Mass Effect 4: 10 Essential Things It Must Get Right

10. Put Only Truly Optional Content As DLC

One of the most annoying and downright insidious things we've seen become common practice these days, is to restrict worthwhile content needed to enjoy the game as - in theory - initially designed, put behind a paywall. Those of us that got a bad feeling in the the lead-up to ME3's release in regards to a very important character - the Prothean, Javik - only being usable as DLC (Downloadable Content) were proven right. Lo and behold in the final game his dialogue and very presence in the world was one of a huge amount of things that would have helped to make the entirety of ME3 far more meaningful, yet was essentially left on the cutting room floor. Not only that, but it totally felt like EA had simply gutted out Bioware's initial design docs to make the most important and integral plot points available after launch. They touted 'Day One DLC' as a good thing - implying that paying an additional sum on top of your full retail price was something we wanted to do - and when it came time for that badly cobbled-together ending, some of the most essential story beats were tucked away inside the Leviathan pack. It should go without saying, but don't make anything we need to understand the story something that can be sold back to us later on. Destiny seems to be getting away with doing exactly this right now, and it's easily one of the worst trends in the industry that needs to stop as soon as possible.