Mass Effect 2: Arrival Review

           With Mass Effect 3 quickly closing in, Bioware wanted to treat its fans one last time before launch. The Arrival is the final DLC for Mass Effect 2. The goal? Slow down the impending Reaper invasion, arriving in just over 48 hours. It has the making for an action packed thrill ride, however that is not the case. The DLC begins as a rescue mission where Shepard must save the Alliance scientist who came to this stunning revelation. It is a poorly implemented stealth mission. There is no feeling of stealth, it is several rooms and corridors with guards who are conveniently facing away from you and don't hear you sprinting by.

           The best moments of the DLC come in the second half, but it boils down to Shepard on yet another shooting spree. It's no different from any other mission in the game, and that is really the biggest problem. The suicide mission felt tense, like you were really pushing toward something. The Arrival does not give you that same push. It isn't until the last 30 minutes or so that things feel tense. Arrival feels out of its element and more like a generic shooter mission.

           There is a noteworthy decision in Arrival that did feel meaningful. I won't give anything away, but it is probably the most double edged sword decision in the game. Both choices have drastic consequences and it difficult to feel as thought you did the right thing either way. Even Admiral Hackett, who makes his face to face debut in Arrival, warns that there will be consequences for his actions.

           Arrival does set the stage fairly well for Mass Effect 3, but at $6.99 or 560ms points for two hours or less of content (depending on level and difficulty setting), it's a hard sell for any but the die hard, desperate for more content Mass Effect 2 fans. One awesome moment isn't enough to justify the price knowing that Mass Effect 3 will have to explain these events anyway. It's a shame too, Bioware was on such a roll after Overlord and Lair of the Shadow Broker, this DLC should have surpassed both.

Mass Effect 2: Arrival

5/10