Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: BioWare
System requirements (base game): Windows XP SP3/Vista SP1/Win 7, 1.8 GHz multiple-core CPU, 1 GB RAM (2 GB Vista/Win7), 256 MB graphics card with Pixel Shader 3.0 support, DirectX 9.0c-compatible sound card, 15 GB hard-drive space
Genre: Shooter
ESRB rating: Mature
Release date: Available now

The first confrontation with the Collectors and the Reapers has been won, and now Cmdr. Shepard and the crew of the Normandy prepare to hunt down Harbinger and finish the job. But there are parts of the story left unfinished, so developer Bioware has crafted a series of downloadable mission packs to prepare the way for the release of Mass Effect 3, reportedly sometime in 2011. Two of these, Kasumi: Stolen Memory and Lair of the Shadow Broker, help set the stage for the final battles to come.

In Kasumi, The Illusive Man sends you back to the Citadel to meet Kasumi Goto, a celebrated thief who presents Shepard with an unusual scenario. A device called a graybox, which contains the memories of an old friend of Kasumi’s, has been stolen by infamous arms dealer Donovan Hock. The graybox contains information that will destroy Hock’s empire if it ever finds its way to the authorities (or to Cerberus). Shepard’s task is to pose as a fellow arms dealer, infiltrate Hock’s birthday party, download the information in the graybox and escape. Kasumi uses her invisibility cloak to aid Shepard as he searches for DNA samples, passwords and voice clips that get them into Hock’s vault. Kasumi offers about 15 to 30 minutes of gameplay, depending upon which conversation paths you choose to take. The James Bond-ish infiltration plot is a nice change of pace from your typical Mass Effect action, but once you get into Hock’s vault and recover the graybox, the gameplay reverts back to the standard cover-based shooter setup. But Kasumi is notable for three things: it gets Shepard out of the armor and into semi-normal clothing, it introduces who most likely will be the final member of the Normandy crew in advance of ME3, and it features one of the few times in the course of the game in which you aren’t required to select a team before leaving the Normandy, although you still have to pick two teammates to leave the ship at the beginning of the scene, when all you have to do is to have a conversation. Shepard’s a big boy (or girl, as the case may be); you’d think he could take care of himself from time to time.

The more interesting (and much meatier) Lair of the Shadow Broker is more firmly grounded in squad-based combat, and it brings an old friend back into the story. Shepard is sent to the market planet Illium to deliver important information to Liara T’Soni about the Shadow Broker, the mysterious info seller who tried to buy Shepard’s corpse before it was delivered to Cerberus. Liara has been trying to locate the Broker for years, ever since he captured a friend of hers. Liara takes the information about the Broker and runs with it, only to disappear after being targeted by her enemy’s agents. Shepard and a companion catch up with her, and together they fight through the agents, battle their way on board the Broker’s hidden base and reach his inner sanctum. Lair is a substantial add-on, clocking in at perhaps an hour of gameplay, and it enhances the usual combat with what might be the first vehicle in the series that you can actually fly, as you pilot a flying taxi through the traffic-heavy canyons of a city on Illium in pursuit of one of the Broker’s assassins. Unfortunately, the final battle with the Broker is somewhat of a letdown, but it opens up an extensive cache of information about all of the important people and places in the game. And, if you play your cards right, you might get to hook up with Liara without changing the status of any of your Shepard’s current relationships, although Shepard still refuses to take his (or her) helmet off during a mission (once again, someone kisses his helmet instead of his actual lips, which is just as silly as it was in the past).

Kasumi: Stolen Memory and Lair of the Shadow Broker both contain elements that make them fun to play now, and contribute to the setup for presumably the final act of the Mass Effect saga to come. The content is good, they both add new achievements to pursue, and the price is right ($7 for Kasumi, $10 for Lair). Kasumi is an excellent addition to the crew, and it’s nice to see that Bioware has not forgotten about Liara. I can’t wait to see how all of this ends.

Our Score (Kasumi):

Our Recommendation: