So far one of Mass Effect 2's most widely enjoyed destinations has been one of Mass Effect 3's most widely lamented omissions. Omega, the dark, seedy, asteroid-bound haven of the galaxy's black market and villainy (think of it as the Milky Way's Tortuga), found a firm place in our hearts during Shepard's crusade against the Collectors in ME 2, but was overshadowed as greater events (one being the fate of civilization) took precedence in the trilogy's finale.
That all changed this September when BioWare confirmed "Omega", the second single-player DLC expansion for the game following August's "Leviathan." Now, new story details and release plans have been released by the developer, as it provides more clues on the size and scope we fans can anticipate.
According to Eurogamer, Mass Effect 3's Omega DLC will release on November 27th for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC and will be priced at $15 (1200 Microsoft Points). European PlayStation 3 owners will have access to the content a day later on November 28th.
The price is the largest ever for a single DLC release in Mass Effect history, but as Mass Effect 3 producer Mike Gamble explains, there's a corollary reason: so is the size. Speaking at New York Comic-Con today, Gamble described the Omega DLC as "double the size" of the largest Mass Effect 3 DLC. Ostensibly this is a comparison to Leviathan and actual game content, considering size in terms of memory already reached its Xbox 360-DLC maximum of 2GB with the Mass Effect 3 Extended Cut.
As expected, the DLC reunites Shepard with Aria T'loak as the two retake Omega Station from Cerberus control. Aria, the malevolent Asari crime kingpin and former de factor ruler of Omega, was last seen at the Citadel club Purgatory fuming with Shepard over the station's loss. We're guessing that her foreboding vows to return - and violently, at that - should force Shepard into some complex dillemas over allegiances, power, and justice as the tension inevitably builds.
Gamble also says that the mission to take back Omega does harken back to the Mass Effect 3: Invasion prequel comics, where Cerberus General Pertrovsky steamrolled the anarchic refuge with a massive invasion fleet to capture it for the Illusive Man. Not only will the DLC bring Pertrovsky back into fold, but it will also introduce "new enemies" (which may well include the Cerberus Dragoon Class forces implemented in the recent "Retaliation" multiplayer update) and the first-ever appearance of a female turian.
Unfortunately Gamble wouldn't offer any details regarding the Omega DLC's mission structure (not unfortunately, we broke down the latest Omega mission evidence a few weeks ago). The size and premise of the story, however, are telling in one regard: This is likely Mass Effect 3 going out with a bang. Some of our readers have made it quite clear to us that the ending of Mass Effect 3 - either its controversial events or BioWare's questionable handling of the fallout - has repressed any excitement for new DLC. Leviathan certainly didn't live up to its expectations. Multiplayer is only now being fully realized. And so with increasing indication that BioWare is moving on in the Mass Effect universe, past its epic first trilogy, it would be hard to imagine there's not an underlying motive here for rectification, for one last chance to make things right - as ever they could be, anyway.
Ranters, we'll keep you updated on any new Omega DLC details. In the meantime, what do think of BioWare's plans to make it the largest Mass Effect expansion yet? Should it mark an end to Mass Effect 3 content, will it be an effective way of closing out the game - and the trilogy, for that matter?
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Source: Eurogamer