The definitive ME2 DLC, this pack has it all: fresh new characters, a contributive story, and evolution of gameplay.
Of course, The Lair of the Shadow Broker isn't the first in the impressive list of add-ons of all shapes and sizes for the game – there are the obvious silly gimmicks like an Appearance Pack or additional armor sets if you pre-ordered ME2 from certain retailers, or a bit more useful stuff like weapon packs, which may be tad disruptive to gameplay balance, but provide an adequate variety nevertheless. Then along come full-fledged missions like the Overlord, new characters like Kasumi Goto and Zaeed Massani, each with their respective loyalty mission, and an apparent crash-test involving new vehicle mechanics present in the Firewalker pack, which housed the new Hammerhead hovering tank. Fan-service was rolling on all fours until Bioware decided to conquer new heights.
While initially, it doesn't seem like the new DLC piece is trying to achieve anything grand; all of the previous ones were fun in their own way, but contributed little to the general story vault, and the Lair of the Shadow Broker was to be the first to actually bridge the second game with the upcoming finale. A direct tie-in which follows the four-series Dark Horse prequel comic to Mass Effect 2, Redemption, the addition focuses on a former asari crewmate, Dr. Liara T'Soni, in her hunt for the elusive information trader known only as the Shadow Broker, a familiar brief antagonist from the first game. The comic may give some insight behind Liara's sudden shift in attitude and explain new faces, but it isn't really a necessary prologue before plunging head-first into the elegantly crafted add-on – the story focuses much of the original Mass Effect 2 in itself more than anything else.
Like any other ME2 DLC, it all starts at Shepard's cozy private terminal. You'll witness a message from Cerberus saying they've uncovered some peculiar data on the Shadow Broker, and that they're informed of, and even willing to assist Liara in her quest for vengeance, but are stalled by their own reputation. It's up to you to deliver the good news and kick off the almost two hour-long ride (which gets even longer if you plan to tackle it on the Insanity difficulty setting).
Anyway. To clarify, the new mission can be activated at Liara's office at Illium - granted you've completed the first wave of recruitments and unlocked the given planet – and it's even possible to trigger the DLC before going through any of the little side quests from the asari (they will later count as completed, but it's preferable to do them beforehand to gain that extra bunch of credits). It is then briefly explained why Liara is after the Shadow Broker, and what's with her sudden obsession over the matter in general – to put it more bluntly, it's a delicate recap of Mass Effect: Redemption from the eyes of T'Soni, before you off rush to save the day.
The story goes through unusual locals and will have you meeting up with the types of characters that are widely known throughout the universe but are never seen in person – I'm not going to spoil anything here, but it all goes to wacky backstabbing and some intrigue, all tightly packed in the short mission. The variety rivals that of most loyalty missions, and will have you investigating a crime scene at a Nos Astra apartment, clearing out a bombed trade center (no obvious references, right?), racing across the futuristic metropolis on a skycar Fifth-Element-style – which was a surprise really, as the short segment goes in well with the flow and doesn't disappoint in terms of mechanics and intensity – before finally taking the fight to the Broker in person at a hidden base, which takes up the entire second act of the DLC and stands out as one of the most atmospheric, and visually stunning ME2 levels yet.
All of this is even more fun since you get to command Liara around, just like old times – she'll replace one of your teammates about one third through the mission, and has her own skill tree complete with a new special ability, Stasis (which is also a warm hello from ME1), which you can later research via Advanced Training and employ personally. Unfortunately, she's not here to stay, but the reasons are more than rationalized, and you'll find yourself welcoming her eventual demise from your temporary command after her quest is fulfilled.
Anyway, the primary message which connects while playing the Lair of the Shadow Broker spells in capitalized letters: MORE ACTION. The Shadow Broker's private army, as the new goons are characterized early on, is an accurate assumption if only not an understatement: the relentless onslaught of mercs and the firefights they so kindly provide won't dare stumble the pace right after the first five or ten minutes of serene shuffling around, and the interesting (I'm not just throwing this word in) environments will offer your tactical thinking room to fly – a much appreciated factor since the enemy fancies the space as well, not to mention them taking the courtesy to nick those flash bangs from Kasumi's mission – even more the reason to keep your boots moving. Liara is an ideal variant in moments like these – the powerful biotic can deploy Singularities to make short work of an entire squad, or freeze a particularly trigger-happy bastard and buy you some time to organize a decent welcome-back party (remember: like in the first game, Stasis works both ways – you can't deal any damage to the target until the power wears off).
All in all, the game boasts an impressive array of combat situations and two (!) solid bossfights which might just surprise you with their straightforward, but brutal nature. The game tries much less to bring idiotic puzzle moments (I'm not talking about Overlord's platform-moving section, oh no.) in play, and focuses much more on the true, obvious strengths like actual, up-to-date TPS mechanics and incredibly cinematic conversations.
Now, it's no secret that every DLC also serves a second purpose – it's a sort of poking around to see how slightly differing approaches to certain moments might work better in a sequel. Nothing is as obvious here as it was with some other add-ons – and the Hammerhead in particular – but the overworked, much livelier conversations with twice the animations prove that Bioware is trying to establish the ME3 pace for the prime aspect of the franchise.
And it's outside of the conversations, as well – something very sought-for was incorporated in the DLC, but it might be a surprise to find out – squad banter. And I'm talking about old-school wise-cracking during intense combat situations and fierce pursuits - Liara has gone far from her naïve outlook, providing for some awesome moments. You'll definitely double-over at some nostalgic reminiscing during a certain hold-this-position type segment later through the mission, and the line that killed me, for instance, was during the skycar scene where I failed to dodge a proximity charge, with Shepard asking Liara if she was alright after the resulting explosion. The answer? "Still better than the Mako!"
It's no wonder, actually. We all know that birds fly, that the sky is blue, and that Bioware games have great character interaction. The new faces you'll encounter are all fleshed out and loaded with default Bioware-level personalities, all the dull gray morality issues shining through clever writing and witty dialogue. And it's pretty versatile since you get to meet characters which will mean different things for people who've either played the first game, or read Redemption, or done both. Or even none. It's vague, I know. All for the sake of not spoiling key stuff.
The voicework itself is astonishingly done, of course. Ali Hillis is back voicing Liara, along with Mark Meer and Jennifer Hale for the male and female versions of Commander Shepard respectively. There obviously isn't anyone else of the original cast invited for a single DLC, so you shouldn't expect additional squad comments – but, as opposed to prior content packs, you don't get the feeling of their grand necessity – such is the lush chit-chat and general overwhelming value of the package.
Then there's the brand new music, which steps aside from the traditional cold and futuristic tunes in favor of brooding, dark and rhythmic pieces by composer Christopher Lennertz. The unique value it adds to the mission is impeccable, underlining the impending unveiling of mysteries and all that epic stuff quality scores do.
There really isn't much else to add, because it IS a two-hour run (although it's filled with way too much variety, leaving hopes for a new trend in Bioware DLCs) and doesn't take talked too much about itself well – you'll need to play it to appreciate it. The story gets continued in logical ways and the ground is set for some wacky revelations, you'll meet up with awesome new characters, you'll gain powerful new allies in the upcoming fight with the Reapers (nope, it's not as obvious as it sounds), AND, on top of that, you'll get a whole LOT of special bonuses at the end that contribute to the general universe, broaden your understanding of your crewmates, and resolve some RPG and economic micromanagement issues the original ME2 unfortunately suffered from. That's all I'm gonna say, except for the obvious one-liner of an appreciative fanboy. Seriously though, if you were previously hesitant about the single-sided and somewhat shallow continuations of one of the best games of 2010, this is your best bet yet: Mass Effect 2's Lair of the Shadow Broker has it all.