A beautiful, challenging and fun return to Illium and Mass Effect 2

User Rating: 9 | Mass Effect 2: Lair of the Shadow Broker X360
By richwalker13 | Review Date:
I was so disappointed when I realised, playing Mass Effect 2 at the start of last year, that the beautiful blue Dr. Liara T'Soni, my paramour of choice from ME1, wouldn't be joining Tali, Garrus and I in our battle with the Collectors. And aside from running a couple of side quests for her on the planet Illium and a brief cameo at the incredible opening of Mass Effect 2, Liara, like Kaiden and Wrex, remained only a well wisher.

Now here in the excellent ME2 DLC The Lair of the Shadow Broker she briefly joins your squad as a playable character to hunt down the mysterious Shadow Broker, referenced in the first game and now, Liara's arch nemesis.

Not wishing to spoil it's excellent story suffice to say sadly, Liara still doesn't join your band but is primed to make a splash in ME3

All the usual excellent acting, writing and sound effects are in place from it's parent game but the high lights of the add-on are the taxi chase sequence through Illium traffic (shallow but fun) and a tricky mid level boss fight with one of the Shadow Broker's agents but the absolute pinnacle of the piece is the assault on the eponymous lair itself. A space ship, flying in the turbulant dawn of a far and distant planet. Winds howling. Clouds Rolling. Lightning flashing. It's here you land and fight your way in. Atmospherically it's impressive, battle wise it's surprisingly challenging and at all times it looks AMAZING.

At the end of it comes some surprising rewards, not least 5 achievements, but also a quiet and tender final goodbye for Shepard and Liara... also some hilarious background info on your team thanks to the Shadow Broker's extensive archives... want to guess who on your squad enters poetry contests or dates online?

Easily the best piece of DLC for Mass Effect 2, a snip at 800 MS points and (I think) free with the latest edition of ME2 on the PS3. Enjoy.

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