For me the only real problem was constant sliding sideways/upwards out of cover and the aim assist seeming to have a mind of its own this time around. Also, the over the shoulder crosshairs and the scoped view for sniper rifles STILL do not sync up. I say still because I remember bringing it up when one of my first playthroughs of the game the week it came out was with an Infiltrator.
Now for the subjective bit. I don't care for the lack of a middle ground option for dialogue. Maybe I don't care to be the guy who utters the painfully cheesy "noble" line or the caveman with a gun grunting about how he's soooo tough. Although I don't care to be overly invested in an NPC like some would it have killed ya to include the VS, even just a little bs cameo?
Overall the dlc was better than good but not great, something like a 7.5 or an eight because of the length, the lack of real choice, and the apparent lack of gravity with having to supernova the asses of a third of a million people.
Mass Effect Arrival feedback thread
Débuté par
Chris Priestly
, mars 29 2011 03:21
Retour en haut
#602
Posté 01 avril 2011 - 11:20
Cetregon
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DominusVita wrote...
You really want a romance option with kenson...?No real connection to Kenson
Shepard: You have the object rho, but do you have the object of your desire?
Dr. Kenson: ....GTFO.
Or did you mean just as a character? What kind of connection were you hoping for?
Err...perhaps I could have been clearer, although I would have missed your offered dialog, which was more enjoyable than most of Arrival. As the only other character during most of the DLC, I should have cared whether I shot her in the head. Well, I kind of did. Despite playing Paragon, I found myself frustrated that there was no renegade option to just shoot her before she went into the reactor room.
When the only other significant character in the content (setting aside the discussions with Hackett) is someone you can't shoot fast enough, I think that might not be the right kind of connection.
If it's story-driven DLC for the Mass Effect universe, I purchase it. It's the finest series I've played in over 30 years of gaming (although I do miss Zork). Unfortunately, this product, particularly at this price point, didn't meet the expected standard. Cardboard cutout characters, shoot 'em up gameplay...ugh. Some of the decisions will factor into ME3, so this wasn't a total waste. I just hope ME3 isn't a similarly designed first person shooter without a well-executed story. Holiday 2011 just got a little less appealing.
Modifié par Cetregon, 01 avril 2011 - 11:23 .
#603
Posté 01 avril 2011 - 11:29
Nathan Redgrave
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Cetregon wrote...
If it's story-driven DLC for the Mass Effect universe, I purchase it. It's the finest series I've played in over 30 years of gaming (although I do miss Zork). Unfortunately, this product, particularly at this price point, didn't meet the expected standard. Cardboard cutout characters, shoot 'em up gameplay...ugh. Some of the decisions will factor into ME3, so this wasn't a total waste. I just hope ME3 isn't a similarly designed first person shooter without a well-executed story. Holiday 2011 just got a little less appealing.
Please don't tell me you're actually worried about this? Mass Effect 3 is a full-length game. Arrival lasted all of an hour and ten minutes, give or take. Of course there's a difference in how developed the story will be. Sheesh.
Incidentally, why does "first person shooter" keep coming up? Semantically, this annoys me. You can't have a first-person shooter, in the third person. It just. Doesn't. Happen.
#604
Posté 01 avril 2011 - 11:46
Cetregon
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Nathan Redgrave wrote...
Cetregon wrote...
If it's story-driven DLC for the Mass Effect universe, I purchase it. It's the finest series I've played in over 30 years of gaming (although I do miss Zork). Unfortunately, this product, particularly at this price point, didn't meet the expected standard. Cardboard cutout characters, shoot 'em up gameplay...ugh. Some of the decisions will factor into ME3, so this wasn't a total waste. I just hope ME3 isn't a similarly designed first person shooter without a well-executed story. Holiday 2011 just got a little less appealing.
Please don't tell me you're actually worried about this? Mass Effect 3 is a full-length game. Arrival lasted all of an hour and ten minutes, give or take. Of course there's a difference in how developed the story will be. Sheesh.
Incidentally, why does "first person shooter" keep coming up? Semantically, this annoys me. You can't have a first-person shooter, in the third person. It just. Doesn't. Happen.
Actually, I am a bit concerned, although I expect there will indeed be squad-based gameplay, superb dialogue, etc. Bioware can't have entirely lost its way. I just didn't have any reason to doubt that before. Now, they've put something out that didn't meet their admittedly high standard. That has me concerned that the final chapter of a compelling story will leave me a bit disappointed. That's kind of a bummer. Will I still buy it? Yes, so I guess they've got no financial reason to care about my gripes.
As for your semantics issue, I believe it keeps coming up to highlight the fact that this feels like a first-person shooter rather than an RPG. Folks could say "shooter," but that doesn't carry the same implications, so they would have to be spelled out. Perhaps the two genres are too close to use "first-person shooter" as a metaphor, but I think that's what's happening (in some cases at least).
#605
Posté 02 avril 2011 - 01:16
Horsemanlawyer
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Dudes, I have to say I was underwhelmed. I was back on board after Shadowbroker - I got chills playing that one and found myself emotionally drawn in - you captured a good bit of the magic of ME1 which, frankly, I thought was woefully lacking in ME2. Re Arrival: I suppose the thing is, I already knew the Reapers were coming and I knew this DLC couldn't really advance that story much, and it didn't. But, the story, aside from getting to meet Hacket, wasn't at all engaging. I knew from the jump when the doctor stammered over an answer that she'd been coopted. So, I just settled in to blast wave after wave after wave of bad guys. I could do that in some multiplayer thing, not a draw for me. I hesitate to admit this, but I found myself yawning and pausing. Hope this opinion comes off as measured, but I must be honest in expressing my disappointment.
#606
Posté 02 avril 2011 - 02:08
redbaron76
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Loved the dlc, great action, lots of fights. The only thing I did not like about the DLC not Ashley interaction.
#607
Posté 02 avril 2011 - 03:29
MythicalKnight
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The Good
- Solo mission. Although it's taken four or five playthroughs to really appreciate how well this was done.
- Water effects on Shepard's armor when moving in and out of rain. Finally noticed that during my fourth playtrough. Very impressive. It's that kind of polish that is going to be expected in ME3. Could have been a little more gradual of a change back and forth to be more realistic, but overall I was impressed.
- Sneaky Sneaky. I believe others have waxed poetic over how awesome this was, could have been better with moving patrols.
- Music. Catches you at the right time and stays out of the way at the right time. Very good thing.
- Overall level design was very good.
The Bad
- Early Batarian AI. The first two or three waves right after Kenson gets on the security console, the enemies decide to run right past you while either shooting you or ignoring you altogether. They for the most part took the exact same path to her. This was very annoying. Sometimes they would just stand still looking at Kenson through a window. All other batarians were ok AI wise.
- Solo mission. Being alone in combat sucks sometimes, especially when you feel like you need to move forward but can't. Felt this way alot while playing as Vanguard, always felt that it was way to risky to charge into a group because I had no backup.
- I know the Normandy is able to run silent but dang no Normandy noise was creepy.
The Ugly
- Trying to get the Last Stand achievment as Vanguard on Insanity. Took a while but I got it.
- Solo mission. Although it's taken four or five playthroughs to really appreciate how well this was done.
- Water effects on Shepard's armor when moving in and out of rain. Finally noticed that during my fourth playtrough. Very impressive. It's that kind of polish that is going to be expected in ME3. Could have been a little more gradual of a change back and forth to be more realistic, but overall I was impressed.
- Sneaky Sneaky. I believe others have waxed poetic over how awesome this was, could have been better with moving patrols.
- Music. Catches you at the right time and stays out of the way at the right time. Very good thing.
- Overall level design was very good.
The Bad
- Early Batarian AI. The first two or three waves right after Kenson gets on the security console, the enemies decide to run right past you while either shooting you or ignoring you altogether. They for the most part took the exact same path to her. This was very annoying. Sometimes they would just stand still looking at Kenson through a window. All other batarians were ok AI wise.
- Solo mission. Being alone in combat sucks sometimes, especially when you feel like you need to move forward but can't. Felt this way alot while playing as Vanguard, always felt that it was way to risky to charge into a group because I had no backup.
- I know the Normandy is able to run silent but dang no Normandy noise was creepy.
The Ugly
- Trying to get the Last Stand achievment as Vanguard on Insanity. Took a while but I got it.
#608
Posté 02 avril 2011 - 05:41
Orion1836
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Well, I just got done playing it for the first time... here are my thoughts:
First and foremost, I don't quite know how to feel about Shepard being forced to kill 300k Batarians, regardless of alignment. I can see that this will be some sort of plot device to get Shepard on trial, which would be the simplest way to warn the whole galaxy at once about the reapers, but it just doesn't feel right for a Paragon character. I realize it was an impossible choice, but good old Upper Left Blue has pulled Shepard out of worse situations.
Trials have been done before in Bioware games. The ones I remember most are from NWN 1 and 2. I can't say I've ever enjoyed their use as a plot device.
On the other hand, for my purely renegade Shep, it was an excellent opportunity to get revenge on the Batarians and advance Cerberus' cause.
Another thing really bothered me. Hackett wanted Shepard for a covert mission, one with no ties to the Alliance. Shepard went in alone, with only a shuttle. The description of the planet suggested that the Normandy kept her stealth systems on the entire time. There are plenty of helmets that hide Shepard's face, and he didn't *have* to identify himself when broadcasting.
How exactly would anyone know that Shepard was involved? Granted, a mass effect relay randomly blowing up, *is* his style, but where else have we seen giant meteors thrown at things? It's definitely not the humans doing it, it's the Batarians.
Even if the Batarians had their suspicions, they could not risk angering the council by going to war with a COUNCIL RACE without hard evidence, and short of Hackett giving Shepard up, I don't see how they could do that. For all the galaxy knows, an asteroid was flown into a mass relay, and, oh by the way, the Batarians are bunch of terrorists who've done that before. Big surprise that it was done in their space. This issue becomes even tougher on the Batarian position if humanity seized control of the council after ME1. Whether the universe is with them or not, they still have the power. I don't see the Batarians challenging that without some MAJOR backup. All Hackett would have to do is deny all knowledge, suggest that maybe it was a failed dry run of a terrorist attack and let the media draw the rest of the conclusions.
As far as the gameplay went, I thoroughly enjoyed the level design and the combat, with the notable exception of the Last Stand. Granted, you don't have to survive through the whole thing, but let's be honest... most gamers are going to reload until they do. Maybe I would have done better had I not taken such a long break from playing the game, but for me, it was really painful.
Finally seeing Admiral Hackett was great, but the lack of the other crew members was noticeable. I understand you guys can't call back expensive VAs for something like this, and I don't begrudge you that. But seeing Joker on screen just nodding to Shepard in this expansion and your two squad mates banging on a door without saying anything in Overlord just made it obvious to me that they were forcibly silent. There had to have been some kind of audio that you guys could have re-used. Something as simple as a 'yes, sir' from Joker at the end of Arrival would have maintained the illusion. As it stands, the silence is notable and it breaks from the immersion.
That's all I got... a big THANK YOU for the DLC. I know you guys work hard, and all we do is ****, but it's because we care about the story and the universe.
First and foremost, I don't quite know how to feel about Shepard being forced to kill 300k Batarians, regardless of alignment. I can see that this will be some sort of plot device to get Shepard on trial, which would be the simplest way to warn the whole galaxy at once about the reapers, but it just doesn't feel right for a Paragon character. I realize it was an impossible choice, but good old Upper Left Blue has pulled Shepard out of worse situations.
Trials have been done before in Bioware games. The ones I remember most are from NWN 1 and 2. I can't say I've ever enjoyed their use as a plot device.
On the other hand, for my purely renegade Shep, it was an excellent opportunity to get revenge on the Batarians and advance Cerberus' cause.
Another thing really bothered me. Hackett wanted Shepard for a covert mission, one with no ties to the Alliance. Shepard went in alone, with only a shuttle. The description of the planet suggested that the Normandy kept her stealth systems on the entire time. There are plenty of helmets that hide Shepard's face, and he didn't *have* to identify himself when broadcasting.
How exactly would anyone know that Shepard was involved? Granted, a mass effect relay randomly blowing up, *is* his style, but where else have we seen giant meteors thrown at things? It's definitely not the humans doing it, it's the Batarians.
Even if the Batarians had their suspicions, they could not risk angering the council by going to war with a COUNCIL RACE without hard evidence, and short of Hackett giving Shepard up, I don't see how they could do that. For all the galaxy knows, an asteroid was flown into a mass relay, and, oh by the way, the Batarians are bunch of terrorists who've done that before. Big surprise that it was done in their space. This issue becomes even tougher on the Batarian position if humanity seized control of the council after ME1. Whether the universe is with them or not, they still have the power. I don't see the Batarians challenging that without some MAJOR backup. All Hackett would have to do is deny all knowledge, suggest that maybe it was a failed dry run of a terrorist attack and let the media draw the rest of the conclusions.
As far as the gameplay went, I thoroughly enjoyed the level design and the combat, with the notable exception of the Last Stand. Granted, you don't have to survive through the whole thing, but let's be honest... most gamers are going to reload until they do. Maybe I would have done better had I not taken such a long break from playing the game, but for me, it was really painful.
Finally seeing Admiral Hackett was great, but the lack of the other crew members was noticeable. I understand you guys can't call back expensive VAs for something like this, and I don't begrudge you that. But seeing Joker on screen just nodding to Shepard in this expansion and your two squad mates banging on a door without saying anything in Overlord just made it obvious to me that they were forcibly silent. There had to have been some kind of audio that you guys could have re-used. Something as simple as a 'yes, sir' from Joker at the end of Arrival would have maintained the illusion. As it stands, the silence is notable and it breaks from the immersion.
That's all I got... a big THANK YOU for the DLC. I know you guys work hard, and all we do is ****, but it's because we care about the story and the universe.
#609
Posté 02 avril 2011 - 06:15
AdamNW
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Liked:
-The voice acting.
-Level design at The Project
-Pretty much every story related element outside of what was disliked.
-Served as a great bridge to ME3
Disliked:
-Obvious attempt to avoid VA from NPC's outside of Arrival (Most noticeable when Joker said nothing to Shepard on the Normandy)
-Level design at the prison
-Kenson showed no signs of indoctrination until after Rho was revealed to Shepard, yet the research logs show otherwise (unless those logs were made during the time lapse, but there was no hint to either)
-The fact that Shepard was down for TWO DAYS and Kenson wasn't able to dismantle The Project
-The voice acting.
-Level design at The Project
-Pretty much every story related element outside of what was disliked.
-Served as a great bridge to ME3
Disliked:
-Obvious attempt to avoid VA from NPC's outside of Arrival (Most noticeable when Joker said nothing to Shepard on the Normandy)
-Level design at the prison
-Kenson showed no signs of indoctrination until after Rho was revealed to Shepard, yet the research logs show otherwise (unless those logs were made during the time lapse, but there was no hint to either)
-The fact that Shepard was down for TWO DAYS and Kenson wasn't able to dismantle The Project
Modifié par AdamNW, 02 avril 2011 - 06:16 .
#610
Posté 02 avril 2011 - 06:51
Revakeane
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To be honest Arrival was somewhat underwhelming.
My expectations were probably too high, but I really wanted something like Lair of the Shadow Broker; address a deep niggling mystery established in ME1 or ME2, face off fantastic boss fights, and interacting meaningfully with important npcs.
Instead in Arrival I was soloing all the time within a plot that seemed somewhat superfluous to me. Ok, so I delayed the Reaper invasion by some time... so what? They were going to come anyway, now they're just going to find a new route. I could have skipped Arrival completely and still come to the same conclusion in ME3. As this has been touted as the next bridging dlc, I thought it would mean something really significant in terms of plot... maybe my conclusions on Arrival's insignificance is premature, but from my standpoint it still seems valid. Simply delaying the Reaper's arrival does not bring forward the main plot, or any other secondary side plots. The plot twist, aka the indoctrination of an entire Alliance science team, was pretty cool, but ultimately didn't introduce anything new or bring a new dimension to something already established. Similarly, the effects of Arrival seem quite minor in terms of significance; no matter what you did, you couldn't save the Batarian colonies; you will still have to stand trial; in other words there was no discernible differentiation in the endings of Arrival; player choice didn't seem to matter in this dlc.
Another major gripe I had was that I was solo the whole way. It sort of made sense to go solo in the rescue mission, but once that was done, why didn't Shepard bring any teammates to the research station? I'm sure Miranda would definitely have wanted to come, being the information-junkie that she is, and I'm sure the rest of the team would have wanted to be in on any new information regarding the Reapers. I can't see a real reason why Shepard had to be solo throughout the whole dlc.
Which brings me to my next gripe, which is the lack of character interaction and relationship-development. The only people you really speak to are Hackett and Kenson, and only Hackett has a prior relationship with Shepard. Since Kenson dies at the end no matter what you do, and Hackett is absent except from the beginning and end of the mission, there isn't much character-development or relationship-development from this dlc. I don't think I'm alone in that I expected Ashley or Kaiden to show up, like Liara did, and for the relationship to be developed (especially in lieu of the painfully short and sparse interaction in ME2). Maybe this was what Bioware had planned all along, to leave the big relationship show down for ME3 in a climatic cluster, but it just seemed uneven to me that Liara's relationship was partially resolved before ME2 while the others weren't. I would have liked to develop the relationships Shepard established in ME2, since after a certain threshold mid-way into the game most of the NPCs seemed to reach their limits of interaction.
Anyway, those parts are what I disliked... here's what I did like
The atmosphere in the research station was pretty good; the sense of urgency and danger could have been amplified perhaps with a timer, but other than that it was pretty good in terms of music and general visual ambiance.
The unexpected plot twist was pretty cool too; I never expected my Shepard to be taken prisoner after he 'died', and the indoctrination thing was cool if somewhat predictable.
I very much enjoyed seeing Hackett for the first time. Perhaps the meeting would have been made more interesting if some other important Alliance personnel were present, or even Councilor Anderson (or Udina, he's always fun).
My expectations were probably too high, but I really wanted something like Lair of the Shadow Broker; address a deep niggling mystery established in ME1 or ME2, face off fantastic boss fights, and interacting meaningfully with important npcs.
Instead in Arrival I was soloing all the time within a plot that seemed somewhat superfluous to me. Ok, so I delayed the Reaper invasion by some time... so what? They were going to come anyway, now they're just going to find a new route. I could have skipped Arrival completely and still come to the same conclusion in ME3. As this has been touted as the next bridging dlc, I thought it would mean something really significant in terms of plot... maybe my conclusions on Arrival's insignificance is premature, but from my standpoint it still seems valid. Simply delaying the Reaper's arrival does not bring forward the main plot, or any other secondary side plots. The plot twist, aka the indoctrination of an entire Alliance science team, was pretty cool, but ultimately didn't introduce anything new or bring a new dimension to something already established. Similarly, the effects of Arrival seem quite minor in terms of significance; no matter what you did, you couldn't save the Batarian colonies; you will still have to stand trial; in other words there was no discernible differentiation in the endings of Arrival; player choice didn't seem to matter in this dlc.
Another major gripe I had was that I was solo the whole way. It sort of made sense to go solo in the rescue mission, but once that was done, why didn't Shepard bring any teammates to the research station? I'm sure Miranda would definitely have wanted to come, being the information-junkie that she is, and I'm sure the rest of the team would have wanted to be in on any new information regarding the Reapers. I can't see a real reason why Shepard had to be solo throughout the whole dlc.
Which brings me to my next gripe, which is the lack of character interaction and relationship-development. The only people you really speak to are Hackett and Kenson, and only Hackett has a prior relationship with Shepard. Since Kenson dies at the end no matter what you do, and Hackett is absent except from the beginning and end of the mission, there isn't much character-development or relationship-development from this dlc. I don't think I'm alone in that I expected Ashley or Kaiden to show up, like Liara did, and for the relationship to be developed (especially in lieu of the painfully short and sparse interaction in ME2). Maybe this was what Bioware had planned all along, to leave the big relationship show down for ME3 in a climatic cluster, but it just seemed uneven to me that Liara's relationship was partially resolved before ME2 while the others weren't. I would have liked to develop the relationships Shepard established in ME2, since after a certain threshold mid-way into the game most of the NPCs seemed to reach their limits of interaction.
Anyway, those parts are what I disliked... here's what I did like
The atmosphere in the research station was pretty good; the sense of urgency and danger could have been amplified perhaps with a timer, but other than that it was pretty good in terms of music and general visual ambiance.
The unexpected plot twist was pretty cool too; I never expected my Shepard to be taken prisoner after he 'died', and the indoctrination thing was cool if somewhat predictable.
I very much enjoyed seeing Hackett for the first time. Perhaps the meeting would have been made more interesting if some other important Alliance personnel were present, or even Councilor Anderson (or Udina, he's always fun).
#611
Posté 02 avril 2011 - 09:57
Interactive Civilian
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I'm sure it has been covered already, but I'll through it in again as a small but major (for me) annoyance...
4-eyed Batarians wearing 2-eyed helmets... That just doesn't make any sense, and it broke immersion for me quite a lot more than such a small detail should. Why would a Batarian be wearing THIS particular helmet, especially given the (at least as shown in the books) Batarian disdain for 2-eyed species?
That said, I'll add my positive to the above negative:
Admiral Hackett was really well-done. The character design matched the voice very well.
4-eyed Batarians wearing 2-eyed helmets... That just doesn't make any sense, and it broke immersion for me quite a lot more than such a small detail should. Why would a Batarian be wearing THIS particular helmet, especially given the (at least as shown in the books) Batarian disdain for 2-eyed species?
That said, I'll add my positive to the above negative:
Admiral Hackett was really well-done. The character design matched the voice very well.
#612
Posté 02 avril 2011 - 10:01
Kaylord
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I liked it, but it did not reach the niveau of LotSB. No squadmates and no character development, it is a straight mission shooter. At that it is very good, because the challenges are there and the situations have some surprises.
#613
Posté 02 avril 2011 - 10:15
Mir5
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Interactive Civilian wrote...
Admiral Hackett was really well-done. The character design matched the voice very well.
He wasn't bad, and I really liked that he actually visited you at the end. But I am pretty sure that they used Zaeeds base model or something, they look like they could be close relatives. Also I always imagined him to look more Lance Henriksey.
#614
Posté 02 avril 2011 - 10:52
Major Tao
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Dear Folks at BioWare,
I consider myself a huge fan of Mass Effect I and II.
I've enjoyed all the DLC that's been offered so far... until now.
***Oops - must mention that I DID NOT purchase Bring Down the Sky.
I read the reviews and decided that it wasn't something I needed.
My feelings and reactions resonate with many of my fellow fans of Mass Effect who both love the series and find themselves reacting critically to this "Arrival" offering.
Fellow Community members; Avalon Aurora, Octomac, Scimal, Mark B., bambooxfox, Pacifen, Uszi, thetawaves90, XFemShepX, NalimX, E71, swirlwind, LadyJanGrey, Junthor, Kaatz, RenatusP, CptAwesomePhd, Hodx, StowyMcStowstow, crazyrabbits, and CulturalGeekGirl have all made strong points which I hope you will consider towards improving future creations.
Sigh... There were so many missed opportunities here, and most have been mentioned by the community members above.
First.... I acknowledge the good...
Likes >
No less than THREE of my wishes to Bioware came true !
1) I got a Solo Mission !
2) I got to meet Admiral Hackett as voiced with inimitable delivery by Mr. Lance Henriksen.
3) I had openly wondered if there would be some kind of mission to INTERCEPT and damage the Reapers as they're on their way to the Mass Berzerker / All You Can Eat Buffet Frenzy... and lo ! - that partially came to pass as well - though it was a delaying action only.
It seems to me that there was an improvement in enemy A.I. The enemy pyros and elites definitely moved to flank the Commander when they had the opportunity and this made the combat more challenging.
The diaries recording the creeping Indoctrination effects were good.
Object Rho looks cool, mysterious and turns out to be a challenging fight arena.
( You talking to me ? !!! ) ( Ohhh.... you're talking to EVERYONE - IN OUR HEADS ! )
So Why am I disappointed ?
Because the delivery of these great scenarios were weak.
Yes there were some novel levels and a great solo firefight besides Rho (with glitches !) , yet so much exposition and depth to the story was entirely skipped over in favor of repetitive, uninspired bang bang. What is presented is uneven in quality and it does not come together to my satisfaction. Yes, I have high expectations.
Mass Effect has a great combat system in place - yet it's the STORY that is the driving engine in this game !
IN MASS EFFECT - CONTEXT MATTERS !!!
Severe Dislikes >
1) Glitches which interfered with combat in the first two firefights.
Despite defending the Doctor successfully, she became frozen and did not move to advance the plot.
I had to reload from an earlier save.
Despite fending off all five waves during the Onslaught at Object Rho - the countdown froze and never finished.
I had to reload the game from an earlier save. The Object Rho title covered the enemies radar almost entirely.
Really.... was this not tested at all ? A couple playthroughs and I bet suggestions would have come flying !
2) A Perceived Lack of Continuity >
I strongly recommend that Bioware invest more in continuity ! It is irritating to discover contradictions in the storyline. Retroactive adjustments to continuity might work elsewhere - like in comics - but I contend that it does not work here in games which are so cinematic. Your games should be treated as FILMS - therefore you NEED a script supervisor to maintain continuity. Heck you need a Dramaturge too to keep all these details consistent.
Dislikes >
1) "Admirals - to save the Galaxy (temporarily) I had to destroy the Bahak System."
"I'm Commander Shepherd - and this is my favorite ATROCITY !"
( I can just imagine that Admiralty board hearing coming... )
"I'm Commander Shepherd - and 300,000 DEAD is just COLLATERAL DAMAGE ! "
SO DON'T GET IN MY WAY !
Gee after that - what won't he, she,...or WE BE FORCED TO DO ?
This speaks to the lack of significant choices on the part of the player.
The most significant choice was to take the Bahak System Mission in the first place.
2) NOTHING LEARNED - and MORE BAFFLEMENT GAINED.
Hello Rho. Are you the Reaper Answering Machine / Beacon / Night Light ?
Are you channeling Harbringer ? Or do you have your own voice ? You're so pretty -and pretty secretive...
You do Indoctrination on the side ? And how does that work ?
And WHY is Shepherd immune to your indoctrination effects.... OR IS HE ? GASP ! Uh oh....
3) Rewards were modest - Consequences Gargantuan !
The rewards were very modest, very little to take back to the Normandy. No souvenirs. No physical Reaper proof, no recordings. What no microcameras in those fancy combat suits ? Is Harbringer speaking through telepathic projection ? I too thought the Reapers were going to take much longer ( in the game time continuum ) - leaving time for a campaign which might leave a few years for the Milky Way Galaxy to prepare for the Arrival.
"Team - we're in deep $#!^. We thought we'd have years and we have a couple months or weeks."
Suggestions for the Future >
1) Use the story to create more tension in the Player. Allow for difficult and challenging choices.
Really, I didn't get to know Dr. Kenson well enough. She's made this huge discovery, she's both a scientist and a deep cover operative - surely an amazing person. A comrade ( and possibly more ) to Admiral Hackett !
So saving her life ( and the lives of the Project Base team ) should have been something we could have tried for.
If she's being possessed Collector General style, did the General have more of a plan for the Commander ?
Were the Indoctrinated folks just keeping him on ice for the arriving Overlords ? Was this supposed to be just a Search and Destroy mission ? Without choices, it's much like Henry Ford said: "You can have any colour Model T you want - as long as it's Black".
2) Getting to Know You... More Variety in Non-Player Character faces and interactions.
Okay it's more work, but having unique faces ( rather than clones ) is noticeable. Gingerbread copies are also very noticeable. Overhearing NPC conversations...and getting to view them as human beings / sentient beings makes it feel like they are real people rather than drones or cutouts. I imagine walking down the corridor with Dr. Kenson on the way to see lovely Rho...and hearing those twenty armoured operatives all chatting away...
P.B. 1 "Are you still having those dreams ?"
P.B. 2 "Yes, I'm going to see the counselor today...I think I've lost it".
P.B. 1 "How do you think the Commander's going to like the artifact ?"
P.B. 2 "He's going to tear the Dr. a new... - OH HELLO Commander !"
C.S. "Hi...hey I heard you folks talking and - what's up ?"
P.B. 2 "Ohhhhhhhhhh... Uh.... Sorry I really can't talk right now..." ( passes note ) Note says... "Help me !"
( The Commander looks up into P.B. Operative's pleading eyes... )
Dr. Kenson: "Commander ? - Are you ready to view the Artifact ?"
Shepard: "Look I'll be right back....Okay ?" Commander walks off with Dr. Kenson....
P.B. Operative 2 ( Moans...) "It will be too late... Now it's too late"
It was good to overhear the Batarians during the stealth mission, ( why not a similar treatment for the Project Base folks ? ) and it's been made clear that they overwhelmingly don't like and are suspicious of humans. I agree that getting to interact with at least one of them was necessary to help ( ahem ) humanize the impact of wiping out 90,000 of them and 215,000 other sentients of mixed species; humans, salarians, asari, volus, quarians, elcor and others. If I'm going to be compelled to make such decisions you might as well let me start feeling guilty right away.
Even better would be to feel like I had to make the decision despite the costs and the folks I'd met.
***An excellent example of this was during the Zaeed Loyalty Mission where we either save or sacrifice umpteen numbers of refinery workers.
3) Let the bodies pile up ! / Persistence of Objects.
Okay, it's neat to see Husks shread into bits, but in the Dead Reaper Mission - they often shattered like frozen corpsicles. If the Commander is going to shoot 30 mercs or other enemies, how about letting the bodies persist for a while ? It seems unrealistic for the Commander to knock out two security guards in a holding / medical area - and for their bodies and weapons to just disappear into thin air. Were they beamed out ?
( Or is this technically unfeasible yet programming wise ? )
4) Please consider these suggestions & comments.
Bioware has previously earned high praise - from many ( including myself ) for rich storytelling.
Surely you notice some common themes amongst our many many comments.
The Arrival is a disappointment and I feel that only a banner can properly express my feelings...
Even with the few great elements to be found in the Arrival...here's my summation.
The ARRIVAL TASTES LIKE ASS.
...And it COULD have been such FINE ASS too....
"I took the Mission...what the hell ELSE was I gonna do ?" ~ Captain Willard, Apocalypse Now
Banner & Dramatic Flames removed by Major_Tao_Tau in consideration of Kaatz's call for respect, civility and consideration for the Awesome folks at BioWare... and your continuing efforts. ]
So - WITH MUCH RESPECT.... I HOPE for much finer works from BioWare.
I remain hopeful for an Apocalyptic story-driven showdown yet to come... in Mass Effect 3.
http://i753.photobuc...xt523701031.gif
I consider myself a huge fan of Mass Effect I and II.
I've enjoyed all the DLC that's been offered so far... until now.
***Oops - must mention that I DID NOT purchase Bring Down the Sky.
I read the reviews and decided that it wasn't something I needed.
My feelings and reactions resonate with many of my fellow fans of Mass Effect who both love the series and find themselves reacting critically to this "Arrival" offering.
Fellow Community members; Avalon Aurora, Octomac, Scimal, Mark B., bambooxfox, Pacifen, Uszi, thetawaves90, XFemShepX, NalimX, E71, swirlwind, LadyJanGrey, Junthor, Kaatz, RenatusP, CptAwesomePhd, Hodx, StowyMcStowstow, crazyrabbits, and CulturalGeekGirl have all made strong points which I hope you will consider towards improving future creations.
Sigh... There were so many missed opportunities here, and most have been mentioned by the community members above.
First.... I acknowledge the good...
Likes >
No less than THREE of my wishes to Bioware came true !
1) I got a Solo Mission !
2) I got to meet Admiral Hackett as voiced with inimitable delivery by Mr. Lance Henriksen.
3) I had openly wondered if there would be some kind of mission to INTERCEPT and damage the Reapers as they're on their way to the Mass Berzerker / All You Can Eat Buffet Frenzy... and lo ! - that partially came to pass as well - though it was a delaying action only.
It seems to me that there was an improvement in enemy A.I. The enemy pyros and elites definitely moved to flank the Commander when they had the opportunity and this made the combat more challenging.
The diaries recording the creeping Indoctrination effects were good.
Object Rho looks cool, mysterious and turns out to be a challenging fight arena.
( You talking to me ? !!! ) ( Ohhh.... you're talking to EVERYONE - IN OUR HEADS ! )
So Why am I disappointed ?
Because the delivery of these great scenarios were weak.
Yes there were some novel levels and a great solo firefight besides Rho (with glitches !) , yet so much exposition and depth to the story was entirely skipped over in favor of repetitive, uninspired bang bang. What is presented is uneven in quality and it does not come together to my satisfaction. Yes, I have high expectations.
Mass Effect has a great combat system in place - yet it's the STORY that is the driving engine in this game !
IN MASS EFFECT - CONTEXT MATTERS !!!
Severe Dislikes >
1) Glitches which interfered with combat in the first two firefights.
Despite defending the Doctor successfully, she became frozen and did not move to advance the plot.
I had to reload from an earlier save.
Despite fending off all five waves during the Onslaught at Object Rho - the countdown froze and never finished.
I had to reload the game from an earlier save. The Object Rho title covered the enemies radar almost entirely.
Really.... was this not tested at all ? A couple playthroughs and I bet suggestions would have come flying !
2) A Perceived Lack of Continuity >
I strongly recommend that Bioware invest more in continuity ! It is irritating to discover contradictions in the storyline. Retroactive adjustments to continuity might work elsewhere - like in comics - but I contend that it does not work here in games which are so cinematic. Your games should be treated as FILMS - therefore you NEED a script supervisor to maintain continuity. Heck you need a Dramaturge too to keep all these details consistent.
Dislikes >
1) "Admirals - to save the Galaxy (temporarily) I had to destroy the Bahak System."
"I'm Commander Shepherd - and this is my favorite ATROCITY !"
( I can just imagine that Admiralty board hearing coming... )
"I'm Commander Shepherd - and 300,000 DEAD is just COLLATERAL DAMAGE ! "
SO DON'T GET IN MY WAY !
Gee after that - what won't he, she,...or WE BE FORCED TO DO ?
This speaks to the lack of significant choices on the part of the player.
The most significant choice was to take the Bahak System Mission in the first place.
2) NOTHING LEARNED - and MORE BAFFLEMENT GAINED.
Hello Rho. Are you the Reaper Answering Machine / Beacon / Night Light ?
Are you channeling Harbringer ? Or do you have your own voice ? You're so pretty -and pretty secretive...
You do Indoctrination on the side ? And how does that work ?
And WHY is Shepherd immune to your indoctrination effects.... OR IS HE ? GASP ! Uh oh....
3) Rewards were modest - Consequences Gargantuan !
The rewards were very modest, very little to take back to the Normandy. No souvenirs. No physical Reaper proof, no recordings. What no microcameras in those fancy combat suits ? Is Harbringer speaking through telepathic projection ? I too thought the Reapers were going to take much longer ( in the game time continuum ) - leaving time for a campaign which might leave a few years for the Milky Way Galaxy to prepare for the Arrival.
"Team - we're in deep $#!^. We thought we'd have years and we have a couple months or weeks."
Suggestions for the Future >
1) Use the story to create more tension in the Player. Allow for difficult and challenging choices.
Really, I didn't get to know Dr. Kenson well enough. She's made this huge discovery, she's both a scientist and a deep cover operative - surely an amazing person. A comrade ( and possibly more ) to Admiral Hackett !
So saving her life ( and the lives of the Project Base team ) should have been something we could have tried for.
If she's being possessed Collector General style, did the General have more of a plan for the Commander ?
Were the Indoctrinated folks just keeping him on ice for the arriving Overlords ? Was this supposed to be just a Search and Destroy mission ? Without choices, it's much like Henry Ford said: "You can have any colour Model T you want - as long as it's Black".
2) Getting to Know You... More Variety in Non-Player Character faces and interactions.
Okay it's more work, but having unique faces ( rather than clones ) is noticeable. Gingerbread copies are also very noticeable. Overhearing NPC conversations...and getting to view them as human beings / sentient beings makes it feel like they are real people rather than drones or cutouts. I imagine walking down the corridor with Dr. Kenson on the way to see lovely Rho...and hearing those twenty armoured operatives all chatting away...
P.B. 1 "Are you still having those dreams ?"
P.B. 2 "Yes, I'm going to see the counselor today...I think I've lost it".
P.B. 1 "How do you think the Commander's going to like the artifact ?"
P.B. 2 "He's going to tear the Dr. a new... - OH HELLO Commander !"
C.S. "Hi...hey I heard you folks talking and - what's up ?"
P.B. 2 "Ohhhhhhhhhh... Uh.... Sorry I really can't talk right now..." ( passes note ) Note says... "Help me !"
( The Commander looks up into P.B. Operative's pleading eyes... )
Dr. Kenson: "Commander ? - Are you ready to view the Artifact ?"
Shepard: "Look I'll be right back....Okay ?" Commander walks off with Dr. Kenson....
P.B. Operative 2 ( Moans...) "It will be too late... Now it's too late"
It was good to overhear the Batarians during the stealth mission, ( why not a similar treatment for the Project Base folks ? ) and it's been made clear that they overwhelmingly don't like and are suspicious of humans. I agree that getting to interact with at least one of them was necessary to help ( ahem ) humanize the impact of wiping out 90,000 of them and 215,000 other sentients of mixed species; humans, salarians, asari, volus, quarians, elcor and others. If I'm going to be compelled to make such decisions you might as well let me start feeling guilty right away.
Even better would be to feel like I had to make the decision despite the costs and the folks I'd met.
***An excellent example of this was during the Zaeed Loyalty Mission where we either save or sacrifice umpteen numbers of refinery workers.
3) Let the bodies pile up ! / Persistence of Objects.
Okay, it's neat to see Husks shread into bits, but in the Dead Reaper Mission - they often shattered like frozen corpsicles. If the Commander is going to shoot 30 mercs or other enemies, how about letting the bodies persist for a while ? It seems unrealistic for the Commander to knock out two security guards in a holding / medical area - and for their bodies and weapons to just disappear into thin air. Were they beamed out ?
( Or is this technically unfeasible yet programming wise ? )
4) Please consider these suggestions & comments.
Bioware has previously earned high praise - from many ( including myself ) for rich storytelling.
Surely you notice some common themes amongst our many many comments.
The Arrival is a disappointment and I feel that only a banner can properly express my feelings...
Even with the few great elements to be found in the Arrival...here's my summation.
The ARRIVAL TASTES LIKE ASS.
...And it COULD have been such FINE ASS too....
"I took the Mission...what the hell ELSE was I gonna do ?" ~ Captain Willard, Apocalypse Now
Banner & Dramatic Flames removed by Major_Tao_Tau in consideration of Kaatz's call for respect, civility and consideration for the Awesome folks at BioWare... and your continuing efforts. ]
So - WITH MUCH RESPECT.... I HOPE for much finer works from BioWare.
I remain hopeful for an Apocalyptic story-driven showdown yet to come... in Mass Effect 3.
http://i753.photobuc...xt523701031.gif
Modifié par Major_Tao_Tau, 03 avril 2011 - 06:18 .
#615
Posté 02 avril 2011 - 11:04
ManiacRex
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- Members
- 27 messages
The reason I continue to play Mass Effect 2 is because of the combat, not the roleplay. As a consequence I liked this DLC. In fact I think it's better than the Shadow Broker and Overlord on the combat front.
In order to please the shooters and avoid to displease the roleplayers, perhaps for ME3 DLC you could release a "N7 Assignment" DLC featuring some combat heavy missions, making it clear that these have a minimum of voice acting or cinematics and whatever there is.
In order to please the shooters and avoid to displease the roleplayers, perhaps for ME3 DLC you could release a "N7 Assignment" DLC featuring some combat heavy missions, making it clear that these have a minimum of voice acting or cinematics and whatever there is.
Modifié par ManiacRex, 02 avril 2011 - 11:05 .
#616
Posté 02 avril 2011 - 11:35
Nathan Redgrave
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- Members
- 2 062 messages
Major_Tao_Tau wrote...
1) Let the bodies pile up !
Okay, it's neat to see Husks shread into bits, but in the Dead Reaper Mission - they often shattered like frozen corpsicles. If the Commander is going to shoot 30 mercs or other enemies, how about letting the bodies persist for a while ? It seems unrealistic for the Commander to knock out two security guards in a holding / medical area - and for their bodies and weapons to just disappear into thin air. Were they beamed out ?
That's what we call not having too many objects in play at once. When a body is wiped off the field, that's one less mass of polygons dragging the system down, ergo the game can potentially run smoother. If we had more powerful hardware, I'd be in favor of keeping a few corpses around for flavor, but since games this gen have a tendency to have inconsistent framerates and slowdown issues, I'm more inclined to err on the side of technical smoothiness.
#617
Posté 02 avril 2011 - 11:52
PillarBiter
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- Members
- 1 146 messages
I have some pros and cons...
pros:
+ the cover was better designed then int he normal game. Not just a bunch of random crates everywhere, this time the cover was more weaved into the level design. I liked that, keep that up.
+ Hackett
+ The setup for me3 was good, also it gives us somewhat an idea of when me3 will take place.
+ The fight for rho, and the final dash to the comms sttelite although I do urge you to give us a little more of a challenge next time. I mean, I couldve done that part 5 times at elast before time ran out.
+ solo combat, it was a decent change of pace and adds a challenge
+ The me1 reference in level design was a good throwback for the me1 fans however... (see final con)
Cons:
- the story was halfway decent for a setup, but i totally missed immersion. Seriously, why didnt the other people you walked by talk, when you arrive at the asteroid with kenson? Alsom no other people, no other dialogue. Gets boring pretty fast, and I didnt care much for kenson either.
- We were shooting batarians... WHY COULDNT WE SEE THEIR FACES! I want an ugly mug in my scope when i pull the tirgger.
- solo combat. it just doesnt feel mass effect. I'd rather not, actually. It kinda feels as though the ai doesnt respond right. I mean, if you're with a group of 3 bad guys versus one soldier, you just circle and pincer him, easy as pie. They dont do that, why? because normally you have 2 other squadmates covering your back, so the ai doesnt do it here either. anyway... it just doesnt feel right.
- The batarians all die wether you contact them or not, wtf is up with
that? also, wether you shoot kenson or no, it ends exactly the same. NO
ONE DECISION MATTERS. that's totally messed up.
- the me1 level design. miles and miles of exactly the same looking hallway. How much more bring can it get? I mean, I understand its a space station and all, but still... Please dont take this as the standard for me3.
Overall score: 6/10
sorry, too many cons. Worth the money, but too many cons.
Now go release terminus gear.
pros:
+ the cover was better designed then int he normal game. Not just a bunch of random crates everywhere, this time the cover was more weaved into the level design. I liked that, keep that up.
+ Hackett
+ The setup for me3 was good, also it gives us somewhat an idea of when me3 will take place.
+ The fight for rho, and the final dash to the comms sttelite although I do urge you to give us a little more of a challenge next time. I mean, I couldve done that part 5 times at elast before time ran out.
+ solo combat, it was a decent change of pace and adds a challenge
+ The me1 reference in level design was a good throwback for the me1 fans however... (see final con)
Cons:
- the story was halfway decent for a setup, but i totally missed immersion. Seriously, why didnt the other people you walked by talk, when you arrive at the asteroid with kenson? Alsom no other people, no other dialogue. Gets boring pretty fast, and I didnt care much for kenson either.
- We were shooting batarians... WHY COULDNT WE SEE THEIR FACES! I want an ugly mug in my scope when i pull the tirgger.
- solo combat. it just doesnt feel mass effect. I'd rather not, actually. It kinda feels as though the ai doesnt respond right. I mean, if you're with a group of 3 bad guys versus one soldier, you just circle and pincer him, easy as pie. They dont do that, why? because normally you have 2 other squadmates covering your back, so the ai doesnt do it here either. anyway... it just doesnt feel right.
- The batarians all die wether you contact them or not, wtf is up with
that? also, wether you shoot kenson or no, it ends exactly the same. NO
ONE DECISION MATTERS. that's totally messed up.
- the me1 level design. miles and miles of exactly the same looking hallway. How much more bring can it get? I mean, I understand its a space station and all, but still... Please dont take this as the standard for me3.
Overall score: 6/10
sorry, too many cons. Worth the money, but too many cons.
Now go release terminus gear.
#618
Posté 02 avril 2011 - 12:20
SalsaDMA
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- Members
- 2 512 messages
MythicalKnight wrote...
- Water effects on Shepard's armor when moving in and out of rain. Finally noticed that during my fourth playtrough. Very impressive. It's that kind of polish that is going to be expected in ME3. Could have been a little more gradual of a change back and forth to be more realistic, but overall I was impressed.
I take it you were never paying much attention during Jacks loyalty mission?
#619
Posté 02 avril 2011 - 03:32
Woodstock-TC
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- Members
- 346 messages
liked:
+ finally again a ME2 DLC..
+ reapers are back .. somehow
disliked
- totally predictable. ..you had once such wonderful stories with really surprising turns.. BG, NWN, Jade Empire with the Glorious Strategist.. DAO, ME..
- well i just restarted playing ME2 from start and this mission basically started right after having defended the colony against the collectors (not even the whole team is recruited.) somehow a lot of dialogues seem to have MUCH more sense post suicidal or at least post Reaper Relic mission.
It came WAY too early in the game, if you play from start !!! (Hello QA ?)
- no choices and you alienated a lot ppl by a "kill 300k before dinner" decision in a mediocre DLC which will affect all future actions.. you know some of us really take the renegade or paladin background more serious than just playing a YetAnotherMindlessShooterguy91.
- where is my renegade choice action when Kenson talks about how she will destroy the reactor.. right after Shepard "deliberately" choses to kill 300k ppl, "i" suddenly leave her ranting in peace resembling a really BAD movie.. noo, i dont draw my gun and kill her. i listen and wait with patience until she runs away and all what im thinking meanwhile is "no, bioware that cant be true.. where is the interrupt action.. dont give me that crap please".. bollocks.
=> charges filled against "me" on earth for a decision i couldnt even select to take.. come on that just sucks and annoyed me 120% .. especially since it results from no decision at all. such kind of oppression in Real Life is why we play games.. left me feel bad with no motivation to continue the new playthough.
And this is a major issue with this DLC. A mediocre DLC just spoils my Shepard character fun. Bah.
Oviously you try to stretch the personal drama of the "champion" in this series.
Being dead and losing the former relations just doesnt cuts it anymore. He/She needs to kill zillions, having blood on the hands and still continue (Are you aiming to do a Jack Bauer clone somehow) ? Let me give you further boring ideas:
Torture him, let him torture innocents to have xy showing up, let him sacrifice all friends to continue solo, let all hunt him while he tries to save them all.. Man.. where are the glorious moments such as the ME1 finish when you move out of the dust after the final fight .. I never felt that satisfied before after completing something in a game. Diversion is good, but dont overdo FFS.
No matter how ME3 will turn out now, the outcome will be massively spoiled through the 300k++ and the missing decision. There is always choice.
That felt comparable to what Wing Commander IV was to I-III, when Origin Systems hired a lot of B-Actors and all previous (even apparent) choices were stripped in favor of a "Movie" Style Approach, where you were just fighting in between the scenes. It was an epic Fail. Funny enough there are a lot of resemblences between the companies and their changing focus (even the planned movie..)
- i didnt liked the "lets make another 08/15 Shooter Clone" take sorry. Extraction would have been nice on solo, but for the rest it was a reminiscense of my Killzone or Resistence copies.. sorry.. again same stuff like with DA2 and Diablo ? Just continue your own game style and special genre. dont fix whats working.. If ME3 is moving to this kind of gameplay (zillions enemies swooping into the rooms, and mostly solo, meaningless companions or choices than im done with ME and play shooters online sorry.
- disliked how shepard came out weak. / ie weak hardbringer "swooping of the ground holoprojection" dialogue (second this)
- disliked the ultimative prostation to the shooter genre. ( i do like pure shooters, but for pure shooters i play other games)
- awful and dilletantish plotholes around reapers (continuity (ME1 , ME2.. ), kenson indoctrination and hidden satellite.. thats just plain annoying to everyone which actually embraces your "universe" .. afterards it just becomes hard (no, lets say the truth.. it becomes plain pointless) to take it serious anymore. You just killed your franchise with a 50min DLC. Grats! Even Witchhunt - labeled as worst DLC of the year - didnt managed that for DA.
Its an insult to intelligence as simple as that
- no faces, all look same. batarian 2 eyes helmets .. cloned level design.. man DA2 lazyness spreading over.... whats up @bioware.. its nice that you release comics, books and hoodies. i even have some of them, but how about concentrating on your games again for a change.
- ME universe would have been better off without this DLC. For my part I would have just transfered you the cash over paypal if you are in urgent need of $
scrore 5/10
=> story and choices are your core competences, your product differentiator. If you dont deliver, you failed.
=> Shadwobroker or Overlord was way better / any ME Story sense killed (if you care).. in this area you come already very close to Resistence or Killzone. Would never bother with their story. Cant even remember it. Nor the dev studio producing them.
=>Conclusion: No ME3 preorder. Will wait for (user) reviews first. You punched that many holes in your background story that i really dont care much anymore. Same applies to the 'character' - I - was controlling until now.
br,
wood //playing computer games for 25 years now
+ finally again a ME2 DLC..
+ reapers are back .. somehow
disliked
- totally predictable. ..you had once such wonderful stories with really surprising turns.. BG, NWN, Jade Empire with the Glorious Strategist.. DAO, ME..
- well i just restarted playing ME2 from start and this mission basically started right after having defended the colony against the collectors (not even the whole team is recruited.) somehow a lot of dialogues seem to have MUCH more sense post suicidal or at least post Reaper Relic mission.
It came WAY too early in the game, if you play from start !!! (Hello QA ?)
- no choices and you alienated a lot ppl by a "kill 300k before dinner" decision in a mediocre DLC which will affect all future actions.. you know some of us really take the renegade or paladin background more serious than just playing a YetAnotherMindlessShooterguy91.
- where is my renegade choice action when Kenson talks about how she will destroy the reactor.. right after Shepard "deliberately" choses to kill 300k ppl, "i" suddenly leave her ranting in peace resembling a really BAD movie.. noo, i dont draw my gun and kill her. i listen and wait with patience until she runs away and all what im thinking meanwhile is "no, bioware that cant be true.. where is the interrupt action.. dont give me that crap please".. bollocks.
=> charges filled against "me" on earth for a decision i couldnt even select to take.. come on that just sucks and annoyed me 120% .. especially since it results from no decision at all. such kind of oppression in Real Life is why we play games.. left me feel bad with no motivation to continue the new playthough.
And this is a major issue with this DLC. A mediocre DLC just spoils my Shepard character fun. Bah.
Oviously you try to stretch the personal drama of the "champion" in this series.
Being dead and losing the former relations just doesnt cuts it anymore. He/She needs to kill zillions, having blood on the hands and still continue (Are you aiming to do a Jack Bauer clone somehow) ? Let me give you further boring ideas:
Torture him, let him torture innocents to have xy showing up, let him sacrifice all friends to continue solo, let all hunt him while he tries to save them all.. Man.. where are the glorious moments such as the ME1 finish when you move out of the dust after the final fight .. I never felt that satisfied before after completing something in a game. Diversion is good, but dont overdo FFS.
No matter how ME3 will turn out now, the outcome will be massively spoiled through the 300k++ and the missing decision. There is always choice.
That felt comparable to what Wing Commander IV was to I-III, when Origin Systems hired a lot of B-Actors and all previous (even apparent) choices were stripped in favor of a "Movie" Style Approach, where you were just fighting in between the scenes. It was an epic Fail. Funny enough there are a lot of resemblences between the companies and their changing focus (even the planned movie..)
- i didnt liked the "lets make another 08/15 Shooter Clone" take sorry. Extraction would have been nice on solo, but for the rest it was a reminiscense of my Killzone or Resistence copies.. sorry.. again same stuff like with DA2 and Diablo ? Just continue your own game style and special genre. dont fix whats working.. If ME3 is moving to this kind of gameplay (zillions enemies swooping into the rooms, and mostly solo, meaningless companions or choices than im done with ME and play shooters online sorry.
- disliked how shepard came out weak. / ie weak hardbringer "swooping of the ground holoprojection" dialogue (second this)
- disliked the ultimative prostation to the shooter genre. ( i do like pure shooters, but for pure shooters i play other games)
- awful and dilletantish plotholes around reapers (continuity (ME1 , ME2.. ), kenson indoctrination and hidden satellite.. thats just plain annoying to everyone which actually embraces your "universe" .. afterards it just becomes hard (no, lets say the truth.. it becomes plain pointless) to take it serious anymore. You just killed your franchise with a 50min DLC. Grats! Even Witchhunt - labeled as worst DLC of the year - didnt managed that for DA.
Its an insult to intelligence as simple as that
- no faces, all look same. batarian 2 eyes helmets .. cloned level design.. man DA2 lazyness spreading over.... whats up @bioware.. its nice that you release comics, books and hoodies. i even have some of them, but how about concentrating on your games again for a change.
- ME universe would have been better off without this DLC. For my part I would have just transfered you the cash over paypal if you are in urgent need of $
scrore 5/10
=> story and choices are your core competences, your product differentiator. If you dont deliver, you failed.
=> Shadwobroker or Overlord was way better / any ME Story sense killed (if you care).. in this area you come already very close to Resistence or Killzone. Would never bother with their story. Cant even remember it. Nor the dev studio producing them.
=>Conclusion: No ME3 preorder. Will wait for (user) reviews first. You punched that many holes in your background story that i really dont care much anymore. Same applies to the 'character' - I - was controlling until now.
br,
wood //playing computer games for 25 years now
Modifié par Woodstock-TC, 03 avril 2011 - 08:57 .
#620
Posté 02 avril 2011 - 03:34
Elessara
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- Members
- 1 880 messages
I have to admit I'm feeling fairly "meh" about Arrival. I liked Overlord, I loved LotSB.
I admit I haven't read through most of this thread, just posting my own thoughts to maybe someone else mentioned this but ... Kenson seemed to be animated oddly. Her mouth didn't move quite right, almost like her upper lip was completely still and there were times when it looked non-existant. I don't usually stare at characters mouths when they talk but it caught my eye and then I couldn't stop noticing it. It mostly bothered me through when you first meet her and on the shuttle to Project Base.
Moments of obviousness: Hey we're studying a Reaper artifact! Indoctrination? Don't be silly, we know what we're doing! *facepalm*
Yay for Admiral Hackett!
The future trial of Commander Shepard. Eh, please no trials I'd just as soon skip that. I remember the trial in NWN2 - and yes I know Bioware didn't do NWN2 but it was based off NWN1 which they did create. That trial pissed me off so so much. Mostly because I was playing a paladin of Tyr so the entire thing was a completely huge plothole. I almost stopped playing the game because of it.
Also, what evidence do they have? Hackett said the evidence was shoddy but do they have any evidence at all? Stealthed Normandy got into the system ... you destroyed Project Base and the entire star system. So unless there was some kind of security feed that they made a copy of that places Shepard at the prison then I'm not sure there would be any evidence of Shepard's involvement at all.
ME2 has pretty good DLC's overall though, especially compared to DAO.
I admit I haven't read through most of this thread, just posting my own thoughts to maybe someone else mentioned this but ... Kenson seemed to be animated oddly. Her mouth didn't move quite right, almost like her upper lip was completely still and there were times when it looked non-existant. I don't usually stare at characters mouths when they talk but it caught my eye and then I couldn't stop noticing it. It mostly bothered me through when you first meet her and on the shuttle to Project Base.
Moments of obviousness: Hey we're studying a Reaper artifact! Indoctrination? Don't be silly, we know what we're doing! *facepalm*
Yay for Admiral Hackett!
The future trial of Commander Shepard. Eh, please no trials I'd just as soon skip that. I remember the trial in NWN2 - and yes I know Bioware didn't do NWN2 but it was based off NWN1 which they did create. That trial pissed me off so so much. Mostly because I was playing a paladin of Tyr so the entire thing was a completely huge plothole. I almost stopped playing the game because of it.
Also, what evidence do they have? Hackett said the evidence was shoddy but do they have any evidence at all? Stealthed Normandy got into the system ... you destroyed Project Base and the entire star system. So unless there was some kind of security feed that they made a copy of that places Shepard at the prison then I'm not sure there would be any evidence of Shepard's involvement at all.
ME2 has pretty good DLC's overall though, especially compared to DAO.
#621
Posté 02 avril 2011 - 03:36
Kaatz
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- Members
- 6 messages
I have been following this thread pretty closely since the release of Arrival and would like to address this message to the community that posts on these forums.
BE MORE RESPECTFUL PLEASE!
I know a lot of people are disappointed (completely or partially) in the Arrival DLC and it's important that we give our feedback so many of these problems can be solved for ME3. However, we can offer criticism and suggestions for improvement without assaulting the folks at Bioware. If you were reading feedback on your work which would you be more likely to take to heart "This project is a flaming piece of garbage" or "I think it could've been a lot more effective in the following ways".
These guys have a REALLY difficult job and they do it d*** effectively 97% of the time. And when they stumble (as some believe they have with Arrival) we as a community of loyal fans should be helping them improve for the future instead of slamming them for their mistakes.
We as a fan community can be critical and provide feedback without being crassly disrespectful. Just some food for thought.
BE MORE RESPECTFUL PLEASE!
I know a lot of people are disappointed (completely or partially) in the Arrival DLC and it's important that we give our feedback so many of these problems can be solved for ME3. However, we can offer criticism and suggestions for improvement without assaulting the folks at Bioware. If you were reading feedback on your work which would you be more likely to take to heart "This project is a flaming piece of garbage" or "I think it could've been a lot more effective in the following ways".
These guys have a REALLY difficult job and they do it d*** effectively 97% of the time. And when they stumble (as some believe they have with Arrival) we as a community of loyal fans should be helping them improve for the future instead of slamming them for their mistakes.
We as a fan community can be critical and provide feedback without being crassly disrespectful. Just some food for thought.
#622
Posté 02 avril 2011 - 04:05
MythicalKnight
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- Members
- 111 messages
Guess not, but that part in the rain was so short though.SalsaDMA wrote...
MythicalKnight wrote...
- Water effects on Shepard's armor when moving in and out of rain. Finally noticed that during my fourth playtrough. Very impressive. It's that kind of polish that is going to be expected in ME3. Could have been a little more gradual of a change back and forth to be more realistic, but overall I was impressed.
I take it you were never paying much attention during Jacks loyalty mission?
Modifié par MythicalKnight, 02 avril 2011 - 04:06 .
#623
Posté 02 avril 2011 - 06:09
CARL_DF90
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- Members
- 2 473 messages
As all the problems with this DLC has already been covered in spades I'll simply say this: I ask that all the issues that have been brought up with this DLC be taken as lessons on what to avoid when it comes to DLC for Mass Effect 3 and other Bioware properties. Thanks for all the good times I've had with ME2 Bioware. I shall now lay it to rest & await the next ME novel & then the release of Mass Effect 3. 
#624
Posté 02 avril 2011 - 06:20
DashRunner92
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- Members
- 616 messages
As many people said before, too short, why no real choices, and blah blah blah. But still in the end I enjoyed it. 1 thing really did bother me though.
- The title is a misnomer.. and good thing I didn't watch the trailer before playing because well for one it showed pretty much the entire DLC and also it definitely leads players to assume the Reapers actually arriving during the DLC.
One thing I am really looking forward to is the trial. I am definitely interested in what will happen and will probably be the intro in ME3.
- The title is a misnomer.. and good thing I didn't watch the trailer before playing because well for one it showed pretty much the entire DLC and also it definitely leads players to assume the Reapers actually arriving during the DLC.
One thing I am really looking forward to is the trial. I am definitely interested in what will happen and will probably be the intro in ME3.
#625
Posté 02 avril 2011 - 06:34
pjotroos
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- Members
- 482 messages
Sorry if I repeat something that was already said word for word, but I think in this case the amount of positive and negative feedback is as important as what the feedback is.
First of all, big fan of the series. I felt first "Mass Effect" was the best game in years, I played through both 4 times, I own all the storyline DLC, and I thought both "Overlord" and "Shadow Broker" were great additions to the universe and a money well spent. I didn't hesitate for a moment before buying "The Arrival".
Secondly, I had my share of issues with the sequel - the way Cerberus was retconned or how the catsuits or couple of belts suddenly started to pass for a battle armor and/or enviromental suits - but it didn't stop me from enjoying the experience immensely. And the reason I'm saying it all, is to put things in the right perspective before passing the verdict.
Simply put, "Arrival" is huge dissapointment and a big warning sign before "Mass Effect 3". There's really just a few things I enjoyed about it when playing, and the only one I can remember right now is the truthful portrayal of Hackett.
The list of complains, on the other hand, could be fairly lengthy. For everyone's sake I'll keep the relatively irrelevant stuff out. On to the important bits:
Combat system in ME2 - even though it was improved greatly since part one - is nothing brilliant. What made the fighting unique compared to dozens of other hide&shoot games was the companions. Strip them away and it becomes really repeative and mundane, with only a couple of useful powers at higher difficulties and three guns to choose from. I understand getting the 12 different voice actors to come back and record new lines for their characters just wouldn't be affordable, but that never was an issue before.
The fights themselves could do with being little more than the regular horde mode. There was no variety here, nothing new, nothing clever about those waves upon waves of mooks. The final encounter was disappointing. On top of that, the QA was shockingly poor. The final mech could be glitched just by ducking behind the set of boxes on the right and shooting at him over the knee-high barrier. I took him down without moving once and without taking a single point of damage, as all his machine gun rounds went into the boxes. And that's the first cover I picked. How come nobody did before me?
Combine those two things with bad pacing, and I was actually getting bored halfway through - for the first time ever when playing new Mass Effect content. And I'm really worried about the franchise if it devolves into such basic shooter any further. But that wasn't my main reason for disappointment.
I fell in love with first ME for its universe and its story. I was perfectly happy to overlook all its technical shortcomings because of how atmospheric and how well told it was. What on earth happened since then? What could possibly force you to rush this short story so much?
More things about the dialogues were wrong than right. They didn't sound believable. They were lacking any choices half the time. The "Investigate" options were added at the wrong moments; take the conversation with Hackett at the end for one example. He shows up and I wonder what he's doing on the Cerberus vessel - but there's no such option to pick. We talk for a bit, he tells me war with Batarians is coming, and that is when Shepard decides to ask him about being here.
Worse yet, the dialogue options were completely insignificant. Very much like in the demo of DA2, we had the choice of friendly/normal/hostile, that accounted for nothing beyond some points and immidiate response. 30 seconds later our reply stopps to matter at all. Why was it possible to have some meaningful options in the previous DLCs but not in this one?
Add to that the unsurprising plot twist with all the questions it raises (why even tell Shepard about your old plan if you are against it now?), sacrificing logic for the sake of drama (where was Normandy for those last two days?), copy-pasting old events and executing it worse than before (Harbringer replaying the conversation with Sovereign) and the overall lack of imagination (the project called The Project), and you can clearly see it was created with the minimal effort possible.
I was planning to preorder ME3 and take a week off work when it arrives. Then DA2 came out and everyone that I care to trust said it was great idea that took the blow from being very obviously rushed. That was first warning sign. "The Arrival" is good idea for the connecting event executed even worse. The conclusions from that - especially if you consider how quickly ME3 will be out - are pretty grim. I'd really love to see something proving otherwise.
First of all, big fan of the series. I felt first "Mass Effect" was the best game in years, I played through both 4 times, I own all the storyline DLC, and I thought both "Overlord" and "Shadow Broker" were great additions to the universe and a money well spent. I didn't hesitate for a moment before buying "The Arrival".
Secondly, I had my share of issues with the sequel - the way Cerberus was retconned or how the catsuits or couple of belts suddenly started to pass for a battle armor and/or enviromental suits - but it didn't stop me from enjoying the experience immensely. And the reason I'm saying it all, is to put things in the right perspective before passing the verdict.
Simply put, "Arrival" is huge dissapointment and a big warning sign before "Mass Effect 3". There's really just a few things I enjoyed about it when playing, and the only one I can remember right now is the truthful portrayal of Hackett.
The list of complains, on the other hand, could be fairly lengthy. For everyone's sake I'll keep the relatively irrelevant stuff out. On to the important bits:
Combat system in ME2 - even though it was improved greatly since part one - is nothing brilliant. What made the fighting unique compared to dozens of other hide&shoot games was the companions. Strip them away and it becomes really repeative and mundane, with only a couple of useful powers at higher difficulties and three guns to choose from. I understand getting the 12 different voice actors to come back and record new lines for their characters just wouldn't be affordable, but that never was an issue before.
The fights themselves could do with being little more than the regular horde mode. There was no variety here, nothing new, nothing clever about those waves upon waves of mooks. The final encounter was disappointing. On top of that, the QA was shockingly poor. The final mech could be glitched just by ducking behind the set of boxes on the right and shooting at him over the knee-high barrier. I took him down without moving once and without taking a single point of damage, as all his machine gun rounds went into the boxes. And that's the first cover I picked. How come nobody did before me?
Combine those two things with bad pacing, and I was actually getting bored halfway through - for the first time ever when playing new Mass Effect content. And I'm really worried about the franchise if it devolves into such basic shooter any further. But that wasn't my main reason for disappointment.
I fell in love with first ME for its universe and its story. I was perfectly happy to overlook all its technical shortcomings because of how atmospheric and how well told it was. What on earth happened since then? What could possibly force you to rush this short story so much?
More things about the dialogues were wrong than right. They didn't sound believable. They were lacking any choices half the time. The "Investigate" options were added at the wrong moments; take the conversation with Hackett at the end for one example. He shows up and I wonder what he's doing on the Cerberus vessel - but there's no such option to pick. We talk for a bit, he tells me war with Batarians is coming, and that is when Shepard decides to ask him about being here.
Worse yet, the dialogue options were completely insignificant. Very much like in the demo of DA2, we had the choice of friendly/normal/hostile, that accounted for nothing beyond some points and immidiate response. 30 seconds later our reply stopps to matter at all. Why was it possible to have some meaningful options in the previous DLCs but not in this one?
Add to that the unsurprising plot twist with all the questions it raises (why even tell Shepard about your old plan if you are against it now?), sacrificing logic for the sake of drama (where was Normandy for those last two days?), copy-pasting old events and executing it worse than before (Harbringer replaying the conversation with Sovereign) and the overall lack of imagination (the project called The Project), and you can clearly see it was created with the minimal effort possible.
I was planning to preorder ME3 and take a week off work when it arrives. Then DA2 came out and everyone that I care to trust said it was great idea that took the blow from being very obviously rushed. That was first warning sign. "The Arrival" is good idea for the connecting event executed even worse. The conclusions from that - especially if you consider how quickly ME3 will be out - are pretty grim. I'd really love to see something proving otherwise.
