Worth the wait? Mass Effect 3 - Extended Cut DLC

I have given a lot of coverage to Mass Effect 3 at this site so far, including a review where I gave the game high marks despite the controversial ending.  While I did not mind the ending, it was quickly made clear that a lot of other fans felt that it was a complete disservice.  I never fell in-line with that thinking, but I did feel like the ending was lacking in impact from your decisions and it felt a bit undercooked.  Shortly after the public backlash over the ending to Mass Effect 3, Bioware promised an Extended Cut DLC that would not fundamentally change the ending, but add context to what was already out there.  So how did it fare?  Warning - spoilers ahead!

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Mass Effect 3 Collector's Edition - Xbox 360 Review

Mass Effect 3 is probably one of the most anticipated titles to come out in some time.  Like Diablo III will be in a couple of months, Mass Effect 3 has certain expectations that will be almost impossible to meet for some people.  In truth, I feel the expectations are higher here then for Diablo 3.  Certainly the wait has been shorter, but Bioware did something incredible when they brought choices made from the first Mass Effect into Mass Effect 2, changing certain parts of the storyline to add continuity to the storyline you crafted.

As a result, Mass Effect 3 has become a title that not only has expectations due to being part of a popular series, but because players have already become greatly invested in the storyline to date.  Along the way there have been books and iPhone games to help tide gamers over, but none of those things compare to the primary three games in the series.  There were a lot of design choices that people questioned along the way such as the addition of multiplayer and the ending of the game.  I would have loved to have rushed out a rapid review on this game so it could be just a bit more timely, but my personal policy of playing through a game until I am done with it/beaten it once would not allow me to do so.  Here are my thoughts on it.

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Gaming Thoughts... A couple of last Mass Effect 3 tidbits

I'm planning to post my Mass Effect 3 full review tomorrow.  It's lengthy, but I hope you enjoy it.

Moving on - I find that the number of EA crossovers over the last few years sort of odd, but generally I have liked them.  Bonuses for playing Dragon Age on Facebook that show up in Dragon Age II?  That works.  The odd Dead Space armor swaps?  Odd, but it generally looks cool.  Tying in Blood Dragon Armor from Dragon Age into Mass Effect?  Sure, why not - that was my primary armor used in ME 3 truth be told.  They're all under the EA wheelhouse though, so I found the Mass Effect 3 armor showing up in Final Fantasy XIII-2 a bit odd.  I don't plan to pick it up, but maybe others will?  It seems like Square Enix has Final Fantasy XIII characters crossing over quite a bit more as they explore the DLC world.  I saw a rather odd article on IGN yesterday about them modeling Prada clothing too. 

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