March 10, 2008 - BioWare released the first round of downloadable content for Mass Effect
today, so we hopped in the Normandy to check out the newest edition to
the galaxy, a nondescript hunk of rock called Asteroid X57 that's chock
full of meddlesome Batarians. We'd heard about the alien race as we
played through Mass Effect the first time, but the vaguely humanoid
species never made a physical appearance in the game. After downloading
the 400 MS points (US$5) Bring Down the Sky content, however, we
quickly came face-to-face with the four-eyed Batarians.

But first, we had to find them. After downloading the Bring Down the
Sky expansion through the Xbox Live Marketplace, you'll need to visit
the Extras section of Mass Effect's main menu, click on Downloadable
Content and view the info associated with it. We tried to load up a
saved game and find the new content on the Normandy's Galaxy Map
without taking that step, but it didn't show up.

Once you've viewed the expansion info, load up a saved game, hop on the
Normandy, bring up the map and head to Asgard System, which will now be
visible just below Noveria. Land on Asteroid X57 (near the world of
Terra Nova) and let the mayhem begin.




Keep in mind that you'll have to have unfettered access to the Normany
in order to play the Bring Down the Sky mission. So if you've
progressed too far toward the point of no return, you'll have to either
revert to an old save or start a new career and gain access to the ship.

If you've played a good portion of Mass Effect, you won't notice
anything startlingly different about Asteroid X57. You'll land in the
Mako, roll around the surface and deal with those pesky turrets that
seem to populate the galaxy. These are a bit trickier than most because
they pop in and out of protective enclosures, but they can be destroyed
just like their fully exposed brethren.

By listening in on a series of breathless transmissions by a woman
named Katie Bowman, you find out that a group of Batarian extremists
has tampered with the 'roid's propulsion fusion torches, placed there
to bring the rock closer to the world of Terra Nova for easy mining.
Now, X57 is hurtling toward the planet, threatening the lives of the 4
million humans who call it home.

There are three fusion torches on the X57, and you're charged with
disabling them all by heading inside their control facilities and
fighting the Batarians who guard each one. You'll also face their
Batarian War Beasts, which is another name for "slavering blue
hellhounds."


Terra Nova, we have a problem.


Like most of Mass Effect's worlds, the view from X57 is stunning. As
you move across the surface in the Mako, you'll see black and red
asteroid chunks tumbling through space overhead and the Earth-like
planet of Terra Nova looming in the background.

Completing Bring Down the Sky will net you 50 achievement points,
paragon/renegade points, a deeper understanding of Human-Batarian
relations and multiple weapons, pieces of armor and accessories along
the way. We don't want to give anything away, but X57 isn't all about
the shooting. As with other Mass Effect missions, you'll have an
opportunity to talk your way out of a prickly situation en route to the
final showdown.

For $5, Bring Down the Sky is a worthy addition to the Mass Effect
experience. All told, we spent almost two hours with the mission, and
it was a blast to revisit the galaxy we so sadly left behind after we
finished the game. It's not revolutionary, but it adds more of the same
type of content Mass Effect has become famous for.