Either take it for overarching story, gameplay or overall feel of the DLC? Is it just more ME2, set up events well?

Indifferent.

" Indifferent. "

Shepard - "Joker, get us out of here!" 
Joker - "..." 
 
What Joker said.

More excited. 

Arrival was more Mass Effect, though it was just a taste. More Mass Effect, for me, is always awesome.  
 
Arrival also reminded me that in the relatively near future, there is going to be much more Mass Effect. Hot damn.  
 
So option A. 

" Indifferent. "

" @PhatSeeJay said:

" Indifferent. "

This. Just because the DLC was shitty doesn't say anything about the quality of the next game. "

I personally think the most enjoyment you get from Mass Effect comes from how connected you are to your Shepard.

I am even more excited for Mass Effect 3 after playing Arrival. At the same time I am sad because it means an excellent trilogy of video games is coming to an end as well. The best way to describe it is when I seen The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King in theaters. I was happy I was getting to see the conclusion of the trilogy but at the same time I was sad because it was ending. All good things must come to an end.

" @Tearhead said:

" @PhatSeeJay said:

" Indifferent. "

This. Just because the DLC was shitty doesn't say anything about the quality of the next game. "

END THREAD. "

It's DLC. It did it's job and gave points and maybe setup some minor connection to events leading to ME3.
 

More excited. Buying this DLC and playing it made me remember how awesome ME2 was. 

Arrival had its intended effect (heh) on me...I'm now super jacked for ME3.  However, it was very short and rather unsatisfying, IMHO.  I am a slow, deliberate player and it seemed to be over very quickly for me.  Some of the level design and gameplay seemed just plain lazy to me.  I almost feel as if it should have been half price, or even free.

" I personally think the most enjoyment you get from Mass Effect comes from how connected you are to your Shepard. "

About the same.

Doesn't effect my thoughts on ME3. 

" Indifferent. "

More excited. That stuff was epic. Can't wait for ME3 at all.

" Shepard - "Joker, get us out of here!" Joker - "..."  What Joker said. "

" @PhatSeeJay said:

" Indifferent. "

I would say that! I'm just as excited for Mass effect 3 but i felt arrival could have done so much more to get you hype for 3. It did not add anything storywise or give you any new info. I think this DLC wuld have done better if it came much closer to the release of ME3. "

Neither. It's silly to judge ME3 based on a piece of DLC. I assume most of the ME3 team is doing their thing and that the DLC was developed by a side team.

The DLC did nothing to further stoke my anticipation, but I was already antsy for Mass Effect 3.  The DLC actually changes nothing, except for the fact that now the Alliance know for sure that the Reapers are real, and eventually coming for Earth.  
 
The conversation with the Reaper at the end of the DLC, is essentially the same conversation you have with Sovereign  in ME1 - he cryptically threatens you, and Shepard defiantly says the universe will stand against them.  No new information is imparted on the player.  
 
I suppose the fact that now you may have to stand trial at the end of Mass Effect 3 could be considered a development too. 
 
But man, that DLC was pretty dry.  That game doesn't stand up that well as a stand alone squad-less 3rd person shooter.
 
- Scott

" Arrival was more Mass Effect, though it was just a taste. More Mass Effect, for me, is always awesome.  
 
Arrival also reminded me that in the relatively near future, there is going to be much more Mass Effect. Hot damn.   So option A.  "

Definately less excited. The DLC made me almost doubt my love for ME2, but then I realised it was mostly because playing solo on  Insanity is really boring, especially with endless corridor fighting. It still soured ME2 and subsequently ME3 a little bit for me. Will still be there day one for the next one of course.

Definitely more. Just reminds me that the game is right around the corner.

Neither, i just had fun playin git
 
honeslty, i doubt i could even be more excited for Mass Effect 3. It's gonna be AWESOME.

Yeah, I'm indifferent. DLC was crap, but I still think ME3 will be great.

Plenty of great games have had mediocre DLC. My view on Mass Effect 3 is unchanged.

It didn't change my excitement.
I loved ME2 and I disliked Arrival, but I see them as separate things. Arrival had none of the things I liked about the missions in ME2 and it wasn't made by the people who made ME2.

Dragon Age 2 affected my concern over Mass Effect 3 more than anything Arrival dredged up.

I'm incredibly excited for Mass Effect 3, but I haven't played any DLC and I don't plan to play any DLC. Dragon Age and Mass Effect DLC is some of the most offensive I've come across and the idea that I'm going to bother going back and playing the games all over again each time a new piece of DLC comes out for it (even over a year later) is nuts. If they'd released it all at launch, I'd have played it. If they'd told us ahead of time that it'd be out a month later, I'd have waited a month to play the entire thing. However, spread months between each for more than a year, dealing with EA's bullshit, Bioware's bullshit, and the fucking Cerberus bullshit is of no god damn interest to me.

" Dragon Age 2 affected my concern over Mass Effect 3 more than anything Arrival dredged up. "

Indifferent.

So...finally played through the DLC and severely dissapointed at it. No choice at the end, just some batarians that are going to be pissed off, oh and reapers are coming. 
 
Glad to see that my shepard will be taking it to earth to take her defence, hopefully they finally listen to her.
 
I guess I am more excited because shepard is actually going to present information about hte reapers

This with the combination of all the shit Bioware has been getting for the changes to DA2 I'm a little nervous, but I'm sure that's me just being paranoid.

Indifferent. 

Arrival felt too "closed-off" to be relevant. 
 
It felt like a side-mission instead of the DLC linking ME2 and ME3. I hope it's not an indication of that path Bioware is going for ME3.

Arrival feels like a bit of Mass Effect fiction that involves Shepard and continues to flesh out the galaxy.  I've read two Mass Effect novels, and I feel like I know more about Anderson, Saren, the Illusive Man, and the Migrant Fleet, and I think it's great that they can portray important galaxy events in between games like this.  Destroying a mass relay (and increasing Shepard's personal history with batarians) is an incredible thing in the fiction, about as incredible as killing and replacing the Shadow Broker.  These are massive events that are better served by DLC than being included in tie-in novels.  And I think they work best in this DLC 'short story' format, than part of a grand 40 hour narrative.
 
The big complaint about the direction on ME2 and DA2 was that it seemed like they had less of the grand narrative of their original games and more character-specific storylines that are related to the fictional world rather than the game's storyline.  I think DLC is a good area for those to be developed, leaving the retail disc to focus on a solid plot, and the DLC to enrich the world and the characters in it.

"  Destroying a mass relay (and increasing Shepard's personal history with batarians) is an incredible thing in the fiction, about as incredible as killing and replacing the Shadow Broker. "

" @Brodehouse: I didn't think the reasons they came up with for Shepard to work for Cerberus were strong enough.  I'm sorry that you disagree with me.  I guess I should be FORCED to have the same opinion as you.  If they want to make a game where choices and characterization matter, then they open themselves up to criticism on points where they break that illusion.  Two sides to the same coin. "

I was amazed at how little imagination Bioware have, when they just rehash Bring Down the Sky for ME1, but reverse the roles....
 
God help us if ME3 is handled in such a poor fashion, and I'm well aware we can't judge the game based on DLC, but come on, you can't hold much hope for a game that will be released a little over a year from the prior game's release. Not much has to be changed, engine wise, but still....this DLC got me thinking, maybe Bioware have hit their limit, which isn't so bad, but I think from their current track record, we can see a pattern emerging, lack of story, lack of development time...Bioware may be getting tired of making ME and DA games, and want out. Still I don't really feel like I'll want to play ME3...perhaps that might change, but still, I may wait to see some independent reviews of the game before buying it, instead of looking at it with my Bioware fanboy goggles on....which is depressing as I always bought these games on day one...

Bioware keeps me playing ME2, and the Arrival even though it was lack luster compared to Shadow Broker, still just makes me want to see how it all ties together. Also want to see how much my actual choices in 1 and 2 affect into 3.