Short but quite brilliant.
As the IGN review pointed out, it is short, especially given it's size - 700+ MB, however you can see a clear difference between this, premium, DLC and the "Firewalker" stuff that was given away for free: it's markedly better.
Still for comparison's sake the closest analogous content is the previously released Zaeed Massani companion DLC, released alongside the game with the cerberus network, and it is here that the comparisons favour Kasumi's mission even more:
As with Zaeed, upon loading a gamesave (anywhere after you get the Normandy II), you will have a mission pop-up telling you to go to the Citadel to recruit Kasumi: an "enigmatic (aren't they all?) thief, that cerberus has apparently paid enough to be willing to join your suicide mission. Upon landing there, you can't miss the new addition to the port area: an advertising board that spews some funny lines to attract your attention. before too long, Kasumi reveals herself in person and explains a bit more about the side-mission you are then encouraged to undertake to obtain her loyalty.
It is here that the DLC really begins to shine - Kasumi is an immediately engaging and interesting character - taking a hitherto-unseen part of your ship (the port lounge), you can "talk" to her, immediately, causing her to remark on your romance "nice to see miranda smile whilst she's working, and it's all thanks to you shepard. be gentle with her." and also various "prizes" from her previous missions - muchlike in Zaeed's are of the ship, but with more variety. Upon starting the side-mission proper, you can see where the development effort went: this is easily one of the best side-missions in the game: starting off with a cut-scene, you fly in to a sumptuous mansion in the foothills of a beautiful alien world with a classic science-fiction future-city on the horizon, busy with the movement of vehicles and a beautiful skyline.
The mansion itself is also impressive - filled with party guests and beautiful paintings. eventually you have to drag yourself away to confront the real reason you are here: Kasumi's onetime love, a skilled hacker, was killed by the party's host (complete with dodgy south african accent) for information he encoded into a "graybox" (memory storage device in the brain) - standard sci-fi fare, really. it is your (and kasumis) job to break into the hosts' vault and steal it back - not just to safeguard the information, but for the personal connection Kasumi herself has to the memories the secrets are encoded into - her relationship with the hacker. The way it is revealed and the depth of the acting is once again what makes mass effect stand out from other games - you really do feel the emotions and get to know the characters, and they all feel like plausible people.
Being a high-class party and all, you can't go in guns-blazing, so the game has you in smart-casual dress (a new outfit for the mission, but similar to your ship-wear) - very james bond-esque, and you have to do certain things like collect DNA from certain items to break into the vault where the graybox is being held.
Once all that is accmplished and you do get to the vault itself, the 2nd half of the mission starts, and this is much more about the combat, and a complete change in environment, below the mansion - you and Kasumi fighting through waves of guards - and ideal opportunity to try out her "shadowcloak" powers and her and the guards' new "flashbang" grenades. Again the level design is great - very varied and completely different to the mansion itself, and the wonderful vault gallery you just left (which comes complete with Michaelangelo's David, the head of the Statue of Liberty, as well as something Dragon Age fans will recognise).
It all climaxes with a massive fight against your original host in a gunship and many more guards, after that the big decisions is whether to keep the secrets/memories, or destroy them for safety's sake, either way kasumi becoms a loyal member of your team for the rest of the game (however much you have left).
Overall, it was a short DLC, but equivalent to the best amongst the main game's side-missions, and for sheer spectacle and variety of textures and activities, defnitely some of Bioware's best stuff - very James Bond, indeed. Kasumi herself is a great character, and her touching relationship with her former love that forms the reason for the mission feels very real. If Bioware keep churning out more DLC like this, and less like the Firewalker and stupid 3-pack alternate outfits, i will be very happy.
Overall: 9/10.
DLC is out now, on XBL, or for PC, for 560 MS points, or the equivalent.
As the IGN review pointed out, it is short, especially given it's size - 700+ MB, however you can see a clear difference between this, premium, DLC and the "Firewalker" stuff that was given away for free: it's markedly better.
Still for comparison's sake the closest analogous content is the previously released Zaeed Massani companion DLC, released alongside the game with the cerberus network, and it is here that the comparisons favour Kasumi's mission even more:
As with Zaeed, upon loading a gamesave (anywhere after you get the Normandy II), you will have a mission pop-up telling you to go to the Citadel to recruit Kasumi: an "enigmatic (aren't they all?) thief, that cerberus has apparently paid enough to be willing to join your suicide mission. Upon landing there, you can't miss the new addition to the port area: an advertising board that spews some funny lines to attract your attention. before too long, Kasumi reveals herself in person and explains a bit more about the side-mission you are then encouraged to undertake to obtain her loyalty.
It is here that the DLC really begins to shine - Kasumi is an immediately engaging and interesting character - taking a hitherto-unseen part of your ship (the port lounge), you can "talk" to her, immediately, causing her to remark on your romance "nice to see miranda smile whilst she's working, and it's all thanks to you shepard. be gentle with her." and also various "prizes" from her previous missions - muchlike in Zaeed's are of the ship, but with more variety. Upon starting the side-mission proper, you can see where the development effort went: this is easily one of the best side-missions in the game: starting off with a cut-scene, you fly in to a sumptuous mansion in the foothills of a beautiful alien world with a classic science-fiction future-city on the horizon, busy with the movement of vehicles and a beautiful skyline.
The mansion itself is also impressive - filled with party guests and beautiful paintings. eventually you have to drag yourself away to confront the real reason you are here: Kasumi's onetime love, a skilled hacker, was killed by the party's host (complete with dodgy south african accent) for information he encoded into a "graybox" (memory storage device in the brain) - standard sci-fi fare, really. it is your (and kasumis) job to break into the hosts' vault and steal it back - not just to safeguard the information, but for the personal connection Kasumi herself has to the memories the secrets are encoded into - her relationship with the hacker. The way it is revealed and the depth of the acting is once again what makes mass effect stand out from other games - you really do feel the emotions and get to know the characters, and they all feel like plausible people.
Being a high-class party and all, you can't go in guns-blazing, so the game has you in smart-casual dress (a new outfit for the mission, but similar to your ship-wear) - very james bond-esque, and you have to do certain things like collect DNA from certain items to break into the vault where the graybox is being held.
Once all that is accmplished and you do get to the vault itself, the 2nd half of the mission starts, and this is much more about the combat, and a complete change in environment, below the mansion - you and Kasumi fighting through waves of guards - and ideal opportunity to try out her "shadowcloak" powers and her and the guards' new "flashbang" grenades. Again the level design is great - very varied and completely different to the mansion itself, and the wonderful vault gallery you just left (which comes complete with Michaelangelo's David, the head of the Statue of Liberty, as well as something Dragon Age fans will recognise).
It all climaxes with a massive fight against your original host in a gunship and many more guards, after that the big decisions is whether to keep the secrets/memories, or destroy them for safety's sake, either way kasumi becoms a loyal member of your team for the rest of the game (however much you have left).
Overall, it was a short DLC, but equivalent to the best amongst the main game's side-missions, and for sheer spectacle and variety of textures and activities, defnitely some of Bioware's best stuff - very James Bond, indeed. Kasumi herself is a great character, and her touching relationship with her former love that forms the reason for the mission feels very real. If Bioware keep churning out more DLC like this, and less like the Firewalker and stupid 3-pack alternate outfits, i will be very happy.
Overall: 9/10.
DLC is out now, on XBL, or for PC, for 560 MS points, or the equivalent.
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