Substance TV

I’ll admit it, I’m obsessed with Mass Effect 2. As the last name of the credits scrolled by, one all consuming thought entered my brain: ME WANT MORE! Even after investing 42 hours and pouring over every single mission and quest, the addiction couldn’t be satisfied.

I was a little more than excited when I heard about the Firewalker DLC coming March 23rd. While at the same time, I was worried. I loved the original Mass Effect, but let’s be honest, the Mako was a big brown smeared turd that made planet exploration a chore.

So is the Hammerhead a worthwhile addition to the Mass Effect world, or nothing more than a Mako with a new paint job? Read on to find out…

Once the Firewalker DLC finished downloading, I accessed the galaxy map, and a new system appears for exploration. Scanning one particular planet reveals an anomaly (surprise, surprise). This new planet is a barren fiery wasteland with rivers of molten lava. As you exit the lander, right smack dab in front of you is a huge metal container. A simple decryption, and voila, there she is, the Hammerhead. I have to say, it looks pretty sweet. Much sleeker and sexier than the Mako.

Right off the bat, I could feel the difference in the vehicle. First and foremost, it’s a hovercraft. Turning left and right is as simple as pressing left and right. Steering and speed are controlled by the left analog. Yes, this is the same setup as the Mako, but since this is a hovercraft, it can move in any direction seamlessly. Simple as that. No worry about backing up or making a sluggish uncontrollable 3 point turn.

As this mission/tutorial begins, I’m directed towards a glowing blue cylinder (hmmmm me thinks this is a sign). I head in that direction, but there is a valley between me and my goal. Like the Mako, ‘A’ makes you vehicle jump, but the similarities end there. Your jump is less of a small hop into the air (with a uncontrollable fall to the ground), and more of a steady ascension upwards (and a soft graceful landing). You can go much higher than before. Holding ‘A’ will continue to move the craft skyward for a few seconds. After a few seconds, the boost stops and you fall. But unlike the Mako, once your boost ends, you can press ‘A’ once more to boost back up giving you greater control of your momentum.

After clearing the gap, I get to the first checkpoint marked by a yellow circle on the ground. The games prompts me to press ‘Y’ to begin a scan. Now this next part I don’t quite understand. I move the Hammerhead into the middle of the circle and begin my scan. For some reason, the Hammerhead goes into seizures as it scans shaking and moving all around. This moves me out of the circle, and the scan fails. The next try, I do my best to wrangle the vehicle into the circle by using the left analog to compensate. A few seconds later, I’ve scanned the point and it’s on to the next point. It’s just weird that your ship goes into contortions while scanning. Must me a bad flux capacitor.

While you can move forward by pressing up and the analog, you also have access to a boost via the left trigger. As the name implies, it makes you go faster. I get to a point with debris and I’m prompted to clear it by shooting the Hammerhead’s weapon. Pressing the right trigger shoots a small missile like projectile. The rest of the mission plays out the same, scan, scan, and scan. Pretty much, the first mission is set up to do nothing more than a glorified tutorial, and in that respect, it does the job well.

After the first mission is complete, new missions open up in other parts of the galaxy. Most feel like a glorified tutorial with some action bits mixed in. You won’t be blown away by any means, but as a side distraction, it’s entertaining.

This DLC is available as part of the Cerberus Network, so this DLC is a no brainier for me. For those who bought it used, the Cerebrus network will run you 1200 Microsoft points ($15 in the States). As a stand alone DLC, it’s a bit underwhelming in the story department. In fact there is no story, it’s straight up gameplay. So don’t think of the Firewalker DLC alone as $15. There is a plethora of other content available through the network. And with new content in the future, I’d say it’s a worthwhile addition.

Think of this as BioWare’s official apology for the Mako. I look forward to seeing future content released using the Hammerhead with a little more meat.

Bottom line: If you get the chance, check this out. Think of it as an introduction to the Hammerhead. It’s not a groundbreaking addition, but it’s still a blast to play.

For those who downloaded it, what are your thoughts?