990 réponses à ce sujet

[Uhh.. Jonah]

Meh... didn't really care for it. Definitely not going to play it again unless I go through another play through. I wish it wasn't so short, and I wish the VS was in the DLC.
When the achievement came up for completing the game I was like "wtf!"
Oh well... Guess I have to wait like 7 more months for the good stuff.

[IBPROFEN]

 This being the last story of ME2,ya'll really missed the boat. 

   Being the last DLC of ME2, It really has no replay value to me. I played thinking it is last so,I played it after SM its the only place it could have been played imo. It leaves me to think that you could have done better. Just real glad this wont 800BWpoints.
   Solo play was okay but would have been better with Ms.Goto with the use of Shadow Strike(to bad she didn't give that to Shepard instead of flashbangs). But already seen cloak don't work.
  Harby was dissappoinment to me cause I thought all Reapers were arrogant("tudes"). I know, That claim has been dissmissed Reapers don't had "tudes", atleast for this one(dlc).
 Now for the missed boat. I would think that Bioware could have used this as a foundation on construction on the brigding on the ME2 side.
 So, if there is no actual bridge work done before ME3, then I might would think about waiting to get it till I see some reviews(no spooler info) first.
 If this is a bridging DLC with nothing else the I wouldn't call it a bridge, "I would call it, A PIER(as in long walk on a short one)!!
  So overall 6/10 thats only because I like the cuts and prison and end fight with the relay in view.

[Darth Garrus]

What I think would have been much, much better, would be to release this dlc about a month before ME3. Bigger, better, and polished. It would really get momentum again for ME, and it would be the perfect preparation for ME3. Some more dialogues, more interaction, etc. Why not hold that DLC until the end of the year, and regenerate the buzz over the series?

And as I said before, this dlc should never happen before the suicide mission. It makes the rest of the game, well, useless. Why would I go after Collectors if I knew the Reapers have arrived??? It should happen as a "post scriptum" to the game.

This could have been a perfect release by the end of the year. More polished, and perfect in terms of timing. It´s a good action dlc, and ties it well with the Reapers' invasion. But timing was really bad. Could have been much better, cost more (and be worth it), and could have made everybody happy just weeks (or a week) before ME3.

[Bearlegdairy]

Modifié par Bearlegdairy, 12 octobre 2013 - 08:07 .

[Jonas TM]

Overall I would say it was 7/10 good, but not great.  LotSB was far better IMO, but as a bridge it served it's purpose setting up ME3.

Pros:
- Liked the story (although there was at least one wtf moment).
- I liked the level design quite a bit, multi-leveled complex and multiple ways to approach the mission.
- The Rho object fight was pretty nuts.
- Ending was cool, both the destruction of the relay and meeting Hackett.

Cons:
- Too short, took me less than 80 minutes to finish first playthrough.
- I didn't enjoy the solo combat.  Wasn't as much fun as having party members.
- Harbinger conversation could have been WAY better.
- No real choice or ability to affect the outcome of the mission.
- I'm not a VS fan, but them not being in any of the DLC seems a bit lame too me.

[grayjedi00]

And I thought that this DLC was WAY TOO SHORT! It didn't even take me an hour to finish it.

On another note, I remember seeing in a lot of promotional interviews that ME2 was supposed to be all about your squad members. So to me, having this dlc where there is no squad emphasis what so ever was probably the biggest disappointment to me.

[UltraBoy360]

I'm sad to say I'm disappointed, not sure how much of this was my frame of mind - it was pretty late at night I played and I have been loving DA2, so part of me was thinking "if only I could cast haste or hurl a fireball".

I loved ME2 and thought some of the plot nit-picking was ridiculous. That said, I really have a problem with the Alliance base. OK, maybe a small outpost with a couple of staff I could believe - but it was like a frigging town. How did they build it given the number of spy sats that are all over the system (according to Bioware's own planet descriptions).

And the Reapers are arriving in 48 hours? WHAT? From where? How? Huh? What was Object Rho apart from alleged 'proof' of their arrival. Proof enough to kill 300,000 people? Really? So the Reapers are now in the Skyllian Verge? There goes the Ellysium real estate market.

Also, the combat I found really difficult, I dies a lot and had to tun it down to hardcore. Out of practise I guess.

At least I loved DA2!

[MrChowderClam]

I think my favorite part of the DLC was the focus it had on Shepard. While most of ME2 and the other DLC packs are about your squad members and NPC characters, Arrival focuses more on giving Shepard some screen time, and I think it works. The part near the end of the second mission where Shepard is trying to contact the Normandy after s/he wakes up IMO is a great example of making Shepard seem less "Master Chief superhuman" and more of a Soldier with emotions, fear, opinions etc. Even though it's just a "damnit!" line and some serious typing (lol) it was enough to make Shepard more human.

That said, while Shepard's story was told well, I felt that the ending of the second mission was a bit lackluster, mainly, I think, because the Reaper threat didn't seem all too imminent by the end. I think it would've been more epic if you could've seen the Reapers in the distance of the final fight towards the communication tower or in the end cutscene. Something like the Reapers just getting in range as the asteroid slams into the relay and the closest ones destroyed by the resulting explosion. Something to make it really seem like a crysis had been averted. As it stands now, I felt like 300,000 batarians died for no significant reason.

[KingSnake661]

I liked...

Well, mainly  I liked having something else to DO in ME2, and in general, i liked the concept behind the DLC, and i LOVED the cinimatic/story told, and the setup for ME3.

I didn't much care for..

The lack of teammates... the lack of any kind of boss battle... the lack of a room item... the lack a 4th set of eye opening on the Batariens helms.. ? WTH?  The lack of any REAL choice...  I mean, yeah, it's flavor for your shepard, and maybe it'll matter in ME3, MAYBE, but, really, it didn't matter WHAT you did.

So, IMO, a 6 out of 10.  I liked having something new to do... and it IMO was a nice "teaser" or hint of things to come, but that was about it.  Worth 7 bucks for ME anyways.  It's accually one of the weaker story DLC's you've done.  IMO of course.

[slyborg]

RyuGuitarFreak wrote...


I hope Bioware handles LotSB and Arrival and the rest of the choices well in ME3.

This seems like a big task for Bioware.   LotSB less so (either Liara is still on Illium as an info broker or The Shadow Broker) But Shepard going on trial for the deaths of 300k Batarians or just chillin' on the Normandy after the SM.   That seems like a pretty significant event that some players will be missing if they don't have the DLC?

Pros-
New ME mission, yippie!
Nice to finally meet Hackett (are there no other Alliance soldiers you can call for missions bro-ham?   I've got Geth/Collectors/Reapers/Mercs to kill?)
Some cool environs

Cons-
Non DLC players will miss out an a pretty big event in ME3
We didn't really accomplish anything.   That big evidence of the Reapers... esploded AGAIN.   We know the Reapers get to Earth eventually?
Still no love for the VS?
No choices.   Oh, I can shoot Kenson before she esplodes us both if I am a renegade?   I'd do it even as a paragon, self sacrifice is for chumps!
Buggy.   Apparently elevators move without Shepard.
Too short.  All those people who called in sick to work, was it worth it?

Glad I didn't buy DA2 from the reviews, and I having my doubts about a ME3 purchase.

[ratzerman]

Bearlegdairy wrote...

Oh, right. And who holds a SPECTRE hostage next to the killer robot bay without ANY RESTRAINTS. Little things like this just destroyed any hope of real immersion. You can only suspend disbelief so many times.

Ughhhh... that was the worst. Weren't they just trying to kill Shep a minute ago? Why are they letting her sleep in the medbay, practically unguarded, with all of her guns and armor right outside?

Come on, writers.....  that was just plain old lazy.

[calis_riakel]

Disappointing.
To mee it felt like the story was just trying to get one last dlc in before the marketing machine's wheels start down the ME 3 path. The twist took me by surprise but other than that the story felt very...nothing special(ish). Hackett was good but i felt both Overlord and LoTSB were superior to Arrival.

[only1sgop]

ratzerman wrote...

Bearlegdairy wrote...

Oh, right. And who holds a SPECTRE hostage next to the killer robot bay without ANY RESTRAINTS. Little things like this just destroyed any hope of real immersion. You can only suspend disbelief so many times.

Ughhhh... that was the worst. Weren't they just trying to kill Shep a minute ago? Why are they letting her sleep in the medbay, practically unguarded, with all of her guns and armor right outside?

Come on, writers.....  that was just plain old lazy.

I think they are trying to save all the *the really good stuff* for the mass effect 3 game.  I saw the double cross coming when she did not receive a welcome committe for coming back alive from being a prisoner. Everyone had to be indoctrinated.  This dlc pulled out some anger in me but not in a good way.  It's difficult for devs to live up to the shadow broker dlc. I'm ok with that.

[Nixter Shepard]

This was honestly a massive let down.
I understand, the VS was never a planned or promised dlc and VA's are hard to have return and cost money, so that is not what bothered me. Plus not having squadies with you during the mission can actually be also seen as a way for Shepard alone to be held responsible for the 300,000 Batarian lives.

The Good

-Admiral Hackett was clearly the intended big appearance of the dlc (Speculation of it being the VS only came from the fact that the Shadow Broker dlc featured Liara as it's main focus, which was obviously planned pre Mass Effect 2's release.) and it is attibuting for fans to be able to see him and in person also implying that he may very well play a much larger role in Mass Effect 3.

-The Music was very gripping, giving a sense of desperation and that time is running out.

-I finally got to infiltrate while playing as an Infiltrater. Well more at the beginning, then the rest was a massive run and gun, but early on I did get a more combative feeling.

-The final conversation with Hackett. It (hopefully) was setting up for what my possibly be the intro to Mass Effect 3 and also giving a more understandable explanation as to why Earth is being targeted first giving the dlc it's sense of importance. I think if anything this slc was primarily about the complaints regarding the story of Mass Effect 2, and in that aspect the dlc helps.

The Bad

- Kenson was completely forgettable. Not once did I feel any type of emotion towards her character. She just felt like a set up, which is a shame since a Bioware seemed to have been pushing her character as someone of extreme importance.

-The twist was a surprising slap in the face. Not because I didn't see it coming, but because of how abruptly it occurred. You just start seeing the vision from the artifact then BAM "Shep I am indoctrinated and betraying you".

-The lack of choice was very unfortunate, especially when there were times when I thought I was going to be making a difficult decision and ended up not making one at all. For example, when approaching the controls to reactivate the Project, I was like "Oh **** do I have to choose to kill 300,000 Batarians or not?". I understand why you cant, but it would have greatly impacted a more emotional connection to the situation knowing the YOU the player made the choice and not just Shepard. This also applies to conversations and the little options you have in them, primarily when talking to Harbinger. Had that scene gone on longer like Soveriegn's it would have left a larger impact on me giving a greater sense of dread.

-The combat. Like I said, at first it had a fairly stealthy and tactical feel, but as I progressed it turned into me entering a room, finding the nearest cover and hiding there until I killed all enemies in my path making very repetitive and unengaging.

The Ugly

-As soon as I downloaded the dlc I experienced some minor bugs whille loading up my game in which the main menu did not load up properly. It has happened before the dlc, but very rarely.
-Also in the dlc itself, I experienced several problems with sound cutting off when infiltrating the prison. This mainly occured when entering indoor areas from the outside.

As a whole, the Arrival definately increased my hype for Mass Effect 3, but failed to leave any memorable mark on my experience within the series placing it just above Pinnacle Station in terms of post release dlc missions.
Lair of the Shadow Broker>Overlord>Bring Down the Sky>Stolen Memory>Arrival>Pinnacle Station

[Jokerine]

StowyMcStowstow wrote...

 I for one don't really care about the batarians, although I would've liked to save them, if only for them to not want to start a war with me/humanity. 

I really didn't like how short it was. Had this been the ending of ME2, it wouldve been great. Or even as...

A stand-alone DLC expansion. As soon as I saw that it was under 1 gb, I was let down. There is no way they could have sufficiently made a decent bridge to ME3. This... this is just another DLC telling me how much the reapers are coming, and that our doom is imminent. I've been hearing that for 2 games now. DO SOMETHING.

It isn't a bridge to ME3. It's a mission that you go on, where the Reapers magically gain super-duper light speed and magange to only be an hour away from the relay. Which brings up a massive plot point: where in the %#@ are the teammates? I understand that a squad can only be so stealthy when in tight corridors, but what about when Shepard get knocked out for 2 DAYS? Were they on the ship twiddling their thumbs? It's oversights like this that make things like the Virmire Survivor -choice contrived and stupid.

And why was I never given the option to shoot kenson? I would have shot her in the head way before the whole "kill the reactor" thing. Also, wouldn' Kensons research have revealed the indoctrination effect? Is she retarded? WTF was the purpose of Object Rho? To knock Shepard out? How did Harbinger appear on the asteroid? Through telekesis? Why are the Batarians so freaking stupid? Why did I have to choose between alerting the batarian colony and Calling the Normandy? Where in the dickens was Joker? In the bathroom? How did he get there? How did the Batarians not notice Shepards shuttle when he landed on the planet where Kenson was being held, but notice the one coming in the front door? How stupid are these guys? Why was killing a bunch of what are essentially the scum of the galaxy considered an Ultimate Sacrifice when they are unabashed slavers and terrorists? Shouldn't I get some sort of award for the highest batarian kills in all of history? Why does Hackett never acknowledge the fact that he looks a lot like Zaeed? Does he even know? Why does he mention Cerberus when I told the Illusive Man to shove off? Why is Shepard knocked out for two days? If Kenson and co. were indoctrinated, why would they even bother taking Shepard to the right place? What caused Kenson to change in less than a second? Why is nothing "Arriving" in this DLC? isn't is supposed to bridge the end of ME2 and ME3? Aren't the Reapers already at earth in ME3? 

Why does this DLC not actually bridge anything? Why does it instead provide more questions than answers? Why wouldn't the developers allows Shepard to fail, allowing the Reapers to, I don't know, arrive, thus establishing a bridge between ME2 and 3? Why would this be accessible to play during the main game, and not purely afterwards? Wouldn't that make sense? Why is this DLC only 50 minutes long? How strapped for time do you have to be to shoehorn staving off a galactic invasion into 50 minutes? Who thought this was a good idea? 

To sum it up, this DLC get a 7/10. It answered precisely nothing, and only served to confuse me. It was far too short, and for a DLC called Arrival, the only thing that arrived was an asteroid into a Mass Relay. This DLC should've been only available AFTER the main game had been completed, and should have been a legitimate expansion, like Dragon Age: Origins Awakening. As it stands, it is not near as good as the Lair of the Shadowbroker DLC, although it is better than nothing. Which says a lot.

You've summed up my thoughts perfectly. But I also gotta complain about the music. I found it to be unsatisfying, like just some random techno song that felt repetitive and out of place. It didn't make me feel pumped-up at all. Music was fantastic in ME1 and ME2, so if this is the kind of music we'll be getting for ME3, then maybe I'll have to turn the volume down. I am in love with videogame music, so if I feel it doesn't fit right in, then it becomes a bad distraction.

Also, I felt Kenson's indoctrination was predictable. She also felt like a pretty flat character. The moment I met her I felt she'd end up betraying me, so when she did, I felt more pissed than impressed. Like, yet someone else who was supposed to be an old-time friend (*cough*Nikket*cough*) and who ends up betraying us.
AND I GOT KASUMI AND THANE ON MY SQUAD. WHY COULDN'T I TAKE THEM WITH ME?
I agree with the idea of recycling some of Joker's old lines too. Having him be quiet was just silly. Not even an "urgh"? 

All in all, I feel quite disappointed. I really, really, REALLY wanted to like this. I waited for it eagerly, couldn't wait to play... And it felt so 'meh'. I loved the ending of ME2 because it just felt so... powerful, and... definitive (specially because of the music!), and now it feels cheapened due to the events in the DLC...

Modifié par Jokerine, 30 mars 2011 - 04:18 .

[AquamanOS]

Right. Here goes. I thought this was pretty good. But just pretty good. I rank it 3rd with 2nd being Overlord and 1st being Shadow Broker. Easily the weakest and not the epic finale I was expecting.

1. I felt the areas and tasks were much more fleshed out this time. No "Move from point a to point b. Kill everybody" but there was sneaking, some minor puzzles, a defense segment. Still needs some work, but I hope this bodes well for ME3.

2. I understand why the squad was not in. The plot wouldn't have worked with other guys there as them holding Shep was stretching it enough as it was. Still with VA concerns, if you have this stuff planned in advance you could prerecord lines and it wouldn't be an issue. Or just reuse a few lines if need be.

3. Same with NPC's. I know Seth Green can't be flown in just to say "I hear you commander, we're coming to get you" but at least do something with the stock lines. You used one, why not use more. I'd thought I'd made a mistake somewhere because Shepard was repeatedly calling for a pick up and nobody was answering. I'd thought I'd missed activating something somewhere.

4. I figured they were all indoctrinated almost immediately. You don't have to feel compelled to throw a twist at us.

5. Harbinger's appearance was nice but seemed rushed and pointless. I liked that he and Shepard actually conversed for once, rather than him just ranting at you like a punchclock overlord, but it was quick and seemed like a rehash of Sovereign. I'm assuming this was trying to make it clear that Harbinger is the main Reaper villain.

6. The Rho battle was pleasantly challenging. As an Infiltrator I kept getting destroyed until I cloaked to run from corner to corner and drained the Arc Projector's entire 20 or so shots on the whole room.

7. I'm not going to rant about Ashley/Kaiden. While I wanted them to appear I understand it wouldn't have worked well, and they don't have to have a DLC just cause Liara did. I'm hoping Ashley being front and center during the bad ending montage means she won't be swept under the rug. I'm giving you guys the benefit of the doubt that they'll make a great return in ME3 and it will have been worth the wait. Please don't let me down.

8. The place in the story. I'm sorry but trying to fit it into status quo isn't working. Play it before the SM and it conflicts with the Collector attacks making that plan of the Reapers seem unneccesery and confusing since it looks as if they don't commit to moving in regardless until the end of ME2. But at the same time, playing it post game raises the question of why Shepard doesn't turn themself in right there as there's nothing else for them to do at that point as all DLC is now over. I know it needed to be acessible to all players and that the SM is the official end point of the game. But I think fitting it into ME2's main story at all was a mistake. What should have been done is make arrival a seperate story accessible from the start menu ala Witch Hunt or Golem's in DAO. Import your ME2 Shepard or start a new one, Is post ME2, starts with the message from Hackett, Arrival mission, end debriefing, the end. We'd miss out on the upgrades, but honestly I don't think they'll be that useful at this point anyway. Or just send them into the ME2 story if you've got the arrival flagged as complete like DAO. Then have Shepard go to trial right there. Or better yet, just have the Reapers arrive, kicking off ME3 without having to worry about interrupting ME2's free play.

8. That flashes of stuff shown if the time runs out is probably one of the most interesting parts of the DLC. I'm wondering how much of that is foreshadowing, and how much is symbolism.

9. Like Shadow Broker, we basically can't control anything about the plot. I hope that isn't a sign of things to come.

10. It seemed unusually short. Between that and the article I remember saying the final DLC was only supposed to be weeks before ME3 was released (and it obviously isn't coming out any time soon) I'm wondering if it was supposed to be longer and released later on, but someone higher up vetoed that plan and wanted ME2 complete and finished so the company could move on.

11. No boss. All the other DLCs had some of the best bosses in the series. Here we get nothing. Just a bunch of mooks and a mech we've fought a million times before.

And that's about it. It was good, but it seems like it was supposed to be so much more and got bogged down by trying to tie it into the ME2 main story. I'll still probably play it again with another file. I hope that now ME2's over and done, that we'll start hearing more details on 3.

Modifié par AquamanOS, 30 mars 2011 - 04:34 .

[Estelindis]

I really enjoyed Arrival.    Here's my feedback.

Good

• The plot centres on the Reapers and their threat to the galaxy.  Much as I loved ME2's more adventurous plot structure (compared to Bioware's standard "four quest hubs plus final area"), at times the plot felt divorced from what had happened in ME1.  Arrival addresses this handily.
• Combat was very enjoyable, particularly the "fight for your life" and the final fight against the backdrop of the relay.
• The stealth mission was wonderful.  My canon Shepard is an Infiltrator and this is the kind of careful, skillful job I always imagined her carrying out back when she was a fulltime N7 operative.
• Hackett.  It seems impossible to go wrong with this guy.  He's brilliantly written and there's a real, solid connection to Shepard there.  Was great to see his face at last.
• Music.  Amazing.  Serious kudos to the composers.
• Pathos of all the Batarian deaths.  :-(  It's sad that so many of them could have been saved if circumstances had been different - evacuated via the mass relay over the course of the two days that Shepard was knocked out. 
• Nice to see some new textures in the level environments.
• Great pacing and cinematic feel, though these are fairly standard for ME2!

Less Good

• Some things seemed like plot holes, e.g. what was the Normandy doing for two days while Shepard was unconscious, why was Shepard kept alive, and how did the Reapers travel through dark space so quickly (without the Conduit / Citadel to help them)?
• I would have liked Ashley and Kaidan to be involved.  Considering the plot Bioware decided to write for this DLC, their participation might not make a huge amount of sense (mission is supposed to be secret, "non-Alliance"), but there's no law stating the plot had to be written exactly just so.  Now, I have looked at a non-standard-game-over video containing a few flashes of Ash, but there doesn't seem to be a Kaidan version...  :-(  Ash is just that persistent!  ;-D 

Will post more if I think of more.

Modifié par Estelindis, 30 mars 2011 - 04:25 .

[Nixter Shepard]

ratzerman wrote...

Bearlegdairy wrote...

Oh, right. And who holds a SPECTRE hostage next to the killer robot bay without ANY RESTRAINTS. Little things like this just destroyed any hope of real immersion. You can only suspend disbelief so many times.

Ughhhh... that was the worst. Weren't they just trying to kill Shep a minute ago? Why are they letting her sleep in the medbay, practically unguarded, with all of her guns and armor right outside?

Come on, writers.....  that was just plain old lazy.

They mentioned something about needing Shep alive. Why, is never explained or mentioned again. I really hope they actually had a reason for it that may be explained in ME 3 and don't just drop it like it was never mentioned.

[mOOgBunny]

Just very disappointed with the whole experience, very short from beginning to end, no real story or character development, drab repetitive locations & enemies. In my worthless opinion it just seemed stagnant & sterile compared to the main game & certainly compared to Lair of the Shadow Broker.
I was so looking forward to this, hoping for one last moment of Mass Effect brilliance before the final act but it wasn't to be.

Things I liked: The return of the rain effects on Shepard & the environment, don't get me wrong it's not STALKER good but it is nice.
Controlling the mech remotely, loved that but it didn't last long enough (how you are able to control the mech is another issue?? A "Get Out of Jail Free" card I guess!!).
The voice acting, what there is of it, is as good as it gets, as it always is with Mass Effect.

More moans: What was the "Stealth" section about? It was as evident to me as the "Suicide" mission in the main game, I didn't come across either of them, wait do they mean the bit where you just walk in the front door without as much as a second glance from any guard, nah they can't mean that bit, can they?
Solo Mission? Hackett Cameo? I really think a treat was missed out on here as I was hoping to fight alongside the old guard but it wasn't to be.

I understand the talent, time & creativity that went into this, it's just when the main game is so good the DLC really needs to shine even brighter & this just doesn't.

I guess because it is kind of Mass Effect 2's swansong, my expectations were kind of high but that is Biowares fault as they were the ones who set the bar & supplied me with the top quality merchandise in the first place.

I've only just finished "Arrival" & sadly I really can't remember any other high points.
I'm just left feeling a little deflated & my Shepard is left idling on deck in a world that really hasn't changed even though there should be whole lot of "put out" people wanting her blood.

I suppose that is a problem with the game being open ended, which again in my worthless opinion was a bad decision from the start. The writers should tell us when the episode ends (ME2) & not give an option to leave the main character in limbo until the next episode (ME3) begins. A couple of tidy auto saves at the end of the main game with a small epilogue piece to play through to complete the game would of enabled us to play DLC while still having a valid game ending & a character to take to the next installment.

Guess it's another 50 minutes to add to a few Mass Effect 2 replays before The Arrival of The Witcher 2 & Mass Effect 3, so not all bad.

Modifié par mOOgBunny, 30 mars 2011 - 04:27 .

[Dominus]

Dom's Ultra-Lux Arrival DLC Review - Extra Spicy Edition!

After trying out arrival's DLC as a soldier class on hardcore, here is my in-depth review of the last DLC for ME2. 

Part I. Metal Gear Shepard.

One very significant change from the very beginning is the complete removal of squadmates from the entire mission. Despite my reluctance, it feels well balanced, and is admittedly a breath of fresh air from having to take the "Shepard and friends" route. The mission on Aratoht had a few issues - the temporary squad member icon for Dr. Kenson looks rather bizarre* - it looks like the doctor is cross-eyed, and is a bit distracting. The model of kenson herself doesn't feel particularly memorable, though the voice acting is right where it should be. It would've been interesting to see more use of ambient audio in a more claustrophic, lonely environment - something similar to what you'd see in Dead Space 1 and 2.  The use of audio logs to fill in storyline were a welcome addition, and certainly kept the game from getting stale. As great as aratoht looks, I think the graphical art wasn't quite on par as Project Base was, and could've potentially used some better sights both in, and outside the frigate. 

Part II. Getting all your duckies in a rho.

The Project Base is one of the most visually pleasing bases I've seen in the game.(if you include shadow broker's "base" that one is also up there.) The whole design reminds me of a very old game called Bioforge, way back in the 1990s. The design for the artifact is also gorgeous - involving a very enjoyable, and certainly unexpected battle. The use of ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL of the loki mech was a good way to add variety, though it would've been nice to have more than just pistol pewing - perhaps an overload ability? And like the others have said before, it felt a little set up... The Project Guard look isn't a huge derivation from what we've seen before, but the color pallete works pretty well. One last thing... kenson with glowy yellow eyes? Really, commander?

Part III. The Alpha of the Pack.

The Alpha Relay, despite having very little interesting gameplay to speak of, is a visual feast. The harbinger cameo feels a bit brief, but certainly covers what's needed - and shepard gets some very good lines in it as well. The inevitable explosion of the alpha relay looks pretty damn good.(It'd still be nice to eventually get some higher resolution cinematics though.) The hackett debriefing is very memorable, and he delivers a line that sounds very much like what Anderson mentioned in the first. As far as the complaints go about player choice... well they're right, and they're wrong. There's a lack of significant choices made, but you really can't add much to that plotline, especially since so little of it involves characters besides kenson, hackett, and a countless army of batarians and guards.

Part IV. Dead on Arrival, or arrived just in time?

All in all, it was genuinely worth the purchase. It may not be the cornucopia of DLC, but it's a great addition to the ME mythology, and adds some very significant storyline details. I give it 4 out of 5 blastos.


* Um...Yeah. Just saying.


Thanks for Coming By.

-DominusVita

[McNum]

Like:

• The fighting. Good fights, even if we've kind of seen all the enemy types before. Not too difficult, either.
• Getting to tell off Harbinger to its face. I could take a whole game of telling off giant Space Abominations.
• Hey look, the Reapers are back and relevant! I kind of missed them in the main story of ME2.
• Solo combat was fun as a diversion.

Dislike:

• Not enough choices. And the choices we do have, end up being overwriten. Do I kill 300,000 Batarians, or do I shout "Heads up!" before killing 300,000 batarians? Note that the "Heads up!" transmssion will be blocked.
• Not enough talking. Mass Effect to me is cover based 3rd person shooting and dialog choices. This DLC is just the former.
• "You must go to Earth and stand trial..." Great! I'll just head over and- "...in another game." I really wanted to show the human courts how Shepard handles showtrials. Ask the Quarians, I'll even bring Tali along if you want to ask one directly. I had better be able to use my off the charts Paragon Shepard in that trial, though. Batarians need a good shouting at.
• The stealth part. I had no idea I was supposed to sneak there. That and I dislike stealth parts in non-stealth games on principle. Kasumi's DLC mission was enough stealth for me.

Still for the money, it was worth it. I can't help but wonder if I just paid for an ME3 advertisement, though. That said, a trial is a convinient way to set up exposition to allow both new and returning players to catch up on the story so far for Mass Effect 3. I just wanted to play it now.

Modifié par McNum, 30 mars 2011 - 04:46 .

[gem1138]

I thought it was decent but it was my least favorite DLC out of the 3 in this price category. I assume Shephard's trial will be in ME3, if it's not or not even mentioned then that will be a major "WTF".

I would prefer DLC that evolves around companions.

[Animositisomina]

Someone mentioned this a few pages back as something they didn't like:

"- A crane puzzle that actually isn't a puzzle at all. Unless it is. Is it? I feel stupid now."

I was also wondering, what the heck was that supposed to be? Was it a puzzle or not? I just gave up on it and jumped down, carrying on with my mission. It seemed to do nothing. Did I miss anything by not figuring it out, if there was anything to figure out at all?

[general numa19]

Chris, y'all did a fantastic job! Forget all the nitpicking losers throwin a ****fest...I had a blast playin this one! I got great stealth, great combat, and great dialogue. Unlike some of these people, I don't NEED you to spoon-feed me every single detail about every single plot point or hole...it's why I have an imagination. I also have a sense of humor...which is why I laughed out loud while shouting "Ha! You dumb b*tch!" during the mech sequence. Apparently some of these idiots didn't see the girl throw up the shield and cross her arms like a smug jackass. Taunt me? Eat mech, ******! LOL freakin loved it! Y'all got subtlety and comic relief down to a science. Keep aiming for the stars, guys...you rock!

[Animositisomina]

general numa19 wrote...

Chris, y'all did a fantastic job! Forget all the nitpicking losers throwin a ****fest...I had a blast playin this one! I got great stealth, great combat, and great dialogue. Unlike some of these people, I don't NEED you to spoon-feed me every single detail about every single plot point or hole...it's why I have an imagination. I also have a sense of humor...which is why I laughed out loud while shouting "Ha! You dumb b*tch!" during the mech sequence. Apparently some of these idiots didn't see the girl throw up the shield and cross her arms like a smug jackass. Taunt me? Eat mech, ******! LOL freakin loved it! Y'all got subtlety and comic relief down to a science. Keep aiming for the stars, guys...you rock!

That was actually my favorite part of this DLC--playing as a mech, I mean. It was brief, but it served its purpose, was something new for the series, and quite fun.