Mass Effect 2: 10 Reasons It's Overrated As Hell
3. Day One DLC Impacts Gameplay
Mass Effect 3 players rightly complained that day one DLC pack "From Ashes" was an essential part of the story, yet they were required to pay extra for it. Javik, the Prothean squad mate, provides a pivotal backstory.
The only reason people weren't similarly outraged by the hiving off of DLC character Zaeed behind a paywall in Mass Effect 2 is that most players didn't really care about Zaeed. He was poorly fleshed out when compared with the other NPC's and he contributed little to the plot. However, in a game about collecting all the squad mates, making you pay extra for them is poor form.
What's more, in a game that that so heavily focused on its final "suicide mission," having Zaeed in your team further increased your chance of survival. While "pay to win" is generally a reference to multiplayer mechanics, Zaeed was a boost to your team if you paid for him.
Kasumi Goto was likewise a DLC squad mate that contributed to your team, but at least her DLC wasn't released until two months after the main game came out.