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[ashbash159]

Going to download this now. Hope it shows some interesting things to hint at the next game in the series!

 

[Peff]

for those who already have it, or have completed it: will i be completely lost without first playing any previous DLC episodes?

No.

 

[Ickman3400]

You guys said noon for PC version? Is that noon eastern or pacific?

No one knows for sure. Usually it's up for me around noon-1 eastern, so hopefully soon.

 

[RyanardoDaVinci]

I'm just hoping I can get my Shepherd up to level 30 by playing through this DLC. I've done absolutely everything in the game, including all the DLC that's come out so far, and I'm almost to level 29.

There's a trophy riding on this, Bioware.

I re-completed everything last night on PS3 to get ready for this. Finished at level 29 -- 12, yes 12 points away from 30! Lol.

 

[shinobi602]

Wtf, it still isn't showing up on the Cerberus Network or in the Marketplace....what the hell man.

 

[Speedymanic]

Wtf, it still isn't showing up on the Cerberus Network or in the Marketplace....what the hell man.

http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-GB/P...347eb5-4926-4a66-9e3e-beb2e9021e72?cid=search

Alternatively...add-on > titles > Mass Effect 2 > Extras > New Release.

 

[Melchiah]

I'm just hoping I can get my Shepherd up to level 30 by playing through this DLC. I've done absolutely everything in the game, including all the DLC that's come out so far, and I'm almost to level 29.

There's a trophy riding on this, Bioware.

Same here, and I have no desire to start NG+, partly due to the planet scanning. Which reminds me, is there any list of which planets reveal a side mission when scanned?

 

[Yopis]

Wow hope work goes fast want to run this bad.

 

[Kinspiracy]

Same here, and I have no desire to start NG+, partly due to the planet scanning. Which reminds me, is there any list of which planets reveal a side mission when scanned?

They gave me so many bonus resources for NG+ that I didn't have to do hardly any scanning.

 

[Hela]

Finished it just a second ago, it was ok, but short and not really very impactful, at least for me.
Sure the

Spoiler

300k batarians dying

is meant to be huge, but why would I care since

Spoiler

there wasn't even a one good one in whole ME2, just the whole race portrayed as bastards

.
Anyway, I'd still recommend this to other fans, but I wish it'd been 400 allards instead.

 

[Melchiah]

They gave me so many bonus resources for NG+ that I didn't have to do hardly any scanning.

So the collected resources transfer to NG+? I didn't know that. Even if it's so, I'm still not eager to play a 30+ hour game again from the beginning to the end.

 

[Ickman3400]

Downloading now on PC. It just appeared on the ME2 dlc page

 

[AlStrong]

So the collected resources transfer to NG+? I didn't know that. Even if it's so, I'm still not eager to play a 30+ hour game again from the beginning to the end.

It's a set bonus for having already completed ME2 similar to having imported ME1.

Same here, and I have no desire to start NG+, partly due to the planet scanning. Which reminds me, is there any list of which planets reveal a side mission when scanned?

Just check the list of assignments here: http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Assignments#Mass_Effect_2. Note that some are multi-part missions requiring an earlier one. The links tell you which system and planet to visit.

 

[rainking187]

Same here, and I have no desire to start NG+, partly due to the planet scanning. Which reminds me, is there any list of which planets reveal a side mission when scanned?

You could start NG+ anyways, you don't have to finish it, just get to level 30. I was level 29 when I beat the game, started a NG+ finished the first mission, got to level 30 and the trophy and quit.

 

[Ark]

I haven't read the last so many pages, so I apologise if this has already been asked.

When will it appear on the EU PSN store? I just searched and I can't find it :/.

 

[seat]

Anyway, I'd still recommend this to other fans, but I wish it'd been 400 allards instead.

How does Arrival compare to Overlord and Kasumi? Does Arrival seem like it's similar in terms of value? I'm starting to think I should try my luck and wait for a sale. Are there any other impressions or reviews for this DLC out there yet?

 

[EatChildren]

Purchased, and can provied proof if necessary, but have already finished it.

As a whole, I was very underwhelmed, and consider it significantly weaker than Kasumi, Overlord and Shadow Broker.

On the pro side of things it has a pretty solid story arc, some dialogue moments were well delivered, the very final part of the game was a nice visual set piece, and there's a few cool little moments like when

Spoiler

you take control of the droid to escape

. It was also great to speak to Hackett.

On the con side, it's far too short, bland, and uninspired. The whole first chunk of the game, where you

Spoiler

infiltrate the Batarian prison

, was ugly, bland, and really boring to play. The battle where you

Spoiler

defend Kenson

fell slapped together and just a weak way of trying to deliver a climax. The rest of the DLC picks up after that, but it's still very heavy on combat. There's no mix of interesting enemies, or even interesting areas to fight. It's very safe and by the books.

Some of the dialogue was pretty rank too. I literally laughed out loud at the very start, when Hackett says

Spoiler

"We have evidence of an imminent Reaper invasion"

, and Shepard's response is

Spoiler

"So, why contact me?" while leaning back with her/his arms crossed

. It stunk of BioWare's insistence of writing Shepard in ME2 as a 'total awesome badass who doesn't give a fuck'. Kenson's voice acting was pretty awful throughout as well. Plot points like the

Spoiler

Alpha Relay

weren't as bad as I expected, but were still a cheap and rather unnecessary inclusion. The confrontation with

Spoiler

Harbinger

seemed really tacked on.

For the whole thing I couldn't shake the feel of what I'd describe as 'half-arsed'. It's very, very short. It's not particularly meaty in content, and is thus pretty generic in pacing and variety. As bridging content, it does next to nothing to expand the Reapers. Basically nothing at all, in fact. It's more focused on setting up Shepard.

I guess I just didnt think it was memorable, especially for the final DLC chapter and as a follow up to Shadow Broker. The

Spoiler

Batarian deaths

thing was a great addition, but I'm wary of BioWare following it up in any significant manner in Mass Effect 3.

So, for me, the priced mission pack DLC would be ranked as;

Shadow Broker > Overlord > Kasumi (close second, as I really loved it's pacing) >>> Arrival. Pretty disappointed.

In terms of setting up ME3, I can see where they're going;

Spoiler

Shepard will probably go on trial, or be a wanted criminal. Not just for this DLC, but for operating with Cerberus, so it works whether you place the DLC or not. Earth and the Batarians will be on the fringes of war, and the Council and everyone else will be caught between a rock and hard place, unsure of who to side with. Cue Reaper invasion and their assault on Earth, and your job will be to 'rally the races', who are already very wary about Shepard's criminal reputation, as well as getting involved in the affairs of humans.

 

[Melchiah]

Just check the list of assignments here: http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Assignments#Mass_Effect_2. Note that some are multi-part missions requiring an earlier one. The links tell you which system and planet to visit.

Thanks! =)

 

[Hela]

How does Arrival compare to Overlord and Kasumi? Does Arrival seem like it's similar in terms of value? I'm starting to think I should try my luck and wait for a sale. Are there any other impressions or reviews for this DLC out there yet?

I'd say it is definitely better than those two, just by the fact it has something to do with the overall story, but then I wouldn't regard any of those three very highly after LotSB and maybe it's just me being grumpy, but I expected more of the Arrival.

 

[gdt]

for those who already have it, or have completed it: will i be completely lost without first playing any previous DLC episodes?

Arrival seems to best fit at the very end....after all the other DLC.

But no, it has no connections with the other DLC.

 

[gdt]

Just finished it, it's a solid 8 for me.

 

[tjohn86]

Just beat it. I thought it was pretty good although a little on the short side. Got all the achievements too

Bring on ME3

 

[ashbash159]

Just finished it after just over an hour.

It was okay but nothing special, but only liked it since I forgot why I liked Mass Effect 2 after not playing it for quite some time.

As for the choice I made -- I accidentally pressed the right trigger when it popped up on screen. I never do this and would like to know what happens if I didn't accidentally press it.

 

[TheUsual]

Just bought it off the Bioware Social site, downloading now, can't wait to play!

 

[EatChildren]

As for the choice I made -- I accidentally pressed the right trigger when it popped up on screen. I never do this and would like to know what happens if I didn't accidentally press it.

When

Spoiler

Kensen has the detonator? Shepard just tells her to stop they can get away rarr rarr, then Kensen blows herself up.

 

[Arlecchino]

redundant

 

[Speedymanic]

Just finished it after just over an hour.

It was okay but nothing special, but only liked it since I forgot why I liked Mass Effect 2 after not playing it for quite some time.

As for the choice I made -- I accidentally pressed the right trigger when it popped up on screen. I never do this and would like to know what happens if I didn't accidentally press it.

Spoiler

She blows the grenade and you're knocked unconscious for a while.

What happens if you choose the renegade option?

 

[Speedymanic]

Spoiler

She was holding a detonator when you (presumebly) shot her. All that happens is she presses the button and overrides the success you had with the cooling

No...

Spoiler

She blows herself up in the hopes of also taking out Shep, she couldn't stop/destroy the Asteroid.

 

[ukresistance]

On the pro side of things it has a pretty solid story arc, some dialogue moments were well delivered, the very final part of the game was a nice visual set piece, and there's a few cool little moments like when

Spoiler

you take control of the droid to escape

. It was also great to speak to Hackett.

So, which of the 3 voice actors did you like best?

You know what part I really fucking hated?

Spoiler

After you use the comm array and have a minor face off with harbinger, the normandy arrives. Shepard is like "Joker, get us out of here" and Joker just sits there with a stupid look on his face, like he is fucking braindead.

Spoiler

She blows the grenade and you're knocked unconscious for a while.

What happens if you choose the renegade option?

Spoiler

I shot that bitch in the gut and she managed to live long enough to push the button and knock me out cold.

 

[Yasae]

Purchased, and can provied proof if necessary, but have already finished it.

As a whole, I was very underwhelmed, and consider it significantly weaker than Kasumi, Overlord and Shadow Broker.

On the pro side of things it has a pretty solid story arc, some dialogue moments were well delivered, the very final part of the game was a nice visual set piece, and there's a few cool little moments like when

Spoiler

you take control of the droid to escape

. It was also great to speak to Hackett.

On the con side, it's far too short, bland, and uninspired. The whole first chunk of the game, where you

Spoiler

infiltrate the Batarian prison

, was ugly, bland, and really boring to play. The battle where you

Spoiler

defend Kenson

fell slapped together and just a weak way of trying to deliver a climax. The rest of the DLC picks up after that, but it's still very heavy on combat. There's no mix of interesting enemies, or even interesting areas to fight. It's very safe and by the books.

Some of the dialogue was pretty rank too. I literally laughed out loud at the very start, when Hackett says

Spoiler

"We have evidence of an imminent Reaper invasion"

, and Shepard's response is

Spoiler

"So, why contact me?" while leaning back with her/his arms crossed

. It stunk of BioWare's insistence of writing Shepard in ME2 as a 'total awesome badass who doesn't give a fuck'. Kenson's voice acting was pretty awful throughout as well. Plot points like the

Spoiler

Alpha Relay

weren't as bad as I expected, but were still a cheap and rather unnecessary inclusion. The confrontation with

Spoiler

Harbinger

seemed really tacked on.

For the whole thing I couldn't shake the feel of what I'd describe as 'half-arsed'. It's very, very short. It's not particularly meaty in content, and is thus pretty generic in pacing and variety. As bridging content, it does next to nothing to expand the Reapers. Basically nothing at all, in fact. It's more focused on setting up Shepard.

I guess I just didnt think it was memorable, especially for the final DLC chapter and as a follow up to Shadow Broker. The

Spoiler

Batarian deaths

thing was a great addition, but I'm wary of BioWare following it up in any significant manner in Mass Effect 3.

So, for me, the priced mission pack DLC would be ranked as;

Shadow Broker > Overlord > Kasumi (close second, as I really loved it's pacing) >>> Arrival. Pretty disappointed.

In terms of setting up ME3, I can see where they're going;

Spoiler

Shepard will probably go on trial, or be a wanted criminal. Not just for this DLC, but for operating with Cerberus, so it works whether you place the DLC or not. Earth and the Batarians will be on the fringes of war, and the Council and everyone else will be caught between a rock and hard place, unsure of who to side with. Cue Reaper invasion and their assault on Earth, and your job will be to 'rally the races', who are already very wary about Shepard's criminal reputation, as well as getting involved in the affairs of humans.

tl;dr: Lance Henriksen is getting expensive these days.

 

[APZonerunner]

So, which of the 3 voice actors did you like best?

You know what part I really fucking hated?

Spoiler

After you use the comm array and have a minor face off with harbinger, the normandy arrives. Shepard is like "Joker, get us out of here" and Joker just sits there with a stupid look on his face, like he is fucking braindead.

Yeah, that was weak. I also wondered who that voice was who said the

Spoiler

Normandy was approaching. Presumably that was just meant to be a Normandy crew member, but it was weird, one line of dialogue by a unique person out of place from the rest. Surely Seth has been in for at least one ME3 session where they could score one line by now?

 

[ashbash159]

Spoiler

She blows the grenade and you're knocked unconscious for a while.

What happens if you choose the renegade option?

Spoiler

You shoot her and she falls to the ground dead. Her body then makes her finger curl and pressed the detonator. Not much difference at all really.

 

[lucius]

I just gonna start this on Insane so it lasts longer.

 

[Kinspiracy]

Thought it was much better than Overlord and Kasumi but not as great as Lair. Overall extremely pleased with the purchase. Can't wait for ME3.

 

[Confidence Man]

Wish they'd ditch this piecemeal dlc model. I'd be much more inclined to buy one large story dlc that was the size of the four they released rather than these smaller missions that don't have anything to do with each other.

 

[Lothars]

Wish they'd ditch this piecemeal dlc model. I'd be much more inclined to buy one large story dlc that was the size of the four they released rather than these smaller missions that don't have anything to do with each other.

I'd like both because I really like these smaller missions but would also love to get a big piece of DLC.

 

[EatChildren]

Wish they'd ditch this piecemeal dlc model. I'd be much more inclined to buy one large story dlc that was the size of the four they released rather than these smaller missions that don't have anything to do with each other.

While I've enjoyed most of these missions, I do wish BioWare had delivered an Awakening-esque expansion pack, and with ME2's sales I'm quite surprised they didnt, especially to coincide with the PS3 release or something.

It would have been nice to have a larger quest to invest time in, as opposed to something I know I can finish in one sitting.

 

[Liquid Helium]

Can someone explain to me what happened?

Spoiler

Was everyone on the asteroid under the reapers control or did they just suddenly become under the control of the reapers when Shepard got there? Why didn't the artifact take over everyone ages ago before Shepard even knew about it and destroy the asteroid? Also how are the reapers getting into the galaxy? Just flying in? If it only was going to them 2 years to just fly in why did they even send in sovereign activate the citadel?

It makes no sense to me.

 

[daffy]

Uh oh, we got mixed reviews up in here D:

 

[whatevermort]

Does this come after the main game, or mixed in (as with all the rest of the DLC)?

 

[EatChildren]

Does this come after the main game, or mixed in (as with all the rest of the DLC)?

Mixed in or after, your choice. The only differences are a couple of aesthetics and some dialogue. The experience will largely be the same either way.

 

[Ickman3400]

Just finished it, took just over an hour. It really was as awful as people were saying.

Very little story, 80% of the dlc is combat. Unless I missed something

Spoiler

it still doesn't explain how the reapers get to earth, since you destroy the relay..I guess it means ME3 could really take place a year or more after 2

Still excited for ME3, but if asked why I couldn't tell you anymore. I have no faith in Bioware to deliver a satisfying conclusion.

 

[gdt]

Mixed in or after, your choice. The only differences are a couple of aesthetics and some dialogue. The experience will largely be the same either way.

It kinda spoils the ending of ME2 though.

 

[Zen]

Wish they'd ditch this piecemeal dlc model. I'd be much more inclined to buy one large story dlc that was the size of the four they released rather than these smaller missions that don't have anything to do with each other.

This also applies to most of the content in the full game!

It's just dissapointing that it looks as if

Spoiler

we're heading for yet another reset for Mass Effect 3

.

Bioware 'planned' this trilogy, sure, this is their Bible;

Mass Effect 1 stuff -> Some stuff happens -> Reapers arrive

 

[Grisby]

I'm a bit stand offish on waiting for DLC to come down in price or be packaged together. Damn, I wish this seemed as epic as the other three.

Seems to be a disappointing year for DLC with the other two standouts being Dead Space and Castlevania LOS.

The file size for Arrival is pretty big. Do you visit a lot of new locations?

 

[Ickman3400]

I'm a bit stand offish on waiting for DLC to come down in price or be packaged together. Damn, I wish this seemed as epic as the other three.

Seems to be a disappointing year for DLC with the other two standouts being Dead Space and Castlevania LOS.

The file size for Arrival is pretty big. Do you visit a lot of new locations?

I've read that you explore 5 places, but that's not true at all. You have 2 real decent sized locations that stretch out the entire dlc.

And you spend most of it fighting...and fighting...and then more fighting.

 

[EatChildren]

The file size for Arrival is pretty big. Do you visit a lot of new locations?

No. There's only two main areas, and a third 'area' for the final run. None are really interesting.

 

[Grisby]

No. There's only two main areas, and a third 'area' for the final run. None are really interesting.

Kasumi's mission was just one location really but I thought it looked so interesting. Shame, although I'll probably still bite on this anyways.

 

[GrandHarrier]

Played and beaten on Hardcore (lowered from Insanity since I wanted to get through it a little bit easier) as a Level 28 Infiltrator from my first (prime / main) playthrough.

Overall impressions: It's an overall decent DLC offering. I'd rank it equal to Kasumi. Shadow Broker remains the "best" and Overlord the "meatiest" but I do not regret my purchase. Certainly sets up some interesting possibilities for what ME3 entails.

Edit: Took me about 2 hours. But I had a reload when using incinerate on the last member of a wave caused the next wave to not trigger.

 

[EatChildren]

Kasumi's mission was just one location really but I thought it looked so interesting. Shame, although I'll probably still bite on this anyways.

The first area in Arrival is just a shitter looking Tuchanka. There's a neat rain effect on the character, but that's it. Its bloody ugly otherwise.