However, when it came to The Citadel DLC, I took the same approach to it as I did TLK IMAX a decade ago. I knew from a Q&A that it would have no effect on the ending, which disappointed me but I'd rather be told outright rather than have my hopes dashed later on. Also, as mis-placed as it can be sometimes, I kinda like distrsactions in games like Mass Effect and Fallout - the chance to kick back and recharge the old batteries now and again. That said, I would also like to point out that there are several of these moments in the vanilla game and they are excellent on their own; shooting bottles with Garrus, having lunch with Kaiden and so on. Sure it seems daft to take shore leave during a war but the same could be said about Pinnacle Station - was chasing a high-score really wise when you were chasing Saren? Probably not but I haven't heard much dissent over it...
Anyway - Citadel, here we go!
When it comes to dialogue, Mass Effect has largely been excellent and this DLC was no different. From Wrex and his many wise maxims to EDI making Traynor squirm (which was worth the cost of the DLC on it's own for me! Then again, thanks to some leftover BW-points, I only had to pay £3 for it), it was some of the richest and funniest I've heard in a long time! There are just too many stand-out lines for me to list although "tonight's entertainment will be brought to you by random acts of gratuitous violence...I love showbusiness!" would rank very highly on that list, could I be arsed to write it down.
As for the plot, didn't they do the whole "clone with an inferiority complex" thing in Metal Gear Solid? I'm not quite sure I buy that Cerberus would make an entire living, breathing clone for the sake of "spares". As has already been established, cloned organs and such are available but I concede that a hand in a jar giving me the finger would have made for a pretty lame baddy!
That said, ignoring the fact that it's not exactly an original idea, it still threw me and builds on the little doubts over Shepard here and there. Lines such as "I'm pretty sure you're not a clone", "That could be anyone wearing your face!" and "Maybe I'm just an advanced VI that thinks it's me..." (granted that last one comes after the DLC) spring to mind here. While some have derided the use of a clone as "cheap", I prefer to think of it as a pretty good way of highlighting what this DLC is ultimately all about - character. The clone might have my things going for him but what he ultimately lacks are people who will stand by him and they do so because of his deeds and actions that earned their trust and respect. You cannot clone that, which is why The Illusive Man didn't go with the clone. When Shepard accused the clone of being a worse would-be Shepard than Conrad Verner, it was more than a mere insult. You can look and talk like Shepard, but you will never be Shepard.
Brooks was was an odd addition and I swear that if she moaned one more time about being shot then I would bloody well shoot her again. However the fact that BioWare remembered that annoying characters elicit emotional responses too and that they are needed as a counterpoint to the likeable ones shows they're not done yet. I worked out very quickly she was the traitor pretty quickly though - call it a hunch...
Once the business with the clone was done with (I booted him off the Normandy, for the record) I had a quick look around The Strip and caught up with the gang. As I stated before, I kinda like doing stuff like this in games for some odd reason and in Mass Effect, it felt good because I actually gave a crap about most of the characters, as opposed to other game franchises. I will concede that, were this part of the DLC post-ending, it would have been a lot more awesome but, as I stated before, I went into this DLC hoping to enjoy it on it's own merits. Which I did!
Citadel was touted as a "goodbye" to the characters we know and love, which is why I agree it would have worked better as a post-ending DLC. Doing it this way kinda breaks the fourth wall in many places, even if the characters never actually speak to the "camera" or make reference to the fact they are in a video game. It felt more like a wrap-party than a last knees-up before facing the final battle, which is a shame because the latter actually works for me. Rather than a series of bleak exchanges (kinda like the ones you get in London), they all decide to go out with a bang - remember what they are fighting to protect and why it's worth it. It formed new bonds and cemented ones that were already strong.
Judging by some of the comments, I think I missed out on a few key exchanges (Mordin's message) and, by inviting everyone at once, dropped a bit of a bollock! Oh well, I'll just have to remember not to do that, next time! It also struck me that some people were somewhat miffed by the fact there was funny dialogue. Correct me if I am wrong but hasn't Mass Effect has had funny lines throughout the series? Too much of a good thing, perhaps?
Summing up - Despite the rather compelling arguments to the contrary, I thought that The Citadel DLC was pretty enjoyable. It was hilariously funny in places, all due credit to the writers on the dialogue front, and even though it was mostly fan-service, I don' think that's a bad thing - not in this case at least. BioWare was never going to give us the sendoffs we think the characters we know and love deserved but this is the next best thing and, in all honesty and iffy timing aside, it was a darn sight better than what I was expecting!
Oh and the apartment - It's a farkin' SWEET pad! Not sure how Anderson ever managed to afford it - maybe being a councillor pays better than being an Admiral!
