Luckystorm

It's been a year since Mass Effect 3's release, and BioWare is finally ready to let go of its baby. Citadel is not just the last expansion for the game but a send-off for the entire trilogy, filled with lore, old faces, in-jokes and cameos. It's a witty and touching goodbye to the series' characters and a love letter to the game's hardcore fans.

• Mass Effect 3 Citadel Party
• Mass Effect 3 Citadel Review

May 15, 2015  Kasumi's meet-up in the Citadel DLC never has an email; you have to go to the Silversun Casino and then go look at the suspicious device. For Joker and Wrex, you just have to go to the Silversun Casino, to the bar on the second floor, and you should see a 'wait for Joker/Wrex' prompt. Mar 22, 2013  Want more Citadel DLC and other Mass Effect 3 DLCs? Check the playlists down below: Mass Effect 3: Citadel DLC http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrYsjIl.

For starters, there's Citadel's story campaign, a lengthy tale which sees Shepard targeted by the unlikeliest of foes. The story alone lasts several hours, with missions spread over a number of environments on the Citadel itself and a chance to see your entire squad on-screen fighting together.

Citadel is firmly centred on celebrating the bonds that Shepard shares with his crew-mates. This fan-pleasing angle is reflected from the offset, when Shepard's mentor, Anderson, grants the Commander his apartment after an enforced period of shore leave. The stylish city pad acts as a hub for the story, with all of your crew present to chat with between missions. It also comes stuffed with audio logs from an unfinished interview with Anderson and is the first of many environments chock-full of character moments and backstory.

The dialogue is remarkably well written and the episode fully lives up to BioWare's promise of an 'all hands on deck' project - a line Shepard knowingly repeats himself. The studio is known for allotting individual characters to specific members of its writing team, and the add-on's huge cast meant eight writers worked on it rather than the usual one or two.

This tactic pays off spectacularly, leaving Citadel's many character-heavy scenes laden with cracking dialogue. If krogan hero Wrex is still alive in your save then you'll get the option to bring him along for the ride - a nice touch for long-term fans - while those who bought the From Ashes extra character are rewarded with a generous amount of new content. There's a short section at the start of the episode where some characters are highlighted more than others (the likes of EDI, Liara and James Vega) but this is more than made up for by later interactions with the team and faces from series' past.

Some moments are genuinely laugh-out-loud hilarious, and the overall feeling of the piece is most similar to the snappy one-liners and quick-witted exchanges found in Mass Effect 2's celebrated Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC. There are moments all players will enjoy (and a special cameo for the Space Hamster), some that only long-term players will nod and smile at and a few that seem specifically written for those who brave BioWare's interesting fan forums.

Citadel almost feels like a 100th episode special of your favourite TV show, where its writers throw caution to the wind and see how meta they can get without smashing the fourth wall into pieces. It's a fine balance, one that BioWare mostly pulls off, but there's also a plot twist which threatens to jump the series' shark once and for all. Later story developments help heal the clanger to a degree, but it's still a jarring plot device, however much BioWare uses it to further the overall themes.

Later sections take Shepard through the Council Archives (another significant source of lore, should you linger to take it in) before a hugely fan-pleasing final location with one of the best bosses in the entirety of the game (take that, Kai Leng). You could probably rush through the campaign in a couple of hours, but there's so much new content and such a large number of easter eggs to discover it'll likely last around double that.

'Citadel almost feels like a 100th episode special of your favourite TV show, where its writers throw caution to the wind and see how meta they can get.'

On harder difficulties, the combat is an enjoyable challenge, too. The enemies, a mysterious mercenary squadron, are largely just reskinned Cerberus classes, but smartly-designed maps and a few new tricks will keep seasoned players on their toes. BioWare has the advantage of a year's worth of multiplayer gameplay to see how players typically act, and successfully manages to disrupt things on a number of occasions (there are even a couple of multiplayer characters hidden in one of the areas, haranguing frequent player mistakes).

When all that is said and done, Shepard can relax in his new Citadel quarters and begin the other half of the expansion. There's a large new hub area of shops and leisure facilities to explore, a casino to bet in and an arcade full of mini-games. You can buy a small number of new furnishings and remodel your apartment to a limited degree, then invite characters over to hang out in an array of skits.

Every surviving squad mate from the series makes an appearance, while some who've fallen along the way also get their due. Each character can be invited over for a catch-up, while many also have story sequences in the new hub area. BioWare has re-worked each of these - sometimes a fair amount - depending on whether your Shepard is in a relationship with that character. For the many, many fans that wanted extra romance content, BioWare has delivered.

The character section concludes with an extended party 'mission'. It offers a rare chance to see the team interact as one and, if you choose, get rather drunk. I spent about an hour wandering around listening to every conversation (the continuation of Miranda and Jack's bickering from Mass Effect 2 was a particular favourite). The party slowly gets rowdier throughout the night, and at three points during the evening you get choices on how you think the soiree is going, to which the party will adapt accordingly.

Price and availability

• Platforms: PC/PS3/Xbox 360
• Price: £11.99/1200 Microsoft Points
• Xbox Marketplace (Part One/Two)
• EU PS3 version due today
• No release on Wii U

And - because BioWare seems to have thrown in the kitchen sink, the utility room and a krogan shower scene for this part - your choices here can throw up a huge number of possible scenes. I've watched a couple of other playthroughs on YouTube with entirely different conversations, presumably based on which characters you invited (you can choose who you want from a long list) and the various party mood choices. It should keep those who work out all the different permutations and post them on YouTube busy for some time.

On top of that, BioWare has added in a brand new arena mode. Based in the Citadel, this enjoyable time-sink sees players granted an offline, miniature version of the game's multiplayer portion. You can set up matches to fight geth, Cerberus, Reapers or Collectors in a Star Trek-style holodeck. There are numerous maps to unlock, modifiers to use and, most excitingly, you can enlist any surviving squad mate from Mass Effect 1 and 2 to join in. This means you can spec out Kasumi and Zaeed to fight beside you once more, or go all krogan and have Grunt and Wrex charging about. There's also a new message terminal full of side-quests and challenges tied into this and for goodness' sake BioWare do you ever want me to stop playing this game?

It's been a bumpy 12 months since Mass Effect 3 was released. Those who disliked the game's three-flavour ending will probably find no solace in Citadel's three-choice party scenes, and it's a fair to assume that many will have moved on from the game in the intervening year. For those who've stuck by the series, however, and are willing to revisit it one final time, BioWare has excelled itself. The developer has clearly had a lot of fun creating a send-off to its characters that's worthy of the series' history and reminiscent of some of the saga's finest moments.

'I won't say it's been easy,' Shepard is told in a touching final scene. 'But we've had a good run.'

9 /10

Mass Effect 3: Citadel is a downloadable content (DLC) pack developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts for the 2012 action role-playing video game Mass Effect 3. It was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 in March 2013. The pack follows Commander Shepard and the crew of the Normandy SR-2 starship on shore leave, where they must uncover the truth surrounding a conspiracy against Shepard.

Citadel is the final major downloadable content pack for Mass Effect 3. It received very positive reviews from video game publications, who praised its humorous tone and focus on character interactions and relationships, although some criticism was aimed at the pack's reliance on fan service. Many critics described it as a 'love letter' to the series, and felt that it was the best downloadable content pack of Mass Effect 3. Citadel was nominated for Best DLC at the 2013 VGX Awards, but ultimately lost to Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon.

Gameplay[edit]

Mass Effect 3 Citadel Party

Mass Effect 3: Citadel is a downloadable content (DLC) pack for the 2012 action role-playing video game Mass Effect 3.^[1] The pack takes place in 2186 on the Citadel, a deep-space station that serves as the political, cultural, and financial capital of the Milky Way galaxy.^[2] The player assumes the role of Commander Shepard, an elite human soldier who is captain of the Normandy-SR2 starship. Shepard and the crew are summoned for shore leave, where they learn of a conspiracy against Shepard, and must battle against a private military corporation to defuse the threat.^[3]

The player's primary base of operations is a personal apartment that was lent to Shepard by Admiral Anderson, a war hero and mentor to Shepard who is currently on Earth.^[4] From the apartment, the player can customize furniture, initiate quests, interact with non-player characters, and later access other areas of the Citadel. The first half of the pack is story-focused and generally alternates between the apartment and third-person shooter gameplay around the Citadel, but also includes a casino infiltration mission in which some elements of stealth are required.^[5] The story culminates in a boss fight aboard the Normandy against Shepard's clone, whose battle tactics and character class are pre-selected to match that of the player's.^[6]

Once the story portion of the pack is resolved, Shepard is tasked with throwing a party for the crew. A new hub area called 'Silversun Strip' becomes accessible, which includes an arcade, casino, and stores for buying party supplies. There is also a combat arena, which allows the player to participate in horde-style combat matches that resemble the format of the Mass Effect 3multiplayer mode.^[7] While the player explores Silversun Strip, Shepard receives requests to meet with each crew member individually, which the player can choose to accept or reject. When ready, the player can begin the party, which has various combinations of guests, interactions, and tones based on player decisions.^[8]

Development and release[edit]

Mass Effect 3: Citadel is the final piece of single-player DLC for Mass Effect 3.^[3] Unlike its immediate predecessor, Omega, which was developed at BioWare Montreal, Citadel was developed out of BioWare Edmonton, the same studio that headed development on the original Mass Effect trilogy.^[9] In order to provide players with a fitting send-off to the series, the company took an 'all hands on deck' approach to the project, which included contributions from all eight staff writers, the return of chief Mass Effect 3 composer Sam Hulick, and participation from key voice actors such as Seth Green (Jeff 'Joker' Moreau) and Raphael Sbarge (Kaidan Alenko).^[9] The pack was officially announced on February 21, 2013 and released worldwide on March 5 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.^[3] Because of its large download size, Xbox 360 users were required to download Citadel in two separate parts, the first of which came with a cost and the second of which was free.^[1] The pack was not released for the WiiU version of Mass Effect 3.^[10]

Reception[edit]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, the PlayStation 3 version of Mass Effect 3: Citadel received 'universal acclaim' while the Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 versions received 'generally favorable reviews' from video game publications.^[11][12][13] Some outlets, including PlayStation Universe, considered Citadel to be the best downloadable content pack of Mass Effect 3.^[16] Many critics described the pack as a 'love letter' to the series, such as Richard Cobbett of IGN, who summarized: 'Writing, level design, cinematography... pick any department, the passion bleeds out of every single pixel.'^[14]Citadel was later nominated for Best DLC at the 2013 Spike Video Game Awards, but ultimately lost to Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon.^[17]

The pack's reliance on fan service was generally well-received, although some reviewers felt that Citadel ultimately went too far in that regard. For example, Maxwell McGee of GameSpot opined that the storyline played exclusively to diehard fans and that the central narrative lacked substance as a result.^[7] Along those same lines, Tom Senior of PC Gamer predicted that players unfamiliar with Mass Effect or Mass Effect 2 and their characters would not appreciate the pack as much as more invested players.^[4] Conversely, some critics such as Kirk Hamilton of Kotaku viewed the fan service very positively, who summarized: 'It's an adventure written and designed with nothing but love for Mass Effect, an often goofy, ultimately touching farewell to the world and the characters that we've followed for the last six years.'^[5]

Critics were highly complimentary of the character interactions, dialog, and humor contained within Citadel. Tom Phillips of Eurogamer described the dialog as 'remarkably well written' and likened the tone of the pack to a milestone television episode where the writers 'throw caution to the wind'.^[8] Senior wrote that the tone was 'perfectly pitched' and felt 'affectionate, playful, and frivolous'.^[4] Cobbett made similar observations but also noted that the overall tone of Citadel was significantly lighter than the base Mass Effect 3 game, making the contrast between the two feel jarring.^[14] Hamilton went a step further, positing that the plot of the pack felt entirely disconnected from the main game plot.^[5]

Mass Effect 3 Citadel Review

The second half of Citadel, in which players can access a new section of the Citadel, participate in a combat arena, and throw a party, received special praise. For example, Phillips applauded BioWare for making the events and scenes of the party variable based on player decisions.^[8] Senior, who criticized combat leading up to the second half of the pack, enjoyed the combat arena because it provided more enemy variety.^[4] Many critics, including Cobbett, specifically described the end of Citadel as 'touching' and opined that it served as a more satisfying conclusion to the series than the actual Mass Effect 3 ending, which was controversial.^[14] Phillips concurred with this sentiment, writing that Citadel was a send-off to the series and a 'touching goodbye' to its characters.^[8]

References[edit]

1. ^ ^abBioWare Community Team (March 2, 2013). 'Mass Effect 3: Citadel – FAQ'. BioWare Blog. Archived from the original on June 29, 2013. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
2. ^BioWare. Mass Effect 3. Electronic Arts. Codex - Citadel: The Citadel is an ancient deep-space station, presumably constructed by the Protheans. Since the Prothean extinction, numerous species have come to call the Citadel home. It serves as the political, cultural, and financial capital of the galactic community. To represent their interests, most species maintain embassies on the Presidium, the Citadel's inner ring.
3. ^ ^abcBioWare Community Team (February 21, 2013). 'Mass Effect 3 Citadel & Reckoning DLC Announced'. BioWare Blog. Archived from the original on April 22, 2013. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
4. ^ ^abcdeSenior, Tom (March 24, 2013). 'Mass Effect 3: The Citadel DLC Review'. PC Gamer. Archived from the original on January 1, 2020. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
5. ^ ^abcHamilton, Kirk (March 6, 2013). 'Mass Effect 3: Citadel: The Kotaku Review'. Kotaku. Archived from the original on January 1, 2020. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
6. ^Sinha, Ravi (September 27, 2018). '15 Amazing Boss Fights In The Mass Effect Series'. GamingBolt. Archived from the original on January 18, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
7. ^ ^abcMcGee, Maxwell (March 8, 2019). 'Mass Effect 3: Citadel Review'. GameSpot. Archived from the original on March 15, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
8. ^ ^abcdePhillips, Tom (March 6, 2013). 'Mass Effect 3: Citadel review'. Eurogamer. Archived from the original on March 15, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
9. ^ ^abPhillips, Tom (December 5, 2012). 'BioWare 'all hands on deck' for new Mass Effect 3 DLC'. Eurogamer. Archived from the original on December 31, 2019. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
10. ^Goldfarb, Andrew (February 21, 2013). 'Final Mass Effect 3 Single-Player, Multiplayer DLC Announced'. IGN. Archived from the original on April 19, 2013. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
11. ^ ^ab'Mass Effect 3: Citadel for PC Reviews'. Metacritic. Archived from the original on April 23, 2014. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
12. ^ ^ab'Mass Effect 3: Citadel for PlayStation 3 Reviews'. Metacritic. Archived from the original on April 23, 2014. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
13. ^ ^ab'Mass Effect 3 for Xbox 360 Reviews'. Metacritic. Archived from the original on March 15, 2014. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
14. ^ ^abcdCobbett, Richard (March 8, 2013). 'Mass Effect 3: Citadel DLC Review'. IGN. Archived from the original on April 23, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
15. ^Fleming, Ryan (March 8, 2013). 'Mass Effect 3: Citadel DLC review'. Digital Trends. Archived from the original on December 31, 2019. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
16. ^Prahl, Kyle (March 18, 2013). 'Mass Effect 3: Citadel Review'. PlayStation Universe. Archived from the original on December 31, 2019. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
17. ^Nunneley, Stephany (December 7, 2013). 'Spike VGX 2013 Award winners: Grand Theft Auto 5 wins Game of the Year'. VG247. Archived from the original on August 19, 2014. Retrieved December 28, 2019.