14 DAY TRIAL // BioWare is working hard on the upcoming Mass Effect 3, which will complete the planned trilogy of adventures for its main hero (or heroine), Commander Shepard.
Until that game appears, however, the Canadian studio has released a very special DLC pack for Mass Effect 2, the latest game in the series, which appeared over a year ago for the PC and Xbox 360, and at the beginning of 2011 for the PlayStation 3.
The Arrival DLC for Mass Effect 2 has been released yesterday, with many eager fans eagerly anticipating how its events will lead into the start of Mass Effect 3.
We've completed the DLC's single mission, so read on to check out our impressions.
I waited a long time for Arrival to appear, as my appetite for Mass Effect, especially after the announcement of the third title, grew exponentially since completing the last piece of downloadable content, the Lair of the Shadow Broker.
Considering that pack of missions was so well made, I thought that BioWare would surpass its efforts and release the definitive DLC for Mass Effect 2 and provide a great lead into the start of the third game.
Sadly, my expectations were a bit too high for what Arrival had to offer.
The DLC, in case you haven't been staying informed, sees Commander Shepard engage in a mission to save a human scientist from a Batarian prison, after she was caught trying to destroy a mass effect relay.
You tackle this mission alone, in order to keep things as quiet as possible, and BioWare even tries to add some stealth portions at the beginning of the mission. You can try to sneak past guards and exploit their patrolling patterns, but you can still go in guns blazing and take advantage of the variety of cover to protect yourself from the enemies.
Once you reach the human scientist, Dr. Amanda Kenson, it's basically another escort mission, with you needing to protect her while you both search for an escape route.
After getting out of the Batarian prison, you head to the doctor's main base of operations, where she is conducting vital research in order to prevent an invasion of the Reapers, the evil race of sentient space ships that threatened Shepard both in the first and second Mass Effect games.
A pretty obvious twist happens, which I won't spoil, and then you're left fighting your way through the base, trying to stay alive and prevent the Reapers from arriving into the system, and then, with the help of the mass relay, invade the rest of the known universe.
The Arrival DLC is pretty enjoyable, and features some varied background, from the dark Batarian prison to the pristine human base. Sadly, you won't get to enjoy the scenery, because the whole quest is over in a bit over an hour, on normal difficulty.
Depending on your skills and level, you'll make quick work of most of the threats encountered in Arrival and complete it in 2 hours at most. Another playthrough is possible, if you want to try a sneakier way around the prison, but you won't have lots of motives, except a special achievement/trophy for doing so.
A high point, at least for me, is a special portion where you get to control a maintenance robot, which must help you escape a locked cell. The section is a refreshing change of pace form the rest of the regular Mass Effect 2 gameplay, so perhaps we might see something like this in the third game.
Speaking of Mass Effect 3, don't expect any huge hints or a cliffhanger that will be resolved in its actual story. Arrival is a self-contained adventure and, at the end of it, you'll be back to the Normandy, with nothing changed.
The ending is a bit predictable, and, at least in my eyes, tries to turn Shepard into some sort of Batman/Batwoman from The Dark Knight movie, a hero who does what needs to be done and is willing to take the blame for any sort of casualties.
Shepard isn't the hero the universe wants, he's the hero it needs.
We might see some serious consequences be developed in Mass Effect 3, but, as a whole, the Arrival DLC is largely a forgettable addition to Mass Effect 2, and fails in comparison to other add-ons like Lair of the Shadow Broker or even Overlord, to introduce anything interesting in terms of gameplay or story.
