Mass Effect 4: 12 Mistakes Bioware's Next Gen Sequel Must Avoid

4. A DLC Unfriendly Design

The Mass Effect games have had a mixed history when it comes to DLC. Setting aside the quality and quantity debate, only Mass Effect 2 feels like it was designed with DLC in mind. Unlike Mass Effect 1 or 3, ME2 allowed players to continue playing after the ending without using New Game+. This meant that you didn't have to replay the entire game or part of it to enjoy the new content, and it felt like the game universe was moving forward in time and expanding. While ME1's inability to play DLC after the main campaign was a technical issue, ME3's was a deliberate design and narrative decision. And given the fact that ME3 is intended to end Shepard's story, it's understandable. It just doesn't stop the whole thing from feeling like the game is pressuring the player to endure the ending again after they get through the DLC. If anything, ME3's DLC time warp probably got in the way of people moving on from the ending controversy because there was no sense of time progressing. Having something you hate looming in the future of your playthrough does dampen the enthusiasm of playing new content. For ME4, gamers pretty much know that DLC is going to be coming down the pipeline, especially if there's a multiplayer mode. So Bioware Montreal should keep in mind that with DLC, the ideal is to keep playing after the game's main plot ends. We want the new material to feel new, not like a missing chapter of the game.