this topic

[Eleima]

Mass Effect 3: Leviathan drops on to PSN and Origin @ Examiner.com
How To Start the Mass Effect 3 Leviathan DLC @ Kotaku

[Yovaneth]

I'd really like it if someone would actually sell it to me!!

-Y-

[Eleima]

GameSpy: Mass Effect 3: Leviathan Review @ Gamespy.com
Mass Effect 3: Leviathan Review @ Eurogamer.net

[Yovaneth]

Seriously though: if I go to Bioware it says Leviathan is for sale though Origin (pftt!! wash your mouth out), but if I go to Origin it simply isn't there.

-Y-

[Edit] Found it. Well that wasn't exactly intuitive - thanks EA. By 'Origin' it means that awful overlay after you've started the game.
['Nother edit] Figure this: 800 Bioware Points = £6.00 and 1200 Bioware Points = £9.00, but 1600 Bioware Points = £13.00. What happened to the maths....

Edited by Yovaneth, 29 August 2012 - 11:02 PM.

[Eleima]

The overlay when you started the game? I haven't checked myself, but are you sure it wasn't available in the information section of the game? There's a "get more content" button somewhere, that's how I got the Earth pack and other multiplayer packs. "From Ashes" DLC was available there too...

[Yovaneth]

Launch the game and once the connection has been made to the EA servers, you can select 'Downloadable Content' from the lefthand menu. After that, that awful ugly Origin overlay pops up demanding your money. It's all changed since Origin sucked up the Bioware Social network.

-Y-

[Eleima]

Mass Effect 3: Leviathan review @ Computerandvideogames.com

[Archmage Silver]

News:
Leviathan DLC Review @ Kotaku
Leviathan DLC Review [9/10] @ TCO
Leviathan DLC Review [8/10] @ OXM
Leviathan DLC Review [7/10] @ GameSpy

[Kulyok]

I finished Leviathan DLC yesterday. No major spoilers below, I hope. Bottom line: no, I'd say it isn't worth it(says the person who's got all ME1/ME2 DLCs, and Javik to boot). Story-wise, it's all covered in Extended Cut; gameplay-wise, it's not interesting and even bored me enough to consider abandoning my playthrough althogether. But it has good moments, still.

First of all, I think the best time for a playthrough, mission-wise, would be after Rannoch, because in this case, all party members, including Kaidan and Tali, would offer commentary after each of the three fighting missions. I played before Sur'Kesh, so I didn't get Kaidan or Tali commentary.

Each fighting mission is small, ranging from Priority:Mars to an average Cerberus gig. Your squad members would offer commentary during fighting missions, too, but with rare exceptions, these comments sound pretty bland:
"Commander, what are we doing here?" - "We're trying to find Leviathan." - "Ah, okay."
"Commander, isn't Leviathan dangerous?" - "Uh, he kinda is, but we kinda have to find him, because the developers Said So." - "Okay."
Still, Javik is good(especially post-missions), Garrus is good post-mission, and Liara has a good comment after the second fighting mission.

Mild spoiler: there is a moment when you don't feel very well, and in that moment, Garrus covered my Shepard, and helped her later in the shuttle. I'm not sure if it's a "love interest" moment, but it was pretty close. I liked it.

Most annoying, strangely, are the small details. They do not offer you the "Alliance" money - once you get your 12.500(for example) during a mission, you don't get a +12.500 from the Alliance. New faces(Dr Bryson and his daughter) look *too* different(different facial structure, lighting of the eyes and so on) - as if they came from another game. The cabin item they offer(a screaming husk head) is *really* creepy, whatever Vega says(and I'm glad he got bitten, by the way). Causing intentional pain to a being just to torture it - bah, we're not Cerberus. Finally, new items/weapons? Compared to the Anti-Synthetic rifle and good old "more damage" and "more rounds" weapon upgrades, they are practically useless.

My main gripe is bland dialogue. Really, really, really bland, with the exception of the first two(lore, introduction) and last five minutes(lore, final) of the mission. The setting is wonderful. Underwater scenes are brilliant. New areas are good, and small "puzzles" on the Citadel even offer some dialogue and nostalgia. But there is NO STORY. Every line from EDI on the Cerberus Ship, every line from Liara on Priority:Mars, even stupid lines from the colonists on Feros served the story. Here? Not really. It's pretty much: "you're not WELCOME here" and "I am the doctor you need to save, run, run, jump here, no, there, quick, quick!" With interruptions from various Reaper forces, naturally. Bo-ring. Really so.

Dialogue-wise, we're getting quite a lot of lines from EDI on the Citadel(not my first choice, but she was okay), and A LOT of lines from Cortez on each fighting mission, which really pissed me off. Remember Sur'Kesh and Tuchanka, where the best lines were delivered in the shuttles by Wrex, Eve, Mordin, Garrus, Javik, and the rest of the party? Well, here it's seven bland lines from Cortez. The guy's even more of a robot than EDI.

Finally: if you don't know who Leviathan is(or are), but, like me, suspect it is a "good" Reaper(maybe someone like Legion magnified millions of times), you may be disappointed, so be prepared.

Spoiler here: speaking of plotholes, I feel Control and Synthesis just became non-viable solutions. With Leviathan around, the Reapers simply MUST be destroyed(can't allow someone else to take control, especially Leviathan), and even if the Reapers are destroyed, I'm pretty apprehensive about the galaxy's well-being while Leviathan are alive. The Leviathan make Prothean seem peaceful and non-ambitious in comparison, and I do regret that the mission has no choices - you can't destroy the Leviathan, you can only create a war asset. And post-war? I have a bad feeling about this.

[Yovaneth]

I'm in agreement with those who say that the real problem is that the DLC suffers from being released after most people have finished the game, so that it's next to impossible to really engage with it. You know what happened, so nothing you do here will have the slightest effect. Yes, if provides more backstory but too late. I agree with your assessment of 'play it after Rannoch' - that's my intention next time round as it does seem to fit in that slot.

-Y-

[Eleima]

Thanks for the feedback, guys. I'd been dithering, because of lack of time, and this definitely pushed me over the edge. Pass for me.

[Pain Elemental]

I played it as well and agree with Kulyok.
Not worth it.

[Cal Jones]

Thanks for the review, Kulyok.
I have finally bought ME3 (once I saw it had come down to £12.99, heh) - what DLC are worth getting?

[Yovaneth]

How much money you got? Yes, get Leviathan because you have the choice of playing it before you hit the end so you will engage with it. DO NOT forget the free Extended Ending DLC. As for weapons packs.... if it takes your fancy, buy it. I bought them all and as a soldier found that some were more useful than others.

-Y-

[Choo Choo]

I actually liked it. It wasn't perfect, but it had gorgeous locations and good atmosphere; the dialogue with the clerk at the beginning of the first main mission creeped me out.

I second the recommendation about playing this after Rannoch... and bring your love interest. Unless it's a Garrus-specific thing, which I doubt, they've got special dialogue.

[Kulyok]

I highly recommend From Ashes DLC - the game just isn't complete without it. Extended Cut, too, of course, and it's free. As for the weapons packs, I'd say they make the game *too* easy, even on Insanity: some weapons are great, but rather overpowered(not like Mattock in ME2, but rather like Arc Projector as a regular weapon in ME2).

[Yovaneth]

On the last run I played the whole trilogy on Hardcore setting as I found Normal just too easy. Almost like is was dumbed-down.

And yes: From Ashes is a lot of fun - I forgot about that one.

-Y-

Edited by Yovaneth, 07 September 2012 - 02:09 AM.

[Eleima]

Definitely recommend From Ashes as well. It baffles me that it wasn't part of the game and that it had to be DLC (I understand the economics behind it, but from a storytelling point of view... not so much).

[Cal Jones]

Thanks. I didn't bother with weapon packs and such with the last game so doubt I will now, but I like extra content.

[Galsic]

I enjoyed From Ashes, but I honestly don't get the notion that the game is somehow not complete without it. My impression is that Javik (god, I hate that name for some reason) is little more integral to the main game than Zaeed and Kasumi were to ME2, and all he really does is erase what little mystique is left of the Protheans. Plus, I was never completely sold on how he came to be in ME's present time.

As for Leviathan, yeah, I think I'll pass on it, too.