Mass Effect 2 has "intense" DLC schedule

By Robert Purchese Published 11 January, 2010

Plus: work has begun on Mass Effect 3.

BioWare's Mass Effect project director Casey Hudson has said the second game in its space opera trilogy will have an "intense schedule" of downloadable content, the first fruits of which will appear "shortly" after launch.

"There will be great downloadable content throughout the time that Mass Effect 2 is out there while people are waiting for the third one. You'll always have great stuff. New adventures to play. New things to do," Hudson told IGN.

"We don't have anything specifically announced yet, but we basically plan for DLC pretty shortly after the release of the game and then a pretty intense schedule of downloadable content throughout.

"This is one of the big improvements that we've been able to do for Mass Effect 2. Lots of DLC and lots of really high quality DLC that players can look forward to," he added.

Mass Effect 1, despite the in-game menu's DLC option, only expanded twice in two years: first in March 2008 with Bring Down the Sky then with Pinnacle Station in August last year.

Hudson also revealed that work had begun on the third instalment in the trilogy, ensuring BioWare can do as intended and release all three games on Xbox 360.

"We are already at work on Mass Effect 3, building the first bits of the story, putting that together," said Hudson. "We always wanted to make sure that we got the entire trilogy of games done within this console's [Xbox 360's] lifecycle. We didn't want to take forever with it.

Hudson explained that by the "final chapter", "you'll know that it's your universe", through the choices you've made and saved games carried from ME1 to ME3.

Mass Effect 2 is due out for PC and Xbox 360 on 29th January.

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About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (34) Latest comment 2 years ago

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  • LiveForever #1 2 years ago

    And the era of DLC content upon release continues. Lets hope its not too much of a rip.
    Its not a bad thing to wait 6 months and buy The Game Of The Year Edition with all the DLC and game fixes + all the free mods for the same price. Will probably be doing this. Just my thoughts.

  • Miths #2 2 years ago

    Unless they unexpectedly screw something up, this is looking like it's going to be one hell of a sequel. I'm glad the PC version isn't delayed this time, my 360 died a couple of months ago (originally played ME1 on it, now going through the PC version) and at the moment I'm not really feeling inclined to replace it.
    I might have felt differently If I had had to wait a couple of months for ME2 on PC :).

  • MrTeatime #3 2 years ago

    Post deleted at 09:59:18 03-01-2012

  • Eraysor #4 2 years ago

    I just hope the DLC implementation isn't as irritating as it is in DA:o, with the guy in your camp having a massive exclamation mark over his head until you pay him to play the quest.

  • hiddenranbir #5 2 years ago

    Hmm so a lot of DLC...better not finish my game really quickly then cause most of their DLC requires a non-finished save.

  • Fuser #6 2 years ago

    Annnnd they've just lost a sale from me as well.
    I loved ME1, but I can't be doing with playing a game and knowing there's going to be 'missing bits restored' in a couple of months, or the feeling that I've bought something other than a complete experience.
    I'll be waiting for the GOTY as well I think
    The DLC thing in general is turning me off buying new releases that's for sure....

  • AphoticCosmos #7 2 years ago

    As long as it's all awesome, I don't care.

  • miiiguel #8 2 years ago

    @ MrTea: never finished a game?! wow!!! I can't remember last time I didn't finish a game.

  • TheTingler #9 2 years ago

    Let's just hope people who have actually finished the game by the time the DLC comes along (i.e. everyone) will actually be able to play the new content without restarting.

  • StooMonster #10 2 years ago

    DLC schedule?

    Makes me think it might be better to wait for the inevitable Game Of The Year Edition that includes all the DLC in the price; I know it'll be a year's wait, and I do love ME so, but I do have a huge pile of unplayed games (some from Xmas 2008) that I still haven't got through.

  • Jonathan_Fakenham #11 2 years ago

    re: MrTeatime

    As you're a fan of Anachronox though, I could sorta see a similarity there with the scifi setting and taking your crew to new planets with Mass Effect. Also, it's awesome.
    Edited by 1 at 11/01/10 @ 09:54

  • Eighthours #12 2 years ago

    This is the third time they've made this DLC promise! They did it with KOTOR, then Mass Effect 1...

    Third time lucky?

  • etherfiend #13 2 years ago

    There is only so much money in my wallet and an 'intense' schedule of DLC will get sidelined in favour of some of the other great games slated for Q1. It's not that I don't agree with DLC, I think it's great when done properly ( /glares at AC2 blatant thievery but looks lovingly at Borderlands) but at 600-1200 points per shot it gets expensive quite fast (especially now as it seems every game 'has' to have DLC even if it means removing some of the original game to peddle off as new content... /another glare at AC2).

  • JensonJet #14 2 years ago

    Have never, and will never buy any DLC. However good a game is, and Mass Effect is undeniably excellent, I'd rather buy a whole new game, second-hand perhaps, than buy a couple of download add ons.

  • Miths #15 2 years ago

    @MrTeatime

    My favourite RPG of all time is also Planescape: Torment, but Mass Effect is certainly not far down the list either, despite all it's obvious flaws (first and foremost lacklustre combat, horrible Mako controls and planet exploration in general), thanks for a very large part to great dialogue, mostly fantastic voice acting (I'm playing as female Shephard mainly because of Jennifer Hale) and an, in my opinion, very intriguing sci-fi universe with a comprehensive back story and interesting characters.

    I'm trying to finish up DA:o at the moment (played the first ~20 hours back when it was released, but other things - and games - got in the way), and while the combat mechanics provide a nice nostalgia trip back to the days of the Infinity Engine games (albeit a tad more simplified in DA:o), so far I still think Mass Effect was an overall better total experience.

    Mass Effect 2 looks like it will fix the main things that were wrong with the first one, particularly giving us proper shooter mechanics rather than the flawed blend of player and character skill in the first game, as well as streamlining and yet improving various aspects of, among other things, the skill and item and inventory systems.

  • Vinchio #16 2 years ago

    GOTY edition for me, not playing the DLC game.I wouldn't want to encourage more incidents like AC2, which i sold the day after reading about the 'missing' missions, on principle.

  • metalangel #17 2 years ago

    Now, I know they've said you can keep playing after you've finished the main storyline so you don't have to start over and endure whatever ME2's equivalent of Eden Prime and all that shit in the Citadel was. Even still, are you really going to be a happy gamer digging the disc out and starting it up again just to see some trashy new location that costs a quarter of the full game's price but only lasts an hour? *

    I narrowly avoided this by getting ME1 a few weeks after BDTS came out and so it was just like part of the main game for me (AS IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN) but on the flip side of the coin we have Fallout 3, where a DLC absolutely crucial to make the game 'complete' (not to mention avoiding wasting thousands of XP due to the level cap) didn't come out until May when the game itself was released at the end of October. The end result was my playthrough of my highly awaited game went on hold for SIX FUCKING MONTHS while I waited for the 'DLC schedule' to run its (inevitably delayed) course.

    That is a situation I am keen to avoid ever again, and so I think I'll just pass on ME2 until they deign to sell me the properly complete game, and at the price it should have been in the first place.

    *Not forgetting that any new equipment you find will be worthless to your high level character, all the enemies will be easily killed by your high level character, etc etc etc.
    Edited by 1 at 11/01/10 @ 11:11

  • Murton #18 2 years ago

    I could jump on the "DLC = bad" bandwagon but after many years of playing their games Bioware is the one developer that I trust make a game that feels wholly complete while still being able to offer additional extras through DLC.

    I never got round to finishing ME1 (pc version) as I lost my saves to a HDD malfunction and haven't felt up to the colossal task of starting the game again. I think I too may wait on the GOTY edition if for no other reason than to give myself the time to complete the first game before moving onto the second, I reckon that the background from the first game is going to be extremely important to getting the most out of the sequel.

  • RedSparrows #19 2 years ago

    I'd say 'ok, whatever', but the first ME DLC was terrible. It better be much improved!

  • dagas #20 2 years ago

    As long as it's good DLC I'm happy buy anything they put out.

  • midnight_walker #21 2 years ago

    As long as the DLC is GTAIV/Borderlands type, ie adding new and interesting missions/levels to an already great game which can be played whether you've finished the game or not, I'm on board.

    If it's Fallout/ME1 type - ie load up an old save in the middle of a game you finished weeks ago, it can kiss my ass.

  • Rubarack #22 2 years ago

    They're already selling a game that they're advertising quite heavily won't end so right off the bat I've a good reason not to buy this until Mass Effect 3 is nearly out. Then they start talking DLC after some really nasty DLC on Dragon Age and really awful DLC for Mass Effect and really overpriced DLC all round.

    I don't think they could do any more to convince me to wait for a GotY edition.

  • Moribundman #23 2 years ago

    @Fuser et al, this isn't going to be an ACII style "Missing bits restored" effort. It's more likely to be Borderlands/Fallouty type of thing.

    I probably won't buy DA:o DLC right away - while you can customise your character and invest in them, its nowhere near as personal as Mass Effect. I completed Dragon Age with one character, but essentially you need to bin that guy/girl after one playthrough and start all over again with a new character to try out the DLC - making each one transient and weak. With DA, like ME1 or Fallout pre Broken Steel, you need to spin back to a save near the end if you want to pursue any of the DLC with a character you've invested in.

    If ME2 will allow you to enhance your fave Shepard (and team) with additional episodes and adventures post-plot then it should be very interesting. Quite clever that the squadmates are not the "big name" voiceover actors, so over two years they can get them back into the studio and record additional content dialogue.

    DLC should be interesting on the basis that many players will be playing it AFTER completing the main game (much like FO3 where pre Broken Steel I ended up using a save where I'd walked Liberty Prime to the Jefferson Monument and left him there to run off and do the add-ons... ;-) ). As any of your party might be dead by this stage it will be interesting to see if the add ons take this into account in the same way the main game is supposed to be influenced by who you let die in the first game...

  • Moribundman #24 2 years ago

    I should also say that looking at the ME2 achievements as I did (plot masochist that I am) they at least seem to have been very clever with the wording re some of the characters, hiding some familiar faces' identities and in one case disguising that 2 acheivements even pertain to an as yet unannounced party member... ;-) These guys have listened to ALL the cliched complaints about ME1 and I absolutely trust them to deliver a pitch-perfect sequel AND appropriate DLC to satiate all the ME fanboys.

  • linksdad #25 2 years ago

    The prospect of all the DLC makes me unlikely buy this game early on. I find it highly unpalatable that the few extra morsels provided by DLC are proportionally priced way above that of the main game.

    This is DLC's greatest failing; the fewer people buy it the more expensive it has to be, making it worse value, reducing the number of buyers etc etc. If I buy discounted or 2nd hand the proportional price gets even higher and provides even less value for money, despite saving on the initial purchase.

  • Bigglesworth #26 2 years ago

    "We always wanted to make sure that we got the entire trilogy of games done within this console's [Xbox 360's] lifecycle"

    Future Xbox's backwards-incompatability confirmed.

    No, seriously now, is this coming out on PS3?

  • MaxHughes #27 2 years ago

    If there is an "intense" DLC schedule, does that mean that the main game is short?! I hope not!!

  • Murton #28 2 years ago

    Biggles: it's an MS exclusive bought and paid for, there'll be no PS3 version, if there was to be a PS3 release then Bioware would have announced it by now, they're pretty well known for open communication with their fans. As for future Xbox not featuring backwards compatibility, the 360's requirement to use MS's APIs would suggest that backwards compat will be guaranteed provided this practice continues. I'd suspect the decision to make sure all three games feature on 360 rather than being split between generations was made by EA and not Bioware, likely so that they'd be able to release a massive trilogy pack with all kinds of extras.

    MaxHuighes: I don't think Bioware could make a short game if they wanted to. Even focussing on the main story and forgetting all sidequests their games are easily as long or longer than most RPGs and over twice the length of your typical game, throw in those sidequests and Bioware games become epics that other games simply can't compete with for sheer amount of content, not counting MMOs obviously.

  • Moribundman #29 2 years ago

    @link'sdad No way will this be a short game. They've broken out to 2 discs for God's sake.

    @Bigglesworth - Seriously I feel your pain, but it's the central part in a trilogy. The first episode has all sorts of MS rights issues despite being an EA property now, and to be fair ME1 would not stand up as a new PS3 release if it came out today. With all the changes to the engine for ME2 (and 3) the first game would presumably look clunky and hamstrung, so even as a king of "special edition" packaged with 2 I don't think they'd release it on the PS3. You can't really release parts 2 and 3 of a trilogy on a platform without 1 - especially when the plot and the very universe of 2 and 3 are explicitly dictated and nuanced by how you played 1.

    I empathise with PS3 gamers, but then again I had to play Uncharted and Uncharted 2 at a mate's house ;-)

    And I think these comments about "holding back" DLC that should be in the main game are unfair.

    Bioware has a two pronged approach to DLC - on release content which is free to original purchasers (much like the Stone Prisoner in DA:o) this is essentially part of the main game but you GET it free with the main game unless you are a pirate or you only ever buy 2nd hand games. Anti-piracy DLC is no bad thing, and this method is much more preferable than online verification and all that draconian shit.

    Secondly additional episodic content adding a self-contained additional planet or two to the game which can be played AFTER completing it. That should be much easier to implement over two years and I think the only reason the first games DLC went down the pan was that they hadn't planned ahead properly. A chunky add-on like Return to Ostegar for ME2 would be amazing.

    Look at GTAIV - fantastic HUGE DLC but took them far too long to implement. Something the size and scope of Borderlands for less than 800 MSP or Fable 2's for less than 600 MSP would be very nice. And the nature of building YOUR Shepard which has had so many fans replaying ME1 now in anticipation can only be bouyed by game-changing DLC clsoer to the release of ME3 - no need to replay the whole game to bulk up for the sequel - you can just run through DLC over 2 years to stay in the game.

  • TruWari3r #30 2 years ago

    screw you negative dlc guys, I'm ecstatic

    Happy happy joy joy :)

  • TeaFiend #31 2 years ago

    It will likely be a good game with over 15 hours for a playthrough, I am not fussed at paying another few fivers for extra game. I loved the majority of the Fallout 3 DLC and I was happy to pay for all of that. Except maybe mothership zeta.

  • Moribundman #32 2 years ago

    15 hours for a playthrough?! Even if you skipped every skippable cutscene and line of dialogue, and did the bare minimum of plot missions you'd be pushing this in the first game, and the second is supposed to be much bigger. If you simply quite like the game and do the bare minimum to complete it then you're clearly not investing much in it and you probably won't get anything out of the DLC.

  • sfp_noodle #33 2 years ago

    the main reason developers decide to cut chunks of game ot or offer 'intense dlc content' is to make money off the many many people who buy games pre-owned. the only dlc i ever consider buying is for MP games that offer variety. gears of war and cod maps are the only thing i have ever spent my money on in terms of dlc. everythig else, i play the game, enjoy and sell on. the way i look at it - if a bit of story wasnt there in the 1st place, it certainly isnt worth it 2 or 3 months later

  • kangarootoo #34 2 years ago

    "glares at AC2 blatant thievery but looks lovingly at Borderlands"

    ?