Downloadable content for Bioware’s interstellar epic Mass Effect 2 is coming fast and heavy. Hot on the heels of the Firewalker Pack announcement comes Kasumi’s Stolen Memory, a new mission due this April. Kasumi is a new character that can join your team at any point in the Mass Effect 2 story. It amounts to about an hour and a half of new content, but also introduces a new gun, new grenade type (flashbangs!), and new outfit for your Shepard to wear aboard the ship.
The new character, Kasumi, is a human master thief whose special ability enables her to turn invisible at will. The mission, which serves as her loyalty quest, has you sneaking into a criminal overlord’s secret vault to steal back something he took from Kasumi. The first half is pure infiltration, in the vein of True Lies’ opening scene. You turn up for a party at the crime lord’s estate, and must figure out how to defeat the security measures protecting his vault using exploration, stealth and conversation. You’ll have to get past a voice lock, a physical barrier, a DNA scanner and finally enter a password (whew!) Once inside, you’re treated to a wonderful collection of artifacts from humanity’s storied history.
The second half of the mission is brutal combat, as you fight your way out of the vault and back to your shuttle with the loot. This gives you the opportunity to try out Kasumi’s Shadow Strike power. She has the ability to vanish completely, only to pop up behind her victim and deal a death blow. Aside from Kasumi’s package, you’ll also pick up a new gun in the vault, and gain access to flash grenades. On the way out, you’ll come up against heavy mechs and attack choppers and finally be faced with a critical decision about what to do with the contents of Kasumi’s stolen memory.
Back aboard the ship, you’ll have access to Kasumi’s quarters where she keeps several interesting trophies from her exploits. Sadly, she’s not a romantic option but she’s still a more than welcome addition to the crew. Kasumi’s Stolen Memory is a perfect example of the depth and diversity of gameplay offered by Mass Effect 2, and is a worthy addition to your galaxy no matter where you are in the main story.
