Falls short of previous DLC
The Arrival is the final Mass Effect 2 DLC pack and was mainly created as a bridge between Mass Effect 2 and the pending Mass Effect 3. In this regard the pack does its job, but without the throwing any new plot twists into the inevitable reaper invasion. Essentially the plot is “remember all this stuff that’s going to happen that we’ve told you about before?” Given both the story, scope, and level design qualities of the of the previous DLC packs (Kasumi’s Stolen Memory, Overlord, and Lair of the Shadow Broker were all amazing, each in unique ways) this DLC comes off as lacking. It is short and straight to the point. Playtime took me around an hour on normal difficulty even including reloading a checkpoint to get one of the three relatively easy achievements for the pack.
It’s hard to say too much bad about the mechanics, story, or locations of the pack other than its general lack of ambition; after all it is more Mass Effect 2! The combat is numerous waves of generic enemies you’ve come to know with no new twists and the dialog is some good recap and filler without any revelations. The locations, like everything in Mass Effect 2, look amazing with some of the best lighting and evocative space sci-fi aesthetics ever seen in games. My only complaint was after such hallmark visuals as the vistas of Overlord, the mansion in Stolen Memory and the amazing ship of the Shadow broker, I was hoping for more than what amounts to a series of hallways. I’ll forgive Bioware if it means the real effort is being poured into the third game…
Any die hard Mass Effect fan should play the pack for completeness sake, but those on a budget or those who haven’t yet explored the other DLC packs will find better value and a more satisfying experience in previous DLC packs to bridge the time until the trilogy’s final instalment.
